Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
June
I should have let that woman hit me with her car. At this point, it would have felt better being one with the pavement than listening to this bullshit.
I was about to throw Bridezilla’s bouquet straight into the trash.
“I told you that I wanted pink roses. These aren’t pink. These are almost white, and they’re not at all what I imagined.”
Brittany stomped around the courtyard at Whynot Stay, but I kept my smile pinned in place. Set up was mostly finished for her wedding tomorrow and the roses had been delivered.
They were pink.
Not only were they pink, I’d taken the time to shade match the roses to the invitations Brittany had forced her mother-in-law with arthritis to spend six hours hand addressing with a gold ink quill pen.
I’d even pulled some strings to get these exact roses delivered out into the middle of nowhere, which was far more impressive than anyone ever gave me credit for.
I’d ensured everything would be perfect, because if I did it, it had to be the best.
Brittany was officially on my shit list. It was too early for this sort of behavior.
My coffee hadn’t even kicked in yet, I’d nearly been taken out by a stranger, and I’d hardly slept last night.
The sun was barely up over Whynot, but Brittany demanded the team be here the day before so that she could ensure everything was to her vision.
Thank god for the maid of honor.
The rings beneath her eyes were deep, poor girl. I hoped, for her sake, that the makeup artist had brought a metric ton of concealer because everyone in the wedding party was looking a little ragged.
Anne rolled her shoulders and offered me an apologetic look. “The roses are beautiful, Brittany is just a nightmare right now. Sorry. I knew I shouldn’t have let her have that energy drink this morning.”
She turned her focus to her friend. Or maybe soon to be ex-friend. I would have already left by now, but Evie and Avery would never behave this way.
I didn’t say anything, but did keep my customer service smile from curling into a smirk as Anne grabbed Brittany’s arm and dragged her off.
“What? This is a problem,” Brittany growled. “I wanted pink.”
“They are pink, Brit,” Anne insisted. “They’re fucking pink.”
“They’re not what I was promised and this smiling bitch is not helping—”
“Brittany.”
Her curses about me and the roses carried through the courtyard, earning glances from the folks working tirelessly to execute her budget Pinterest vision.
“Fuck me,” I sighed, letting the smile drop.
I needed to massage my cheek muscles after that.
This was the last time I was doing a friend of Evie’s a favor.
I’d even given them a friends and family discount, but I was about to tack on a fee just for being a bitch.
I understood that weddings were stressful and sometimes couples got anxious, but I was not a punching bag.
If anything, I’d do the punching. It wouldn’t be the first time I wrestled with a bride.
Raking my fingers through my hair, I tucked the bouquet under my arm. Would insurance cover it if my floral shop happened to catch fire and turn every rose to ash? Probably not.
Rows of chairs created an aisle in the middle of the courtyard behind the hotel.
Like the porch, it wrapped around the entire building, offering plenty of space for events like this one.
I’d lost count of how many times I’d stood here in my life for birthdays, funerals, weddings, baby showers, and everything in between.
Then again, Whynot Stay was really the only venue in town that could host this many people aside from the high school gym, football field, or a church.
I wove through people, half-decorated tables, and stacks of folded chairs, making my way toward the front of the hotel and the courtyard. My steps slowed as a familiar voice rose, low and rough and sending a shiver down my spine.
Fuck. I froze in place, hiding behind the fountain at the center as I spotted him.
Him and . . . her?
My heart launched to my throat as Dallas Whynot opened his truck door for the woman I’d seen in the death cab earlier.
This time, I really got to see her. Dark hair, long legs, and fuck. She was stunning.
Who was she? I’d never seen her before. I knew everyone in our little town, which meant she was a guest. And a terrible driver.
Dallas opened the iron gate into the courtyard for her, their voices warm and friendly. I spun around and clutched the bouquet to my chest, my cheeks hot as they walked by. Maybe he wouldn’t notice me and I could quietly slip away without being perceived—
“Hey you,” Dallas called.
Shit. I suddenly wished I could turn into a rock and get lost in the cobblestones.
I turned around slowly, offering them both a smile.
“Hi,” I said.
The woman’s blue eyes immediately widened. Her cheeks turned pink as she stared. Did I look that bad?
Between Dallas and her, I didn’t know what to say, so I went with the first thing that came to mind. “Beware of the bride.”
Dallas’s dark brows raised. It was one of my favorite expressions he made. Soft amusement, a little perplexed, a hint of concern. He was always quiet and steady. Patient. Kind. Too kind really, it was annoying.
His biceps bulged as he hoisted the suitcase and duffle bag into his arms. I wasn’t the only one staring at him, she was too.
“Jeez. That bad?” he asked.
“Yeah . . .” I trailed off. I had run out of words. That always happened around him now. Nine months of tiptoeing.
“I’m so sorry I almost ran you over,” the woman blurted out.
Dallas’s head whipped between us. “What? When did that happen?”
“It’s nothing,” I said. “Don’t worry about it.”
Her face was brighter than a fresh sunburn. “I really love your hair.”
“Thank you.” Dammit. I couldn’t hold a grudge against her unbearably endearing awkwardness. Kill me now.
Dallas had soft eyes for her. “Okay, well, let’s get you inside, Madi. I know you’ve had a long day.”
Madi. A cute name said with a familiarity that had every alarm bell going off in my head.
Who was she?
Madi flashed me a nervous smile before following Dallas up the steps and to the front door of the hotel. The moment they disappeared inside, my shoulders sank.
I wanted to throw myself into the fountain.
It was an icky feeling. Dark and embarrassing. I had no right to feel jealous that Dallas was with someone. It was completely unreasonable, and yet I felt it ballooning in my chest, ready to pop at any second.
He was my best friend’s older brother. He was someone I’d known my entire life.
Dallas was four years older than me and I still remembered the first day I went home with Avery and met him.
I’d been seven. He was eleven. Back then, he’d been shy and quiet.
The quiet hadn’t changed much, but he certainly wasn’t shy anymore.
All of that awkwardness he’d embodied as a teen had rolled into something smooth and not boyish.
Although his smile hadn’t changed. He just had muscles now and had grown into his handsome jaw.
He’d seen me at my absolute worst and best and everything in between. From pimples to dyeing my hair fifty different colors to holding me as I sobbed on the floor at the Whynot house when my mother got rid of my cat.
Nineteen years, and I’d never blinked twice at him until that night.
“I wanted pink roses! Pink! Not this shade of pink!”
Shouts echoed from within the hotel. “Jesus Christ,” I whispered.
What now? What could possibly be happening now?
My attention shot to my left as I heard the click of heels on stone. Oh, fuck me. Brittany barreled straight for me like a bull in a pen.
What cosmic being had I offended? Today was turning out to be a hot pile of garbage.
It didn’t matter. I dropped the bouquet to the ground. She was fast, and I had two seconds to make a decision.
Was I taking my client out and putting her in a headlock, or was I taking a—
A tall, unyielding wall of muscle was suddenly between me and her. I collided with it, my hands curling into his shirt in surprise. My forehead knocked into his back and I scowled.
Damn, he’d moved fast.
Dallas Whynot, the man I’d definitely not just been thinking about, stood in front of me. He smelled like petrichor and something sweet, and his voice had a rich timbre as he spoke.
“If you lay one finger on June, you lose this venue for your wedding.”
My eyes bulged.
Admittedly, that was probably more effective than me whooping her ass.
“You can’t—”
“I can,” Dallas said firmly. I could feel how tense his back was.
I closed my eyes, trying not to think about how good it would feel to run my nails over his skin.
“This hotel belongs to the Whynot family. We do not tolerate physical confrontations of any kind. In fact, it’s in the contract that you and your fiancé signed.
If you have a problem, you handle it with respect and like a goddamn adult, or you find another place to get married. ”
My body was on fire. I forced my fingers to uncurl from Dallas’s shirt, painfully aware that everyone was staring.
All eyes were on me. On us.
There were a lot of things I was comfortable with, but being the center of attention was not one of them. That’s why I liked being a florist. The arrangements I put together were usually the focus in a room—not me.
Dallas slid his arm around me protectively. Brittany’s eyes were glassy like she was about to—oh, you’ve got to be kidding. I glanced up at Dallas in annoyance as she burst into tears, but he wasn’t folding. Anne immediately kept her from collapsing to the ground.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Whynot. Please forgive me,” Brittany sobbed.
“For fuck’s sake,” I muttered.
She shot me a look that was nastier than a snake bite, then went back to being the queen of ugly tears. Dallas still didn’t give in, though. Every muscle in his body was rigid, his arm around me. Too close. He was too damn close.
Just friends, just friends, just friends, that kiss meant nothing—
“You move fast,” I mumbled under my breath.
“Well, she went out the door, but she’s in heels. I’m in my boots and I’m a runner.” His voice had no amusement in it, his eyes burning a hole into the sobbing bride.
I always forgot he liked running until moments like this. Or when I’d see him jogging on the side of the road shirtless and shiny and—stop it. Bad girl.
“You okay? And what was that between you and Madi?”
“Don’t worry about it.” I stepped back from him. Distance. I needed distance and an exorcism on my horny spirit. “Speaking of, where’s your pretty friend? Did you ditch her?”
Dallas stooped over and swept the bouquet up, handing the bundle of flowers to me. “They’re checking her in. I think she’s ready to be in her room . . .” He trailed off, then tilted his head. “She is pretty, isn’t she?”
My heart skipped a beat. “She is. Is she your . . . ?”
Dallas cocked his head. “Is she my what, June?”
We stared at each other as I struggled to find the words. The way he said my name made me want to melt. He opened his mouth to speak again, but the maid of honor interrupted us.
“Sorry again,” Anne said. “Sorry. We’ll get her inside and out of the way.”
“Thanks.” Dallas rubbed the back of his neck as she dragged Brittany back into the hotel.
I didn’t envy anyone working the front desk right now.
“I’d say I feel sorry for the guy, but her fiancé is an asshole too.
Austin has been dealing with him. He told me they had a bachelor party last night and tried to hire strippers, but somehow ended up hiring our own Golden Girls? ”
“What?” I choked on a laugh. There was a small group of older women in Whynot that terrorized all of us. With love, mostly. But also sometimes by “accidentally” taking out a mailbox or fence or fire hydrant. “How the fuck did that happen?”
“I don’t know. Apparently Betty put an ad on Craigslist for fun.”
“People still use that?”
“I guess. All I know is that the fiancé was very unhappy when they showed up in bikinis.”
“Please tell me Austin got photos,” I laughed. “Oh god. I need them immediately.”
“If he didn’t, we all know Betty did.”
“Yeah, but she’d only give them in exchange for something like you mowing her dead lawn while shirtless.”
Dallas smirked. “There’s not much else to do here. I don’t blame them for causing trouble.”
“Me neither. But, this is the last time I’m doing something like this.” I shook my head. “Brittany is the worst bride ever.”
“You say that after every wedding,” he teased. “Every single bride is worse than the last.”
“Because they’re all awful. Love poisons their brains.”
The corner of his mouth tugged. “I thought you liked poison, considering all your tattoos.”
I crossed my arms, even though that did nothing to hide any of them. I had two full sleeves of drawings of poisonous plants and I loved them. I especially loved that almost everyone just thought they were pretty little flowers.
Dallas’s smile cracked wider. “I know, I know. You’d get married in all black and have someone giving out gothic flash tattoos as a requirement to attend, huh?”
He knew me way too well.
It was awful.
“It would be in our nuptials that my partner has to get a giant tattoo as well.”
“And what if they’re not a little masochist like you?”
Fuck me. He wasn’t supposed to know that about me. I gripped the bouquet hard enough I felt a thorn pressing against my finger. The biting pain grounded me. “Mind your business, Dallas Whynot. I’ve got to head back to the shop.” I needed to be anywhere but here, actually.
“I’ll see you around, Junebug.”
It was the most cursed nickname in the world. It used to be my favorite, especially coming from him. What used to be a source of comfort now felt like gasoline on an eternal flame.
“See you.”
His deep chuckle haunted me as I speed walked toward the gate, letting it swing shut behind me. I glanced both ways—I wasn’t trying to almost get run over again—then crossed the quiet street to Whynot Bloom.
My shop sat across from Avery’s gallery and the hotel, and was two doors down from Evie’s bakery. My personal little sliver of green paradise in the desert.
The only place that truly felt like home.
I unlocked the front door and slipped inside, immediately leaning back against the glass. Maybe it was just my lot in life to be cursed. Maybe this was karma for stepping on a bug by accident or something. I stayed in place until my heart rate dropped to normal and the sweat in my pits dried.
If only I didn’t want to sleep with my best friend’s older brother.
That would solve at least one of my problems.