Page 50 of One Wild Wedding Weekend

His anger welled again. Was she deliberately trying to torment him? “Why?”

Daley stood, picked up her purse and backed toward the hall. “I already have a date.”

Ten

Daley practically ran to her car. She had left Tristan in the building looking stunned and irritated. His jaw had literally dropped.

It was exactly the scenario she had hoped to avoid.

His invitation wasn’t out of line. She had known this might happen.

What she hadn’t expected was how guilty she felt about turning him down.

And how disappointed.

Thank goodness she had lined Jared up as her escort.

The next seven days crawled by. Her weekend was uneventful. Farmer’s market. A bit of cooking for the upcoming week. Lounging by the pool at her apartment complex. Reading a good book.

Then Monday, it was back to work. She half expected Tristan to show up in her suite again...to try changing her mind. But he was nowhere to be seen.

For her part, she stayed in her back corner office with the door mostly closed. Work was her salvation. Otherwise, she’d be thinking about Tristan every minute of every day. It was aggravating to realize how much real estate he occupied in her brain.

She wasn’t obsessed with him. Right? You could call it a healthy crush. A fluttery preoccupation with memories of their time together.

He had hinted at an ongoing something between them. It was sweet that he wanted to avoid awkwardness and that he cared enough to protect her from the situation.

But really, wasn’t it all a moot point?

Daley was captivated with a man who could break her heart. And she had zero confidence in her ability to keep things platonic.

On Saturday, she took her time getting ready for the party, giving herself plenty of time to turn a Cinderella advertising exec into a princess. Or at the very least, a lady-in-waiting. Tabby and John had rented two huge adjoining ballrooms at one of downtown Atlanta’s poshest and most exclusive hotels.

As small and intimate as their wedding had been, this occasion was all out. They had invited 350 friends, family members and work colleagues. According to Tabby, the RSVPs had flown in fast and furious. Something like ninety percent said yes.

The evening would begin with a lavish sit-down dinner. Then everyone would adjourn to the next room for dancing.

The theme for tonight was black-and-white ball. The men, of course, would have no problem. Formal wear was easy. But as a fair-skinned blonde, Daley didn’t look good in stark white. Plus, she was tired of black. She had found a beautiful dress in cream that would do. It was halter-necked, fitted at the waist and fanned out in a beautiful floor-length skirt.

The neckline and waist were adorned with sparkly beading. Although the design was mostly plain, the heavy damask silk-and-satin fabric took the dress to whole other level. It was a party dress. A grown-up dress.

It would also make her stand out. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Her bare back and shoulders were lightly tanned. Her hair cooperated as she twisted it up in a complicated chignon. When she stepped into the dress and zipped it up, she stared into the full-length mirror in her closet.

Tonight was about Tabby and John, of course. But Daley was the maid of honor, and she looked forward to this chance to socialize in a way she seldom did.

Jared rang her doorbell at six thirty on the dot.

He smiled when he saw her. “Wow, Daley. Smokin’ hot.”

“Thanks. You’re looking handsome yourself.”

He bowed. “Anything for a lady running from love.”

“It’s not love,” she insisted. “Only sex.”

He gave her a knowing look. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Twenty minutes later, Jared parked his Mercedes in the hotel garage and held her arm as they took the elevator to the fifth floor, where the ballrooms were located.

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