Page 29 of The First Best Man

So generous. And thoughtful.

God damn, this woman is amazing.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Kate

The bridesmaids’dresses are nearly finished, and Blaine and I are at the bridal shop this afternoon with Penny for our final fitting. The bride didn’t have to be here for this, but I think Penny decided to come so I wouldn’t have to deal with Blaine, alone. As I pull the soft layers of organza over my curves and adjust the dress, I feel like a fairytale princess.

This creation is pure perfection, and it hugs me in all the right places, making me feel beautiful. The zipper is along my side, making it possible for me to dress by myself, and once I have it secured, I adjust my boobs in the strapless bra I’m wearing and smooth the bell sleeves that hang off my shoulders.

When I step out into the main room where Penny and the seamstress wait, my best friend gasps, and her eyes immediately begin to water.

“You look beautiful, Kate,” she breathes, making my own eyes sting with emotion.

“I love this dress,” I say as I step up onto the box in front of the mirror.

The seamstress approaches with a soft smile, bending over to check the length of the dress. She let out the hem after my last fitting, and now the edge floats right over the tops of my feet.

“I don’t know why we couldn’t go with something a little more form-fitting,” Blaine complains as she walks out of the dressing room area. “This thing looks like a potato sack on me.”

My spine stiffens. I know Penny picked this style formybody. She wanted me to feel beautiful on her big day because that’s the kind of person she is. Blaine can freaking deal with it. She looks gorgeousevery day, for Christ’s sake. Can’t she just give me this one?

“You can’t even tell I have a waist,” Blaine goes on, cinching the material to accentuate her slim body. “Ugh, I hate this color, too.”

Something in my brain snaps. It must be the part that exerts impulse control, because I spin around, hop off the box, and stride toward Blaine without an ounce of hesitation.

“Shut up,” I shout as I come to a stop in front of her.

“Excuse me?” she says, flinching back like I’d slapped her.

“Just shut the fuck up, Blaine. This isPenny’sday. Not yours. You’ll wear what she tells you to wear and smile like you love every minute of it. Now, stop complaining, and let the God damn seamstress do her job.”

My hair arcs out behind me as I spin around and stomp back toward the dressing room. I’m fuming while I pull the dress off and place it back in the garment bag. I start to calm as I pull my clothes back on, and by the time I’m ready to leave the small cubicle, I’m feeling a bit guilty despite the residual anger.

I can’t believe I did that. The last thing I want is for my lost temper to cause Penny any more stress. Blaine studiously ignores me from her perch on the box while the seamstress hovers around her, and when I pass by Penny, I shoot her an apologetic look.

She shakes her head before her lips turn up into a wide grin, then she mouths the word “badass.” Laughter bubbles up my throat, but I manage to stifle it before nodding, telling her to have fun on the dinner cruise tonight and walking out the door without so much as another glance at Blaine.

Then I walk straight to the Grill, belly up to the bar, and beg Jasper to put in an extra-large order of chili-cheese fries for me. I need comfort food, and there’s nothing better than gooey, cheesy fries with loads of spicy chili.

I prop my elbow on the bar and rest my cheek against my fist, letting out a long sigh. I know I shouldn’t have blown up like that, no matter how much Penny tried to make me feel better about it. Blaine may be a pain in the ass, but she’s Logan’s sister, which means she’s a few days away from beingPenny’ssister.

For the rest of her life.

And since Penny and I are best friends, I’ll probably spend the rest ofmylife interacting regularly with the woman. Hell, even if she wasn’t Logan’s sister, this is asmall island. I couldn’t stay away from her if I tried. Not completely, anyway.

I’m still brooding when someone slides onto the stool next to me. I glance over to see Tucker’s smile, and this feels like déjà vu all over again. I try to smile back at him, but I must suck at it because he frowns and tilts his head.

“Is everything okay? What’s wrong?” he asks, and I shake my head.

Jasper places the giant plate of fries in front of me, and I motion for him to grab a second fork for Tucker. There’s no way I can eat all this, even as grumpy and in need of comfort food as I am right now, so I might as well share.

It’s kind of our thing, anyway.

“Blaine got to me, again,” I murmur as I stab a fry with my fork. “I kind of lost it on her in front of Penny and the bridal shop seamstress.”

“What happened?” he asks, twisting on his stool to face me and leaning closer.

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