Mr Right Stuff

by Sophie Brooks

  Bridget smiled, seemingly pleased with her grandson’s behavior as I continued on. “Like he said, we got to talking. We talked so much that neither of us finished our salads. The waiter came and took them away, and he also took the candle that was on the table. A moment later he returned with a bud vase with a single pink rose. I didn’t think anything of it—the waiter had done the same thing at other tables.”

  Ethan was still watching me raptly, so I cocked my head to the side and smiled up at him. “But I didn’t realize at the time that Ethan had asked them to do that because he knew that roses are my favorite flower—especially pink ones.”

  Bridget reached for her husband’s hand and squeezed it as she beamed at us.

  “Our meals came, and the steak was delicious, but I didn’t eat very much because we kept talking so much. Laughing. Teasing. And I only had eyes for him. If I’d been paying attention, I would’ve seen that more was changing around me than just the bud vases. But my gaze was only on your grandson.”

  Walter put his arm around his wife, and Ethan took a cue from his grandparents, placing his hand over mine. “Kate looked amazing that night. Almost as good as she does now.”

  My heart warmed even though half of that compliment had been made up. I smiled at him and continued. “I’d barely eaten anything, but I wanted to make sure I looked okay—since I was sitting across from the most handsome man in the entire restaurant. So I reached for my napkin, but it had fallen onto the floor. I spotted it by my foot next to the rail at the edge of the balcony, and I reached down to pick it up. And that’s when I saw it—a sea of pink. Every table down in the main dining area had not only a pink rose, but also pink helium balloons. Heart-shaped balloons. I hadn’t even noticed, but they were tied to the back of every chair.”

  “Then what happened?” Bridget was hanging on my every word.

  “I was absolutely floored because it was the most magical sight. Pink hearts. Pink roses. I felt like it was the most romantic restaurant in the world. I straightened up and was going to ask Ethan if he’d seen them, but he wasn’t across from me anymore. He was standing next to the table, and he was holding a heart-shaped balloon, too. The waiter was passing them out to the other couples up on the balcony, and they’d all tied the balloons to the back of their chairs, too.

  “I still didn’t get what was happening. I just thought that this was something they did at this restaurant. I reached for the balloon but Ethan shook his head and smiled down at me. He told me to hold out my hands. So I did, and he placed the ribbon from the balloon on my palms. But I felt something hard—well, at least harder than ribbon. Something hard, and small, and metallic. And I looked in my hand, and it was your ring, Bridget. Tied to the ribbon with a cute little bow. I think tears welled up in my eyes even before I consciously realized what was happening. And then Ethan sank down on one knee, and it truly kicked in that this was finally happening.”

  I paused for a moment, feeling a little moisture forming at the base of my lashes. Oh god, was I really getting teary over a completely made up story? But apparently I was. Not because of the made-up proposal story, but because I hoped that one day, I’d meet a man who cared enough to do something romantic like that for real.

  “What did he say?” Walter wanted to know.

  Ethan found his voice again. “Private words meant only for my fiancée. But the important part is what she said. Which was yes.”

  I smiled and squeezed his hand. “How could I say no to that? The whole restaurant started clapping, and Ethan untied the ring and slid it on my finger. It fit perfectly. And after that, we had champagne, and the waiter brought me a huge vase, and on the way out, we passed by every single table and they gave me their roses. And everybody looked so happy for us. Everyone said such kind words.”

  Bridget gazed at me for a long moment, and then smiled. “Just like the people here, dear. We all wish you the best, too.”

  “Thank you. That means a lot.” And it did. Even if this wasn’t real, they didn’t know that. They thought it was, and they were doing everything they could to make sure we were both very happy. Which was extremely sweet.

  And made me feel guilty as hell again.

  “That feels much better,” I said an hour later as I kicked off my shoes. The engagement party was still in full swing, but I’d found Dan and Julie at a small table in a corner away from the music and dancing couples. From what I’d seen, Bridget and Walter’s generation knew a lot more about dancing than people my age. Maybe their secret was not wearing such punitive footwear.

  “Someday, I want an engagement party just like this one,” Julie said looking around.

  Dan and I stared at her, and she flushed. “I know the engagement’s not real, but the party’s lovely. All the decorations. The flowers. Someone must’ve spent hours on these arrangements.”

  Groaning, I shut my eyes. “Don’t remind me. All that wasted time and effort.”

  “But people are having fun,” Dan said. “Dancing. Boozing it up. And that guy over there has to be at least eighty, and I saw him pinch his wife’s ass when they got up to dance. Good for him.” Dan drained the rest of his glass of champagne. “At least I hope that was his wife.”

  Julie and I giggled. I’d missed this. I’d missed them. I loved spending time with Ethan, but these were my two best friends in the entire world. If only the wedding prep didn’t take so much time. “So tell me everything.”

  “Everything?” Julie echoed.

  “Yeah. I know you guys have been in research mode. What’s the verdict?”

  “We’re thinking Morocco after Germany and Switzerland. And then hitting a couple of countries in Central Africa.”

  Julie jumped in eagerly. “There are all kinds of safaris we can choose from. And I found this place where you can help out at an orphanage for a week or two. Doing odd jobs, fixing structures, teaching, helping the kids. Now that we’ve got the extra time, we can look into things like that,” she added. “Dan found a couple of other possibilities.”

  “God, we could pretty much go anywhere we wanted,” I said, and I saw the same amazement in my roommates’ eyes.

  “Pretty much,” Dan said. “So keep that in mind next time you start feeling guilty. You’re doing this so that we can have an amazing trip. And so that Ethan can achieve his dream.”

  “Yeah,” Julie said, joining in. I had a sudden inkling that they’d discussed bringing this up with me. “And don’t forget, his grandparents made the initial case of mistaken identity. Not you. So could you please just… enjoy this as much as possible?”

  “Enjoy what?”

  “Everything. The music. The food. The drinks. Or how about the fact that you’re spending your days with a man who looks like Prince Charming personified. I know it’s a strange situation, but, well, you’re in the middle of it. Feeling guilty isn’t going to change anything now. Or help anything. It’s just going to give you an ulcer. And we don’t want spend the first week of our trip in some European hospital.”

  Dan reached out and tapped his finger against my hand. I’d been clutching my pendant again without realizing it. “Don’t break that,” he said gently. “I picked it out for you.”

  Gradually, I relaxed my grip. And then sighed in resignation. “Okay. I’ll try to enjoy this.”

  “Good,” Julie said with a smile.

  A shadow fell across the table, and we all looked up. “Hello.”

  The newcomer was about our age, tall with blond hair. I’d been introduced to him before, but I didn’t remember his name. “I’m Matt,” he said.

  Oh, right. Another one of Ethan’s second cousins. I’d studied up on him while learning everything I could about my fiancé. “Sure, I remember. How’s school going?”

  “I’m about ready to be done with it, but I’ve got another year.”

  I smiled politely. “Engineering, right?”

  “Right. I’ve come to ask a favor.”

  “Sure.”

  “Would you min
d if I stole your friend away for a dance? That is, if she’s okay with it.”

  Aww, how sweet. “I don’t mind a bit.” I looked at Julie and she stared back at me, and then glanced over at Dan.

  “Didn’t you just tell me to enjoy myself?” I said, raising my eyebrow. “Well, you should, too.”

  Julie nodded and rose to her feet. Matt took her hand and led her toward the dance floor as Dan and I watched her leave. Then I turned to him. “Now that she’s found one of the few people here under fifty, let’s go see if we can find someone for you.”

  “I’m good,” Dan said, watching Julie leave as he picked up his glass. Realizing it was empty, he set it back down on the table.

  We spent a while looking at his phone at some of the possible destinations he and Julie had been researching, but we kept getting interrupted by friends of the Grants. One woman, whose name I didn’t remember, came over and handed me an envelope. “This is for you, dear. Buy yourself something special before the wedding.”

  Guilt returned, but I knew it would be rude to turn down her gift. I vowed it to pass it along to a charity. After I thanked her, she looked from me to Dan. “Your brother is so handsome. Are you going to be part of the wedding party, young man?”

  Dan said yes at the same time I said, “He’s not my brother.”

  “Pardon?”

  “This is Dan. He’s my roommate.”

  “Your roommate?”

  “Yes.”

  She looked uncertain for a moment. Then she shook her head and said, “Oh you kids today.”

  Dan and I chuckled as she walked away.

  “I think we blew her mind,” I said.

  “I think she didn’t believe that a mere roommate was going to be part of the wedding party.”

  “Well, you are,” I said. Ethan and I had argued about that a few times, but I’d insisted that Dan was as much my friend as Julie, and if she was going to be the Maid of Honor, then he needed to be a groomsman. “Especially after I worked so hard to get Ethan to agree.”

  “Good thing you’re not actually marrying him,” Dan said. “Imagine how much more you would have fought if it’d been over something that was actually going to happen.”

  I didn’t see it that way, though. Ethan was a good guy. He just didn’t seem to like Dan very much for some reason.

  Julie reappeared. “Matt had to take a call. The band’s not actually half bad—come dance with us.”

  She cajoled us until I gave in, and then together, we dragged Dan to the dance floor—a place he seemed much more willing to visit once he’d snagged a bottle of beer from a passing waiter.

  Julie was right, the band was good, and for the first time in hours, I felt truly relaxed. Part of that was because I’d “accidentally” left my shoes under the table by the corner. I hoped that my dress was long enough that no one noticed.

  Matt returned, and when he twirled Julie past Dan and me, I called out to her. “You’re right, this is fun.”

  “Damn straight,” Dan said. But then he swore softly under his breath.

  “What?” I asked as Dan stilled and took a step back. I turned and followed his gaze. Ethan.

  “Mind if I cut in?”

  “Not at all,” Dan said respectfully. He nodded at me and then took off for a table piled high with desserts of every kind.

  “Do you like to dance?” I asked as Ethan took my arm. It seemed like I should know that, but it hadn’t come up in our discussions.

  “Not really,” Ethan said, leading me away from the dance floor. “Though I like it even less when my fiancée is dancing with another man.”

  I stopped, astonished. “I wasn’t dancing with another man. I was dancing with Dan.”

  Ethan turned on me, his expression cold. I’d never seen him like this before. “Who’s a man. A man who’s not your fiancé. That’s the very definition of ‘another man.’”

  “But we’re best friends.”

  “I know that. And you guys know that. But Mrs. Knutson doesn’t know that.”

  “Who’s Mrs. Knutson?”

  “A friend of my grandmother’s who’s going around telling everyone that my bride-to-be lives with a man who’s not me. The same man everyone’s just seen you dancing with.”

  “But… but you know nothing would ever happen between us,” I protested as Ethan led me toward the entrance hall.

  “Oh, so friendship never turns into anything more?”

  What? Of course it did sometimes, but this was a genuine friendship. I was no more in love with Dan than I was with Julie. “They’re my best friends. I’m sorry that Mrs. Whatserface doesn’t get that, but it’s true.”

  Ethan’s voice was still stern, and he somehow looked taller than usual. “Mrs. Whatserface and everyone else came to celebrate our engagement tonight. And for some reason, those people seem to expect that you’d actually spend time with the man you’re going to marry.”

  That didn’t seem fair. “You were talking to the CEO from that media company for half the night.”

  “Which shouldn’t be enough to drive you into the arms of another man.”

  “Ethan…” I was exasperated. “I wasn’t in the arms of another man. I was just dancing with a friend.”

  “A male friend. At your own damn engagement party. Do you think that’s appropriate?”

  “I do,” I said, and someone nearby chuckled.

  “That’s the spirit!”

  I about jumped out of my skin at the voice from behind me. A couple in their mid-sixties walked toward us. It was the woman, who had her hair piled in a less-than-flattering beehive, who had spoken. “Won’t be long now until you can say that at the church.” She winked at Ethan and me.

  “Thank you for coming, Mr. and Mrs. Alexander.” Ethan’s voice was polite but a little distant.

  The older woman grinned at him. “You don’t have to wait that long, Ethan. It’s okay if you kiss the bride a little early.”

  Ethan chuckled, obviously taking her comments as a joke, and a half second later, I joined him. Though now my mind was filled with the image of Ethan’s lips meeting my own. Even though he was being an ass, that was still a thought that made my heart beat faster.

  But Mrs. Alexander was not to be deterred. “Go on, give her a kiss. I haven’t seen you two lock lips all night.”

  Okay, it was creepy she’d noticed that. But I turned to look at Ethan, and he bent his head and for just a moment, his warm mouth descended on mine. Automatically, I closed my eyes, leaning into him. The scent of sandalwood and champagne hit me as his lips pressed against mine and his arm wrapped around me.

  Too soon, it was over. Ethan straightened up. At least he kept his arm around my waist.

  “Atta boy,” Mrs. Alexander said.

  Other couples were filling the entryway now, too. A uniformed attendant took his place at the small cloakroom off the main hall. He handed out jackets and wraps as Ethan and I thanked the guests for coming. Apparently, Mrs. Alexander’s idea had caught on, because two more of them asked us to kiss. And each time, Ethan’s kiss was a little longer. A little firmer. By the third time, I had to fight every instinct in my body to keep from throwing myself at him right here. Right now.

  There was no way in hell he should tempt me so much. He’d been such a jerk, scolding at me for hanging out with one of my best friends. I was still mad about that. But each time his head dipped down for another kiss, part of me wanted to wrap my arms around his neck, pull him close, and part my lips.

  But I had to remember that this was just for show. It wasn’t real. But good god, if Ethan’s fake kisses were that pleasurable, what must the real ones be like?

  It took half an hour for the majority of the guests to leave—thank god I’d taken off my heels. There were only a few people left in the ballroom when Julie and Dan approached.

  “Thank you so much for coming.” I hugged Julie first. I held onto her for a bit longer than I needed to. So much of tonight had been fake that it was nice to kno
w that my friendship with her was real.

  “Tonight was lovely,” she whispered in my ear. “If the wedding were really going to take place, it would be the nicest one ever.”

  A pang of grief filled me. Somehow, in spite of myself, I’d let Bridget arrange the wedding of my dreams. The colors… the flowers… my wedding dress… all of it was absolutely perfect. For a moment, I wished that it was real. That the rehearsal dinner would’ve been here. Then the ceremony the next day at a park overlooking a lovely lake at sunset. Then back here for the reception.

  Most of the time, I was sad that all that work—all that planning—was for something that wasn’t going to happen. But then other times it made me sad that it wasn’t real. If it were real, I’d be the luckiest woman in the world.

  Finally letting go of Julie, I moved onto Dan. I could feel Ethan’s eyes drill into my back as I hugged my other best friend.

  “Really classy party, Kate,” he whispered in my ear. Then he released me and I stepped back to the side of my currently fuming fake fiancé. That reignited my anger at his earlier behavior.

  Once Julie and Dan were out the door, I turned toward him and spoke in a whisper. “If you’re this mortified that people know your fiancée has a male friend, how are you going to handle it when they find out we’ve broken up?”

  “Not here,” Ethan hissed even though I didn’t see any more departing guests at the moment. He grabbed me by the wrist and tugged me over to the cloakroom. “Take five,” he told the attendant. The man took one look at Ethan’s face, turned on his heel, and hurried away.

  Then my fake fiancé pulled me into the cloakroom and shut the door behind us.

  Twelve

  Ethan

  God, she was maddening. She wasn’t stupid, she knew the score, or at least she should have. Everything we’d done for the past three weeks had been to maintain the illusion that we were a couple. That we were in love. Tonight was definitely not the time for her to fucking forget that.