Page 38 of The Gingerbread Bakery
‘Yeah well, it’s been fun reminiscing, but I should be going anyway.’ She stood up and Mac wanted to stop her, but he couldn't think of any reasonable way to do it other than grabbing her and throwing her over his shoulder, which he obviously wasn’t going to do. Although he had to admit the idea did hold some appeal.
‘You don’t have to go,’ Mac said but Annie was already up and moving, tossing her cup in the trash and heading for the tent exit.
‘I really have to get home,’ she said.
Before Mac could go after her, Sean was already patting him on the back and telling him about the plans to hang out with other members of the team tonight and all Mac could do was watch Annie walk away. Even though that was the last thing he wanted to do.
ChapterFourteen
Now
Annie should have been relaxed. This was after all the most relaxing part of her day, mani-pedis with the bride. And even though her feet were in the tub, bubbles at full tilt, and the massage chair she was sitting in was doing its best to work out the tension in her neck, Annie was not relaxed in the slightest. Mainly because her attention was still back in the parking lot with Mac. She’d felt like a complete idiot when she realized her appointment was right there at the inn and she'd had to get back out of his car and storm into the spa with Mac calling after her. He’d texted several times asking if she needed a ride home which she’d diligently ignored.
But here she was now, doing her best to be in the present moment, when all she could really think about was the devastated look on Mac’s face when they talked and the way he felt pressed against her and, most concerningly, how badly she wanted him there.
She shook her head. She was supposed to be celebrating with some of her most favorite people in the world and she was not going to let Mac ruin that for her.
‘So, Haze,’ she said, turning to her friend beside her. ‘Do you regret skipping all of this before your big day?’
Hazel smiled, taking another sip of champagne. ‘I’m having a great time,’ she said. ‘But my wedding was exactly what I wanted.’
‘Well, in that case I guess I forgive you for ditching us.’
‘I didn’t ditch you. We were being spontaneous.’ And that was honestly why Annie hadn’t been more upset about missing her friend’s wedding. Hazel being happy and spontaneous was worth it.
‘Tell us about it,’ Kira piped up from where she was having her fingernails painted. Next to her was Jeanie, who looked much more relaxed than she’d sounded when Annie had been hiding in the closet. But Annie wasn’t thinking about the closet incident, either. And she was certainly not thinking about how it had felt to rest her cheek over Mac’s rapidly beating heart.
Nope. She was focused on the lovely bride, decked out in her white, pre-wedding, sweat suit. A gift from the book club, it hadBridebedazzled across the back of it.
‘It was really romantic,’ Hazel said, getting all dreamy-eyed like she always did when she talked about her wedding day. ‘We were on vacation in Aruba, and Noah had just asked me to marry him the day before. He had it all planned out, with an officiant and everything. We went into town, and I picked out a white sundress that we found at one of the little shops. The front desk arranged for flowers to wear in my hair and Noah looked so gorgeous in his linen button-down with his hair all windswept and his cheeks freckled and sunburnt. Then it was just us on the beach at sunset telling each other how much we loved each other.’
Every woman in the room, including the nail technicians, sighed at Hazel’s story. Annie had heard it before, but she had to admit it got her every time.
‘That sounds perfect,’ Kira said.
‘And then they spent the rest of the week holed up in their hotel room sealing the deal,’ Annie chimed in, and Hazel’s cheeks flushed pink.
‘And that was perfect, too,’ she said.
‘Yeah, I bet it was!’ Kira said and all the ladies laughed.
‘And what about you? When do you plan to make an honest man out of my brother?’ Jeanie asked, turning with a raised eyebrow to Kira.
‘Wouldn’t he have to ask her first?’ Iris asked from the seat beside Annie. Jeanie had insisted that Iris came, even though she wasn’t in the wedding party. She’d also invited her mother, several cousins, her employee, Crystal, and Lyndsay and Alex from the bookstore. They’d taken over the entire spa for the afternoon. Maybe Dot and Estelle were off in a sauna or massage room somewhere? Annie should probably check on that before she left.
‘Well, technically—’ Kira started before Jeanie chimed in.
‘He’s asked her multiple times,’ she said.
‘He has?!’ Annie nearly jumped up out of her seat. How did she not know this?
Kira shrugged. ‘Yes, technically he has asked. He has a weird habit of sayingmarry me, peaches,whenever we’re just having a really great day or something.’
Kira’s impression of Bennett’s deep voice had everyone giggling again.
‘But I don’t think he means it.’
‘He means it.’ Jeanie was adamant.
