Page 2 of In a Pinch

“Who the hell is that guy?” I ask. Half whispering, half wanting the dude to hear us, so he knows he’s being rude as hell.

“That is Samuel, Cal’s brother,” she says, with a pained smile. Her eyes are giving me thebe coollook. But that’s a no from me, dude. You want to be rude? That’s fine. I can do it better.

“Well, yes, Prince Samuel. You may get back to your regularly scheduled programming. I would hate to delay His RoyalHighness.” I do a half-assed curtsey and sit next to Liv, who laughs. At least someone thinks I’m funny.

He rolls his eyes at me, which are really nice, and I hate myself for noticing. The perfect honey brown. His skin has an olive tone that highlights his eyes and dark curly hair. If I wasn’t so done with douchebags like him, I’d let myself get a little tipsy, break down his asshole exterior, and get his number. But I have made a vow to myself to make better dating decisions. Never again am I dating a guy who will just end up ruining my life. Being alone is better than being with the wrong person.

Nope. No more. Done. Finito.

Presents get handed out, and to my surprise, I have one. Which can only mean that Cal got me one. Seriously, Isla hit the freaking jackpot. Good for her.

My eyes wander over the room and land on Sam’s angular face. The fireplace illuminates his high cheekbones. Turning my head, I look away before I get caught gawking at him.

Isla finally gets to her last present. Which is a box. In a box. In about three more boxes.

“Okay, which one of you bitches thought this was funny?” She looks over to Liv. “It was you, wasn’t it? Is this payback for your birthday?” she asks. And now I’m dying to know what she got Liv for her birthday.

“This one is not from me. But don’t worry, your time for payback is coming.” She shoots me a wink and I laugh. Being with them all reminds me of my crazy Brady Bunch. The jokes and laughter are music to the soul.

Isla gets to the last box, which is also empty. She mutters to herself. Fighting the urge to smile, I bite my lip back. This girl has no idea what’s coming. Everyone is deathly silent and staring at her. Seriously, she is the most oblivious person I have ever met in my life.

“What?” Isla looks at me and I nod, urging her to look at what’s behind her.

She turns around and her mouth falls open. Cal sits on one knee, holding a ring box. An upside-down ring box. Seriously, we practiced over FaceTime, like, a million times. How the hell did he still get it wrong?

His speech brings tears to my eyes. No one deserves a love like this more than Isla. It literally radiates off them. And it doesn’t make me at all jealous. Nope. Not one bit. If I keep lying to myself, will I eventually believe it?

Once they finally separate and make their way back to the group, I get to show off my fancy new planner.The Maid of Honor Bible.All the things I will need to make her day the best possible. Good luck to anyone who stands in the way of that.

My days with Isla fly by in a flash. When New Year’s Eve comes around, I almost dread going back, but I have a promotion with my name on it, and boy, have I earned it. Knowing that is coming makes me feel a little more excited about work. And life in general.

I’m not sure when it happened, but I no longer feel like I am crushing the life game. Everyone is rushing past me. Getting cool jobs, moving, and starting the better parts of their lives. And I’m just here. The annoying part is, there is nothing wrong with where I am at. I like my job. I like my life. So, why does it all feel so lackluster?

“I’m not ready for you to go home. We will have to FaceTime every week.” She reaches over for my arm as we sit cozied upon her couch in front of her fireplace. We’re enjoying every last second together.

“And that’s different, how?” We share a laugh. “You’ll have to let me know how the meeting with the wedding planner goes. I’m dying to hear what you all come up with.” My hands clap in excitement.

I’ve forced Isla to get the big things done—like choosing a date and finding a planner—while I’m here. Knowing her, she would put it off, and then we would be rushing, and I just cannot have that.

“I promise to call you right away.” She holds up her pinky, and this is how I know she will not fail me. The girl has never broken a pinky promise in her life.

Liv comes busting through Isla’s front door, quite literally. A kick sends the door flying open, so that her hands can hold her two bottles of champagne. “Let’s get this party started.”

Readjusting on the couch to better face the door, I say, “Yeah, I have a 9 a.m. flight tomorrow. So, you can all party your pants off. I will gladly play photographer and hold all the embarrassing things you say against you for the next year.”

“Okay, who invited the party pooper?” asks Liv’s husband, Tyler. He’s following behind her, carrying even more stuff.

“Have you ever flown hungover? It’s literally the worst, and I choose life. You can go crazy.” I hop up onto the chair and pour myself a nice glass of sparkling grape juice.

After an hour, we have all settled onto the couch and chairs. As it turns out, I am not the only party pooper. Everyone is still nursing their first glass of champagne as we watch the New York Time’s Square special.

My gaze keeps going to the door, waiting for a dark, curly-haired man to make an appearance. The act catches Liv’s attention, and she asks, “Who are you watching for?”

“I figured Samuel would be coming.”

“He doesn’t come around much. I’m shocked he came to Christmas. I’m guessing Mom asked him to. She’s the only person who can get him to show,” Cal says.

I notice Liv tuck her head, which leaves me with more questions than answers. This feeling of disappointment also causes more questions than answers. I’ve heard all about the douchebag brother who ditched his sister’s wedding. So, why am I still thinking about his eyes? And how fun it was to jest with him?

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