Tonight has to be the most confusing night I’ve had in a very long time. Possibly ever.
Even more confusing is the overwhelm in my chest, the odd feeling of loss.
Paisley has never been mine.
There was nothing to lose.
CHAPTER 6
Paisley
I will never ever drink again.
If I open my mouth wide enough, balls of cotton may tumble out. My brain screams at me, the sound reverberating through my head and making everything worse.
My mother is currently passed out on the other half of my hotel bed. I found Sienna asleep in the bathtub, mascara streaking her cheeks. To be fair, the bathtub is large enough to fit Hagrid from Harry Potter, and his giantess girlfriend.
As for the rest of the ‘I do’ crew, I’m assuming they made it back to their respective hotel rooms.
And here I am, braving the outside world. I would still be snuggled in bed if I hadn’t realized I left my credit card at the restaurant last night. I’d been so busy mouthing off to those curly haired assholes who teased me about Klein choosing the big boob woman over me that I’d forgotten to put my credit card in my wallet after I paid my tab.
Obstinate Daughter opens at nine for brunch onSaturdays, according to the website I looked at before abandoning the ridiculously high thread count bedsheets.
Pushing my sunglasses on top of my head, I step inside the restaurant. Half the tables are seated, the scent of rosemary potatoes and spicy chorizo wafting through the bright space. It’s easy reconciling last night’s trendy spot with this morning’s more low-key but still hip brunch vibe. My gaze swings to the bar. The pink-haired woman pours tomato juice into a pitcher, then adds some spices.
I send up a quickthank youto God for answering my prayer. On the walk over I asked this to be a non-Klein event, and so far that head of wildflower honey hair and expansive chest are not present. I cannot handle seeing him this morning. Not after last night, when he, for whatever reason, decided to tell my family he’s my boyfriend. And then I, for whatever additionally stupid reason, decided to go along with it. It would’ve been so much easier if I said he was joking, but I was tender after that conversation with Shane and overhearing the bridesmaids in the bathroom. My ego was bruised, and my mind was inebriated. Calling Klein my boyfriend was just the stroke it needed. Unfortunately, my sober self will pay the price later today when I have to tell the truth and spin it as a joke that went on too long, instead of a lie. If they know I lied, the most natural follow up question would be,Why?. After that, it would be a fountain of words I don’t want to say. Some worms are better left in the can.
My little sister marrying my ex-boyfriend qualifies as a worm in a can. And there it will stay.
“Hi.” I wave, approaching the bar. “I’m sure you don’t remember me from last night, but?—“
Her gaze flicks over to me, her hands never stopping their task. “I remember you.”
Eesh. I get the feeling it’s not good she remembers me.
“I think I left my credit card here?”
She stops stirring the tomato mixture. “You think? Or you know?”
Intimidated but in desperate need of my credit card, I open my mouth to answer. A deep voice from behind me answers instead.
“You left it. And I found it.”
I whirl around. Klein, dressed in dark gray joggers and a light blue V-neck, stands three feet away. He holds my credit card out between us.
“Thank you,” I breathe, taking it and dropping it into my purse.
Why does he have to look good enough to eat, while the only thing I look good enough to be eaten by is a dog? I’m not even the good, fresh food. I’m kibble. My hair is piled on top of my head, and not in a cute way. I’m positive my makeup is smeared under my eyes just like Sienna’s, courtesy of falling asleep before washing my face last night. And honestly, my head hurts too much for me to care.
But I still do. A little.
“I saw you left it behind last night when I came back in to grab my car keys,” Klein explains. “I was going to swing by your hotel later and drop it off with the front desk. I didn’t think you’d be up this early or I would’ve done it right away.”
“I didn’t think I’d be up this early either,” I grumble, “but my mom was snoring.”
Klein breathes a laugh. “I have a hard time picturing your mom snoring.”
“It only happens when she’s had too much to drink. Also, Sienna fell asleep in the bathtub.”
