Page 12 of Jilted
Ginny laughed. “It’s a secret.” She winked.
Brett smiled. His mom had always liked Amy. He hoped that, with time, his mom would treat Vanessa the same. Clearing his throat, he stepped into the kitchen. “Dad says the grill is ready for the meat.”
“Oh, okay, I’ll take it out to him.” Ginny pulled a tray of sausage from the refrigerator.
“No, please, let me,” Amy said, reaching for the tray. “I want to help.”
“Nonsense.” Ginny waved her away and walked outside.
Brett continued to watch Amy, noticing how nervous she seemed. She wouldn’t look at him, which was odd. Before he had a chance to question her about it, Craig came walking into the kitchen. Brett sighed with frustration.
“Did I interrupt something?” Craig asked, yanking open the refrigerator door and pulling out a bottle of beer. He twisted the top, tossed it in the trash, and took a long drink.
“No, of course not,” Brett snapped.
Craig shrugged and turned his attention to Amy. “So, Amy, what do you say you and me hit the pool hall after dinner? If I remember correctly, I owe you a rematch.”
Amy laughed. “Yes, you do, and this time, don’t cheat.”
“So, is that a yes?”
“Yeah, sure, sounds fun.”
Brett clenched his teeth. He turned to his brother. “Do you mind giving us a minute?” When Craig left, Brett turned to Amy. “What’s that all about?”
“What?” she asked innocently. “While you were gone, Craig and I spent some time at the pool hall. Now that I actually know how to play, he owes me a rematch.” She shrugged as if it were no big deal.
“I thought I told you not to get involved with my brother while I was gone.”
“You told me?” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “First of all, Brett, I’m not involved with Craig, but even if I was, what business is it of yours? You’re the one getting married this weekend.”
His stomach rolled at her words. What a strange reaction to the mention of his upcoming wedding. He should be happy about getting married, not feeling uneasy and dreadful. Maybe it wasn’t the mention of his wedding, but rather the thought of Amy and Craig being together. Then again, he had no idea why that bothered him so much.
“I told you, my brother doesn’t have a very good track record with women. He’ll hurt you, Amy.”
“Well, he won’t be the first man to do so, and I’m sure he won’t be the last.”
What the hell did that mean?
“Brett?” Vanessa called, coming into the kitchen.
He smiled at her, but secretly wished she’d go away so he could talk to Amy. Jesus Christ, what the fuck was wrong with him? Vanessa was his fiancée. He should not be wishing that she would go away so he could be alone with another woman.
“Hey,” he said, putting his arm around her waist.
Vanessa kissed him on the cheek. “I thought maybe you left.” She giggled.
“No, of course not,” he said.
“Well, I’m going to go see if Ginny needs any help,” Amy said. Then she turned on her heel and left.
Fuck. Brett had no idea what just happened, but he did know that things were tense between him and Amy. Things had never been tense between them before, and he didn’t like it one bit.
“C’mon,” he said to Vanessa, “let’s get back outside.”
Brett spent the rest of the evening trying to focus on Vanessa, but all he managed to do was watch Amy and Craig flirt. God, it drove him nuts!
“It’s been a lovely evening,” Amy said, “but I really have to get going. As usual, Ginny, a fantastic meal.”
