Fumbled Arrangement (The Atlanta Arrows #3)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

NATALIE

“I need to tell you something, but you have to promise you won’t freak out.”

I set my drink down and glanced at my friend Gina, who was eyeing me carefully. It was hard to hear over the loud music, so I leaned forward with a frown.

“I’ll do my best, but I’m not making any promises.” I rested my chin on my hand and moved my gaze over to Claudia. She was Gina’s older sister by one year and they did everything together. Whatever Gina had to say, chances were about one hundred percent, Claudia was in agreement.

“Okay. That will have to do.” She shifted in her seat and adjusted the white sash along her shoulder so the passing crowd could see the word “Bride” in big gold letters.

Claudia pushed a shot glass in front of me. “Do you want this before or after we tell you?”

“Whatever it is, just spit it out.” I leaned my arms along the high-top table, wishing she would quit stalling.

Gina placed her hand over mine, trying to give me a reassuring smile, but it wasn’t working. “Hudson told me Levi is bringing Brittany as his plus one to my wedding.”

My mouth opened and closed as I felt a burst of anger hit me at the sound of her name alone. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse. Not only did I have to deal with seeing him, but I had to worry about seeing them together. I was still feeling bitter about him moving on with her so quickly after I left him.

We dated for four years. Marriage was in our future. We talked about it. We planned on it. I was faithful and studying my brains out in London while working on my master’s degree. At the same time, he was playing hockey and hooking up with groupies.

What a stupid, naive girl I was.

It’s only been a month, but then again, I shouldn’t be surprised they were together. Brittany was the woman he knocked up right before I moved back to the States. Our relationship wasn’t perfect by a long shot, but instead of calling it quits like I should have, I stuck it out and blamed our issues on dating long distance.

Gina grabbed the shot glass and placed it in my hands. I tossed the burning liquid down in one gulp, wishing I had the entire bottle in front of me.

“When were you going to tell me this?” I was surprised at how controlled my voice was.

Gina swallowed uncomfortably. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place, given that my ex, Levi, was best friends with her fiancé, Hudson. They played on the same NHL team together.

She swore up and down that she had no idea what was going on, and I believed her. We’ve been friends since our first year at Boston University. Things have been uncomfortable since my breakup, but I hoped this girls’ weekend in Vegas would allow us to let go of the stress and relax a bit.

“I found out right before we left. I knew you were going to be upset about it. I wasn’t going to say anything, but it’s been eating away at me.”

I sighed, swirling the ice around in my glass. I needed a refill. “So, he’s bringing the woman he cheated on me with to our best friend’s wedding? Am I understanding this correctly?”

She nodded her head. “I’m really sorry. Hudson and I got into a big fight about it. He said it’s Hudson’s plus one, and he is allowed to bring whoever he pleases.”

I slumped back in my seat. I wanted to argue and complain about how wrong that was, but it wasn’t my wedding. I had no right.

Claudia moved to my side and swung her arm along my shoulder. “He’s not worth getting worked up over. You know what you should do? Bring a date of your own. That would be a sure way to piss him off.”

“Where am I supposed to find this mystery man?”

She threw her arms out. “Hello, we are in Vegas, baby. Look around. There are plenty of men to choose from. Take your pick.”

I glanced around the crowded club. She wasn’t wrong. Most of the men were dressed in suits and designer clothes. While some were trying to start a fashion trend, others looked ridiculous.

Claudia tipped her chin to the guys in the VIP section in the back. “Holy hell, now there is a group of hot guys.”

I knew exactly where she was going with this, so I took a sip of my drink, trying to hide behind my glass. Chances were, they were about to do something to embarrass me.

Gina stood on her tiptoes to see over the people in front of us. “The ones in the corner?” She pointed, making it way too obvious.

“Jesus, will you two stop being so weird?” I sighed, rubbing my temples, when I noticed they were attracting unwanted attention to our table. It felt like everyone in the club was staring at me.

“How about that guy?” I followed Claudia’s gaze and spotted him immediately. He was tall and dark and had a smile that could light up the entire club. He was with a group of well-dressed guys clustered in a booth, looking like they were enjoying their night. “You should go over there and introduce yourself.”

“Absolutely not.”

We were supposed to be celebrating and having fun. I had zero interest in meeting anyone tonight.

“Why not?” Gina nudged me with her elbow. “Life is too short. This is your chance to show yourself that you’re better off without that jerk.”

I turned toward her. “I just got out of a relationship. I’m not looking to get into another one.”

The last thing on my mind was hooking up with a stranger. No matter how attractive the guy was. And let me be clear: the man she pointed out was way above average in the looks department.

“Just flirt with him and see how it goes.” Claudia twisted in her seat to stare directly at their table. She would have been less discrete if she was peering through a pair of binoculars.

“With my luck lately, no thanks.” I fidgeted with the hem of my dress, already over this scene. I meant what I said. I wasn’t looking for anybody. I didn’t need anybody. I wanted to wait for the right person, someone whose goals aligned with mine. Someone I could trust.

I made a promise to myself to start making better decisions. When I decided to jump back into the dating pool again, it sure as hell wouldn’t be with a random stranger I met at a Vegas nightclub.

“Maybe your luck is about to change. Besides, what’s the worst that can happen?” Gina tipped her drink back with a grin. At the rate these drinks were going down, we would be paying dearly for this night tomorrow morning.

My eyes drifted over to the guy in a white button-down. He lounged comfortably with his arm resting along the back of the booth. His hair was slightly wavy on top but clipped short on the sides. He had this type of energy swirling around him that pulled people in. A blush hit my cheeks because the man was undoubtedly one of the hottest guys I’d ever seen. He also looked vaguely familiar.

“They look like football players,” I whispered. “The Super Bowl was last weekend. What if he plays on Beau’s team?”

That would make him off-limits in more ways than one. I started work for the Atlanta Arrows next week, so there would be no mixing business with pleasure. Not to mention, my ex was an athlete, and he ended up being the biggest jerk. I swore to myself that I was done with that type of man.

Claudia stepped closer, the corners of her lips tipping into a smirk. “If he’s a player, we should have taken Uncle Beau up on his offer and gone to the game.”

My uncle's team played in the championship game last weekend and he offered me tickets. Since my friends weren't interested in football and we had plans to celebrate in Vegas the following week, I declined his offer.

“If he is a player, that would make him a hard pass. The last thing I need is another guy who loves attention and doesn’t know how to keep his dick in his pants.”

“No, you need to find out,” Gina said, still looking at him. “Go flirt with him. You do remember how to flirt, right? Because if he’s fair game, you should go for it.”

I shook my head at the same time Claudia said, “She won’t do it. She is too chickenshit.”

“Don’t try to peer pressure me.” These two were relentless. Why couldn’t we just laugh, drink, and have fun?

Claudia, who was always the more direct of the two, leaned in. “You need to get out of your head and have some fun. You could have your pick of any guy here in the club. If not him, we will find someone else.”

“I don’t need to find someone.” I scrunched my nose up because they didn’t seem to get it. “What I need is to get through Gina’s wedding next month without getting arrested.”

Gina sighed. “God, this is going to be so stressful. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to enjoy myself with the three of you in the same room together.”

I took offense because I didn’t create this problem. Was I just supposed to pretend that none of this ever happened? If she was so concerned about drama on her wedding day, she could have put her foot down and told Levi that he couldn’t bring Brittany.

“I’m not sure how I ended up as the bad guy here?” I took a hefty sip of my drink, reminding myself not to let my emotions get the better of me. I was trying. Really, I was, but failing miserably.

Gina’s eyes widened. “Gosh, I didn’t mean it like that. Of course, none of this is your fault.”

Claudia chimed in. “No one is saying you are to blame for anything. We just don’t put it past Levi to try to mess with your head.”

“I’ll manage,” I said, trying to reassure them both. Somebody had to be the bigger person. It was one day. I could do it .

They looked like they didn’t believe me. Did they think I was so fragile that I couldn’t handle being in his mere presence without falling apart? Would it be hard? Absolutely. But after everything he put me through, I was focused on putting that part of my life in the rearview mirror. I would prefer he not bring the woman he cheated on me with to the wedding, but there wasn’t anything I could do about that.

“What do I have to do to convince you both that I’m serious?”

Tonight was supposed to be about us having fun. I didn’t want to make it all about Levi.

“I know it’s going to be hard for you to see him.” Gina leaned closer so I could hear over the loud music. “A little distraction will do you some good. Maybe finding someone will help take your mind off things.”

“We’re back to this again.” I rolled my eyes. I had an underlying suspicion that she was more worried about my ability to handle my emotions and causing a scene on her wedding day than anything else.

“Yes,” Claudia said, as a matter of fact. “It doesn’t have to be the perfect guy. You don’t have to leave with anybody or get married; just have some fun. Put yourself out there again and see what happens.”

I eyed them skeptically. “You both will get off my back if I do?”

“Pinky promise.” Gina held her finger out and wrapped it around mine.

I groaned when Claudia reached out and grabbed my other finger. “I swear you are both going through a midlife crisis.”

“We’re too young for that.” Claudia shook her head and pointed at me. “Now, I dare you to find a random man and flirt with him. ”

“You dare me?” I chuckled at the idea. I should have been irritated, but this was turning comical.

“Yes, because we know you won’t do it.” Gina raised her eyebrow in challenge.

I appreciated what they were trying to do, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to put myself out there again. I needed to put my life back together first.

“You guys are both nuts.” I stood up and grabbed my clutch. “I’m going to grab another round. Try not to get any more crazy ideas in your head.”

I weaved around the tables, stepped up to the bar, and slowly started pursuing my choices. I needed a strong drink—something to take the edge off. I caught the bartender’s attention and waited until he finished serving another customer.

“What can I get for you?” he asked, wiping his hands on a towel slung over his shoulder.

“Vodka with a splash of cranberry juice, please.” I slid my glass across the counter for a refill.

“Sure thing.” He gave me a quick nod and turned to the shelves lined with liquor bottles.

As I watched him give me a generous pour, I felt the back of my neck tingle.

“You can put it on my tab,” said the deep southern drawl behind me.

I turned slowly, and holy hell, my gaze settled on a pair of warm brown eyes and a face so gorgeous that it threw me off. I tried to say something, but I was too stunned to talk. Thank goodness I had already ordered a drink because my throat felt dry as a desert.

It was the hot guy in the white shirt.