Page 23 of Travis

“It’s probably because I have so many sisters. Also, I’m into design and in touch with my feminine side. It’s probably why I can’t get laid to save my life, if you don’t mind me saying so.” He shares, boldly, and I wonder if he’s this candid with everybody he meets for the second time.

“Hm.” Is all I say.

“Sorry. I don’t have much of a filter. It comes in handy during crunch time, but it’s not so great if you haven’t gotten to know me well enough yet.”

“Well, don’t put the filter on for my sake. I just want to do the best we can for this wedding.”

He looks behind me, seeing the boxes of decorations, ribbon, gift wrap and various other holiday accoutrements. “You don’t say.” He grins.

“I ordered various sized boxes, too.” I add, changing the subject. “I’d have taken the ones I already have from my niece’s bedroom, but I didn’t want to break her heart.”

“Oh, you did her room? What was the occasion? Friday?” he jokes.

“No. It was her birthday a few weeks ago. I always do that for her.”

“Oh yeah? How many nieces and nephews do you have?”

“Just Macey.”

“Well, you’re one up on me, then. I don’t have any yet. My sisters are so damn picky when it comes to men. I suppose I raised the bar a little for them. Not that I’m trying to sound conceited, but when you have a brother as perfect as me, it’s kind of hard to find a guy worth his salt.”

“No, I get it. I mean, I got off easy. When Travis and I met, he was it. But I saw so many other girls suffer through nasty relationships.”

“High school sweethearts? That’s unheard of nowadays.” He says casually, but I get the feeling he’s digging for more information. I’m not giving in. I don’t comment and he takes the hint. “So, what sort of wedding is Liam and Hanna looking for?” he asks, smartly changing the subject.

“Well, more casual than what the guest count calls for, unfortunately. They’re loaded but it’s their parent’s money. It seems to me like they’re having a big wedding to please their folks.”

“At least she won’t be a Bridezilla then.” He comments. “Not that I’ve ever been graced with the presence from one, but I’ve heard enough horror stories.”

“I’ve seen my share. The best thing to do is to let them air their frustrations and then you can make headway. Kind of like getting an angry call when you’re in customer service.”

“Customer Service one-oh-one.” He concurs.

I check my watch. “Shoot. We should get going.”

“Sounds good. And don’t argue with me; we’re taking my car this time.”

“Okay.”

We pull up to the gate and are granted entry. Greg looks around, impressed. “Wow, this is a sweet pad. I wish I had rich parents, too.”

“I think we all do.” I chuckle. “Although my sister caught the money bug when she met my brother-in-law. The two of them make more money than six of me.”

“No kidding? What do they do?”

“She’s a realtor for the elite, and he’s a lawyer.”

“Cha-ching!” he sings. “So, I guess she’s the one that supplied the bread for your start-up.”

“No, actually.” I correct. “Travis and I put off getting married so we could both save for what we wanted.”

“And what did he want?”

I look at him. “He’s graduating shortly. He’s been working on his master’s degree in engineering.”

His eyes bulge. “Wow. Can I ask…who dumped who?” If not for his puppy-dog eyes that are dancing, I’d be telling him to shove it, but I don’t. Instead, I shove him playfully.

“Come on, nosey. Let’s go inside.”

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