Page 79 of The Love Wager

“Where are we—Victorian England?The gentlemen will retire for scotch and cigars while the ladies rest their delicate constitutions?” She watched as the rehearsal guests started heading for their respective patios. “What ifIwant a cigar?”

He looked at her lips. Couldn’t keep his eyes off them, all of a sudden. He asked, “What exactlyisa constitution?”

Hallie shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m positive mine is just as strong as yours.”

“You wish.” He patted down a piece of her hair that was sticking up. “Do you even want a cigar?”

“Not really,” she said, smoothing down the same piece of hair while finally meeting his eyes. “But I don’t want a damn cosmo, either.”

“C’mon, Jack,” Chuck said, walking over and giving a chin nod toward the east exit. “Time for us gents to get our stogies on.”

“I want to go with you guys—”

“Get over here, Hal,” Hallie’s mother half shouted from the west exit. “Please?”

“Git,” Chuck said, giving Hallie a tiny push. “Go be a good little female.”

“Screw you,” she said to Chuck, and then she pointed at Jack and said, “Be ready to hold my hair tonight, because if I have to drink cosmos withmy motherand talk about what happens on the wedding night, swear to God I’m getting hammered.”

He and Chuck were still laughing when she turned and marched away, and there was nothing he could do but watch her go.

What a fucking force.

•••

“So, can I ask you a question about Hal?”

Jack slowly shook his head and exhaled a puff of cigar smoke, watching it rise in the night sky. “If you must, Chuck.”

Chuck cleared his throat and said, “So, things are good with her?”

Jack tilted his head and looked at the guy. He really, really liked Chuck. Chuck was nerdy and nice and funny as hell. Jack said, “Yeah.”

“So you like her a lot?”

“Yeah.” Jack looked at the other side of the patio, where the groomsmen were playing some stupid drinking game, and said, “I do.”

“Here’s the thing.” Chuck frowned and said, “Did she tell you anything about Ben?”

“Who’s Ben?” he asked, fully knowing it was Hallie’s ex.

“Who’s Ben?”Chuck lowered his eyebrows and said, “Ben Marks, her ex...?”

“Oh, that guy.” Jack raised the cigar to his mouth and looked over at the man in question, who was talking to Hallie’s dad. He looked like the kind of guy who enjoyed talking about what he smelled in his wine. “I don’t know much about him.”

“I’ll give you the dirt, but you never heard this from me, okay?”

Jack gave a nod.

“Hallie and Ben dated for a few years and were living together.”

Holy shit.“Years?”

Chuck nodded. “He’s this wannabe sophisticate, passive-aggressive asshole who made her feel like shit about herself. Convinced her to do things like play tennis and buy a Volvo.”

“A fucking Volvo?”

“Yes.Shit.I hate that guy and also Volvos.”Chuck leaned back in his patio chair and looked up at the dark sky. “Itseemed like he made her feel like her Hallie-ness was embarrassing or something—I’m paraphrasing, by the way. This is my analysis after seeing them together for years.”

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