Page 61 of That Time I Kissed The Groomsman Grump
And this is why I can’t see Molly’s reaction when Kasey says, “You know what, Mol? You should totally ask Nat about Brady.”
“Natalie?” The uptick in Molly’s voice makes her sound puzzled. “Why?”
“She’s been stuck with him a lot the past couple days.”
Oof.
“Not really stuck-stuck,” I’m quick to protest. “Well, maybe a little stuck.” And now they both know I’ve been listening to their conversation. But that’s better than Kasey finding out what’s really been going on with Brady and me.
The last thing she needs just days before her wedding is to be worried about what might be going on between her brother and her future sister-in-law. Brady and I already agreed this week needs to be about Beau and Kasey. Not us.
“But really, barely stuck,” I add. When my cheeks start to warm, I’m grateful for the layers of foundation caked on my face.
Within seconds, Molly’s breath is warm in my ear. “But youhavebeen with Brady, though?” I’m overwhelmed by the smell of her perfume. Molly’s a big fan of Chanel No 5.
“Yes. But I wouldn’t saya lot.”
“What would you say?”
“I’d say he’s been… very helpful. He’s the best man. So you know.” I shrug. “He’s just doing his job.”
“That’s true,” Kasey says. “And he was super-sweet with Amber at the beach yesterday. Looking out for her. Being attentive. Wasn’t he sweet, Nat?”
“Yep.” I bob my head, eyes still pressed shut.
“Hold still,” Felicia tells me.
“I haven’t met Amber yet,” Molly says. Her voice sounds low and droopy. For the first time, I realize she might be sad she’s not a bridesmaid, and a wave of sympathy rises in me. “So,” Molly says. “Do you think Brady likes Amber?”
“No!” Kasey squawks. “Amber’s married and pregnant with her third kid. He was just being nice to her since her husband’s not here. He stayed back in LA with their twins.”
Molly sighs. “Ah. Thatisso sweet.”
“That her husband didn’t come to the wedding?” Kasey asks.
“No. That Brady was looking out for Amber.”
“Ah. Right,” Kasey says. “But then the vet Brady works for had an emergency, and he had to take off to help. Mrs. Swanson’s okay, though, isn’t she, Nat?”
“Umm hmm,” I say, trying to stay as frozen as possible. “We just had to take care of this one dog there. Her name is LuLu, and she was in a fight over the weekend. She’s still pretty fragile, which is why I offered to stick around in case Brady needed help. That’s what I’m trained to do. To assist doctors, I mean. And I know Brady isn’t officially a doctor yet, but he’s really good with the animals. In fact he likes them all so much, I think it’s hard for him to watch them suffering.”
“Done!” Felicia announces. “I’ll get Becky to take out your curlers now.”
When I open my eyes, the first thing I see is Kasey staring at me in the mirror. She’s surrounded by a waterfall of a veil now, and her eyes are big beneath a cloud of white tulle.
“Wow, Natalie,” she says, and my throat goes up in flames. The way I was just babbling about Brady probably sounded like I’m in love with him.
“I mean, I don’treallyknow how Brady feels about his job,” I rush to add. “I was just assuming that’s how he’d feel, because that’s how I’d be if I worked around pets all day. But it’s not like Brady and I had super-long conversations, or bared our souls to each other last night.” Except we totally did, and now I know things about him he hasn’t shared with anyone else. Like the sky elves. And his reading preferences. And the fact that he’s not sure he wants to be a vet.
Then there’s the notebook…
“Your makeup is gorgeous, Nat.” Kasey grins at me, a swoop of petal-pink lipstick. “I can’t wait to see you when your curlers come out.”
Ahhh. So that’s why Kasey saidwow. She wasn’t cluing in to anything happening with Brady and me. She’s excited about my maid of honor look for the wedding.
Molly coughs, and when I look up at her, my relief flies out the window. Her face crumples, like something’s wrong. I hope she’s just figuring out she might be wearing too much perfume.
“Umm… So, Natalie.” She bites her lip. “Are you… into Brady?”
