Page 46 of Tell Me Again
The redhead studied her for a moment. “From you, honest. We’ve got Chloe for nice.”
“Exactly.” Sam rested her head on Chloe’s shoulder. “You’re the sweetest person we know, and Kendall is the most beautiful bride.”
“Hey,” Chloe protested, but there was a smile in her voice.
“The most beautiful bride this month,” Sam clarified. Chloe had married Ben in Las Vegas last summer after a whirlwind and tumultuous courtship. The hot-tempered celebrity chef was the polar opposite of Chloe’s gentle nature, but they were a perfect match for each other.
It was good to see two of her friends happy, but it came with a twinge of envy. Sam couldn’t imagine loving anyone the way Kendall and Chloe did. An image of Trevor popped into her mind. Ok, she could imagine falling in love that way, but the idea of having it reciprocated was totally foreign to her.
“What’s going on?” Kendall’s pale green gaze narrowed on Sam.
“She likes Trevor,” Jenny offered before Sam could speak.
“Of course she does,” Kendall said without hesitation. “He was the love of her life.”
Sam hated the color rising to her cheeks. Blushing was second only to crying on her off-limits list. “It isn’t quite—”
“She likes him now,” Chloe said, as if those words explained everything. “Shelikeslikes him.”
Kendall gave a small nod. “That complicates things.”
“The dress is perfect,non?” All four women turned to see the owner of the bridal boutique standing in front of the dressing room.
“So perfect,” Chloe answered on a sigh.
Kendall held up a finger. “Give us one minute, please, and then I’ll be ready to take it off.”
The woman’s mouth thinned but she nodded. Kendall was a local celebrity, so there was certain to be free publicity from her wearing one of the boutique owner’s original designs.
“I don’t think her accent is real,” Jenny muttered when the stern-faced woman disappeared again. “She’s about as French as I am a PhD.”
“You could be a PhD.,” Chloe answered immediately. “You’re more intelligent than you give yourself credit for.”
“Going off topic,” Kendall told the two women.
Sam quirked a brow. “I like that topic way more.”
“Is it so bad tolikelike Trevor?” Kendall gently fingered the lace that fell over her slender hips.
“Yes, it is!” Sam didn’t realize she’d shouted until her friends took a step back. “Casual is one thing but I can’t risk it becoming more.” She had to keep what was between them contained or she feared it might devour her. That fear was too much to share, even with her friends, so she said, “The only reason he’s a part of my life is because of Grace. What if I mess up and lose my chance to have a relationship with her?”
“You don’t know you’ll mess it up,” Kendall countered.
“I’m guessing she’ll mess it up,” Jenny said with a humorless laugh. “I’ll be the queen of self-sabotage and Sam can be the prime minister.”
Sam rolled her eyes. “I’m surprised you know what a prime minister is.”
“I’ve watchedLove Actuallya dozen times,” Jenny shot back then stuck out her tongue. “Hugh Grant was the prime minister. He went to meetings, danced alone in his house—way hotter than Tom Cruise, by the way—and fell in love at a school Christmas pageant.” She stabbed her finger in the air. “Didn’t you go to your niece’s band concert the other day? See, it’s just likeLove Actually.”
Sam, Kendall, and Chloe stared at the other woman for several long moments before Sam quietly said, “The way your mind works is terrifying.”
“Was it likeLove Actually?” Chloe asked, leaning in close.
Sam shook her head. “I wish.”
“What are you going to do?”
Sam stepped away from her friends and grabbed another piece of chocolate from the candy bowl on the side table. “I’m going to ignore my feelings until they go away.”
