Page 20 of My Best Friend's Mardi Gras Wedding

Tori wasnotgoing to say that though.It didn’t matter.He was drunk and she’d caught him by surprise and the kiss didn’t mean anything.

“Come on, Andrew, time to go.”Paisley started tugging him toward the door.

“I can’t just leave Tori here,” Andrew protested, taking a few steps with Paisley anyway.

“Oh, I think she’ll be okay,” Paisley said, glancing over her shoulder at Tori.“Apparently she found her way down here alone and met a ‘friend’ last year.”

Andrew shot Tori an apologetic look, but he let Paisley lead him out of the building.

Tori watched the other bridesmaids turn and follow them out.

Then she blew out a breath.

Well…fuck.

She had, in fact, found her way down here on her own last year.

And even though he had stood her up, she was missing that “friend” more than ever right now.If he’d shown up, she could have proven to Paisley that she had no romantic feelings for Andrew.Having Josh sweep in in the middle ofthatdebacle would have beenperfect.Paisley would have had to acknowledge that Tori had not only been telling the truth, but she would have seen that Tori wasn’t pining after the boy next door.The spoiled bitch would have seen that Tori could, by God, attract a hot, sexy playboy with panty-melting drawl who looked at Tori like she was his favorite flavor ofeverything.

Yeah, that would have been perfect.

But it hadn’t happened.At all.

And it finally sunk in fully that Josh had not shown up for their rendezvous.Tori felt a knot in her stomach and a sadness that was far more intense than made sense.She barely knew the guy.It had been a year.There had always been the chance that one or both of them wouldn’t, or couldn’t, make it to this spot on this night.

But she still felt like crying.

So, now what was she going to do?The wedding had been on track for being an incredibly frustrating, awkward affair anyway.Now?Now that the entire bridal party thought Tori was after Andrew?Now thatAndrewthought that Tori was in love with him?This had all the makings of the worst week of her life.

She could leave.

There was nothing that said shehadto be here.There were lots of people who would prefer she leave.

But, no matter how stupid he was when he was drunk, Andrew was still her best friend.They’d been there for every major occasion in the other’s life forever.If she missed his wedding, she’d always regret it.

Probably.

So she needed a way to salvage this.A way to prove that she did not want Andrew for herself.She just didn’t want him withPaisley.

No, Tori, you can’t think about that.If you break this wedding up, everyone will definitely think it’s because Paisley was right.Andrew might even think that.And that will make everything between you and Andrew awkward forever.

She couldn’t let that happen either.

She really needed to prove that the kiss had been about another guy altogether.A real guy.A guy that actually existed and had romanced her last year and hadaskedher to come back.A guy shereallywanted to kiss.In front of people.Like Andrew and Paisley.For instance.

She needed Josh.

Tori turned toward the bar and pushed through the people to get back to the bartender.

“Hey!”she called to him.

“What’s up?”he asked.

“Can you tell me how to get to Autre?”

Was she going to show up and convince him to be her plus one at this wedding even though he’d stood her up and probably completely forgotten her?

Yep.

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