Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7
A NNIE
I take a sip of the martini I’ve been nursing and smile as Janie flirts with the man sitting next to her during the cocktail hour. The bridal party is off getting photographs taken, so this is a nice way to pass the time before the reception.
Janie and I met a few of Emily’s single guy friends and have hung with them for most of the last hour. Janie and one of them are really hitting it off. The other one, Chad, is cute, tall, and seems like a nice guy, so I don’t mind chatting with him while his friend is busy being enthralled by Janie. I decide I’m a pretty good wing-woman. When the dinner portion of the reception is ready to start, we go our separate ways but promise to catch up later in the evening.
Settled in our chairs, Janie and I clap along with everyone else as the bridal party is introduced.
Teddy and Emily have their own intimate dinner table set up and it’s so romantic.
After Jack escorts Trina—Emily’s maid of honor—into the ballroom and to her seat, he walks over to one of the other bridesmaids, a petite and stunning raven-haired beauty. He puts his hand on the small of her back and guides her to her seat, then pulls the chair out for her. He laughs at something she says and kisses her on the cheek before sitting next to her and putting his arm around her.
My cheeks heat and I make myself turn away, refusing to look in his direction again. Even when I swear I feel his gaze on me.
When dinner is served, the aroma is enticing, and the presentation is a work of art. Unfortunately, my appetite has called it a night and I only pick at my food. I’m such an idiot .
I’ve been secretly admiring Jack whenever he’s come in to work over the last few weeks. Then, after spending some time with him at the dog park, I thought maybe there were sparks. And what the hell was the wink about? I guess I misread that. It doesn’t matter, anyway, because I don’t date people I work with.
Once dinner is over and the bride and groom have had their first dance, Janie and I make our way to the dance floor. We’re quickly joined by our new friends from cocktail hour and have a blast dancing away to all the fast songs.
When the music changes to a slow, romantic tune, Chad holds out his hand. He asks, “May I have this dance?”
I nod, smile at him and we dance for a full song, then start on a second.
He’s charming and flirty, but becoming slightly handsy as he drifts his hand away from my lower back toward my hip and the top of my butt. I tense a little but try to give myself a mental pep talk. I remind myself that if I think a one-night stand is what I need to stop focusing on Jack—who is clearly here with the girl he sat with at dinner—then this with Chad, is likely how to make that happen.
It’s just that it was a little easier when I was only thinking about it as a possibility. Since I’ve never actually had a one-night stand, and now I’m staring at the potential of it actually happening, I’m not sure how I feel about it anymore.
The nausea grabbing a hold of my stomach might be trying to tell me something. Still, I’m determined to get past this Jack “thing,” so I take a deep breath and focus on trying to relax myself as I smile up at Chad.
JACK
I’ve been sitting here at this table for the last half hour like a creeper watching Annie dance and it’s maddening. I was hoping to spend some time with her tonight, maybe dance and have a chat, but that’s impossible since she’s giving all her attention to whoever that guy is she’s dancing with. I’m not sure how she doesn’t notice him blatantly ogling her chest.
The music slows and I rise, deciding I’m going to ask her to dance—but he beats me to it. Fuck. I lower myself back into my seat.
A couple of women come up to ask if I want to dance with them, but I politely decline, never taking my eyes off Annie on the dance floor. But apparently, she must be enjoying her time with Don Juan because she hasn’t once looked my way.
I’m trying to make myself stop watching her, but, damn, I just can’t do it. She’s so fucking stunning. I keep my cool, but then when that asshole lowers his hand toward her ass and I swear I see her tense for a second, I’m on my feet and to the dance floor before I realize I’ve even stood up.
She looks up at me as I approach and I tap him on the shoulder, all while staring into her eyes.
“I’m cutting in,” I say, refusing to break eye contact with her. I don’t wait for an answer before I take her hand from his shoulder and pull her to me.
Asshole says something but I don’t hear him as I hold her gaze, and he eventually walks away.
ANNIE
What the actual fuck just happened? It takes a lot to make me speechless, but I am for a few seconds when Jack cuts into my dance with Chad. Who does he think he is and how did my asshole radar not go off on my interactions between us prior to tonight?
Gathering my wits about me and wondering how I’ve had this man pegged all wrong from our interactions before today, I snarl at him, “What the hell was that about?”
“I wanted to dance with you, and I didn’t like how he was touching you,” he answers in a matter-of-fact tone, pulling me closer.
“Excuse me?” I look up at him, sure he has lost his mind.
He just lifts his eyebrows up at me and smirks but doesn’t otherwise respond.
Now I’m pissed. I try to put a little more distance between us so I can breathe and focus on why I’m mad, since my traitorous bitch of a body wants me to forget, and he just continues dancing, not missing a step.
“First, I decide what’s okay and not okay when it comes to people touching me. And second, I’m pretty sure your date won’t appreciate you storming out here to interrupt my dance because you didn’t like how he was touching me. ”
Jack suddenly stops dancing and holds my gaze for several awkward moments, people around us staring. He grabs my hand and pulls me off the dance floor and outside onto the balcony .
“What are you talking about, my date?” he demands.
Rolling my eyes, I give him my best evil eye. “Cute, long, dark, straight-haired bridesmaid that you sat next to at dinner? Oh, and you kissed her? Ringing any bells?” I answer sarcastically.
God, these men. Do they think women are all idiots and will just look the other way when they are obviously involved? Maybe some women do that, but not this one. I mean, I know some women do that because that’s what happened with Jason, right?
Jack has the fucking audacity to smirk at me.
“Oh, you’re talking about Shayna. You’re right, she’s beautiful.”
Mental note, I said cute, not beautiful.
“And I have spent a lot of time with her. I love her. But I don’t think she needs to give the okay right now about us getting to know each other better. I can decide that on my own.”
I just stare at him, speechless for several seconds, then say, “I’m not the one, dickwad,” and turn to walk away.
He stops me by grabbing my wrist firm but gentle, then says softly next to my ear, “Shayna is my sister.”
JACK
Annie stands with her back to me for a solid ten seconds before turning, cheeks red, and just says, “Oh.”
I laugh out loud and ask, “Do you want to get a drink and sit for a while?”
She’s clearly embarrassed but agrees and we find a quiet table out on the balcony. I go to get her a chardonnay and myself a cola .
When I return, her cheeks are back to their normal creamy color with just a hint of pink.
She looks up at me with hooded eyes. “I’m sorry I called you a dickwad… My language leaves something to be desired when I’m angry or upset.”
I smile at her and take a sip of my soda. “It’s okay. I was kind of being a bit of a caveman when I butted in on your dance, so I probably deserved it.”
She gives me a small but adorable smile and things seem to ease up a bit. I must admit she’s damn cute when she’s embarrassed.
We spend the next hour people-watching and asking each other basic questions. I catch a few dirty looks thrown our way from Joel Reid, and I’m pretty sure Annie notices it as well. I’m not letting him ruin my chance to get to know her better, though.
I learn that her favorite color is purple and tell her mine is blue. She shares that her family is from Columbus, and she only has one sister, Kelly, who is married with three kids all under the age of six. Kelly is a stay-at-home mom. I share that I have four siblings, one being my twin brother, Ben, and we have three younger sisters.
“Was Ben with you at the bar when I first saw you on Cinco de Mayo?” she asks.
The corner of my mouth lifts in a smile as I remember how she looked when I caught her staring at me that night.
“Yep, that was him. He’s a detective down at the first precinct, and it’s hard to get our schedules to line up, but we try to catch up at least every week or two. When you grow up with that many sisters, guys need to stick together.”
She laughs and I think it’s the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard. She’s mindlessly playing with one of her curls, repeatedly stretching it out and releasing it. It takes everything in me not to reach across and touch it .
“I remember noticing you were drinking from a coffee mug and thinking you would never fall asleep having coffee that late,” she comments.
She’s not wrong. I had a lot of trouble sleeping that night, but not because of the coffee. Because of her. I hold that thought back, though, because I don’t want to come on too strong.
“Coffee or soda is my drink of choice. I have a beer a few times a month, mostly in the summer, but rarely drink much alcohol. Probably stems from needing to stay sober at parties when we were younger so I could threaten any guy who hit on one of my sisters,” I say, joking.
Her phone dings, and she looks down at it. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but do you mind if I reply to this quickly? Janie is asking me if I’m okay getting an Uber home so she can leave with her new friend.”
“No, not at all,” I answer. I hope this doesn’t mean she plans to leave soon.
She types in a quick response, then looks back up at me, putting her phone in her purse.
Suddenly seeing my chance, I smile at her and say, “It’s actually perfect, because I’ve got a killer craving for pancakes. I was trying to figure out whether I could convince you to go with me to get some of the best in town. Now it seems like the perfect compromise… You go with me to get pancakes and I can give you a ride home.”
She smiles across the table at me.“You had me at pancakes.”