Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Tripp paced in the hallway. He scowled at the closed door but he knew better than to bang on it and demand Wendy to come out to speak to him.
What did she even mean? The Junebug thing? Always the bridesmaid? What was she talking about?
And that kiss.
Dang, that kiss had been something else. Had she felt what he had? The electrifying pull that demanded something more? He could have lost all sense and time in that kiss.
But no. She’d said as much, hadn’t she? He wasn’t about to admit he was bitter about it, either. That would be playing right into her hands. She wanted the upper-hand but she wasn’t going to get it.
He stopped his pacing and pressed both hands on the doorjamb, letting his head hang. “Wendy,” he muttered quietly. “We’re not done with our conversation.”
The shuffling behind the door paused for a moment but she didn’t speak.
It was difficult reining in his irritation with the woman. That kiss had been…
Tripp groaned.
That kiss had been like nothing he’d ever experienced, and he’d dated his share of women. He didn’t know if it was the animosity between them that did it or if it was something else entirely. Whatever it was, he wanted more.
“Wendy,” he hissed. You’re going to come out here and we’re going to figure this out.”
“There’s nothing to figure out,” she muttered. Her voice was muffled but it was close enough to indicate that she was next to the door.
Tripp shook his head. “Stop being so difficult.”
“Speak for yourself,” she shot back.
He released a dark chuckle. “You’re the one with nowhere to go. I can wait all day.”
More silence on the other side of the door. Tripp grinned. She might be stubborn, but he could be patient.
“Yo, Tripp, your turn,” Reese called from the end of the hallway.
Shoot.
He wasn’t sure, but he could have sworn he heard a quiet laugh through the closed door. Tripp scowled toward Reese. “Let someone else go first.”
“Sorry, man. It’s your turn. I’m just here to fetch you.”
Tripp grumbled as he stalked down the hall, tossing one last fleeting glance to where Wendy was hidden. There was zero chance he’d be able to corner her again any time soon.
Yep.
Zero chance.
Tripp’s eyes followed Wendy across the room when she finally slipped from the confines of the hallway. He stood on the pedestal where she’d been standing and the seamstress was busy hemming his pants. Wendy didn’t even bother to offer him a triumphant smile on her escape.
She was wrong.
She had to be.
Everything she’d said lingered in his mind, making him go just a little more stir-crazy.
Tripp continued to scowl as he stood there, letting his sour mood fester. It wasn’t until Leo stood that he realized just how angry he looked.
“You… okay?” Leo stood up from his chair and moved closer, his voice lowering.
Did he actually care what everyone else overheard?
It wasn’t like Tripp was going to say anything that would further incriminate himself.
He was well aware of what the people in his family thought of him when it came to Wendy.
They’d backed off for the time being, but if they knew what had transpired in that hallway they might not be so willing to leave him be.
“Yeah,” Tripp muttered. “Fine.”
“Sure don’t look fine.”
Tripp fought the itch to fold his arms and snap at his cousin. But what good would that do? This wasn’t Leo’s fault.
Leo took another step forward. “What’s going on? You’re acting… different.”
He huffed. “What would you know about me acting any different than I normally do?”
His cousin smirked and the look he gave him seemed to suggest they both knew that Tripp didn’t have a leg to stand on.
Tripp let his focus sweep through the room. His cousins and their spouses were all chatting and having a good time. He couldn’t tell if anyone else had noticed Wendy slipping out the front door. This was supposed to be a fun event and he’d scared her off.
His jaw tightened and he turned his attention to Leo once more. “Do you think I’m doomed to never find love?”
That question was no more a surprise to Leo than it was to Tripp himself. Until today, Tripp hadn’t cared one bit about whether or not he’d settle down. He was young still. He had every right to date around. How else was he supposed to know what he wanted?
But deep down he knew that wasn’t the whole truth.
Wendy had struck a nerve with her statement.
It wasn’t news to him that most of the women he dated ended up getting married within a year of their breakup—married to someone else. It was like he had the magic touch.
Tripp stepped down from the pedestal and shuffled a few steps, but Leo followed.
“You don’t believe that, do you?” Leo murmured so low no one else heard.
The look of concern on his face would have been laughable if Tripp wasn’t actually starting to worry that Wendy was right.
Leo braced his hand around the back of Tripp’s neck and brought their foreheads together.
“Everyone is capable of finding love, Tripp. Even you.”
“And you don’t sound as sure of yourself as you might think you do,” Tripp pulled back. He didn’t want to show this weakness. He didn’t want his family or friends to start feeling bad for him.
Tripp wasn’t the kind of guy who wanted more. At least not for a while. So why did he suddenly feel like he wasn’t doing something right? Why did this gnawing ache in the pit of his stomach threaten to put him into a tailspin.
Wendy wasn’t right. Whatever she’d heard. Whatever she knew. She was wrong. How had she heard of his reputation anyway? It wasn’t like he’d already gone through the population of Rocky Ridge. Up until a couple years ago, he’d been at college.
He dragged a hand through his hair, mussing it out of style.
“Of course I know I’m capable of finding love, Leo,” he bit out.
“I just… I wanted to know if…” He could feel the embarrassment of this whole situation start creeping up his spine, preparing to show on his face.
“How did you know you were in love with Kat?”
At that, Leo lifted a single brow. “Are you in love with someone?” He looked over his shoulder as if he could see where Wendy had disappeared and then he stepped even closer and whispered, “Wendy—”
“What? No! I’m not in love with her. She’s the devil incarnate.”
Leo smirked.
“I mean it. Have you seen the way we are with each other? There’s something inherently wrong between the two of us. We can’t help but go at it like cats and dogs.”
“Are you sure that’s how you want to describe it?”
Tripp’s lip curled with irritation. “Will you knock it off already? You saw me. I tried to be nice.”
“Sure. That’s exactly what I saw. You complimented her then you said she wasn’t worth the trouble.”
Right. He’d said that. Dang it all, he really should have kept his mouth shut. What was wrong with him?
Leo must have noticed his grimace, because he laughed and clapped Tripp on the shoulder.
“It’s fine. I don’t think she would have wanted your attention anyway.
It’s like you said. You guys are like oil and water.
I don’t think the two of you are going to end up together.
” He glanced up at the ceiling for a moment then brought a reassuring smile back to Tripp.
“But I do think that you’re capable of love.
I do think that you will find love. When you’re ready. ”
Tripp nodded absently. Yeah. He would. That was the big part. He’d find love when he was ready and he was looking for it.
“Go ahead and change out of that suit,” the seamstress called out to him. He nodded and headed toward the changing rooms. By the time he got back, most of the women had left. The only one who’d stayed behind was Kat. She sat on the edge of her seat as she stared up at Leo dreamily.
There was no denying just how in love they were with each other. She’d given up a lot to be with Leo and he’d been willing to do the same.
A twinge of longing and maybe a little jealousy filtered past Tripp’s defenses. His jealousy wasn’t even about Kat as a person. There was a small part of him that had finally acknowledged that something felt like it was missing from his life.
He had a good job. He had a strong family unit. He had friends and women who cared for him.
But looking at Kat and Leo? Serenity and Reese?
He didn’t have that.
And by golly, he wanted it.
Tripp lost track of how long he sat there, deeply lost in his own thoughts.
He’d allowed himself to indulge in so many scenarios in his own mind.
Finding love. Having that love returned.
Starting a family like so many of his cousins.
It wasn’t something that had appealed to him up until this moment.
Why?
Why now, of all the most inconvenient times? Why couldn’t he have wanted something more when he’d had the attention of a woman who actually wanted him back?
Because none of those women truly wanted him.
The closest he’d come had been Olivia. And even he had been able to see just how hung up on another guy she’d been. Sure, she’d cared for him. And yes, he’d heard through the grapevine that she’d been a little broken up about their relationship ending.
She’d been young. She’d had only a handful of serious relationships. She wasn’t ready to settle down and she certainly hadn’t been ready to settle down with him.
“Earth to Tripp,” a woman’s voice sang, lassoing him from those dark recesses of his mind.
Tripp’s head snapped up and of course there were several pairs of eyes on him.
It wasn’t Serenity who had said his name.
It was Kat. There was humor in her eyes but there was also something else.
Their friendship had grown a little more with each passing day.
Leo didn’t like that very much, but it probably had more to do with the fact that Tripp had goaded him on when he’d been interested in Kat.
From the beginning, Tripp had seen it. He’d noticed the way those two looked at each other.
Even when Leo wanted to toy with the woman, Tripp saw it.
There was no way Kat would give him a second look and he knew it, hence the games.
“You doing okay?”
Would everyone just stop asking him that? Sure, he was having some kind of internal crisis right now. But he didn’t need people noticing. This would pass.
“Is it Wendy?” Kat prodded.
He stiffened. This was certainly not about Wendy. He’d been honest when he’d told Leo that nothing good would come from spending time with that woman. She loathed him. Somehow, somewhere along the line, he’d offended her.
Heck, he didn’t know her well enough to decide if her grudge against him had something to do with the games he’d played to get Leo to admit he had feelings for Kat.
Could that be it? The only way she would have heard about it would be through his cousins, so maybe not.
Wendy did seem to have a great deal of loyalty when it came to her family and friends. He wasn’t sure how close Wendy had gotten with his cousins’ significant others but anything was possible. Maybe all he had to do was apologize…
Wait, what was he thinking? He didn’t do anything wrong. He’d never tried to steal Kat’s affections. He’d merely suggested to Leo that he’d willingly sweep Kat off her feet if Leo wasn’t man enough to do it himself.
He scowled and Leo grunted something under his breath.
That was enough to force Tripp to focus again.
“I’m fine. Just distracted.” Before Kat could suggest it had something to do with Wendy, he muttered, “And no, it has nothing to do with Wendy Scott, so just drop it.” He gave Kat a hard look, to which Leo grumbled something else that sounded suspiciously like ‘watch it’.
The conversation shifted quickly away from him and to other matters.
Leo draped his arm around Kat’s shoulders and pulled her close. “We decided that we’re doing a coed bachelor and bachelorette party. Seeing as the bride and groom have made this whole wedding a group affair to begin with, we thought we’d stick with that theme.”
Tripp sat up a little straighter. He hadn’t been paying all that much attention to the remaining plans until the day of the wedding.
If he were honest, he figured all these group activities were what he had to expect.
The bachelor party would include people who weren’t part of the wedding party.
There would be more men and women than those they’d all been hanging out with.
More men, specifically.
More men who could catch a certain infuriating southern girl’s attention.
After that little stunt she pulled, she didn’t deserve to have a fun night out.
She deserved a little payback. The woman didn’t understand just how bad it was that she’d poked this bear.
He didn’t know what he’d do, but he did know it would be epic.
Wendy would regret the day her path crossed with his.
The sensation of that kiss still lingered on his lips as he got to his feet and gathered his things. He might be a masochist because despite the pain her words inflicted, he wanted more.