Chapter 28
Harper
“Here comes the bride." Zoey squeals and claps her hands.
The people at nearby tables glance over.
I flush and make my way between them to the one where my friends are seated. I’m at a new bar about ten minutes away from The Edge. Which means, I didn’t waste too much time commuting. Which is the only reason I agreed to meet my friends this evening after dinner service.
It’s a week since we met Margot.
When I announced in our friend group that we were getting married, Grace and Zoey were flabbergasted. I’m expecting them to grill me about this sudden change in my status.
Phe, on the other hand, decided to organize a mini-bachelorette party for me.
I begged her to keep it simple. Late-night drinks at a quiet bar instead of the kind of spectacle involving male strippers, glittery sashes declaring Bride, or something equally horrifying.
She reluctantly agreed.
I’m exhausted from long days at the restaurant and have no desire to spend the night doing something that will drain what little energy I have left. And given the circumstances surrounding this wedding, celebrating it in the 'traditional' way feels… wrong.
“I think there are a few people at the other end of the bar who couldn’t hear you." I roll my eyes, then slip into the chair between Zoey and Phe.
"Oh really?" Zoey jumps up with a wicked look on her face. She cups her palms around her mouth and begins to yell, "Guys, today is my friend Harper’s bachelorette party and—"
I grab her waist and pull her down. "Shut up already."
She overbalances and sits down next to me, grinning widely. "Hey, don’t spoil my fun. It’s an occasion for celebrating, after all."
"Doesn’t mean you have to announce it to the entire world." I scowl.
Grace, ever the journalist who looks for hidden meanings in everything around her looks at me with speculation. "So, you and James Hamilton? The Ice Commander? Your bosshole whom you hate. You’re marrying him?"
Jeez, nothing escapes her. I’m not comfortable with her disbelieving tone. I can’t tell her entire truth. Can’t tell any of them the real reason I’m marrying James. Which is not a great feeling. But I’m sure if they knew why I agreed to this arrangement they’d support me.
"I know it feels a little sudden—"
"A little sudden? Woman you met him three months ago and now you’re tying the knot with him," Zoey bursts out.
I’m going to have to find a way to convince them that this marriage is real without sharing all the details.
Luckily, Phe comes to my rescue.
"I walked in on the two of them in James’ office, and whoa, did they look cozy." Phe’s smile is wicked.
"You were making out with The Ice Commander in his office?" Zoey’s eyes round. I think she’s going to question me further, but she holds up her palm. "Good for you bish. At least you’re getting some action."
"Umm, it was just a kiss," I explain.
"Still more than what I’m getting." Zoey rolls her eyes.
"I still can’t believe my favorite oldest brother is going to be your husband." Phe claps her hands together
Husband.
James Hamilton is going to be my husband. I know that. I signed the contract.
But hearing someone else say it out loud does something strange to me. My insides churn. My chest tightens.
The word lands differently when spoken.
More real.
More frightening.
And somehow…more romantic.
I look around the table and point at a margarita. "Is that for me?"
"Oh, sorry. I ordered it for you. I should have given it to you when you arrived." Phe slides the glass in my direction.
"You know, we had a bet you wouldn’t make it." Grace looks at me over her glass of wine.
"What do you mean? It’s my bachelorette party. I wouldn’t miss it." I take a sip of the margarita and sigh with pleasure when the cold liquid slides down my throat.
"If you hadn’t made it, we’d have dragged you out, anyway. You need a break. You’ve been working so hard." Zoey sends me a sympathetic glance.
Grace lifts her glass. “Correction. We dragged her out because she’s marrying a terrifyingly intense chef, and we need answers.”
I wince. I can sense an inquisition coming. I’m not going to be able to avoid it.
Phe smiles softly at me. “We missed you. I haven’t seen you since that day in James’ office. Haven’t heard from you, except to confirm that you’d be here today."
Something warm loosens in my chest. Of course, Phe’s being more understanding because James is her brother. And because she walked in on us and thinks James and I are in love. Why did I ever think that she’d be upset to find out that I have feelings for her brother?
Grace leans across the table. “Okay. Start talking.”
My two other friends are not going to let me off so easily. Still, I demur.
I should have anticipated that Grace will not rest until she gets something resembling an explanation which satisfies her. She’s going to need more than what I told Phe.
I try to buy myself more time with asking, “About what?”
“The marriage, Harper," Zoey scoffs.
Grace taps her fingers on the table. "The one you agreed to without consulting the committee.”
“The committee?” I laugh.
“We’re your friends.” Zoey nods. “We’re absolutely the committee.”
“When is this happening?” Grace fixes me with a stare that has prompted many of the guests on her morning show to spill the truth.
And I’m not going to lie about this anyway. “It’s next week.”
Three jaws drop.
Phoenix nearly falls out of her chair. “So soon? James didn’t tell me.”
"We just confirmed the details this morning."
It’s the earliest date James could swing at Islington Town Hall. The sooner we provide the marriage certificate to Margot, the sooner he’ll get his inheritance. And the sooner the board will renew their commitment to The Edge.
Zoey takes a long sip of her margarita, before setting down the glass. "You’re kidding.”
"Nope."
There’s silence as they digest what I’m saying, then Phe, tilts her head. “Town hall wedding, right? I can’t see James agreeing to anything else.”
I nod. “Small ceremony. Quick. No church.”
Zoey studies me closely. “And you’re okay with that?”
“God, yeah. I don’t have the time for anything else."
Grace and Zoey look at each other.
"What?" I scowl.
"This is your wedding, and you’re treating it like it’s a chore?"
I tuck my hair behind my ear, wondering how to make them understand. "It’s not like I haven’t dreamed of a traditional white wedding. But it’s secondary to…the fact that I can’t be away from the restaurant for too long."
Grace frowns. "Surely, you can take a few days off for it?”
"I’m a chef." I raise my shoulders. "I live and breathe by the services at the restaurant. I plan my life around the grocery deliveries and the time taken for preparations before the actual meal. My life is measured by the number of perfect dishes I can serve up."
There’s silence around the table.
"Look guys, I don’t expect you to understand how important it is to me to perfect my craft."
"I think I understand." Zoey looks at me with a half admiring, half-surprised look in her eyes. "I’m an editor. I know what it is to strive for this mythical concept of perfection in a book. One which is good to aspire to. But barely attainable."
Like the love of my husband to-be? I shove the thought aside. I’m not going to get philosophical right now. It’s more important to convince Grace and Zoey that my wedding is the real thing.
Phe draws down her eyebrows. “I’m invited to the ceremony, I take it?"
"You’re the reason we met." I squeeze her hand. "You have to be there."
"Hold on, you met because of Phe?" Grace pounces on that.
"How did I not know this?" Zoey frowns.
“To be fair, I didn’t tell anyone else then.” I hedge around the truth. Not wanting to mention that meeting him had unsettled me so much, it took me years to make sense of it. That even then, I never forgot him.
"It was a one-night stand?" Zoey’s eyes light up eagerly.
She must think this is like something out of the spicy romance novels she edits. Sadly, she’s going to be disappointed.
"It was not a one-night stand."
All three seem taken aback.
"I shouldn’t speculate about my brother’s sex life—" Phe makes a face. "But for some reason, I assumed the two of you slept together that night after he took you home."
"We didn’t." I drain my glass, look around, and when I catch the eye of the waitstaff, ask them to bring me another. I’m feeling lightheaded. The consequence of drinking on an empty stomach.
But dammit, this is my bachelorette party, and I plan to celebrate.
"Go on, tell us what happened." Zoey leans forward and places her elbows on the table between us.
"Nothing much happened."
"Enough happened that you two picked up where you left off five years later. That’s a lot of time for the spark between you two to have lasted." Grace’s gaze sharpens.
I look around the bar, then at them. It’s safe to talk about that night. It’s not covered by the NDA.
"We spoke all night. He showed me some of his favorite parts of London. The conversation was easy. It felt like we were on the same wavelength. Like he understood me. You know how rare that is."
All three nod.
"The number of dates I’ve been on where it’s clear within five minutes that the guy and I have nothing common…" Zoey tosses her head. "What you had with James seems like the stuff of dreams."
“It was like…” I gaze into the distance, reaching back to that night. “Like we were moving to music only we could hear. As if the world had faded away, and it was just the two of us there. Like we’re breathing the same air, moving to the same beat, without even trying.”
Even now, the emotions from how I felt that night crowd my throat. I swallow and look away.
“I’ve never felt anything like it with anyone else. Like I’d found my…soulmate.”
Zoey sighs. "That’s so romantic."
Phe smiles at me with stars in her eyes. No doubt, she’s thinking how lucky James and I are to have met each other. And congratulating herself for having introduced us.