Page 37 of Paradise Pride

“Finally, we meet. Kim has told me so much about you.” Andres hugged Meghan tightly, then turned to his friend. “This is Tiger. He’s British, but he lives here. We work together.”

“It’s so nice to meet you both.” Meghan reached out to shake Tiger’s hand, but he too, pulled her into a hug. Tiger lived up to his name. He was tall with broad, muscular shoulders, and as he squashed her in his grip, she saw that one of his arms was covered in a tiger-striped tattoo. He smelled of cheap aftershave and had way too much gel in his combed-back hair, but he wasn’t unattractive, she supposed.

“That’s how we do it here,” he said as he stepped back and shot her a wink. “Hugs and kisses only.”

“Nothing wrong with getting a good hug from a handsome guy, right, Megs?” Kim giggled as she sat down next to Andres.

Meghan didn’t reply to Kim’s comment, but she shot her a warning look. Clearly, the message hadn’t sunk in, and in Kim’s eyes, this was still very much a double date. The table was small, the chairs squashed close together, and Tiger took advantage of the situation and draped an arm over the backrest of her chair.Here we go.

“Congratulations on your engagement,” Meghan said to Andres, diverting the conversation away from hugs and kisses. She’d seen more pictures of Andres than she could count, but he looked better in real life. Kinder, she thought. He was tall, like Tiger, and it was sweet how Kim, who was much shorter, nestled herself in the crook of his arm. “You look really happy together.”

“Thank you. We are.” Andres shot Kim a loving, sideways smile. “I can’t wait for Kim to be my wife.” He turned back to Meghan. “And I hear you’re going to be the maid of honour. Tiger will be my best man, so we thought it might be nice if you two got to know each other.”

“Sure, why not?” Meghan inched away when Tiger moved closer.

“I could show you around town,” he offered. “Kim told me you’re on your own at night, so I’m happy to entertain you.”

“Or we could meet up with the four of us?” Kim suggested when Meghan didn’t answer. “Andres and I are seeing his parents tomorrow and his brother the night after, but I’m sure we can squeeze in a night or two before we leave. We could get together to plan the wedding.” She shot Meghan a smile. “I feel bad for leaving you on your own.”

“Don’t feel bad. You really don’t need to entertain me.” Meghan shrugged. “I like having evenings to myself, and I haven’t been bored once.”

“Still, wouldn’t it be nice to hang out with a local?”

“There’s a concert in town,” Tiger chipped in. “Tomorrow. I’d like to take you there.”

Meghan ground her teeth and forced a smile. She could feel Kim’s eyes on her and made sure not to look her way. She was annoyed with her friend for trying to set her up even though she’d been clear she wasn’t interested, but she couldn’t really blame Kim either. Kim had no idea what had been going on with Florence. She was oblivious to Meghan’s inner turmoil and all the new feelings that consumed her. If she’d never met Florence, she may have been open to a fling with a handsome man, even if that man had a ridiculous name. But shehadmet Florence, and that had changed everything. It had changed her past into a question, her present into the most confusing situation of her life, and her future into an uncertainty because the desire she felt was real and potent, and it wasn’t going to go away.

“That’s very nice of you, but I have plans tomorrow,” she said.

“Okay, what about the day after?”

“I’m…” Meghan let out a long sigh. “Look, I’m very sorry,” she said. “I’m sure you’re a super nice guy, and I’m happy to get to know you better if we’re going to help out with the wedding, but I don’t have much time while I’m here.”

“What? Why?” Kim narrowed her eyes at her. “Why are you so busy all of a sudden?”

Meghan wanted to kick her under the table to make her change the subject. Why was she pressuring her? Couldn’t Kim see that she had no interest in Tiger? “I’m meeting Florence,” she said, at a loss for another excuse.

“The bartender?” Kim laughed. “Again? Didn’t you go out with her last night? Come on, Meghan. I’ve known you for years, and even though you might be a bit curious, there’s no way you’re gay, so why waste your time?”

“She’s not a waste of time,” Meghan shot back at her, sharper than she’d intended. “I like her, so I want to hang out. What’s so funny about that?”

“Okay, okay.” Kim held up a hand. “I was only trying to help. You’re single, and Tiger’s single, so I figured you two might hit it off but do what you want. It just seems pointless to hang out with someone you’ll never see again, that’s all.” She turned to Tiger, who looked confused, mostly, and Meghan suspected he wasn’t used to being rejected by women. “She’s befriended this lesbian bartender.”

“She’s bisexual,” Meghan corrected her.

“Whatever, it’s all the same.”

“It’s not.” Irritated that Kim was making lightly of something she’d been conflicted over for days, she picked up the menu, hoping they’d get the hint that she was done talking about Florence.

“Is she into you?” Andres asked. “You’re a beautiful woman, and if she’s—”

“No.” Meghan’s core tightened as steamy memories attacked her again. It was hard to think of anything else. When she was with Florence, she wanted her, and when she wasn’t, she wanted her just as much. “We’re just friends,” she said, feeling like a coward. She was a thirty-four-year-old woman, a grown-up, and she didn’t even have the guts to tell her best friend the truth. She looked from Kim to Andres and back. “Now, can we stop talking about me, please? We’re here to celebrate your engagement, and I’d like to order us a bottle of Champagne.”

38

Florence

“Spot me, will you? Can you add eight kilos to the bar?”

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