Page 78 of The Backup Groom
“Relax—I’ll take care of it,” Stella said. “This was meant to be. And hey, since your nerves are a jumbled mess, we can always make this a double date to take the pressure off. Give me some kind of sign when you’re ready to propose and I’ll drag Dean away for a minute while you do it. Easy!” She gave me a cheesy grin and tilted her head to the side, looking pleased with her offer.
Not as pleased as I was.
“I accept!” I practically yelled, then shook my head in disbelief. “Look how pathetic I am. I need adult supervision to go out with a man.”
She gave me a satisfied look. “Stella’s Chaperone Service is highly rated on Yelp. You’d better give me a five-star review afterwards.”
“Deal.” I smiled, and gripped her arm after I thought of something very important. “But don’t tell Dean I’m going to propose to Scotty. I want it to be a surprise.”
Stella mime-zipped her mouth closed. “Your secret is safe with me. This is going to be so much fun!”
“What do you think he’ll say when all is said and done?” I asked. “I think that’s what is weighing on me the most.”
“Quit worrying so much. What you two have is an electrical storm, ready to blow some major power lines.”
I certainly hoped so, because at the moment, my stomach was in knots. And the rest of the day wasn’t looking much better as far as my nerves went. It took me almost an hour to choose what to wear to the beach.
Ridiculous, I know.
Finally, I opted for something sensible and warm (blue jeans, T-shirt, and a zip-up sweat jacket) since it could get slightly chilly on the beach at night.
Thirty minutes before sunset, I got out of my car and walked toward the fire pit closest to the lifeguard station. Stella already had a roaring fire going and smiled after I kicked off my sandals and walked barefoot in the sand.
“That fire is amazing,” I said, dropping my beach bag and purse to the sand and hugging her. “Thank you so much for your help.”
“Anything for you,” Stella said. “The guys are on the way. They should be here any—”
“Ladies!” Dean called out, approaching with Scotty. “Hey, gorgeous.” He leaned closer to kiss Stella on the cheek. And I swear I don’t think I had ever seen her blush like that before.
Scotty had his hands jammed in his pockets, his eyes not leaving mine. “Hey, Amber.”
“Hey . . .” I was nervous as hell.
For a second, it looked like he was going to copy Dean and kiss me on the cheek, Instead, he upped the ante, wrapped his arms around me, and pulled me in for an embrace that just about made me sigh out loud. Scotty’s mouth brushed against my neck and my cheek as he pulled away, which sent tingles traveling across my entire body. He stared down at my lips for a split-second, looking like he wanted to kiss me, which I would have been perfectly fine with.
The moment was gone when Dean said, “Okay—where are those marshmallows Stella told me about?”
“I guess I should get those.” I reluctantly let go of Scotty and reached down into my beach bag to pull out the bag of marshmallows, along with the long wood-handled metal skewers. “Right here. Sorry, I didn’t have time to get chocolate and graham crackers, so no s’mores this evening.”
“Fine by me,” Dean said, as he dropped into one of the beach chairs. He poked a skewer through two of the marshmallows and held it over the flame. “I’m a purist. All I need is a roasted marshmallow and I’m a happy camper.” He glanced over at Stella and winked. “And present company, of course. Have I told you how beautiful you look this evening?”
Even though it was at dusk, Dean’s brilliant white teeth smile gave me pause. He was truly infatuated with Stella. She was a very lucky girl.
Right on cue, Stella smiled. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”
He grinned. “Good to know.” He kissed Stella.
Oh, my goodness.
The next thing I knew, Stella and Dean were making out in front of us.
They didn’t waste any time!
Amazingly, while they kissed, Dean still had his marshmallow dangling over the flame, turning it evenly like it was a rotisserie chicken cooking at Costco.
I was happy for my best friend, but I felt a little uncomfortable since we were all sitting so close together around the fire. I could practically hear their tongues battling for position inside their mouths. Or was that the crashing of the waves?
It didn’t matter. I was happy for them, but my anxiety was rising as I tried to find the words to lead into my proposal. Nothing came to mind. Not one blasted word.
