Chapter 34
Called out
Amelia
As much as I love Bean, I think I might hate weddings.
While the bridal shower was fun and the spa day was nice, I’m not at all relaxed.
The groom and his stupid friends, the maid of honor, and the mother of the bride are all pissing me off.
There’s still a lot to do tonight and tomorrow, even before the actual wedding.
And then there’s Alex.
Every time a man hit on me last night, I compared him to Alex. I’m still upset with the man, but I can’t help but want him.
After watching him peel Tiffany’s hand off him like it burns his skin, I tell Johnny and Ester that I’ll see them later and head out of the room.
With everything else going on, my brain glossed over the fact that two of my favorite people are Alex’s parents.
Ester is such a sweet woman, and Johnny is wrapped around her finger. He’s not at all mad about it, either.
I run up to my room to get my laptop, then grab cookies and a mimosa from the luncheon before finding a comfy chair in one of the many, many seating areas in the hotel.
This one is more hidden than most, which is perfect because I need some space and time to myself.
Everything about this week has been draining.
Pulling up my favorite music app, I let myself get lost for a while.
“Oh, cookies!”
I chuckle as Bean drops into the chair across from me and snags one off the plate.
“What are you working on?” She points at my laptop with the cookie.
“The list of songs you want to play at the reception,” I reply. She takes a bite while giving me a strange look. I cock my eyebrow at her. “What?”
“I thought Stephanie did that weeks ago.”
“So did I, but I ran into the DJ earlier and apparently all she sent him was an email that said ‘No instrumental crap’.”
“What the fuck?” Bean asks, scowling. “I love instrumental music!”
“I know. I gave him a general idea of what you like, but once I started making a list… Well, let’s just say I’m putting my obsession to good use.” I tilt my head in thought as I look at my screen. “Is it inappropriate to play Move Bitch at a wedding reception?”
Bean’s face lights up. “I don’t care if it is. We’re totally doing it. Do you still remember the routine we made up for it?”
“Who do you think I am? Of course I still remember it. I practice it at least once a week.”
“Liar,” she laughs.
I pick up a cookie and take a bite, looking over another playlist. “Are you doing any of the traditional things?”
“Like The Cupid Shuffle and The Dougie?” She grins mischievously.
“I will start walking home right now.”
“Okay, okay. The YMCA and The Macarena?”
I put my laptop on the table in front of me and stand to leave.
“Alright!” She puts her hands up in surrender. “But what about the Chicken Dance? Come on, Minnie, think of how cute Henry and Raerae will be doing the Chicken Dance.”
“Fine.” I plop back down. “But really, I was talking more like a first dance as a couple or a father/daughter dance.”
She huffs out a breath and shakes her head slightly.
“Our song is still TBD because we can’t agree on one, but I don’t think I like the rest of the traditional shit much, anyway.
Just let everyone dance with whoever they want to.
” She pauses and clears her throat before continuing. “You should dance with my dad.”
“What?” I ask, trying to hide the instant panic that bubbles up with a chuckle that sounds like a sea creature’s death gurgle. “Why?”
“You know why, Minnie.”
I freeze, the half-eaten cookie forgotten in my hand. My eyes feel like they’re big enough to pop out of my head when they meet hers. OH MY FUCKING GOD, SHE KNOWS!
“Bean…” I croak. I can’t tell how she feels or what she’s thinking from her face. While I learned to wear the dancer mask, she learned to wear a ‘show no emotion' face, mostly to deal with her mom. I don’t like it being used on me, but fuck if I don’t deserve it. She has to hate me, though, right?
Her eyebrow raises and she kind of smirks. “We all feel pretty dumb, huh?”
Relief flows through me at her words and I sag in the chair. “Oh my god, right? Somehow, it just never clicked, and then he showed up in my parents’ kitchen! I still think I’m a little bit in shock.”
“I didn’t put it together this whole time. But then again, you said it was a coworker you had the hots for, not your boss.” She narrows her eyes at me. “Not a fan of the lying, by the way.”
“I didn’t mean to. I wasn’t sure the job would last long, and then I felt like such a cliché, having a crush on my boss, so I never came clean about that part. And I had no idea he was your dad.”
I cover my face with my hands, my cheeks on fire.
“How did you figure it out, anyway?” I ask, my voice muffled by my palms.
“I didn’t. Not exactly. I noticed you were both weird and awkward around each other, but I had no idea why. So last night at dinner, I called him out on it. I was not prepared for the answer.”
I groan, remembering how much I told her about that night. Thank god I didn’t go into details about the actual sex. I don’t think there’d be any coming back from that.
Dropping my hands, I bring my gaze to hers.
“I’m sorry, Bean. I didn’t know how to tell you.
Or if I even should tell you. I was afraid you would hate me, or hate him, and I didn’t want that.
That would kill me. I was kind of hoping that if I just ignored it, maybe it would all go away after the wedding when he leaves. ”
“And how’s that working out for you?”
“Spectacularly well, obviously.” I should go find another mimosa or something. Maybe a bottle of vodka.
“So what happens now?” she asks.
“I don’t know.” I shake my head and sigh. “It’s… It was a mess before he got here, but now? It’s a fucking dumpster fire rolling down a hill of dead grass.” I lean my head back again, close my eyes, and pinch the bridge of my nose.
“You can’t let him leave without talking to him, Min. You already left New York without talking to him.”
“Bean—”
“Minnie, you can’t do that to him. You need to give him at least a chance to explain.
For an entire year, I’ve been thinking, ‘God, I hope Dad takes a shot with his secretary—he’s so fucking in love with her!
’ Every time you came up, his voice changed.
I’m not saying he’s not an idiot for what he did.
But if nothing else, you both need some closure.
Whether it’s to give the two of you as a couple a chance or for you to eventually move on, you need to have an actual conversation with him.
” Bean takes a deep breath. “And come on, Min. You’re in love with him, too. You have been for a year.”
“I’m trying to figure out how I feel now, after everything,” I say quietly. “It’s a lot, you know? It’s so much more complicated than it was when I first left New York.”
“It is. And no matter what happens, I love you.”
I blink back tears and look at her. “I love you, too. I don’t want us to lose who we are to each other.”
“We won’t. We won’t let that happen.” She jumps up and crashes into me, wrapping her arms around me. “We’re too fucking stubborn to let it.”
I laugh, hugging her back. “Fuck yeah, we are.”
“I’m going to go find us drinks and then we’re going to make a whole playlist of inappropriate songs.” Bean stands and stretches. “I like this little hiding spot.”
“It’s not a very good hiding spot if you found me.”
“It’s me you’re talking about here. I can always find you.”
“Way to make it sound creepy as fuck, Bean.”
She laughs and blows me a kiss before leaving to find more alcohol.
I don’t usually start drinking as early as I did this morning, but what’s a bridal shower at a fancy ass resort without cocktails?
Then there were more offered while we were at the spa, and of course, even more at lunch.
I’ve had a slight buzz all day. Once the wedding is over, I’m going to have to detox for a bit.
I’ve never been much of a party girl, but in the two weeks since running from Alex, I’ve definitely done more than my fair share of drinking.
A few minutes later, Bean returns with more mimosas because apparently they’re her new favorite thing and squeezes into the chair with me. “I thought of five songs on the way there and back.”
I grin as I start the Absolutely Inappropriate Songs for a Wedding playlist.