Page 9 of Surprise Baby for Daddy's Best Friend

Kim tossed a crumpled itinerary at me, "We're running late." Her brown hair which had looked so nice and neat the night before now looked like an untamed lion's mane that circled her face.

I blinked through the exhaustion at the schedule for the day. No scheduled breakfast. Just everyone meeting downstairs if they wanted to in the morning. Not like I wanted to do that after clubbing last night. If Amanda and Carl wanted to, that was on them.

"You going downstairs to say hi to everyone?" I grumbled and held the paper out to her.

"That's already done. It's like ten in the morning."

I crinkled my nose and glanced at the schedule again, at 10:30 we were supposed to all do some fancy brunch. It was like watching an accident in slow motion as my mind acknowledged we were running late for brunch. I couldn't just roll out of bed either. I remembered seeing it yesterday. The brunch was at some fancy place.

"Shit!" I tossed the itinerary to the nightstand and jumped out of bed. "We don't have time." I turned to Mandi who was only half dressed. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

She shrugged and tossed multiple outfits onto her bed. "I just got up too. I slept through my alarm." She stopped on an oversized tan cardigan and white button-up. "Did you pick your clothes out last night?"

I shook my head and clambered to my suitcase. Most of my clothes were separated by events I half expected to attend while out here. I grabbed the bag with my note scribbled on it for Sunday Best and tossed it on the bed.

"Shit, I didn't get the wrinkles out last night either."

"Shower," Mandi shouted. "The steam will help."

I nodded and pulled the white low-cut blouse out of the bag and tossed my jeans onto the bed. The water in the shower turned instantly hot and filled the bathroom with heavy steam. I put the blouse on a hanger outside the shower and prayed there was enough time.

Mandi was almost fully dressed and pulling out her hygiene bags. She brushed her hair in front of the tall mirror while mumbling something under her breath. I didn't have time to think about what she was saying as I focused on myself.

My hair wasn't the worst it could look. If anything, I just needed to run my fingers through it and put it in a messy bun. I could probably pull it off.

We had already wasted ten minutes, and everyone was supposed to meet downstairs close to 10:30 so we could leave. I took my makeup bag into the bathroom and checked the blouse. Most of the small wrinkles were already gone and it looked presentable enough to wear out. I kept it up for a little longer while I put on my makeup.

"Ready?" Mandi called from the bedroom.

"Yeah, almost done."

I slipped the blouse on and tucked part of it inside my pants. The ensemble didn't look too bad. I grabbed my light tan floppy hat and shoved it on my head. A gift from Amanda's mom to add to our ensemble while we were out here. It wasn't exactly to my taste, but I wasn't going to complain when everyone had their version of it, including Mandi, whose hat had a small ribbon tied on one side. I examined myself behind Mandi one last time in the tall mirror.

"We clean up pretty quick," I laughed.

"Yeah. I could have done better if I had more time."

"I'm sure the others won't notice a thing."

Everyone downstairs was dressedto perfection. All the ladies from the bridal party, plus a few other women that were going to attend the wedding were sitting at a group of tables next to the false fireplace. The older women, including Amanda's mom, wore more traditional clothing that made them look like they had stepped out of a 1950’s magazine. Their pale pink and blue dress was gorgeous, but not something I could wear myself. It just wasn't my style.

Mandi joined the group first. "Sorry, we're late." She glanced back at me. "We had some issues in the room with my clothes and Kim helped me out." She gave me a quick smile to let me know she was taking the fall for us sleeping in.

"Don't worry, sweetie," Amanda's mom said. "You arrived just in time." She examined her watch. "The driver should be here in just a few minutes."

"Driver?" I raised a brow, "We're not going to a place on the resort?"

Amanda's mom snorted and waved a hand in the air. "Of course not. I chose a unique place that's a favorite of the locals in the area. I want you girls to enjoy a destination vacation by enjoying the destination too. Not just the tourist traps." She indicated the hotel lobby. "It's too sterilized in here."

A man walked into the lobby wearing a suit and stared at us for a few seconds before moving closer. "Excuse me, miss," he said while looking at me. "Are you part of the Bryant party?" He wasn't as old as Jared, but there was a twinkle in his eyes that spoke of experiences in his life that were far past my own. The sides of his thick, black hair already showed some silver in them.

I blushed and turned to Amanda's mom, "I'm Kimberly Bryant, but I believe she's the one who set up everything."

She stood up and pushed past me to shake the man's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Are you our driver?"

He nodded, "I am. Your ride is waiting for you outside the doors."

The two of them walked arm-in-arm outside followed by the rest of the group.

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