Dana edged away from him. She couldn’t think with his fingers anywhere near her skin.
He cleared his throat and put his hands behind his back.
“I, uh, I like this grey and lavender palette. It feels modern but also retro. The colors blend well with some of the other shades around the hotel.”
“My thoughts exactly,” said Marissa. She ran her hand up Alex’s arm. “See? Your friend has great taste.”
Seriously. Did she have to keep touching him?
Alex didn’t seem to care about Marissa’s straying fingers. “All right, then. Let’s do it.”
“Consider it done. It was lovely to meet you, Dana.” With a nod, Marissa walked down the aisle and out the chapel door.
“Yeah, you too.” Tired for a number of reasons, she sat on one of the chairs meant for wedding guests. “This is quite the place. I can see why weddings are such big business for you.”
“Thanks. It’s worked well for us, but I think we can do better.”
He sat next to her. The chapel lights made his hair look brilliant with highlights and so touchable. She’d always liked Tommy’s shaved head and he wore it well, but something about Alex’s locks invited a caress.
Stop making comparisons to Tommy.
Volley upon volley of pain made Dana’s head want to explode. She didn’t want to draw attention to her headache in front of Alex, but it was getting hard to hide. Hoping she was discreet, she touched her temple, gently rubbing.
“Are you okay?”
She dropped her hand. “It’s just a headache. Those slushies looked innocent but they packed a punch.”
“Let me see if I can find you some water.” He stood and walked toward a door in back. “I think we keep some bottles in a fridge in the back room, you know, in case any of our grooms faint.”
“Don’t go to any trouble.”
“It’s no trouble.”
“Alex, I’m okay. Really. I don’t need any water.”
What she needed was to get out of this place. What made her think she could saunter into a wedding chapel and not feel an ounce of regret? She’d been numb for months, unfeeling and uncaring. Was it any surprise her emotions were now manifesting in cruel, new ways?
I now pronounce you man and barren wasteland.
He sat back down next to her, frowning.
“What do I have to do to get you to stop glaring at me like that?”
“I’m not glaring.”
“Alex, you are glaring so hard I might turn into stone.”
“I’m just trying to figure you out.” His features relaxed, just barely. “You don’t accept help very well, do you?”
If anything, she had always been the helper, the problem solver. She’d always taken pride in it and liked being the one others looked up to. In her eyes, no matter how faulty her reasoning, accepting help always made her feel diminished. “No, I guess I don’t.”
“That’s going to be an issue between you and me.”
“I didn’t realize it affected you at all.”
“Yeah. It kind of surprised me too.”
She needed to change the subject, pronto. This man put strange thoughts in her head, ones she couldn’t afford to contemplate. “So, Wade was popular with my friends.”
