Page 56 of Love Letter Lost
“That’s too bad. I guess you should have asked me first.”
After the emotional turmoil of the last week, I was done. I had no control over the Ridge situation, but I did have control here, and I would not give into my mother this time.
“Mal-bear, don’t be ridiculous. He’s planning on being there. What am I supposed to—”
“I don’t know, Mother. I guess he can be your date. Good luck telling Dad.” I hung up and turned my phone to airplane mode, knowing that she would call back.
I moved into the bathroom and stripped out of my clothes. I placed my phone on the counter, turned up the volume, and selected a playlist full of rock music with heavy beats. Audrey would be proud. Hopefully the hot water and angry music would dispel my emotions before the bachelorette party tonight.
CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT
I pulledinto the restaurant parking lot a few minutes late, but I felt the improvement in my appearance, with soft curls framing my face and eyeliner highlighting my eyes, was worth it. Smoothing my hands down my flowy teal skirt, I took a deep breath, trying to steady my emotions. Between my interfering mother, my bridezilla cousin, and my off-limits crush, my nerves were fraying, on the verge of snapping. Luckily, Audrey and Chloe were both good friends with Livvy and would be a part of tonight’s festivities. Hopefully, they would help me keep my sanity.
I walked into the restaurant and followed the hostess to the backroom I’d reserved weeks before. The large room was filled with people visiting in clusters on the sides with a large banquet table down the middle. I was greeted with a variety of sounds, including a very loud, “Honey!”
I looked up to find my mother, her hair feathered to perfection, racing towards me. She was dressed to the nines in a shoulder-padded pantsuit I’d been begging her to retire since I was in high school. A neatly dressed young man in gray slacks and a green button-down shirt trailed behind her.
“Mother?” I stumbled back as she threw her arms around me, giving me a hug instead of the lecture I expected.
“I’m glad you made it. Better late than never, I guess. After you hung up on me, I wondered if you would show.” She stared me down for a moment, but I refused to squirm. She was the one out of line. Finally, she turned to the man behind her. “Let me introduce you to Jefferson. I know you said you didn’t need a date, but even Ridge brought someone.” My breath hitched at her words. “You remember Ridge, right? He and Kyle used to be such good friends.”
She grabbed my hand and tugged me in the direction of the guy behind her, not giving me time to process that Ridge was here with Amber.
“Jefferson, this is my daughter, Mallory. Isn’t she gorgeous? And she’s completely single. Hasn’t had a boyfriend in over a year,” Mother babbled, making me want to run away. Sanding all the paint off my walls by hand would be less painful than this. “Mallory, this is Jefferson. We were talking while we waited, and the two of you have a lot in common.”
Jefferson gave me a smile, and I took in the attractive man in front of me. He was average height, maybe an inch or two taller than me, with thick brown hair, high cheekbones, and glasses. He had the build of an office worker and looked like the kind of guy I’d normally go for, if my head and heart weren’t so tangled up in Ridge.
“Oh, there’s Jenna. I’ve got to say thank you for the invite. Livvy will only have one pre-wedding dinner in her life, if she’s lucky, and I’m glad to be a part of it.” That was my mother, simultaneously celebrating and criticizing as she spoke.
“Mother, it will be her only pre-wedding dinner. She and David are perfect together.” I tried to defend my cousin.
“Well, you never know these days. Especially when someone has a strong personality like Livvy. Any number of things could happen. But we’ll all hope this will be the only one and act surprised if she has a second.” My mother brushed my concerns away, acting as if talking about divorce was completely normal the night before someone’s wedding. I was grateful Livvy stood on the other end of the room and couldn’t hear my mother at this moment. “Anyway, got to go.” With that, my mother disappeared, leaving me alone with Jefferson.
“So…” My mind drew a blank as I tried to find a way out of this situation.
“Sorry for the unconventional introduction. Your mother assured me you knew I was coming, but based on that little exchange, I’m guessing that wasn’t the case,” Jefferson said, his voice surprisingly deep. He smiled as he spoke, confirming my perception that he was a nice guy.
“Unfortunately, that’s how Mother works,” I laughed, shaking my head at the absurdity of the situation. Not only had my mother brought me a date, if first impressions were any indication, she’d picked a good one.
“Mallory!” I felt an arm slide around my waist and turned to see Chloe standing next to me with Audrey right behind her. “I wondered where you were hiding. Who’s your friend?” Chloe batted her eyes at Jefferson, going into full flirtation mode.
“This is Jefferson, my mother’s neighbor’s nephew. Jefferson, these are my roommates, Chloe and Audrey.”
Jefferson gave them a friendly “hello” and the conversation began to flow naturally as we each discussed careers and hometowns. I played it safe, choosing “Davis County” as opposed to explaining how frequently my family had moved growing up.
“How do you know Livvy and David?” Chloe questioned when an opening presented itself.
“I don’t,” he said, looking sheepish. “I’m a little bit of a wedding crasher tonight.”
“Oh.” Audrey’s single word was bursting with surprise.
“My mother decided I needed help finding a date tonight.” I supplied with a shrug, pretending it no longer rankled. She and I would be having a serious conversation about boundaries when the wedding was over.
Audrey turned wide eyes my direction while Chloe continued to smile and flirt.
“Lucky for us, then! I love meeting people at weddings.”
I looked around the room, attempting to listen to the conversation as I searched for a familiar head of curly brown hair and blue eyes that spoke to my soul. Ridge stood a few feet away looking gorgeous in slacks and a burgundy polo, Amber standing at his side. My heart hammered, picking up speed at the sight of him. I was in trouble.
