Page 1 of Dear Brother's Best Friend
1
CASSIDY
A year of planning a destination wedding, and it's down to the last couple of days before we all fly out to Hawaii. I have to leave earlier than most of the guests because I’m the maid of honor in my brother Hayden's soon-to-be nuptials. His fiancée, Jodie, had a bit of a falling out with her original maid of honor two months ago, and I got promoted.
Lucky me.
I’m walking out of Alberto’s with a hot and fresh pepperoni pizza, ready to spend a well-deserved Friday night off with my best friends—Maren, Willa, and Lucy. I’ve spent all of my free time this week working out all the last-minute wedding details before I fly out on Monday. Tonight is supposed to be my time, but that doesn’t stop my phone from ringing in my purse as I get in the car. I don’t need to look at the screen to know who it is.
"It's my night off, Hayden," I say by way of greeting.
"I know, and I'm sorry to be calling again, but Jodie asked me to call you about your bridesmaid's dress."
“What about it?”
“Did you pick it up yet?”
“Was I supposed to do that today?” I feign confusion in my voice.
"Please tell me you're kidding right now. I don't think Jodie can handle any more drama in the maid of honor department."
I sigh. “Of course, I picked it up this afternoon. And before you ask—yes, I did a final fitting in the shop before I left per Jodie’s instructions.”
“Thank you,” Hayden breathes out a sigh of relief. There is a shuffling sound, and then he yells, “She picked it up this afternoon after her final fitting.”
There is a muffled response from Jodie.
"Is that it? Because I have somewhere, I need to be," I say, pulling out of the parking lot and heading towards Maren and Willa’s apartment.
"One last thing, and I promise no more calls tonight," Hayden assures me. “You, me, and Jodie will be flying out early on Monday, but Dylan won’t be arriving until Tuesday.”
Dylan is Hayden's best friend and best man at the wedding. He’s also the guy I’ve been in love with since I was a freshman, and he was a senior in high school. Dylan’s dad left when he was young, and his mom had to work two jobs, leaving Dylan on his own a lot. When my parents found out, they insisted he spend more time at our house, so he wasn't alone. And so began my unrequited love for my brother’s best friend.
“Will Jasmine be coming to the wedding too?” I ask, trying to sound casual but feeling anything calm inside.
“They broke up a while back,” Hayden says like this is common knowledge. Maybe to him, it is, but I can say without a doubt that if I had heard that Dylan and Jasmine broke up, I wouldn’t have forgotten that information. “He’s got to finish a project due on Monday, which is why he can’t fly with us.”
"Okay, well, as long as he gets there early to help with the final arrangements."
“Cassidy, I know that you’ve taken on way more responsibility than you should have for this wedding,” Hayden says. “But I just want to let you know that Jodie and I appreciate all that you’ve done.”
“Don’t get all mushy on me, big brother,” I tease.
“Okay, that’s all I’ll say on the matter.” He chuckles. “I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
"Can't wait," I say before hanging up.
I pull to a stop outside of the apartment and see Lucy standing near the door with her cell phone to her ear. From the look on her face, she doesn’t appear to be too happy with whoever she’s talking to. I bet if she gave me three guesses, I’d only need one—her mother.
“Luce!” I call her name as she hangs up the phone. I run over to her and give her a one-armed hug, careful not to drop the pizza box in my hand. “You are a sight for sore eyes!”
I’m trying to make sure that my tone is light. I know Lucy's expressions, and she isn't going to want to talk about whatever just happened on the phone. She'll tell me when she's ready.
We head up to the apartment, and Willa opens the door to let us in.
"I've been waiting all week for one of your margaritas," I say as Maren walks in with a pitcher full of the blended lime goodness.
We all settle in for an evening of catching up with one another. It's getting harder and harder for us to find the same free time that we can all get together to hang out. Maren is a workaholic, but if you took one look at her hot billionaire boss, you'd understand why. Willa is so absorbed with her grad school classes, she hardly ever leaves the library to socialize. And Lucy is continuously at the beck and call of her mother. She barely has time to do anything.
