“No,” Reid says. I drag my gaze from my best friend to him. His eyes are still boring into mine and I briefly wonder if he ever looked away from me in the last twenty seconds. “I’ll go.”
His chest is rising and falling as he slowly steps back, his gaze not leaving mine until he has to turn toward the door. He dips his chin in a nod to Lola—who is watching with wide eyes and an open mouth like this is her new favorite TV show—before walking out the door, shutting it behind him, and not looking back.
“I definitely interrupted something,” Lola mutters.
“You definitely did,” I mutter, still staring at the now-closed door and wondering what his kiss might’ve felt like if my best friend had just shown up five minutes later.
Chapter 13
When I walk into the bright industrial event venue, I’m met with the overpowering smell of my favorite flower. Pink roses are everywhere. Every centerpiece. Every table. There’s even a massive floral background covered in pink roses with a glittering gold sign reading “The Coopers” across the top.
I stop dead in my pink bow stilettos and look around the room. A pit forms in my stomach as my eyes bounce from the roses to the ridiculous ice sculpture Ricky secured for Jason to the woman in the corner playing acoustic versions of love songs on the violin.
It’s a much more elaborate version of the bridal shower I’d always dreamed of. It’s still every little detail I once gushed over to Kate, and apparently she filed that away for her own time to take it. It’s no wonder she told me not to worry about picking up center pieces for the venue. She must’ve had this planned all along.
My grip tightens on the box of my dessert display pieces as I catch my breath, staring at the room again without seeing anything as the sounds of a live violinist play in the background.
“Do you need any help?” a deep voice asks behind me. I hate that it eases some of the tension in my shoulders. Not all of it, but some.
“No,” I say to Reid, surprised to hear a crack of emotion in my voice.
“I can’t imagine all those amazing desserts fit into that tiny box,” he says.
“Well you might need to get your eyes checked because this is very obviously display pieces and not actual food. Excuse me,” I say, stomping off before he can see me cry.
I set the box down on the table in the corner and start unpacking to keep myself busy. The tapping of men’s dress shoes against the pale vinyl wood floor is the only indicator Reid followed me until his rosemary and lemon scent overpowers my senses.
“Oh, good, you’re finally here,” Kate says from my other side, blessedly saving me from having to talk to Reid anymore.
I unpack the last of the plates and look up just for all the words to die on my tongue when I see her in the same white dress hanging in my own closet.
“Where did you get that?” I ask her.
Kate brightens, smoothing her manicured hands down the A-line skirt of the white eyelet sundress. “Do you like it?”
“I own it.”
She beams. “I know. I saw it in your closet and thought it would be perfect for today.”
“Did you take it from my closet without asking me?”
“Of course not. We’re different sizes.”
I nod just to hide how hard I’m biting my tongue at the comment. Kate, completely oblivious, looks over my shoulder and wiggles her fingers at Reid. “Hi, Reid. Thanks for supplying the food.”
“Of course.” He dips his chin in a dutiful nod. Respectful, but surprisingly curt considering how welcoming he usually seems to Kate and Jason.
I roll my eyes, simply because fighting with him somehow takes the stress off all the emotions I feel with my sister around. And I’m feeling a lot of emotions right now.
“What is all of this?” I ask her, gesturing to the room around us.
Her brows furrow, a little crease forming between them. “My bridal shower.”
“No, it’s all the details from my dream bridal shower. My favorite flowers. My dress.” My eyes travel down to her feet where she has identical stilettos strapped on, pink and all. “Myshoes,” I add, kicking my own foot out to place it next to hers.
That one hurts the most. I put a lot of pride in my shoe choices, and for her to use my favorite pair, my confidence-boosters, feels like an extra blow to the chest.
Kate runs her fingers through her blonde waves. “Well, you just have such great taste, and it’s not like you’re planning a wedding, so I figured you wouldn’t mind.”
