“But…”
“And in the future, no more springing this last-minute stuff on me,” she hissed quietly, just in case his mother could hear her. “This was not part of our agreement.”
“What if I came and picked you up?” he suggested. “I’ll leave here at five and can be to your office by five-thirty and we can be sitting down to dinner at six. Come on, Jos, everyone’s looking forward to seeing you.”
If he were standing in front of her, she would strangle him.
“Are you not even listening to me?” she ground out.
“I know my schedule was super busy last week, but I really want to see you tonight.”
“So…yeah. Totally not listening.”
“I’ll see you at five-thirty! Love ya!”
And then the rat bastard hung up–hung up! Her growl of frustration was loud enough to bring Leanna running into the room. “What’s going on? Are you okay? Who was on the phone?”
Josie told her all about the call and leaned back heavily in her chair. “What am I going to do? This is completely insane! If he thinks he can…” She paused at the sound of an incoming text and she knew–just knew–it was going to be him.
Tyler: Sorry about that. It was Mom and St. Clair in here. There was no way I could take no for an answer and no way my fiancée would turn down an invite with her future in-laws
Oh, he wanted to play it like that, did he?
Josie: For future reference AGAIN, stop pulling this crap, Ty, or I’m out
Tyler: I know you’re upset and I totally get it. I’m sorry. This is why you’re one of my best friends, because I know I can always count on you.
Groaning, she put her phone down and needed to take a minute to get her emotions under control.
“What?” Lea asked. “Now what is it?”
Rather than explain, she simply handed her friend the phone. It took less than a minute for Lea to snort with disgust. “He’s totally manipulating you and that is not cool. Someone needs to give him the come to Jesus talk.”
It was cute when Lea tried to be tough.
“I’m completely to blame,” Josie said with disgust. “He knows I’m not the kind of person to walk away from a friend in need and he’s going to milk it for all its worth. I’m screwed.”
Lea carefully put the phone back down. “No. I refuse to believe that. You just need to confront him face-to-face.”
“I just tried…”
“No, that was on the phone with an audience. When he picks you up here later, that’s when you do it and I’ll be right here with you to back you up, okay?”
It would be wrong to turn her down because Lea was basically too nice for the things Josie wanted to say to Tyler, but…maybe having someone standing behind her to remind her of how mad she was would help.
“Okay. Thank you.”
Lea’s whole face lit up. “Yay! Oh, I can’t wait!”
Josie chuckled. “You realize this isn’t supposed to be fun, right?”
“I know, I know, but I’ve never done this with you before and it’s kind of exciting!”
“Um…”
“And can we please talk to him about that ring? I get that this was supposed to be just for show, but…yikes.”
Josie looked down at her hand and frowned. The ring was seriously awful. She could have gotten past the rose gold band, but the checkerboard of tiny diamonds where a real–and singular–large stone would go was just too much. It was awful and she cringed every time she put it on.
“Yeah, we probably should. Although I’m not sure if it’s worth the effort to get another one considering I’m this close to calling the whole thing off.” She paused. “I should, right? I should just tell him to forget it and then deal with him potentially losing his job…publicly humiliating him…he’ll probably slip into some kind of depression and then who knows…he seems the type who’d drink heavily.” She sighed. “But it’s not my fault, is it?”
“Good grief! That was quite a spiraling tale! How about we not go down that rabbit hole and simply do some work until he gets here and then we’ll deal it, okay?”
She wasn’t sure how much she’d be able to concentrate, but it was worth a shot. “Okay. What’s on the agenda?”
For the next several hours, they discussed the upcoming weekend’s events, coordinated their calendars, had a Zoom call with Skylar just because she wanted to be kept in the loop, and then had two consultations with future brides. When five o’clock rolled around, Josie was surprised at how the afternoon had flown by.
Standing, she stretched. “Do you think it would be wrong to change into something way more casual to go to dinner?”
“It’s dinner at his parents’ house so I say whatever you want to wear should be fine,” Lea said as she picked up her phone. “I’m just going to text Brody and ask him to pick up dinner on his way home. I don’t want to miss a thing here.”
Laughing, Josie ran out to her car and grabbed the duffel bag she kept back there filled with yoga pants, sweatshirts, and sneakers. It came in handy when they were at events that ran long and then had to help with the cleanup or if she just wanted to go to the gym during the day. Since this was a last-minute invitation, she told herself not to feel bad about her choice of attire.
Ten minutes later she felt better simply because she was comfortable. “Hair up or down?” she asked Lea.
“You know I almost always wear mine up just because I need to keep it out of the way, but…” She looked Josie up and down. “You’re having a good hair day so I say leave it down.”
Smiling, she nodded. “I was kind of thinking the same thing, but I thought I was just being sassy.”
“You deserve to be sassy!” Pausing, Lea looked at her again. “Are those new sneakers?”
“They are and they are like walking on a cloud! I’m telling you, if I could get away with wearing them all day long and still look professional, I would.” Walking across the room, she gave Leanna a closer look at them. “They almost make me want to go to the gym a little more often, but…”
“Oh, stop. You don’t need to go to the gym. You’re one of those sickening people who are just naturally fit. I want to hate you, but I can’t.” She gave a small pout. “I’ve been feeding you cupcakes and muffins by the dozen and you never gain weight! Ugh! And I bet your butt looks great in those leggings too!”
The sweatshirt was covering it, but because they were being silly, Josie lifted it and turned to show her friend her butt. “It does, right? I think my butt looks totally perfect!”
The sound of someone clearing their throat had them both turning toward the door.
A male someone.
And not Tyler.
Daniel leaned against the doorway with a lazy grin. “If you’re fishing for more compliments then I’d have to agree, your butt does look perfect.”
Beside her, she heard Lea whisper, “Damn, he’s fine,” and Josie just wished the floor would open up and swallow her.
Kill. Me. Now.
In theory, it had been almost a full week where he’d been too busy to think about his brother’s fiancée.
Then one look at her preening in skin-tight leggings and showing off how good her ass looked had shot all his good intentions to hell.
“Um…hey, Daniel,” Josie said as she lowered her sweatshirt down and seemed to stretch it to cover her bottom. “What are you doing here?”
“Ty asked me to pick you up. He got held up on a call and texted to ask.” It annoyed him to no end that his brother was putting his job first again, and judging by the way Josie was frowning, he’d say he wasn’t alone. “So…you ready to go?”
She looked back at her co-worker and the two of them were speaking in hushed tones, but he heard enough to know something was definitely wrong.
Slowly, he walked across the room and held out his hand to the co-worker. “Hey. I’m Daniel Alexander. Tyler’s brother.”
She stood and shook his hand. “Hey, Daniel. Leanna Baker. I’m one
of the owners here at Meet Me at the Altar.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Leanna.” He looked around the office–which was only a small part of the building–and smiled. “It looks like you guys have a great setup here.”
Leanna nodded. “We definitely do. It was designed so we have our office space here and then we have a tasting room, a display room, and then my domain, the kitchen.”
“Oh, you’re the chef?”
“Baker.”
Frowning, he repeated, “Baker? Like your last name?”
She nodded again. “I know. I can’t wait until I get married and can change my name! It will be less confusing for everyone! But yes, I’m the baker.” Pausing, she studied him. “Do you like cake, Daniel?”
He grinned. “Love it.”
“Chocolate or vanilla?”
His smile grew. “I’m not picky. If someone’s offering cake, I’m all in.”
“That is the perfect answer! Wait right here!” And then she hurried from the room, leaving him alone with Josie.
“So…”
“So,” she said, leaning against Lea’s desk. “I guess you drew the short straw, huh?”
He shrugged. “Well, it made sense. No reason for Mom and Dad to leave home and I had to kind of drive past here to get there, so…”
Josie nodded but he could tell she still wasn’t happy.
“I’m sorry,” he said with a little more force than he intended.
“For what?”
“Look, I can tell that you’re pissed that I’m here and not Tyler. I get it. And considering how he did something similar last week, I understand.”
She nodded again, refusing to look directly at him. “Yeah, his job really does seem to get in the way of things.” Then she looked around and walked over to grab her bag. “I guess we can go.”
It was hard not to take offense at the fact that she so blatantly didn’t want to leave with him, so he had to do something to lighten the mood. “Afraid not.”
Now she looked at him. “Excuse me?”
“Cake. Your partner promised me cake. And I’m probably not going to share it so…” With a finger to his lips, he winked. “Shh…”
That seemed to do the trick because she laughed softly. “Depending on what she gives you, I may have to rat you out.”
“Seriously? You have access to this stuff all day, every day!” he challenged with a laugh of his own. “I’m a single guy with limited access to cake!”
“There’s a grocery story with a killer bakery three minutes from where we live. You’re hardly deprived.”
With a shrug, he said, “I’ve eaten at bakeries all over the world. The grocery story is no competition. Trust me.”
“And you’re sure Leanna’s are?”
“Leanna’s are what?” the baker asked as she walked back in carrying a large cake box.
Before Josie could answer, Daniel did. “Josie seems to think the bakery in the grocery store is fantastic. I disagree.”
“And how did I get into the mix?”
This time Josie beat him to it. “He was bragging about how he’s eaten at bakeries all over the world. Now he’s going to compare what you give him to all of them.” She gave him a knowing smirk.
“Wow. That’s a lot of pressure on me and my cupcakes,” Lea murmured, handing him the box. “But if they don’t compare, please don’t tell me.” Then she smiled. “Enjoy!”
“What did you give him?” Josie asked.
“Two Death by Chocolate, two Wedding Cake,” she looked at Daniel before adding, “which is really just vanilla-vanilla with a little extra love. And then two vanilla with chocolate icing and two chocolate with vanilla icing. So…a little of everything.”
“Damn,” he said, his mouth already watering. “Any chance we can skip dinner altogether and just go right for dessert?”
Leanna laughed. “Oh my goodness! You sound just like Josie!” Then she walked over to her desk and grabbed her things. “Now if you two will excuse me, Brody promised he’s bringing home sushi and I do not want to be late. Have a good night!”
“You ready?” he asked Josie, figuring they could all just walk out together.
“Sure.”
Once out in the parking lot, he motioned to his Explorer and then carefully placed the box of cupcakes in the backseat. When he climbed into the driver’s seat, he looked over at her. “So? Are you going to rat me out to my family or can I keep them in the car?”
“Hmm…I won’t rat you out under one condition.”
“And that is?”
“I get one of the Wedding Cake cupcakes.” She grinned. “And that’s non-negotiable.”
With a curt nod, he started the engine. “Done. When I drive you home later, you can have at it.”
“Drive me home later? Um…”
“I just figured it made sense,” he explained. “We practically live across the street from each other. Unless…you know…you want Tyler to drive you home instead.”
“Oh! I didn’t even think of it that way. Of course it makes more sense to ride home with you. Sorry.” She slapped herself in the head playfully.
The drive to his parents’ house didn’t take long and she told him about her day and then asked about his. It was all very domesticated and he found he enjoyed it. Most people didn’t ask him anything specific about his job because…well…they just didn’t.
Then he realized most people hadn’t because he was still in the military and couldn’t tell them what he was doing so…maybe this wasn’t a big deal. Maybe he was just overthinking everything where Josie was concerned.
They were pulling into the driveway when her phone rang. He glanced over and saw his brother’s name on the screen and prayed he wasn’t going to flake out on them again. Josie excused herself and climbed from the car as soon as he parked, and she walked across the front yard–he assumed it was because she didn’t want anyone to hear her.
From where he was sitting, Daniel could totally read her body language.
She was pissed.
So yeah, Tyler was going to be a no-show and she was stuck here with him and his parents.
Muttering a curse, he considered his options. He could go inside and give his folks a heads up–or what he was speculating was a heads up–or he could wait here for her and see if she needed to talk or calm down before going in.
When he saw her waving her arm in the air gesturing like wild, he figured he’d better stay out here and wait.
“I hope you’re giving him hell,” he murmured.
It took five minutes for her to turn back toward him and he immediately jumped out to meet her halfway.
“You okay?”
“No,” she said angrily. “I’m not okay.”
“Yeah. I kind of figured that.”
“Well, that’s what you do for a living, right? You observe people and watch and identify danger! And if your brother was here, trust me, he’d be in some serious danger!”
He chuckled and she gave him a death glare. Clearing his throat, he apologized. “So, um…what is it you want to do here? Do you want me to take you home?”
“I would love that, but I’m not going to be rude to your mother just because Tyler is an ass.” She stomped around him and walked over to the car and grabbed her bag. Daniel followed and when she turned around, he realized how close he was. Her eyes went wide and he could see how fast her pulse was racing. A little voice inside of him told him to back up and give her space, but…he didn’t.
“You don’t owe anyone anything,” he said, his voice low and gruff. They were standing next to the open car door, completely shielded from prying eyes who might be trying to see why they hadn’t gone inside yet. “If you want me to take you home, Josie, then I’m taking you home. My mother can deal with the disappointment and she can also know whose fault it is.”
She sighed. “You don’t get it. I’m not…I hate doing that.” She looked up at him, and those chocolate brown eyes showed all the pain and frustration s
he was feeling. “I don’t like disappointing anyone. Your mother was kind enough to make a nice dinner and invite me and it would be incredibly rude to leave.”
“Need I remind you how her own son isn’t going to show?”
Her expression turned wary. “I never said…”
“You didn’t have to. Am I wrong?”
She shook her head. “He said something came up and they’re having a dinner meeting with a client.” Then she shrugged. “There wasn’t much I could say to that, but believe me, I tried.”
There were at least a dozen questions on the tip of his tongue, but he kept them to himself.
“I just can’t believe he keeps doing this,” she said, her tone going from anger to sad.
“You deserve better,” he said, knowing he was playing with fire. One hand reached out and touched hers. There was nothing sexual about it and yet he felt it far more deeply than he should have.
And then she touched him back. It was an innocent brushing of fingers but…more.
Swallowing hard, Daniel stared down at her. “Don’t let him keep doing this to you. He’ll never make you happy.”
She said his name–whispered it–and he was lost. There was no way he could stop himself. He slowly lowered his head toward her and was surprised when she didn’t stop him or push him away. If anything, she strained closer. His lips touched hers and he held himself completely still for a moment–just in case she changed her mind–but she didn’t. Josie moved in closer until they were practically touching from head to toe and then it went from a mere touching of lips to a full-on kiss. Soft, slow, tentative, and oh-so-sweet. Her lips were supple, her body warm, and Daniel allowed himself to gently wrap one arm around her before taking the kiss deeper.
It was hell to keep himself in check and under control because he could already tell she was going to become an addiction. Her hands smoothed their way up his arms, over his shoulders, and then up into his hair. She let out a soft hum and it was all he could do to keep from lifting her and laying her down across the front seat of the SUV so he could…
As if sensing his thoughts, Josie broke the kiss. She went to move back but there was nowhere she could go.
You May Kiss the Groomsman: A Meet Me at the Altar Novel Page 7
