Page 95 of My Best Friend's Mardi Gras Wedding

He stopped outside the door and peeked around the corner.The room was full of women sitting around tables covered with makeup and various mirrors, brushes, and tools.There was a woman at the other end of the room from the doorway addressing the group as she made up Paisley’s face.All of the women were alternating between watching her and then looking at themselves in the mirrors and trying to replicate what she was doing.A bunch of Paisley’s friends beingrequiredto look into mirrors?He could probably walk right in, grab Tori, and walk back out without anyone noticing.

Thankfully, Tori was sitting at one of the tables toward the back of the room, closest to the door.He could only see her from the side, but he was happy to see she looked miserable.Well, he wasn’t happy she was miserable, but it would make talking her into sneaking out easier.He just needed to get her attention.Still, he didn’t want to interrupt the session.In part, because he didn’t want to piss Paisley off.But he also didn’t want to risk calling attention to he and Tori slipping off.Becausehedidn’t want to be interrupted.If he pulled Tori out of the room and Paisley got irritated, she might tell Andrew.And Andrew might come looking for them.

Andrew had had enough of Tori’s attention today.

“Tori,” Josh tried to whisper.But there was no way she was going to hear him.

He thought quickly and headed back upstairs.In the bottom of his bag were three strands of Mardi Gras beads.He wasn’t sure how or when they’d gotten in there, but he’d noticed them when he’d changed clothes.He was back down outside of the parlor door five minutes later.

He waited until the woman at the front turned away and then he tossed a strand of beads at Tori’s leg.

He missed.

The beads hit the hardwood floor and slid under Tori’s table.No one seemed to notice.Josh blew out a breath and tossed the next strand.This time he hit Tori’s shoe, but she simply moved her foot, apparently thinking someone at the table had inadvertently bumped her.

Josh rolled his eyes.This really should be easier.Or he could just wait for her to be done.But he wanted to save her from this.Or maybe he just wanted to see if she’dlethim save her from this.He hadn’t loved that she’d chosen returning to Buckworth with Andrew over staying in New Orleans with Josh and his family.But he understood it.This was her friend’s wedding and she needed to be a part of it.And yes, Josh was going to keep insisting to himself that her coming back here with Andrew was all about the wedding and not about Andrew himself.She’d wanted to go to the burlesque club with them more than she’d wanted to come back to the plantation.He was sure of it.Ninety-five percent sure, anyway.

There was something about Andrew that made Josh twitchy, he wasn’t going to lie.

At least, not to himself.To Tori?Yeah, he wasn’t going to tell her that.

He took a deep breath and with absolute focus on his target—Tori’s left lower leg—and a soft underhanded toss, he threw the last strand of beads.

This time he hit her exactly where he’d intended and she looked down.Frowning she bent to pick up the beads—all three strands now lying around her chair and under the table—then pivoted in her seat.Her eyes widened when she saw him in the doorway.He grinned and put his finger to his lips.Then he beckoned for her to come to him.

She glanced toward the front of the room, then back to him.She shook her head quickly.

He nodded.“Please,” he mouthed.

She frowned, looked to the makeover instructor again, then back to Josh.“Five minutes,” she mouthed to him.

No.Dammit.It was completely irrational, but he wanted hernowand he wanted her to choose him over all of this hoopla.That she didn’t even like.

Aware that he was acting like a toddler, he frowned back at her and shook his head.“Now,” he mouthed.

Her eyes narrowed and she pointed at her face.It was only partially made up.He couldn’t tell the details but it looked like she had half of her face done in one color and the other half in another, along with eyeshadow and eyelashes on only one eye.He shrugged.“Don’t care,” he mouthed.

She sighed and turned back to face the table.But just when Josh thought he really was going to have to stomp into that room and throw her over his shoulder again—not that he minded that move—she reached for something in the middle of the table and bumped her glass of champagne.Somehow the glass tippedtowardher rather than away, dumping what had to have been fifty-bucks worth of expensive champagne into her lap.

“Oh my gosh!”she exclaimed, shooting to her feet.

Everyone in the room stopped talking and peering into mirrors and turned to look at her.“Are you okay?”Paisley asked.

“Yes.Yes.I’m just all…wet and sticky,” Tori said.“I’d better…go.”

The part of Josh’s brain that was, and always would be, a thirteen-year-old boy smirked at the “wet and sticky” line, but he’d pulled himself together by the time Tori got to the door and slipped into the hallway.

“What’s going on?”she asked him in a low whisper as she pulled him partway down the hall away from the door.

“I’m rescuing you,” he said.

She stopped and lifted a brow.“You’re rescuing me?”

“Yeah, you’re sick of all of that, aren’t you?”He jerked a thumb in the general direction of the parlor.

“Well, yes, but I kind of rescued myself in there, didn’t I?”she asked, fighting a small smile.

Josh thought about it, then grinned.“Yeah, I guess you did.But I gave you a good excuse.”

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