Page 16 of That Time I Kissed The Groomsman Grump
“Ready to go?” I ask. The question comes out gruffer than I intended.Control yourself, but don’t be a jerk, Brady.
Natalie nods, her smile faltering before she hooks it back up. “Sorry that took so long. The dress won’t be ready until Thursday, so I’ll have to come back. But I can borrow a car from my parents then, so you won’t be stuck driving me again.”
“It’s no big deal. Really.” When I reach for the handle of her carry-on, she waves me off.
“I got it,” she says, pushing past me toward the door. I follow her, and we head out to my truck in silence. Man, I’m really blowing this.
I haven’t landed on the right way to behave around Nat yet. I’m either too hot or too cold. Never moderate. When it comes to her, it’s all extremes.
But not for much longer. For better or worse.
As she slides the carry-on into the truck, I stand behind her, waiting to shut the door. I may be blowing this, but I’m still a gentleman. Holding doors, carrying bags, helping people in and out of cars—it’s in my nature. And some things never change.
For better or worse.
Once she’s settled in the truck, I jog around to the driver’s side and climb in next to her. “Your phone should be charged by now,” I say. When we both reach to unplug it at the same time, our hands brush again. Another lightning strike.
She turns on her phone, and the notifications start pinging, a sharp reminder that Natalie has a whole big life that doesn’t include me. “Ha!” Laughter bubbles up in her throat, and her cheeks go pink.
“What?”
“Just something that happened before my flight.” She snickers. “I accidentally texted someone ‘I love you’ waaaaay too soon.”
“Hmph.”A wrench cranks in my guts at the thought of Nat loving any man, even if she admits it’s way too soon.
“I was beyond mortified.” She shakes her head. “Until I saw the reply.” Natalie grins and holds up her screen. There’s a gif of some football player being tackled from behind with the words I LOVE YOU BACK across the top.
“Cute,” I grunt, barely concealing a frown. Also,who’sloving Natalie back?
She returns to checking her texts, her lips rounding into anO. “Oh, wow.” She exhales.
Against my better judgment, I ask again. “What?”
“I guess I made a good impression in LA, because Sloane just told me Wyatt loves me too.” Natalie’s shoulders hike up in a quick bolt of happiness.
“Who?”
“Sloane? I thought you knew her. She’s Kasey’s roommate. Well, herformerroommate,” Nat adds. “But I’m taking over Kasey’s room after the wedding.”
“Yeah. I know who Sloane is.” A muscle in my jaw tics. “I meant the other one. Wyatt.”
“Ahhh. Wyatt’s the landlord at Sloane’s apartment building. She wanted to meet me before she agreed to let me move in. The only hurdle left is a credit check. Apparently there’s stiff competition for the place since it’s fully furnished and beach-adjacent.” Nat putsbeach-adjacentin air quotes. “I’m mostly interested in the fact that it’s rent-controlled, and close to a bus stop that gets me to St. Joseph’s.”
Okay.So Wyatt is a woman.I hate that my torso relaxes a little with this knowledge. Natalie scrolls some more, her brow closing in on itself.
“Everything all right?” I ask.
“Mmhmm,” she says without looking up. So maybe she’s just concentrating. “Aaron Winchester—that’s the nurse supervisor at St. Joe’s—wants to confirm my start date. The next orientation is in two weeks. So as long as my credit is approved, I should be good to go.” Natalie draws in a breath, and I clench my teeth. This all sounds like good news. I want to be happy for her. I should be happy for her. And I am happy.
Mostly.
“Well, she’s really smart to lock you in,” I say, starting up the truck. The growl of the engine feels like my insides.
“Who’s smart?” Natalie scrunches her nose. “Wyatt? Sloane?”
“No. Erin Winchester.” I eye her sideways. “You should probably remember the woman’s name if she’s going to be your boss.”
“Yep, I should.” Natalie sticks her phone in her purse. “Except the supervisor’s not Erin. It’s Aaron.”
