“Ash, no. I am perfectly capable on my own.” Joanne turned to Nate. “I’m sorry. Don’t listen to her. Don’t let her pressure you into anything you don’t want to do.”
“It’s not that I wouldn’t like to be your date. I just don’t know if it’s right for me to show up at a wedding last minute like that.”
“Of course it’s okay. It’s my freaking wedding!” Ash exclaimed.
Nate held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. It’s your wedding. But I really don’t know if I can make a wedding today. I’ll drop the car off though. How’s that?”
“Fine.” Ash sighed in exasperation. “Sorry to cut and run, but we have lots of things to do this afternoon.” She headed back to the car, leaving Joanne alone with Nate.
“Sorry about Ashlyn,” Joanne said apologetically.
“There’s nothing to apologize for. She cares about you. She wants to see you happy just like she’s happy.”
“You got that?”
“Of course. She seems like a great friend. What time’s the wedding? I’ll make sure your car is there waiting for you.”
She gave him the details quickly. “I really do appreciate this…and everything you’ve done. You’ve gone to so much trouble for someone you don’t even know.”
Nate shrugged. “It’s no problem, really. I’m a sucker for damsels in distress.” He gave her his signature grin.
“Well, make sure you tell me how much I owe you for all this.” She waved her hand at the Caddy. “I want to make sure you get what you’re owed.”
Nate’s eyebrows rose, and he lowered his head to stare at her from under his lashes. “We can negotiate payment if you want.”
Joanne’s pale skin blushed, and she looked back to see Ash waving at her to hurry up from the car. “Ah, just give me the price when you drop the car off.” She put a hand on his arm and stretched up to place a light kiss on his cheek. “Thanks again,” she said softly before turning away, dashing to the passenger side of Ash’s car, and jumping in. She waved as they pulled back out onto the road.
Nate returned a half-hearted wave. He was focused on how her soft lips had felt against his cheek and the warmth that had spread from there throughout the rest of his body. Maybe I do have a thing for damsels in distress, he thought to himself. Otherwise, why would I feel this way about a woman I just met? He shook his head to clear it. Time to get back to work. He didn’t have long if he expected to drop this car off in just a few hours.
Chapter Six
‡
Joanne had been watching the parking lot out of the upper window of the chapel for the better part of an hour. She paced away from the window to the other side of the room and back again. Where is he? Where is Nate with my car? The wedding started in fifteen minutes, yet there was still no sign of him. Did I misunderstand him? She’d thought he was going to bring her car here, to the chapel, before the wedding. Surely he wouldn’t just drop it in the parking lot during the ceremony without a word to me, would he?
“Will you relax?” Ash said. “You’re more nervous than I am, and I’m the bride.”
Joanne stopped as she made it back to the window. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I’m just anxious to get my car back. I don’t have a way out of this chapel, remember? I really don’t want to impose on anyone.”
“You can ride with me and Jack,” Rebecca stated while fussing once again with Ash’s train.
“Thanks, but I really don’t want to be a third wheel.”
“It’s no problem.”
“I’ll keep it in mind,” Joanne said.
The wedding coordinator opened the door to the bridal room. “Ladies, it’s time,” she said.
Damn, Joanne thought. Nate still hadn’t shown up. And he’d seemed so trustworthy after everything he’d done for her yesterday. She’d just have to give him a piece of her mind after she found a ride to the reception.
The walk up the aisle was a blur for Joanne. It took all her concentration not to look at Stan standing as the best man next to Aaron. She was grateful she hadn’t had to be escorted up the aisle. Going back down on his arm after the ceremony would be bad enough.
Once she found her place at the front of the chapel, she watched as a beautiful Ashlyn walked the aisle on her father’s arm. As with most brides, she was radiant, and Joanne couldn’t help but smile at the happiness Ash exuded.
Before Ash got all the way down the aisle, the back doors cracked open again, and someone edged into the sanctuary. A tall, lanky man in a gray suit slipped into a seat near the back. His sandy hair was slicked back, but a curl fell over one ear as if it couldn’t be tamed. Joanne’s breath caught in her throat. It was Nate. He’d made it after all. Apparently he’d changed his mind about coming to the wedding.
He looked more handsome than ever all cleaned up and in a suit. During the ceremony, Joanne couldn’t keep her eyes off Nate, in spite of her duties as maid of honor. Luckily, she didn’t miss a beat. She watched as he shifted in his seat and pulled at his suit jacket, as if uncomfortable in his dress clothes. A smile tugged at her lips. She would guess he didn’t get dressed up very often.
Finally, the vows were said, rings exchanged, and kisses given. The bride and groom walked down the aisle to exuberant cheers from their friends and family. Joanne sighed and took the two steps to the middle to meet Stan. Without looking at him, she placed her hand in the crook of his outstretched arm.
“You look happy today,” he whispered in her ear before they made their first step back down the aisle.
“Mmm,” Joanne mumbled in an undertone. She was watching Nate as he stood at his seat in the back row. His gaze caught hers and he smiled. It was infectious, and she couldn’t help but return it.
“Does that mean you’ve decided to come back home with me?”
Joanne jerked her gaze from Nate’s to glare at Stan. “Hell no. You are slime, Stan. I wouldn’t be caught dead with you if it weren’t for this wedding.”
“Thank God for small favors at least,” he said sarcastically.
Joanne ignored him and turned her attention back to Nate. He was watching her with a quizzical expression, and she smiled in reassurance. His gaze left hers briefly to scan Stan before returning to her with another raised eyebrow.
As soon as they reached the foyer, Joanne quickly disentangled herself from Stan and started back to the doors where guests were beginning to filter out of the wedding hall. She wanted to find Nate and get her damn car. She didn’t want any excuses to have to ride with Stan.
Stan grabbed her elbow as she whirled away from him, and she was yanked to a stop. She didn’t say anything, just glared at him.
“Joanne, please. Let’s put our differences aside. For today at least. Let’s be civil.”
“I am being civil,” she replied. “In case you didn’t notice. Now, if you will let me go, there’s someone I need to talk to before the reception.”
A voice from behind her interrupted them. “Do you mind letting go of my date?”
Joanne whirled around to see Nate standing there with fire in his eyes. As had been the case ever since she’d met him, relief flooded her at Nate’s appearance.
“Your date?” Stan asked skeptically.
My date? Joanne repeated in her head. He didn’t just agree to come; he came as my date. Her mind swam at the thought. He was going to stay and rescue her from Stan again? She’d never be able to repay him at the rate she was going and with all the favors she owed him.
Nate stepped closer and put an arm around her shoulders. “That’s right. My date. Now do you mind?” He gestured to Stan’s hand still grasping Joanne’s elbow. Stan released it at once and held his hand up, but his eyes sparked with anger. He turned back to Joanne. “You invited this,” he waved at Nate, “this mechanic that you don’t even know to a wedding?” He sneered at Nate.
Before Joanne could open her mouth, Nate interjected. “Actually, Ash invited me herself. If you have a problem with it, you should take it up with the b
ride. But before you do, I should remind you of just how territorial brides get when it comes to messing up their wedding day.”
“Ashlyn invited you,” Stan repeated, still skeptical.
“Yep, sure did.” Nate said.
Stan looked at Joanne once more. “And you don’t have anything to say about this?”
Joanne searched her mind. She honestly didn’t know what to say. So she gave a little shrug instead. “Not really.”
“Fine. But we are not done. Not by a long shot.” Stan shook his finger in Joanne’s face.
“Oh, but I think you are, buddy,” Nate said. And with that, he turned Joanne toward the exit and away from Stan.
“You came,” Joanne whispered once they were out of Stan’s hearing.
“Of course I came. I told you I would, didn’t I?”
“Yes, but I didn’t think you were coming to the wedding though.”
Nate shrugged. “Eh, I reconsidered.” He slipped his arm from her shoulder and took her hand instead. “What kind of man would I be to leave a beautiful woman like you without a date?”
Joanne felt the heat flood her face and tilted her head down so he couldn’t see her blush. “I told you I’d be fine,” she argued.
“I know you would’ve.” His fingers caressed hers. “That doesn’t mean I couldn’t help you out though. I’ve helped already, haven’t I?”
“Yes, you have. I can certainly handle Stan, but he can be annoying. Having someone else here does seem to shut him up faster.”
“See? I’m at your service, as always, milady.” He swept his arm out in front of him in an attempted bow, and she laughed. “I brought your car to you,” he continued. He held her keys out to her, and she took them. “There’s only one problem.”
“Oh?”
“I couldn’t find my own ride home, so I thought maybe you could take me home after the reception.” His grin was a little lopsided and apologetic, and she couldn’t help but smile at him.
She put her hands on her hips and faced him. “So you’re saying that you accepted the offer of being my date just so you could get a ride home?”
Nate fidgeted for a moment before looking her in the eyes. Embarrassment shone out of them. “Yeah, kinda.”
Joanne couldn’t help it, and she laughed. “Fine.” She handed him back the keys. “I like the thought of rescuing you this time. I’ll even let you drive to the reception.”
*
By the time Joanne and Nate got to the reception, the party was in full swing. Joanne was glad for the millionth time in the last month that Ash hadn’t gone the traditional reception route. There was no reception line. There was no main table or arranged seating. It just might be possible for Joanne to avoid Stan all night because of it.
She picked a table in the back, near the kitchen, and plopped herself down into a chair, glad that the worst part of the day was over.
“You know, a date is supposed to do things like pull chairs out for you,” Nate said as he stood beside her.
She straightened her posture and craned her neck up to see him. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She brushed a lock of hair that had fallen from her updo out of her face. “I wasn’t even thinking. I’m just so relieved that most of my work is over.”
Nate pulled out his own chair and sat beside her. He covered her hand on the table with his large calloused one. “Is there anything I can do? Can I get you a drink?”
“Maybe in a minute.” Joanne studied his hand. He had cleaned up, and the grease stains were gone from his hand. But dark spots still settled in the ridges of his callouses and the corners of his cuticles. She was flattered that he’d gone to so much trouble for her, for someone he didn’t even know. Her gaze travelled up his arm to see the muscles that bunched and stretched at the fabric of the suit until she found his face. His slicked-back hair was mussed now, refusing to lay down. His tanned face held laugh lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth. He was ruggedly handsome, Joanne decided. And she felt lucky to have his attention. She knew many women would swoon over someone of his type. And although she’d never thought she would be attracted to a rugged working man like Nate, she was definitely attracted now.
Before she could say anything else, the DJ was on the microphone speaking. The DJ handed the mic to Ash who thanked everyone for being there.
“To kick the night off,” Ash said, “Aaron and I want to ask each of you to share a story about one or both of us. This will not only let us know more about each other,” she squeezed her new husband’s hand, “but it will also let you feel closer to us. I’ll start, and I’ll tell you about how Aaron proposed.”
Ash continued with her story then handed the mic to Aaron, who proceeded to tell the crowd about their first date. Joanne was smiling at the images Aaron painted for them. He and Ash really did make a great couple. She was glad that she and Stan had introduced them. She saw Stan waiting beside Aaron and realized that he was going to be the next to tell a story.
“I could use that drink now,” Joanne whispered to Nate.
“Any preferences?”
“Something with alcohol,” she deadpanned.
Without another word, he stood and made his way to the bartender. He was back in less than a minute, and he put a glass of white wine in front of her.
“Thanks,” she said before gulping half of the drink down. The wine settled hard on her stomach, which gave a lurch. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to keep it down.
Nate leaned in to her and put a hand between her shoulder blades. “Are you okay?” he asked.
She nodded but took another big gulp of wine and grimaced when it didn’t settle any easier. “Yeah, just needed some sustenance to get through that.” She pointed with the wine glass to the front where Stan was just taking the mic.
Joanne stared into her wineglass as Stan told the story of how he and Joanne had introduced the couple. She didn’t hear a word he said. She didn’t need to. She could feel his stare boring into her. She didn’t look up. She couldn’t. Thoughts of Ash and Aaron’s happiness brought tears to her eyes at the idea of what she and Stan had lost. Because of his lies. Damn him. She blinked rapidly, forcing the tears away and refusing to let them go. She would not cry at her best friend’s wedding.
When someone else began speaking, Nate touched her hand. She jerked her attention to him. “I take it you could use another one of those.” He indicated her glass.
Joanne nodded, relieved. “God, yes.”
He stood and left. Without him beside her, Joanne felt bereft and exposed. She glanced around, making sure Stan wasn’t going to ambush her again. She didn’t see him among all the people, and her tension eased just a bit.
Nate came back and sat down another wine glass and a plate of finger foods. “I thought you could use something in your stomach,” he said.
Joanne smiled gratefully and took a nibble of a stuffed mushroom. She didn’t want to eat. She wanted to get drunk and forget. Food would just hinder that mission. She didn’t want to seem rude though.
As more and more people began to tell their stories of the happy couple, the atmosphere in the room got lighter. At each subsequent story, Joanne sunk further and further into her chair. She and Ashlyn had been best friends since fourth grade. They had been quite a pair, always making jokes, playing pranks, and generally getting into as much trouble as possible. Many of the stories the guests told revolved around one or more of those instances.
Joanne bit her lip and glanced from under her lashes at Nate. What does he think of all my childhood antics? They were so embarrassing to look back on. When Ashlyn’s mother took the mic, Joanne knew she was in trouble.
She dropped her head into her arms on the table. “What’s wrong?” Nate’s voice tickled her ear.
“Nothing,” she mumbled.
As Ash’s mom told the story of how she had caught them both in a double dare to kiss as many boys in their fifth grade class as possible, everyone laughed and hooted in appreciation. Joanne felt
the heat spread from her middle, up her neck, and into her face. She knew her pale skin was a bright red now. She heard a chuckle next to her, and she groaned in embarrassment.
“So you’ve always been quite a wild child, huh?” he said, laughing.
“I can’t believe you’re hearing all these stories about me.”
Nate laughed again, and she felt his arm fall across her shoulders before his breath tickled her ear again. “Would it help if I told you embarrassing stories about me?”
Joanne lifted her head to peer at him. He was smiling, and he looked genuine. She sat up, but Nate kept his arm around her shoulders. It was warm and comforting, and Joanne admitted to herself that she liked the feeling.
“Yes, actually. That would help. I feel like all my dirty secrets have been exposed to you, while I know nothing about you.”
“Okay, then. How about this?” He proceeded to tell her about the time he’d stolen a neighbor’s bicycle just so he could get to the store to buy his mom a Christmas present. The cops had caught him before he ever got to the store. They let him off with just a warning since he planned to return the bike. Then the officers drove him to the store so he could buy the gift before taking him home. His mom had first been scared, then angry, and finally happy at his thoughtfulness.
Joanne watched his expressive face as he told the story, captivated by the way he threw himself into the storytelling. He’d had an interesting childhood it seemed, growing up with a single mom. She could see where he got his caring nature.
After several such stories, Joanne found herself laughing and realized she’d forgotten about her earlier embarrassment. She’d even forgotten about Stan and her heartbreak. That thought sobered her. Nate noticed her change of attitude immediately.
“Why don’t we dance?” He nodded his head to the dance floor. The DJ was playing an upbeat tune, and the dancers were having fun.
Joanne nodded. Dancing seemed safe enough, as long as it wasn’t a slow dance. She needed to have fun, to laugh, just like Nate had been making her do tonight. He was pretty good about getting her mind off her problems.
Blue Colla Make Ya Holla Page 42
