by K. T. Castle
Paying no attention to their interruption, I continued. “They’re getting married next June in Bora Bora.”
“Oh, great! ‘Cause getting married in L.A. wasn’t fancy enough for her.” As expected, Denise was the first one complaining about the location. “Doesn’t she know money’s tight?”
I looked at her, since I completely understood her worries, and said, “We’ll discuss money later, Denise. The engagement party will be here in L.A.”
“Well, thanks a lot,” Denise said sarcastically now.
This time, I didn’t acknowledge her. “She wants us to throw her a bachelorette party in Vegas.” And that finished the plans I had so far.
“Yay, Vegas. Fun!” Natalie exclaimed.
“Fun, said the pregnant lady,” Denise and her sarcasm struck back.
Natalie was three months pregnant. I easily forgot since, first, it really wasn’t on my priority list, and second, she didn’t show at all.
“Fun for you. I hate going to Vegas,” Marisol added, her boredom more than obvious. She’d become such a drag since she became a mother. I seriously wondered sometimes how we were going to manage to stay friends.
“We haven’t been to Vegas in a million years,” Natalie continued.
“Regardless, it’s more money to spend.” Denise’s complaining apparently never stopped.
Seriously, the wedding planning barely started and we were already dividing because of it.
“Calm down, girls,” I said. I had to do some damage control before everything fell apart. “We’re going to do things right and plan everything from the beginning to get the best deals and spend the least possible amount of money. But, yeah, it’s true. Some money is going to be spent. Just as it was in all your weddings.”
Marisol hadn’t gotten married very long ago. Three years ago, to be accurate. And we had all spent money on every single one of their weddings. What were they expecting? Not investing a single dime on their friend’s big day?
“Easy for you to say. You don’t have a family to support,” Denise said. She was the worst about money. I guessed she married so long ago, and so young, that she was the first to complain when someone else got married. It was as if she didn’t remember how much we pitched in all those years ago, when she’d finished high school without a penny and we helped out so she could get married the way she wanted.
“You don’t have a family to support. You only have a husband,” Marisol finally told her. “I have a child. How exactly am I supposed to bring him to Bora Bora? Does he need a passport?”
Wow, another topic of discussion—the protective mother who needed to take her child everywhere she went. I know she needed a rest and time for herself. “It might be better if you leave your baby in the States. Think of it as a second honeymoon,” I told her gently.
“I haven’t thought about that.” Natalie’s brain seemed to finally get a grip on our conversation. “What about my baby? Which reminds me,” she added. “Can we have the bachelorette party after I have the baby? I’d like to drink something during our stay in Vegas.”
“You won’t be able to drink if you’re breastfeeding. Plus, you might be so tired with the long, sleepless nights that you might not be able to handle it. It might be better if we do it before your baby’s born.” Leave it to Marisol, the voice of experience, to break it to Natalie that drinking wasn’t in her future.
Poor girl must be suffering.
“Oh, great,” Denise commented, her voice unrestrained acid. “Who’s giving us a lap dance with a pregnant lady in our party?” Not a moment ago, she’d complained about money being tight and now she had a dollar for a strip club. I thought I might have to have another kind of conversation with her after all this madness was over.
“You might be impressed,” was my only response. I knew for a fact that plenty of men out there were willing. Pregnant woman or not. “So, what is it, Natalie? Before or after you have the baby?” I asked her.
“Apparently before,” Natalie decided, all the excitement gone from her voice.
“Great. How about February?” I put out for votes. “Does that give us enough time to recover from Christmas and New Year’s, but still far enough away from Natalie’s due date?”
“It seems so,” Denise muttered.
“If you say so,” Marisol said blandly.
“Sounds good to me.” Natalie sounded defeated, now.
With all this excitement, Laura might kill one of us soon.
“I’ll leave the engagement party date for Laura to choose. Probably soon. I’ll try to make her choose the second week of November, so we don’t struggle with Thanksgiving,” I said as I finished calendaring all the dates. “Sound good for everyone?”
“It’s only a month away.” Denise had done her math quickly.
“Would you rather have it in December?” I knew she felt things were going to start fast, but I also knew there were some extra expenses at the end of the year which complicated everyone’s personal economic situations.
“No, please. Not December. You guys know, well…not really, Santa and all that,” Marisol said, begging with her eyes. I’ve seen the Christmas presents she bought her child. She should start saving for his college education instead of investing so much in silly gifts. How much could a toddler appreciate expensive things? I’ve seen the little rascal eat a booger or two, myself.
“I’d rather have it before Thanksgiving,” Sol finally said.
“Although, it’ll be nice to take advantage of those Thanksgiving discounts,” Denise said.
“Relax with the expenses. I told you, we’ll get good deals.” I was going to do my best to ensure everything was perfect for Laura without affecting the rest of our friends, especially Denise’s fragile budget. “What if all of us pitched in for the engagement gift?”
“Sounds nice.” For the first time, Denise sounded a bit enthusiastic.
“And we’ll have time to plan the rest of the events.” I really needed their help. Laura was proving too challenging to please.
“I think it’s better if we leave all that to you,” Marisol said. “You’re the one with the special brain. The planning master.” Of course, she’d be the first to wash her hands of the whole situation.
I couldn’t believe it. It happened every single time. I knew that eighty percent of the population struggled with planning, and I also knew I was one of the privileged ten percent fortunate enough to be born with a brain that had no problem planning. I hadn’t ever even needed to learn any planning skills. But, come on, I wasn’t about to be left alone planning this wedding.
“Guys, I need your help. You can’t expect me to do everything on my own.”
“Well, you’re the one who’s single.” Denise then used their other weapon against me.
“So, just ‘cause I’m single, I’m supposed to plan everything?” I didn’t have a particular man to please, but I did please men. Probably more than they each of these women did, at least in the bedroom department.
“No, not really,” Marisol finally confessed. “But you sure have more free time than the rest of us.” She wouldn’t even let me have one tiny win.
As much as I knew they told the truth, they all still frustrated me so easily. Even at Sol’s son’s birthday party, she’d left me alone to plan the whole thing for her. It wasn’t fair. This time, it wasn’t an event for any of them; it was for Laura. But I knew that eventually they’d all need my help for planning something else, and if they didn’t help me out this time, they could all forget about involving me in their next planning charade.
“I’m really sorry, Kassie,” Natalie said. “I’ll help as much as I can, as long as my pregnancy allows it.”
That’s right Natalie, think about your baby shower. Who’s going to plan that for you?
“I’ll do my best, though planning is not my forte.” Denise might have been some help as the only one of my friends without children. Maybe I should get her husband to help, too. After all, he didn’t have
much else to do. Besides looking for a job.
On second thought, that probably wasn’t a good idea. I didn’t want to give him the wrong impression.
I couldn’t help feeling more than a little defeated. I knew they all expected me to plan this on my own, and it hurt. Regardless, I wasn’t going to let it go. I would nag them until every woman gave in for just a little help.
After a few minutes, my phone rang. Laura’s name and photo flashed across the screen. It was time to talk to the bride-to-be.
“Great, Laura’s here. Let’s tell her about our plans.”
Chapter 4
Laura was finally back in L.A. and she decided we needed to have brunch to discuss wedding details. Mainly for me, the brunch meant that I got to meet the man making all of this happen—Eddie.
I knew by now how they met and the wonderful reasons of their getting together. Even so, Laura didn’t have the brightest history with men, so I wanted to be sure she wasn’t making a huge mistake. While her taste was immaculate—she had this magnet to attract the most handsome men in a thirty-square-foot area—the results of such attraction were not. Usually, the men tended to turn into awful beasts after a few dates (alcoholics, workaholics, jealous, you name it), all resulting in them being assholes.
Not that it might make much difference…
As soon as I arrived at the fancy restaurant, the most popular one in the city at the moment, I approached the hostess and gave Laura’s first and last name. I was informed that someone in my party already arrived and that he had already been seated.
The hostess ushered me through the various tables and guests, until, in the most private corner of the restaurant, I was able to see our table and the person occupying it.
This can’t be happening.
The person sitting at our table was definitely someone I knew. Someone I actually had been avoiding for quite some time.
“Well, well. Good morning, babe,” the beautiful blond said to me.
I knew this guy. I’d constantly met him at bars and pubs around the city. He was always well accompanied by attractive ladies, but that didn’t stop him from hitting on me. Persistently, he’d tried for the past couple years to get my number and into my panties.
This man and I had a history…well, not really. We had a history of not having a history. He was an artfully known womanizer in the circles we frequented. Knowing exactly what I’d be getting myself into if I ever decided to tap that drop-dead gorgeous body of his, I had no choice but to reject him over and over again.
One drunken night I almost caved in.
We’d kissed for a while. His kisses made me all hot and wanton, especially when his lips went to my earlobe and neck, making their way to my chest. He was a wonderful kisser. That night, his mouth didn’t quite get to taste my aching nipples, as had been my desire at the time, though his skilled fingers had given them plenty of attention. His lips really drove me crazy, not only from their naughty words but from the wet trail they left on my body. He kissed even better than he looked, and that was saying a lot.
We’d made out until one of his bimbo girlfriends came up to us and asked if we were in a mood for a threesome. She was beautiful, but I would never be into that kind of scene. Been there, done that. And in my experience it never ends well.
It made me think about that time in college when my boyfriend begged me to have a threesome, and, well, if you don’t agree to those kinds of things in your early twenties, when exactly are you going to? It wasn’t nice, let me tell you. The experience only encouraged him into insisting I agree to just about everything else that made me uncomfortable, and after several refusals, he ended up having sex with another woman in front of me. Not exactly anything I could digest. The relationship was doomed from that moment. I never knew if that was the reason we broke up.
Probably not. But still, ménage-a-trois—big no-no in my book.
By the looks of it, though, he had no problem with it. He was totally my type, blond and beautiful. Whether he was a womanizer or not.
Laura couldn't be marrying this man.
“Oh, God. Not you. You’re a man whore!”
He stood as soon as the statement escaped my lips. He didn’t look offended. I guess he was used to my rejections by now. “Nice to see you, too,” the handsome man said. “I like knowing that you miss me.”
“Miss you? You wish! I can’t believe you’re marrying my best friend.” And I really didn’t.
“No offense, babe, but I’m not the one marrying Laura. I’m Ed’s friend. Name’s Josh, remember?”
Oh, right. Josh. For a moment there, I thought I had to talk Laura into canceling the wedding.
“Have a seat, angel.” Josh had this habit of talking to me as if we were close. “Our friends are running a little late. I’d like to take advantage of having you all to myself.”
We weren’t close.
“Knock it off with the chivalry. Ain’t gonna happen.” I’d lost count of the number of times I’d turned him down. He kept trying to get his hands on me again after that failure of a night, but I kept rejecting him. It was a little game we played now. He probably thought I was flirting. And I couldn’t say I wasn’t. He was absolutely gorgeous. But I didn’t do repeats, and I didn’t do that gorgeous.
“A man can only dream,” he said playfully, smiling. Man, he had a great smile. And that hair. His dirty-blond hair looked like he half attempted to get it into style without success and gave up. As if he didn’t care. But I knew just how much he cared; it showed in his eyes. Those eyes—they were as gray as steel and manifested the storm of my attraction to him.
“Kassie. Kassie!” Laura distracted me before my thoughts took me to all the wrong places. I was totally attracted to Josh, even if I wanted to deny it. Which was why I kept my distance and avoided him at all cost.
Thank God I wasn’t alone with him anymore.
Laura ran to me and gave me a big hug. It was silly that knowing she was getting married made me feel protective about her. She and I had partied a lot and went clubbing regularly. Laura always ended up in someone’s handsome arms. Even though I always took care of her, I couldn’t remember feeling this protective over her. It was probably due to her fast engagement and my not knowing who the heck she was marrying.
“Oh, Laura! Finally, you’re here.” I was a bit afraid of her standing us up, and me ending up completely alone with Josh. “You look amazing!” And somehow, she looked and felt different. Not only did she come across as mega beautiful and extremely joyful, but in a way, she had an aura of maturity around her. It suited her.
Surprisingly, it did.
“I know, right? I went to my stylist the moment I got back. I needed a whole new look and wardrobe. After all, I’m a bride-to-be!” It took her a moment to acknowledge the man standing beside me. “Oh, I see you met Josh. He’s Eddie’s best friend.”
Yeah, well, hopefully their friendship didn’t reflect too much about Eddie’s character.
“So where’s Ed, sweetheart?” Josh hugged her and kissed her cheek politely. It was the first time I’d seen him use anything other than a hand-on approach. Weird. However, we were standing in plain daylight in an open restaurant, and she was marrying his best friend, so maybe he did have some boundaries.
“He’ll be right here. He went to park the car.” Laura couldn't keep from smiling as she talked about her fiancé. “You know how he is. No one gets to drive his car but him.”
“Sure. He doesn’t like people playing with his things,” Josh commented as he took his napkin from the table and sat while placing it back on his lap. “Too bad for me, right Laura?” He winked at her.
There was the man I knew, crossing the boundaries however he liked.
Regardless, Laura didn’t seem to mind. “Josh, you’re such a flirt.” She brushed him off as she sat next to me. “Have you guys ordered something to drink? How about mimosas?”
“Isn’t it a little early?” I knew she was excited about the wedding, but hav
ing champagne this early in the day made me nervous.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for partying all day long. Especially when there was a good reason to do it. But somehow, this reunion was making me feel uneasy. That uneasiness bordered on turning into frustration and annoyance. I couldn’t shake the feeling that this brunch meeting was fated to be a disaster.
“It’s fine, Kassie. We’re celebrating!” Laura was so full of enthusiasm and happiness, it was hard not to get infected. “If you’d rather have some Perrier, go for it. I don’t really mind.”
Seeing her this happy was really revealing. Only a really good man could make her glow like this. I’d heard her over the phone, and her excitement seemed sincere, but now that it was up close and personal, I could only think about how good Eddie must be for her.
“Have some champagne, babe. Don’t ruin the fun,” Josh told me.
It wasn’t my intention to be a buzzkill. I just had a few reservations, namely drinking on an empty stomach and…well, Josh being so close to me.
As if reading my mind, he took my hand in his. I pulled it back as fast as I could, and after a second I realized that was ridiculously rude. Laura noticed and frowned at me. Josh didn’t comment or try to hide the event with some kind of joke; he just stared toward the front door of the restaurant. Maybe he was finally getting it.
“Oh, here he comes,” he said. Maybe he’d ignored me because he’d found Eddie walking toward us.
Anyhow, I was happy to not be the center of his attention anymore.
I turned around in my seat to see Eddie coming our way. Oh, shit.
I wanted my eyes to be lying to me. The moment I saw Josh, I knew the day was going to be rough, but now…him? I couldn’t believe it.
“You dog. You’re getting married!” Josh was the first to approach him. He gave Eddie a bear hug and a few slaps on the back. “I can’t believe I’m losing my wingman.”
