by Jillian Dodd
On the opposite side of the room, there’s an extensive buffet. All sorts of seafood along with a carving station, where I heard prime rib will be served. Salads, pastas, a huge cheeseboard. And I do love cheese.
Naturally, me being me, my attention drifts to the dessert table. I’m going to have to become acquainted with several of the offerings there. Good thing they’re all small servings.
“Well, this is stunning.” Hayley looks around with a smile, and I’m glad to see it. Instead of coming up with a snarky comment about how her sister always has to go above and beyond, she seems downright pleased to see how nicely everything has come together.
“Did you expect anything less?”
“No, now that you mention it.”
We make our way to the bar and manage to chat up the few members of the wedding party who are willing and able to speak to both of us. Meaning the guys basically since the girls are still carrying a chip on their shoulder after that little confrontation with Hayley on the beach.
Some people just can’t let things go. Honestly, I’m the one they were making fun of, but they’re the ones sulking.
“I’m amazed Briggs isn’t here. I thought the two of them were joined at the hip.”
I heard that. Sarah. She meant for me to hear it. I recognize her as the one who made the comment about my little freak-out on the mountain.
How funny.
I mean, I wrote a situation so similar to this. Where the bridesmaids were jealous of my heroine because the best man paid close attention to her.
Yet not until just now did it occur to me that the same thing might be happening in real life. Maybe I picked it up subconsciously, and it’s finally bubbling its way to the surface.
I never considered myself slow on the uptake before. Clearly, I have a few things to learn about myself.
She only wants to get a rise out of me. I realize this, which is why I don’t say anything.
Though I’m not going to pretend I didn’t hear it.
I happen to be the granddaughter of one of Manhattan’s most respected and, let’s be honest, most feared personalities. It’s not only Grandmother’s blue eyes that I inherited.
It’s her icy stare. A stare which I’m all too happy to demonstrate.
“Oh my God, it’s like your grandmother is here with us,” Hayley whispers, which would make me laugh under any other circumstance. I mean, how perfect is that? It’s like she’s reading my mind.
But the stare isn’t quite as effective if I’m smiling, so I don’t react. I don’t so much as blink.
Sarah snickers but turns away. I’ve won this round.
“I think you deserve a drink.” Hayley orders for me since she obviously knows what I prefer after spending so many happy hours together.
I settle for leaning against the bar, feeling pretty darn powerful, so long as I’m being honest.
No wonder Grandmother stares icily so much of the time. A girl could get addicted to that sort of power.
As I survey my domain with all the pride of a lioness, one tiny thought tickles the back of my mind.
Where is Kellen?
Darn it. I told myself I wasn’t going to let this happen. That I wouldn’t spend my time looking for him, searching the room for him. That I wouldn’t get caught up in where he was, what he was thinking and doing.
Yet here I am. Such a sucker.
“I’m sure he’ll be here soon.” Hayley flashes a sly smile as she hands me my drink.
“Who?”
“Oh, come on!” She doesn’t bother to be polite and hide her laughter.
I choose to sip my drink since arguing will only leave me wanting to slap her silly in front of all these people.
After all, she does have to look nice for the wedding tomorrow. Kylie might have loosened up about a lot of things, but I doubt she would appreciate a bridesmaid with a handprint on her cheek.
It’s like she heard me thinking about her. Kylie walks in with Zack’s arm around her waist, laughing about something he must’ve said just before they entered the room. And it’s a genuine laugh, not the forced kind from a few days ago. She’s like a new person.
Though that doesn’t stop her from being a little critical about the placement of a few chafing dishes along the buffet.
Hayley notices too. “We can’t have everything.” She smirks with a shake of her head.
“Kitty!” Hayley’s mother spots me and hurries over, holding her arms out. “I’ve been meaning to catch you.”
“Oh look, something else that I absolutely have to handle right this very minute.” Hayley scurries away before her mom reaches us.
I barely manage not to roll my eyes.
I wish Kellen were here to see this. It’s exactly the sort of exit I tried describing to him when we first met.
The family matriarch possesses the blonde good looks that were passed to her children. Her husband is tall and dark while she’s the blue-eyed Nordic beauty. I can imagine Hayley looking like her thirty years from now.
Lucky girl.
Her smile is warm, wide as she takes me by the hands. “I just wanted to say how nice it is to have you with us. Hayley is always talking about how hard you work, and it’s great to see you relaxing and enjoying yourself. You are enjoying yourself, aren’t you?”
I’d have to be a straight-up idiot not to be enjoying myself, but that’s hardly the sort of thing I can say to somebody’s mom. “Absolutely. This is all incredible. I did need a break.”
She gets a very motherly look on her face, wagging a finger and everything. “I’ve heard you’ve been working though.”
“Well, between you and me, there’s so much inspiration here.”
When Kellen appears in the doorway, it’s like my eyes immediately follow his movement. He’s basically a magnet I can’t help but be drawn to.
And the man can rock a linen suit like nobody’s business. That helps.
Hayley’s mom chuckles softly. “Yes. Plenty of inspiration, I see.” Her laughter floats away with her as she continues around the room, performing her mother-of-the-bride duties.
So, what? Has everybody been talking about Kellen and me? I’m starting to feel conspicuous.
Especially since he finds me right away. I mean, I am standing near the bar. That could be why he makes his way over here so quickly.
Though that doesn’t account for the way he zeroes in on me while waiting his turn. “You look very nice,” he murmurs.
“Hayley forced me into this dress,” I confess.
It’s strapless and a little shorter than I would normally wear to a family-related function. Light and breezy, too, so a gust of wind might send it up over my face.
If it was long enough to reach my face anyway.
“I think she made the right move. It looks great on you. Then again, what do I know? I’m just a guy. You know we don’t know much about these things.”
The way he is looking at me tells a totally different story, the sort of story that makes me feel warm and fluttery all over. One thing this dress is no good at is hiding the goose bumps suddenly covering my arms and legs.
“Hey, Briggs.” Sarah and one of her friends whose name I can’t remember—the other one who was pestering Brandon on the bus—approach him from both sides. “You’ll save a dance for us tomorrow, right?”
It takes effort to keep my expression neutral, I’ll admit, but I think I do a pretty good job of it. I don’t believe any innocent passerby would know just how much I would love to claw this girl’s eyes from her face, for instance.
“I don’t know.” He shrugs, chuckling. “I’m not such a great dancer.”
“Oh, come on!” She flutters her eyelashes and grabs his arm. “I remember that night in the city. When we all met up at the club. Did you forget all about it already? It wasn’t even two months ago.”
Yes, she needs to be clawed. Like, severely.
Kellen’s gaze darts over to me for the briefest second, not even the length of a
heartbeat, before he looks at her again. “Honestly, I did forget all about that. I think I was pretty wasted that night. I promised Zack I would take it easy this week, for his sake, in case he needs anything.” He pats her hand and loosens his arm from her grip before stepping up to place his drink order.
Leaving Sarah and me face-to-face.
As usual, I included a little bit of myself in my current heroine. Not only the fact that she didn’t know she was afraid of heights until she was smack dab in the middle of a situation involving them, but also the way she preferred to avoid confrontation.
I might try to avoid it, but I will stick up for myself if I have to. I just always hope I don’t. So, it’s unusual for my blood to boil when I see the nasty, judgmental look on her face.
It’s even more unusual for me to shrug, lifting an eyebrow, looking her up and down. Silently reminding her how forgettable she is. Not to mention, how completely transparent. She struts off in a huff and I let my body relax.
I don’t know what Kellen was up to before we met, aside from the situation with the girl who stood him up, and I don’t care very much.
Though if he really did hook up with this girl, I’d have to wonder about his taste in women.
“Sorry about that,” he whispers once we’re alone again—as alone as we can be in the middle of a party anyway. “She lays it on a little thick, doesn’t she?”
I lift my glass to my lips, shrugging. “Does she? I didn’t notice.”
He laughs. “Right. You didn’t notice. Cute.”
Then, he glances her way, sighing. “That was a mistake. I know I don’t owe any explanations. Honestly, there aren’t any. Just one of those things. Regrettable. Drunken.”
“At least now, I know I didn’t do anything to earn her attitude.”
I shouldn't have said that.
His expression shifts to one of surprise. “She’s giving you attitude?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“No, tell me. Who in their right mind—”
I cut that off with a wave of my hand. “Listen, I’m no angel. Don’t mistake me for one. There are people in the world who don’t like me. I’m not a little Goody Two–shoes.”
“I never said you were, but you’re not one of these backbiting, catty bitches either.” When I wince, he winces too. “Sorry. I guess I feel a little too comfortable around you.”
“I’ve never had anybody apologize to me for that before.” I make it a point to smile, so he’ll smile too.
“Hors d’oeuvres?” A server pops up at my elbow, almost like magic. He’s carrying a tray of stuffed mushrooms.
“Yes, thank you.” The fact is, I’m starving, and I don’t want to let the alcohol go to my head.
Though, honestly, it might be fun. Maybe it’s time to drop the Goody Two–shoes persona and be slightly naughty. After all, it’s clear more than a few people here think the two of us have something going on.
Maybe I should give them something to talk about, like the old song says.
And that’s exactly what’s going through my head as I pop the mushroom into my mouth and chew it a few times.
Before instantly regretting it.
I shove my way through the crowd in front of the bar, not bothering to excuse myself, and grab for the nearest napkin before spitting out what’s left in my mouth.
“Too hot?” Kellen asks.
I shake my head, and already, I can feel my skin starting to itch. “There’s horseradish in them. I’m allergic to horseradish. Who puts horseradish in stuffed mushrooms?”
Because I steer clear of anything even hinting at containing horseradish, it’s been a while since I’ve had a reaction. But I remember too well what happens once one gets started.
Suffice it to say, my night has just come to an end.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“You absolutely do not have to do this.”
“Stop scratching.”
“I can’t help it.” I have to clench my fists and leave them at my sides as Kellen walks me back to my room after my hasty exit from the rehearsal dinner.
“It was either I walk you back or Hayley. I didn’t want her to miss anything tonight.”
“What about you? You’re supposed to be there with Zack.”
He waves this off, using the hand not holding a box of allergy medicine, so helpfully provided by the front-desk staff. “It’s not the same. Hayley is Kylie’s sister. Her only sister. This is important for them, for the whole family. I can always swing back over there once I’m sure you’re taken care of.”
“I don’t need you to take care of me though. I appreciate it, but I don’t need it.”
He looks me up and down as we come to a stop in front of my door. I can only imagine how horrific I must look, and frankly, I would rather avoid all mirrors once we’re inside.
“With all due respect, are you sure about that?” He leaves it there rather than continuing, which is good because I’m really not in the mood to deal with witty banter right now.
He follows me into the room and pours a glass of water from the carafe on my nightstand, so I can wash down two of the allergy pills. I know from experience that they work fairly quickly, though I’ll still be sort of itchy for the rest of the night.
“Oh my God!” I can hardly study myself in the mirror over the dresser. I look like somebody gave a toddler red finger paint and let them go crazy all over my skin. I’m practically covered in polka dots.
“It’s not that bad.”
I know he’s trying to be nice and he doesn’t deserve it, but I roll my eyes at him anyway. “It’s absolutely terrible. I can’t believe I let this happen!”
“Like you said, who puts horseradish in stuffed mushrooms? That’s so strange.”
“I love stuffed mushrooms too.”
When he snorts, I turn away from the mirror to glare at him.
“Sorry, it’s just that you sounded so sad. Like the stuffed mushrooms themselves had ruined your night.”
I snicker a little when I look at it that way, and I can tell he’s glad to see it. “Just my luck.”
“It could’ve been worse, I guess. Like some sort of deadly allergy.”
I notice he makes himself right at home, sitting on the edge of the bed. It’s a good thing I’ve been picking up after myself these last few days or else I might have been mortified even further at the thought of him seeing my unmentionables strewn all over the place.
But this is a resort—and a nice one. It’s one thing to be a slob at home, but I wouldn’t want the staff to think I was totally gross.
“That’s true. Just a rash. As far as I know, it’s the only thing I’m allergic to.”
“Except for catty bi—women.” He winks.
I have to grin in spite of the absolute hell my skin is putting me through. I just want to tear it off, and that’s with the allergy pills making their way through my system.
His face scrunches. “You’re really going through it right now, aren’t you?”
“In a word, yes.”
He pours more water and presses the glass into my hand. “You think a shower or bath might help? Maybe they’ve got something at the front desk or at the little store that has basic necessities, that you could use for this.”
It warms my heart, how sweet he’s acting.
But it would be selfish of me to indulge in this. “Seriously, you should go back to the party. I might call over to the store to see if they have something, but I doubt it. It’s all right. I’ll be fine in a couple of hours.”
“Are you going to have dinner?”
“At some point, sure.” Honestly, it’s the last thing on my mind right now. I’m too busy trying to keep from scratching my skin off.
“What do you like?”
Is he for real?
“I don’t know. I like seafood. Chicken. Tofu, though I don’t think they have any of that here. Pasta. Most things really. The occasional burger.”
He nods, firm. “Okay. Do m
e a favor and run yourself a bath. Anything that will help you feel a little better. Drink a ton of water. I’ll be back in a half hour.”
“What? Kellen, you don’t have to—”
“A ton of water. Thirty minutes.”
He’s already out the door and halfway down the hall by the time I muster the energy to call his name again. It doesn’t matter. He’s a man on a mission.
What the heck have I gotten myself into this time?
There’s one thing I’m not going to argue about. I need to drink lots of water to flush my system as quickly as possible. It’s amazing really—the fact that just the tiniest bit of an allergen can set somebody off this way.
And to think, I spat most of the mushroom out. I can’t imagine how much worse it would have been if I’d swallowed it.
At least the resort includes fancy bath products on the bathroom counters. There’s a creamy bath foam among the bottles. I include a little of that in the water while running the bath, and then I slip out of my dress and hang it up on the hook on the back of the door.
So much for looking good tonight.
The bath is soothing though. Cool against my flushed skin. I soak for around fifteen minutes, until my fingers start to prune. By the time I’m rinsed off and wearing my pajamas, there’s a knock at the door.
The man is standing there with a cart. He literally loaded a cart with trays and dishes and then wheeled it all the way over here.
“Kellen! What are you doing?”
“Making sure you have something to eat and something to help your skin feel better.” I have no choice but to step aside as he starts pushing the cart into the room. “Don’t think it was easy, getting this thing. The kitchen staff didn’t want to give it up.”
“I can’t believe you went to this trouble!”
“It was no trouble.” He takes a bowl from the cart’s lower shelf and places it on my nightstand. “Plain oatmeal. To soothe your skin.”
“Oh my gosh. You had them make oatmeal for me?”
“To be fair, I think they have it around all the time and just reheat it in the morning.” He catches my eye and shrugs. “Even in the nicest resorts …”
