Page 33 of Seeing You

Now he had closure.

Didn’t he?

Chapter Six

That Saturday, Billie stared at her reflection and smiled. The floral dress was new, and it made her feel beautiful and feminine—and she realized she hadn’t felt that way in years until Marcus had kissed her senseless the other night.

Damn him.

Now it was like her body was coming alive again and demanding some sexy attention. Her only hope was to meet someone at Iris’s wedding today or pick up batteries on her way home.

Because she’d worn them out in the last few days.

Damn Marcus and his kiss.

It wasn’t like she’d been living like a nun for a decade. She’d dated plenty and slept with other men, but there hadn’t been anyone long-term and certainly no one she could envision a future with the way she had with…

“Ugh, stop thinking about him! Weddings are notoriously great places to hook up with someone!” she told herself.

Plus, Iris had mentioned she had a lot of single male relatives who were coming without a plus-one, and all the groomsmen were single and also coming without dates, so…

“I’m okay with a one-night thing. With any luck, it will be good enough to hold me over for a while.”

That was her mindset when she left to pick up the wedding cake and cupcakes at Books & Beans, after throwing an overnight bag in her backseat.

Her SUV was perfect for transport, especially when she waited to assemble the cake at the site of the reception. It meant arriving early, but the ceremony and reception were at the same place, so she didn’t have to miss out on anything.

The venue was a hotel about thirty minutes out of Sweetbriar Ridge, and although she loved it when the wedding was close to home, having it at a hotel might work to her advantage since she was on the prowl.

The shudder was out before she could stop it because she wasn’t an on-the-prowl type of person, but she needed to wipe all thoughts of Marcus from her mind, and this was the only way she knew how.

So, she picked up the cake and all the tools she was going to need to assemble it with all the finishing touches. The event coordinator promised to have people on hand to help her bring everything in and set it up in the hotel’s catering kitchen. With everything secured, she turned some soft music on and did her best to relax on the drive.

She and Iris had grown up together, but luckily, there were no other Donovans invited to the wedding. It would have been awkward for her to hit on anyone with her mother or siblings watching.

“Thank God for small favors.”

Set up at the hotel was a breeze, and as soon as the last flower was on the cake and it was wheeled away to a safe location, all the tension left her body.

“Now the fun can begin,” she murmured after running into the restroom and washing up.

First, she went to the front desk and booked a room. Even if she didn’t hook up with anyone, it would be nice to enjoy a few drinks and not have to drive. Running out to her car, she grabbed her overnight bag and brought it upstairs.

The room wasn’t anything special—a king-size bed with a view of the mountains. It wasn’t overly luxurious, but it was nice enough. After checking her reflection one more time, she mentally wished herself good luck, left her room, and took the elevator back down to the lobby.

Casually, she strolled down the wide hall toward where the ceremony would take place. She chatted with friends and acquaintances and marveled at all the flowers and how nice everyone looked. Small talk was fine—it was something she excelled at—but when the ceremony was beginning, Billie was relieved to not have to talk for a little while.

After the I Dos, everyone was led toward the reception hall area for a cocktail hour. There was an open bar, and she made her way over, smiling at the bartender. From a distance, he looked cute, but up close, he looked almost too young to be serving alcohol.

“Can I please get a glass of Sauvignon Blanc?” she sweetly asked.

The bartender smiled as he poured and handed her the glass with, “Here you go, ma’am. Enjoy!”

And yeah, that hurt.

Ma’am.The worst four-letter word when she was trying to feel young and sexy.

“Don’t let it ruin your night,” she whispered to herself. Luckily, she saw a group of friends waving her over and she was thankful for the distraction.

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