20. Cherise #2
“Well, hopefully the wine tasting later is a little more organized than brunch.” She smiled over her glass. ”Some of us are better with structure.”
The table went quiet for a second. That still tight moment where everyone was pretending not to be listening but absolutely was.
I turned toward her, slow and calm.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize you needed a script to keep up. Want me to draw you some cue cards? Maybe add a few doodles on them so you’d understand.” I batted my lashes at her.
Greg coughed, mouth opening, then shutting again.
Savannah stirred her mimosa with her penis straw. “Just saying, things feel a little… chaotic.”
Leo cleared his throat. “I, for one, appreciate the unhinged energy. Makes life interesting.”
I turned to him with a smirk. “Aw, look at my emotional support staff showing up for me.”
He raised his mimosa in salute.
Chelsea rolled her eyes. “Savannah, it’s a bridal brunch. Not a board meeting.”
Savannah gave that tight little backhanded smile she always wore when she was two seconds from saying something fake and shady.
“Just making an observation. If I were the maid of honor,” she said as she lifted up a twerking bobble doll, “it would have been a little more… tasteful, that’s all.”
I let out a slow breath, voice velvet smooth.
“Savannah, sweetheart. That is exactly why no one wants you to be their maid of honor… You would bore them to death.”
Every fork at the table dropped—including Savannah’s.
“Oop,” Chelsea coughed into her mimosa.
I sipped my drink. “You start it, I for damn sure am going to finish it. Don’t come for me if you don’t want your feelings hurt.”
Savannah’s smile froze, tight and plastic.
This bitch chose violence. My favorite game to play.
I leaned toward Leo, lowering my voice. “Observation, huh? Someone should tell her that Botox doesn’t stop her jealousy from showing.”
Leo huffed out a quiet laugh, but instead of adding fuel, his fingers brushed lightly against mine under the table.
“Or…” he murmured, voice low enough just for me, “you could let her keep embarrassing herself without your help.”
I snapped my head toward him.
He met my eyes, calm. Steady. He wasn’t trying to judge or shut me up—just…offering me a way out.
“She’s not worth your peace, Cherise. This brunch is amazing. You don’t need to prove anything to her.”
My grip tightened slightly around my glass.
Because that—
That was new.
Most people either hyped me up or tried to tone me down. Leo did neither. He just…stood there, like a quiet anchor in the middle of my storm, reminding me I didn’t have to fight every battle thrown my way.
For a second, I considered it.
Then Savannah opened her mouth again.
…Yeah. No.
I leaned back in my chair, a slow smile spreading across my lips. “You know what?” I said lightly, tapping my glass. “You’re right.”
Leo’s brows lifted slightly, surprised.
I turned my attention back to Leo.
My calm. My constance.
Ignoring Savannah completely because I was not going to allow her to ruin this for me.
Greg cleared his throat as loudly as a teacher trying to settle a chaotic classroom.
“So anyway. Who else saw that wild sea turtle on the beach this morning? The thing was huge. Prehistoric huge. I thought it was a prop.”
Eric gave him a side-eye. “Really, bro? That’s what you're going with?”
“Just trying to steer the conversation back to nature and good vibes.” Greg held up his mimosa as a peace offering. “Nothing says wedding week like endangered wildlife, am I right?”
Chelsea's brow quirked up. “No…no, you’re not.”
Grace giggled. “Leave Greg alone. At least he’s trying.”
“Thank you, Grace. Tough crowd, I guess.”
Brunch finally quieted down as we dove into our dishes.
Leo had just taken a bite of his macadamia nut pancakes when he caught me eyeing his plate.
“You like what you see?” he asked.
“Why does yours look better than mine?” I asked, already reaching with my fork.
He quickly shifted the plate away. “Ask nicely.”
I batted my lashes. “Derrick, babe, best boyfriend ever, giver of orgasms, may I please try your pancakes?” I asked with every inch of sarcasm I could muster up.
“You forgot sexiest man alive, but that will do.” He grinned, cut a piece, and lifted it toward my mouth.
I opened my lips and wrapped them around his fork. Syrup spilled down the side of my lip when he removed it. As his finger brushed my bottom lip to brush it off, I made a show of sucking it into my mouth with a slow, sultry pull.
His entire body stilled.
Across the table, Grace and Tessa were deep in conversation, and Greg was still rambling about the turtle. No one was paying attention.
I released Leo's finger.
“That was… unnecessary.” He swallowed.
I smirked, leaning close enough to whisper, “Tell that to your rapidly derailing self-control.”
He looked at me with a glare that said brunch was officially over, and the only thing on the menu was me.
“Mimosas were a mistake,” he muttered, but he was already leaning closer, eyes dropping to my mouth again.
“Big mistake,” I agreed, licking syrup off my lip with a slow grin. “Huge.”
“Cherise.” His voice dipped. “You’ve got to stop looking at me like that, unless you are ready to end brunch early.”
I shrugged, mock-innocent. “I’m full, aren’t you?”
His laugh was low, rough, and curled through me. I felt it in places that should have been dormant during daylight hours.
“Starving, actually. Which gives me plenty of room to finish this brunch,” he said, lifting another bite of pancake into his mouth. “And finish you later.”
Oh shit, ok. Smooth, Leo. Real smooth.
I turned back toward my plate with a smirk. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
“Please do.”