Page 20 of The Complication with the Best Man

Tamra grabs her purse from the nightstand next to her bed since we’re sleeping in separate beds and joins me at the door.

It’s cooler today, so I’m wearing a long-sleeve Henley and jeans, but the collar of my jacket gets tighter and tighter the closer we get to the lobby of the resort.

Harper and I didn’t have any agreement that our tryst would be anything more than one night together, but it’s hard to be around her with Tamra and not feel as though I’m doing something wrong. Something very, very wrong.

The elevator doors ding open, and Tamra encases my hand in hers as we step off. Harper is waiting for us at the far end of the vast, lavish lobby. She’s wearing another set of dress pants, cream this time, and a dark green silk long-sleeve blouse that perfectly outlines the swell of her breasts—which look a little larger than I remember. The color of her blouse sets off the red of her hair, which draws a memory of her on top of me, when I had my hands through her thick tresses. Her body stiffens slightly before she puts on a fake smile.

“Morning.” Tamra drops my hand and hugs Harper. She’s always been a hugger.

Harper’s gaze meets mine over Tamra’s shoulder before pulling back.

When the two women part, I give Harper a nod and murmur, “Good morning.”

“Morning.” She turns her attention back to Tamra. “As we discussed, we’ll start here before we take a look at the other two places that are available on such short notice.”

“This is so exciting. Thank you so much for all your help, Harper.” Tamra looks at me as though she’s waiting for me to communicate my gratitude.

“Uh… yeah. Thanks.” God, I sound like a fucking idiot. Harper’s probably wondering why the hell she ever slept with me in the first place.

Tamra cozies up to my side, wrapping her arms around me and leaning into my shoulder. “Excuse my fiancé, he doesn’t realize how much work goes into making sure the huge day goes off without a hitch.”

Harper smiles at Tamra, but it’s forced. “Let’s go take a look.”

She leads us up one level to where all the event rooms are located and escorts us to a room at the far end of the hall. The large wooden double doors are already wide open, and I can see the view before we even enter through them. The grand windows lining the wall overlook what I know will be ski runs once the snow settles in for the season.

“Wow.” Tamra drops my hand when we reach the threshold and steps in, admiring the space. “I mean, the room is great, but that view.”

“It’s pretty special, isn’t it? I thought you could have your ceremony so that your guests are facing the view, and that way all your pictures would have the perfect backdrop too.” She walks to a set of French doors at the far end of the space. “You can also use this outdoor space for pictures, if the weather cooperates.” She raises her crossed fingers. “Northern Lights.”

Tamra swivels around and raises her eyebrows. “What do you think, honey?”

I almost wince at the pet name.

“It’s great.” It’s hard to be enthused. I couldn’t care less if this wedding happens down at city hall as long as it happens, and I get what we’ve agreed on.

Harper continues explaining our options. “The space is being set up for an event this weekend, so you can get some idea of how it could look. Of course, this bride and groom have chosen circular tables, but you could also set up several long tables that run the length of the room. Those are gaining popularity. That setup would leave more room for a dance floor, if that’s a priority of yours as well.”

“And it’s available in October?” Tamra asks.

“By some miracle, it is,” Harper says, then meets my gaze. “Did you enjoy Palmer and Hudson’s wedding?” She looks at Tamra. “It was in another room at Glacier Point.” Harper’s gaze flicks back to mine in challenge.

I clear my throat. “It was very memorable.”

Harper rolls her eyes since Tamra isn’t looking at her, but when Tamra turns her way, she plasters on a big smile. “Well, let’s move on to our next stop?”

“Sounds good.” Tamra turns toward me and gives me a look as though she wants to know what’s going on with me. Can she tell I’m acting weird? “We might as well all ride together. Do you mind driving the rental?”

Great. Now I’m trapped in even smaller quarters with the two of them. This day keeps getting better and better.

“Of course not. Let’s get going.” The sooner we leave, the sooner this is over.

Tamra strikes the next venue off the list right away because, as she says, “It reminds her of her country club back in Vermont, and if that’s what she wanted, we’d have our wedding there.” It’s a ways out of town as well, and Tamra insists she wants to stay in Lake Starlight so our guests can enjoy the quaintness of the town while they’re here.

I’ve punched the address for our final destination into the truck’s GPS, and we’re about two minutes out when Harper speaks up from the back seat.

“I should warn you before we go to this next place…”

“That sounds ominous,” Tamra says, shifting in her seat to look at Harper behind us.

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