Page 5 of Any Cowboy of Mine
“I would never do that to you, Jackie. You know I hate teal.” Sophie didn’t see the final pillow until she was on her back on the bed again. An errant strand of hair had fallen from her ponytail across her face. Jackie stood over her, her arms back on her hips.
“By the way, speaking of engagements, did you hear who’s getting married?”
Sophie shot up like a spring.
“Who? If you tell me that perky Rebecca from the first floor is getting married to that guy she just met a month ago, I’ll stab you for being the messenger, I promise.”
“No, but I did see her with a sparkly little necklace in the elevator earlier.”
“I seriously don’t know how she does it. She’s like male catnip.”
“Anyway, no, it’s that girl we roomed with sophomore year at U of I. Julia.”
“Wait, I heard she and Brad broke up.” Sophie sat up straighter. She’d had the biggest crush on Brad at school, but only from afar. He’d been to a couple of the same parties with her freshman year, but she was way too shy to talk to him. He and Julia were a thing and stayed that way for the rest of their time there. Rumor was, she’d cheated on him.
“They did. He caught her with Chris, his best friend.”
Sophie knew exactly who Jackie was talking about. Chris was a beefy guy on the hockey team who could have had any girl he wanted—and often did. No one could see what Sophie saw—just an insecure guy who relied on his muscles and status as a college athlete to lure girls into his bed. She didn’t get what someone like Julia—a smart, fun girl—would see in him. Especially when she had someone like Brad.
“Wow. When?” Sophie was fully invested in this conversation. It had been years since she’d heard Brad’s name, but she often thought of him and wondered how he was doing.
“Last year. Chris moved back to town to work for his dad, and Brad came home one day to find them both in Brad’s shower. Or at least that’s what I imagined. I think his sister caught them, actually.” Sophie had never been so glad to have a roommate who was an insatiable gossip as she was now.
“No. Way.That sucks. So, who’s she marrying, then?”
Jackie shrugged, her smile mischievous.
“What?No.Not Chris.” When Jackie nodded, a smirk on her lips, Sophie screeched.
“Ugh! Noooo! She’s such an idiot! What could she possibly be thinking? I’m still friends with that guy on Facebook, and all he does is post misogynistic stuff about women being in the kitchen and fetching beers and all that. Ew.”
“Sophie, I think we need to address the real elephant in the room, here.” Sophie looked at Jackie nervously. Did her friend still remember Sophie’s drunk confession about being in love with Brad freshman year? “Why are you still using Facebook, and why do you still have Chris Proulx as a friend?”
Sophie laughed, relieved.
“You know I don’t take anyone off my friend list. I’m afraid I’ll hurt their feelings. But oh my goodness, can you imagine what a train wreck that wedding is going to be? What a nightmare for the guests. Anyone who knew either of them will feel so awkward, which is everyone, I’m guessing. Brad was both their friends, and they were together forever.” She paused, her brain on overload as she processed all the new information from Jackie. “Wait…is she pregnant?”
“Not that I know of.”
“How’d you find all this out, anyway?” Sophie asked.
“I keep in touch with Julia. She and I were shopping buddies, so she used to fill me in on all the gossip in college.”
“So, she told you all this dirt about her and Chris cheating?”
“No, she gave me this,” Jackie said, procuring a white envelope from her back pocket with incredibly detailed and elegant gold calligraphy on the front of it. “And I called Sarah after that to get filled in.” Sarah Miles was their suitemate, Julia’s roommate. She and Sarah had remained friendly enough to keep in touch as Sarah traveled the world as a professional rock climber. Sarah even stayed with Jackie and Sophie when she was in town, but Sophie only knew her as well as those visits allowed—she didn’t have much in common with the woman who scaled mountains sans ropes for fun.
“You’re horrible.”
“No, I’minvited.We’reinvited,” Jackie said, nonchalantly, looking down at her fingernails. “Be my date?”
Sophie laughed.
“Are you sure you don’t want to bring John or Scott, or any of your other latestfriends?”
“No way I want them there to witness what you so aptly described as a train wreck. That’ll ruin things long before date three. No, I want you. You’ll be the only one who appreciates the insanity this wedding represents.”
Sophie narrowed her eyes, thinking. What if Brad showed up? Nerves fluttered in a long-dormant part of her stomach. Not that it mattered if he did. She had Drew, and Brad was probably balding with a beer gut by now. Plus, she doubted he even remembered her from back then…
