Page 14 of Accidental Wedding Crasher
“I know.” Genevieve smiled. “Thanks for coming.”
Evan nodded once more, then returned to Mia, holding out his arm. As they walked, he couldn’t help thinking of Tyler. He still didn’t approve of his friend getting married — how would he ever be successful in business if he had a family to run home to? — but seeing Tyler so happy had stuck with him. When Tyler had made an enormous profit or gotten a great promotion, he’d seen his friend do a dorky happy dance, but he’d never seen him so quietly content.
Of course, that kind of contentment was very bad for business.
“Are you all right?” Mia asked. She smiled up at him.
“Yes.” Evan nodded and refocused his attention on her. “Shall we head back to the hotel?”
“Hmm.”
“Well, you’ll be pleased to know that it isn’t far at all.” Evan led her around to the front of the stone house and in through the main entrance. The hallways were lit with electric lights in wall sconces, and the plush carpets were decorated with muted patterns that screamed sophistication. They headed up a flight of stairs to the second floor.
“I had no ideathiswas where your hotel was,” Mia said, laughing as Evan opened the door to his room with the old-fashioned key he’d been given. “But I definitely should have.”
The door swung open, and she gasped. Evan glanced at her and saw that her eyes were wide. Looking around the room, he tried to spot what she found so amazing but couldn’t.
“Look at this place.” Mia stepped inside and made a circuit of the room, running a hand over the cream-colored couch and the oak desk. The whole hotel was a mix of modern convenience and old-world class (or so it was advertised on the website). This room was decorated with paintings of the vineyard by local artists, as well as a vintage clock. A basket of wine and local snacks waited on the table beside the couch.
“I thought there was a bedroom, too?” Mia asked.
“Yep, through that door.” He pointed. She didn’t go and look, but she did open another door to admire the bathroom, with its claw-foot tub and large mirror. Then she returned to the livingroom and hopped onto the couch, patting the spot beside her. Evan came and sat, grinning at her enthusiasm.
“So, will it do?” he asked.
“Definitely. Thanks again for letting me stay here. I wouldn’t have liked to drive home tonight.” She gave an exaggerated shudder, which made Evan chuckle.
“It’s my pleasure. But please, let me insist once more that you take the bed.”
She shook her head. “No way. I’ll sleep here. It’ll be fine.”
“Are you tired?”
Again, she shook her head. “Shall we have some wine? And there’s chocolate in there, too.”
“Of course.” Evan poured them each a glass, handing one to Mia. She sipped and nodded. “How is it?” he asked.
“Good. Or I think it is.” She grinned. “I know what I like, but I don’t know how to tell if a wine is actuallygoodor not. Sometimes, I think no one does.” She winked, and Evan laughed again. He felt warm and comfortable. They were both a little tipsy from the champagne at the wedding and the wine.
“I agree.” He leaned closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “Sometimes, I think no one really knows what they’re doing inanything. Everyone’s just making it up.”
Mia raised her glass. “Here’s to that.” They clinked glasses and each took a sip. The wine had an oaky aftertaste and was on the sweet side, and Evan agreed that it was good.
“So, tell me more about teaching,” Evan said. “Do you grade tests with a little red pen and give out stickers for good behavior?”
Mia laughed. “The stickers are more for elementary schoolers than high schoolers, but I do grade tests. Not with a red pen, though. I use a green one.”
“Why?” He was genuinely curious. Though, to be fair, he found Mia so fascinating that she could probably have talked about paint chips or lawn-mowing techniques and he would have listened attentively.
“Well, when students see a bunch of red marks, they tend to panic, because red is always associated with mistakes,” Mia explained. “The green pen helps them relax and focus on what I’m trying to teach them instead of feeling like they messed up.”
“I like that.” Evan nodded. “You know, you should come work for me. We always need creative thinkers like you.” He knew she wouldn’t accept, but a part of him was serious. It would be fun to work with someone like Mia — creative, funny, and spontaneous. It wasn’t only because of how beautiful she looked, sitting beside him. She’d taken her hair out of the clip that had held some of it back, and it now fell in loose blond waves around her shoulders. Her brown eyes sparkled as she spoke about teaching.
“First, the green pen thing isn’t all that creative. I’m sure plenty of teachers do that. And second, I like my job.” Mia smiled. “But thanks for the offer, of course.”
“Anytime.” Evan winked. “After all, you’re my official wedding date now. We have to stick together.”
“You’re right.” Mia nodded. “As the saying goes,people who pretend to be each other’s dates at family and friends’ weddings together stick together.”
