Page 28 of Deal Breaker
“Tori, please, that’s my brother!” Autumn put a hand over her eyes. “It was sooo embarrassing. Honestly, I don’t know what you all see in him. He’s really this dorky, gross, weird guy who plays video games.”
Tori laughed. “I’m sure I could do a round ofTomb Raideror two if needed.”
Charlotte elbowed her friend. “Sssh, you’ve only been with Michael for a few weeks.”
“Yeah, so it’s not serious yet.” She lowered her voice. “He doesn’t need to know.”
A streak of jealousy shot through me. They didn’t know Max and I had woken up together this morning or shared our first kiss last night. Or the other mean things he’d done this morning. No one needed to know about those. My gaze strayed to the table where he sat between Evan and Brianna’s older sister. He appeared to be poking his food around his plate, more than likely feeling a lot worse than I did. My stomach growled again and, as if in response, a server placed a plate in front of me.
Brianna and Joshua’s starter of choice was a kale salad with diced mango and sweet coconut, topped with a lemon honey dressing. While extremely tasty, it didn’t exactly go far in satisfying my hunger. The champagne had been replaced with wine, and I reached for a glass of the crisp, fruity white which complemented the salad perfectly. After last night, I promised myself I’d go easy on the booze. I didn’t really relish a repeat of anything which had happened then.
Thankfully, the arrival of the food curtailed any further discussion of Max and his eminent suitability as an eligible bachelor.
Autumn, Jodie, and I surreptitiously pointed out people from school, who we hadn’t seen in ages who hadn’t been invited to the bachelorette party, to Charlotte and Tori. Between us, we identified a few fashion faux pas from older family members too. Charlotte and Tori also regaled us with tales from their workplace, where they’d first met Brianna. It was turning out to be fun, despite my initial reservations.
By the time the main course arrived, I’d already abandoned my promise on the wine. We’d gotten through one bottle of white. I hoped I didn’t live to regret it later. The parmesan-crusted breast of chicken with a sage beurre blanc, roasted new potatoes, and seasonal vegetables couldn’t have tasted any better. I applauded the chefs for making mass catered food taste so delicious.
There was some time between the end of dinner and the start of the dancing. The staff had to clear away some of the tables to create a dance floor, so Autumn, Jodie, and I moved to the bar. We made false promises to catch up with Charlotte and Tori later. They were nice enough, but as they both had partners, it was difficult to include them all in the conversation, particularly as the guys had all but blanked us during the dinner.
“Remember what we said about shots?” Autumn reminded us as we went to order some drinks.
“One?” Jodie raised her eyebrows.
“Not for me. Vodka and soda, please,” I asked the barman.
“Spoilsport.” She pouted. “I’ll have a tequila. Autumn?”
“I’ll stick with wine. And I need the bathroom, so hold on to my drink for me?” Without waiting for an answer, she melted into the crowd and headed for the ladies’ room.
While we waited for our drinks, Jodie surveyed the guests. “Max really does look hot in that dress suit, doesn’t he?”
I shrugged noncommittally. If I started to talk, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to stop, and Jodie would find out everything that had happened between Max and me in the past 24 hours. Then everyone at the reception would know too.
“I can totally say that because Autumn isn’t around to hear me. She gets sooo protective over her brother.” Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him. “He’s single. I’m single. I’ve always liked him. Maybe tonight’s the night for me to make a move.”
“You can’t have a crush on Max!” I blurted out without thinking.
“Honey, why not? He’s not off limits to me. Autumn isn’t here to witness this, so she can’t put the blockers on it. She never issued the same ‘stay away’ order to me.” The corner of Jodie’s mouth curved up into a smile. “I’m sure he’d welcome being whisked away from chatting with the grandmas.” She downed her tequila shot, then swiped Autumn’s glass of wine and stalked off towards her target.
There wasn’t a single damn thing I could do about it. Not one thing. It wasn’t as if I could go running after her and stakemyclaim on Max. I watched as Jodie tapped him on the shoulder, then placed a proprietary hand on his arm, giggling at whatever he’d said. I sucked in my lips, trying not to get upset. All Jodie was doing was talking to him. Flirting with him. Sucking up to him.
She might have been one of my best friends, but right now, I hated her.
I sipped my vodka soda, wishing I’d gone for the shot instead, silently seething at the scene unfolding in front of me. Where the hell was Autumn? What was taking her so long? If she didn’t come back soon, I planned to head back to the cabin and screw the rest of the wedding reception. Who cared if I wasn’t there for the cake and toast? No one would miss me. I could get out of this stupid dress and heels and find a movie to watch instead. Something with lots of violence or horror. Rom-coms were totally out of the question.
“Are you okay?” A male voice said from behind me. “Only the look on your face could probably sour cream at ten paces.”
I turned and found Trent standing there, a beer in one hand and a crooked smile on his face. “Sorry, I was just having a moment.”
“Can be tough at weddings, can’t it? When you see everyone else so happy, and you’re feeling like shit because the one person you want to be with isn’t available.”
What did he know? Had Max said something to him? I knew Max better than that. He wasn’t the type to shoot his mouth off to his buddies about an almost conquest. If Trent knew anything, it had to be through second-guessing.
I glanced over at Jodie and Max again. Their heads were bent close together in conversation, as they chatted to Brianna and Joshua. The DJ started playing a slow song, likely the buildup to the bride and groom’s first dance.
“Trent, remember that dance I asked you about earlier?”
He nodded slowly.
