Chapter 10
There are far less people out and about today, and I have never been so grateful for Memorial weekend in my life.
Sometimes it’s nice to get a break from all the bustling bodies strolling the sidewalks on the weekend.
Especially when you’re uncharacteristically late and you need to hustle to the last-minute bridal party planning meeting your baby sister called for an hour ago.
I’m rounding the corner, breathing in the scent of roasted coffee beans and crying internally over the fact that I don’t have time to stop when the door flies open and Reid steps out, two coffee cups in hand.
In the most shocking development, he smiles at me.
And for the first time ever it meets his eyes.
I give myself two seconds to appreciate the way his entire face brightens when his smile is sincere, the way it causes a dimple I’ve never noticed before to pop on his cheek.
Then I give myself one second to acknowledge the way a warm feeling spreads through my chest before I decide to ignore all of it instead.
“Hey,” he says when he sees it’s me. “Great, you’re saving both of my hands from burning the rest of the walk to the restaurant.”
I pause, trying to make sense of his words. “What do you mean?”
“Here.” Reid hands one of the cups to me. I eye it warily and he gives it a small shake, the coffee sloshing loudly in the paper cup. “Caramel latte, right?”
I pause, letting the words settle in my brain. “Yes . . .” I say slowly. “Is this an extra from your not-so-secret barista admirer?”
“No. I got it specifically for you.”
I tilt my head to the side, looking from the extended cup back up to him. I’m not sure what to say back to that. He remembered my coffee order? And he purposefully ordered it for me?
“What do you want?” I cross my arms over my chest, preparing to get back into the old banter between us because this new politeness is an entirely new territory for us.
“To be nice,” he says.
I narrow my eyes at the cup, my mind swirling with every other angle he could be trying to take here. Did we really make that much progress last weekend at the registry fiasco that he’s trying to do nice gestures for me now? It seems so far-fetched.
“Is it poisoned?”
He extends it further toward me. “Try it and find out.”
I roll my eyes, taking the cup in one hand and pulling my phone out of my pocket with the other. I hold the coffee out and snap a picture with Reid in the background.
He watches me with a raised eyebrow, but the amusement is still bright in his eyes and present on the slight upturn of his full lips. “What are you doing?”
“I’m texting Lola in case I drink this and die,” I tell him without looking up from the message thread with my best friend.
He huffs a laugh. “You’re not going to die. From too much espresso, maybe, but not from poison.”
I send the text, pocket my phone, and wave him off. “Espresso runs in my veins. I’ll probably die from shocking my system with water before I die from too much caffeine.”
“I’m sure that’s not healthy.”
I shrug. “It’s a way of life.”
“It’s really not.”
I take a sip of the latte and sigh at the taste. The perfect drink. If it is poisoned, I can die a happy girl with caffeine in my body and caramel syrup on my tongue. Reid watches me, his smile hitching up a fraction higher.
“What?” I ask.
“I’ve just never seen someone so happy over a cup of coffee from someone they hate.”
“I don’t hate you, Reid. I’m often annoyed by you, but I don’t know you well enough to actually hate you. At least not yet. Give it some time.”
He smirks as he continues walking. I fall into step beside him, nursing my coffee as we make our way to yet another planning meeting for Kate and Jason’s wedding. This wedding is starting to take over my life and it’s not even my own.
“So, who do you think is going to actually show up today?” I ask.
“Probably us and your mom again.”
“Must be your dream come true.”
“Oh, definitely. Your mom is stunning.”
“She’s happily married, Reid. Leave her alone.”
He shakes his head. “I’m not brave enough to take on your dad. I’ll just take this crush to my grave.”
A laugh bubbles out of me. “You’re ridiculous.” I can feel him staring at me, so I look at him as we walk. “What?”
“I think that was the first time I made you laugh.”
I snap my lips shut. “Yeah, and probably the last.”
He smirks. “It is now my mission to make you laugh again.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I like your laugh.”
My steps falter, but I keep walking, totally pretending it never happened, pretending the compliment didn’t shock me so thoroughly that I lost my footing.
“Well, don’t hold your breath. Now that I know it’s your goal, I’m going to make sure it never happens again.”
We walk up the steps to the restaurant and Reid leans in, gripping the door but pausing. He turns his head to look at me and I realize he’s only a few inches away. “Challenge accepted,” he says, a determination in his voice that has my breath halting in my throat.
Reid pulls on the handle and steps aside, holding the door wider. It takes me a good five seconds to realize he’s holding the door open for me. Like a gentleman. Why did that make me feel some type of way?
“Oh,” I mutter. “Thank you.” His only reply is a nod, like this is the most casual act. And to him maybe it is, but seeing the side of him that’s kind and polite even if we aren’t friends is different. Intriguing.
I brush off the weird fluttering in my stomach as Reid walks with me to the massive corner booth where both my sisters and brother, all of their significant others, and Jessica and Ricky are all already sitting with notebooks and pens and printed papers.
“Oh wow, everyone came today,” I say by way of greeting as I slide into my seat.
Jessica rolls her eyes. “Some of us have lives, Jane.”
“I’d have a life too if I weren’t spending all my spare time planning a wedding that’s not even my own. I’m not even the maid of honor.” I pin Lydia with a stare. She barely reacts to it. “This should all be your responsibility.”
It’s a half-hearted statement and we all know it. The words don’t even come out with any of the irritation I felt last week.
Lydia shrugs. “I have other responsibilities.”
“Such as?”
“Getting our nails done,” Kate says, wiggling her shiny pink fingertips at me.
A pang shoots through my chest. Loneliness. Jealousy. Sadness. “Wait, that sounds amazing. Why couldn’t I come?” The twins exchange glances, then look back to me with identical shrugs.
I sigh, doing my best to get my feelings in check. I don’t need to get mad about this. I don’t need to cry over it either. This is just who my sisters are. Selfish, clueless, naive women. Girls even.
And honestly, this is my own fault. I never learned how to say no to them.
Maybe some day.
A warm hand encapsulates my knee and pulls me back to the present like a tether to time. I glance at Reid. He’s staring at me with a curious expression so subtle I don’t l think anyone else would notice it, but I know him well enough now to see the question in his blue eyes: are you okay?
I nod slightly. The corner of his lips barely turn up in a small, comforting smile.
And before I can think too long about it, I lace my fingers with his. A silent and simple thanks for checking in on me. His fingers freeze on mine briefly, but after a second he squeezes my hand under the table. Just like that, all the stress melts away.
“I took the liberty of printing out itineraries,” Kate begins, gesturing to Jason who starts passing out stapled sheets of paper. Reid loosens his grip on my fingers to grab his paper from Jason and with his hand gone, I have a whole new reason to curse my sister’s fiancé.
“You made an itinerary?” I ask bewildered.
“Well, technically Elise made it, but I printed them all out.”
“I stapled them,” Jason adds.
I flip through the pages, my eyes zeroing in on the entire villa Kate has rented out, a few pictures pasted below it with our names all scribbled next to each room.
I, of course, have a very small room with a twin bed right off the kitchen, but it at least seems like it has a spectacular view and a private balcony.
But then I see the number next to it and frown. “I’m in my own room?”
“Why do you sound so upset about that?” Kate asks
“Because everyone else gets to split the cost now and I have to pay for an entire room by myself.” Even if it is a gorgeous room with a gorgeous view, albeit a bit small, it’s still expensive.
I turn to Lydia on my other side, desperately gripping her arm.
She grimaces slightly and tries to pull away unsuccessfully. “Lydia share a room with me,” I beg.
“I’m sharing with Jessica.” She tosses a glance at the girl in question and they both smile at each other, though Jessica’s is a little less convincing.
“But I’m your sister.”
Lydia shrugs. “We just thought it would be fun to share together. It’d be like we were back in college again.”
“Didn’t you live with Kate?” I ask Jessica.
“Yeah, but I was there all the time anyways, so it’s almost like all three of us lived together,” Lydia answers for Jessica, who looks at me, tilts her head, and offers a smile that somehow feels sarcastic.
“You can bunk with us,” Elise offers. Charlie shoots me a look that tells me he feels exactly the way I feel about sharing a space in a romantic location.
“I have a feeling you two are going to be doing things that I do not want to be present for.”
“We can control ourselves,” Elise says.
“No we can’t,” Charlie cuts in. He gives me a very unbelievable sympathetic look. “Sorry, Jane.”
I hold up a hand. “Trust me, I wouldn’t want to impose on your romantic getaway.”
Kate rests her palms on the table. “Okay, it’s not a romantic getaway. It’s my wedding, not a romantic couple’s vacation.”
I slump in my seat, my visions of splitting costs with anybody flying out the window. “No worries about that since I’ll be in a room by myself.”
“I’ll share with you,” Reid offers. Jessica chokes on her mimosa. I look at him and I can’t tell if his amused smile is taunting or sincere. I’m leaning toward taunting, but I don’t want to look at him longer to deduce if I’m right.
“I think I would rather eat glass.”
I’m not sure I actually believe that anymore, but based on the way Jessica’s narrowed eyes are bouncing between me and Reid right now like there’s something to find, I don’t want to give her any fuel for the fire.
He huffs a laugh. I can’t tell if he’s playing along with me or if he’s shifted back into the bickering we’ve known up until now. “Fine, then pay for the expensive room by yourself.”
“Fine, I will.”
And I will sob through every credit card payment for it if it means I don’t have to be alone with the last man I ever expected to give me some stupid butterflies in my stomach.