Chapter 18
Eighteen
Jasmin
What the hell is going on? Parker is staring at me with wide eyes. I heard parts of the interaction between him and this woman. He did everything he could to politely get her to back down. She didn’t.
So, what if this relationship isn’t real? I’m not a fan of someone trying to get with my guy. Especially when he’s tried to turn her down.
I almost didn’t stop by on my way out. Something told me I should.
Call it a gut feeling. There’s also another emotion I can’t quite pin down.
Is it jealousy? I’ve never really felt it toward anyone so I’m not sure if that’s what this is.
But I do know I don’t like this woman trying to get as close as possible to Parker.
“Hey, babe.” I wave and move toward him. He’s behind the counter, and I’m not sure if I’m allowed back there, but right now…I don’t care.
I round the corner, wrap my arms around his waist and give him a quick peck on the cheek. If this doesn’t give this woman back off vibes, I don’t know what will.
“Hey.” He pulls me closer to him, solidifying my role in his life. The look of disgust on this woman’s face is priceless.
“You could have told me you had a girlfriend.” She bites out.
“I did.” His thumb caresses the sliver of skin between my shirt and shorts. “Is there anything else you needed for your event?”
“No.” With that she turns around and heads back to the patio. She brushes past Piper and clips her shoulder.
As soon as the patio door is closed, Piper laughs and makes her way toward us. “Jasmin, you are my hero.”
“Why?”
“That woman is awful. She’s been a pain since she booked her friend’s baby shower with us.”
“Does that include hitting on Parker?” I don’t know what makes me ask the question, but I do. A part of me needs to know how much of a threat this woman is. Even if I’m sure I shut it down completely.
“Yep.” Piper nods and Parker groans. “But don’t worry, he’s shown zero interest in her. I think that was my first clue there was someone in the picture.”
“Okay, Piper, you don’t need to describe my previous dating habits.” It’s not a shock to me. He told me he was a serial dater. I was too.
The only difference is that now he sounds embarrassed by it. Not like he did the night we met. When both of us were sure we would never see each other again.
“It’s fine. I know about his past.” I squeeze his arm. “All that matters is now.”
When I glance over at him, he’s staring at me with pure adoration.
We’re most definitely blurring the lines.
But I don’t think either of us really cares.
But I know we aren’t voicing it either. We’re living in our happy bubble of delusion and will deal with the fallout after the wedding. At least, that’s my plan.
“Are you about to head out?” Parker whispers in my ear. His sister is watching us, and if she’s anything like my sister, she’s already planning our future.
“Yeah. Daniela wants to go over some wedding stuff and I need to get ready for the week.” It’s part of my weekend routine and if I skip it, the entire week feels off. I learned that during my brief stint with unemployment.
“I’ll walk you out to your car.” He moves his hand to mine. “Piper, can you handle the shower for a few minutes?”
“Yep. I want to see how pissy Nicole is.” The cheshire grin on her face is scary. From my brief interactions with her, I have a feeling she’s going to rub it in as much as she can. “Oh, before I forget, you should totally come to our next game night. I think we’re having one this next weekend.”
“I’ll check my schedule. I know we’re supposed to shop for bridesmaid dresses soon. Plus, I have to figure out what else my sister needs me to do.” I have a sneaking suspicion she’s found other things she wants me to take care of.
How do people manage work, events, and having a relationship? Even if it’s not real, I feel like we need to take time to make it believable. Besides, I look forward to spending time with Parker. It’s the only time my life feels easy.
“Awesome. If not, no worries. We have them all the time. I can’t wait for the rest of the family to meet you. They’re going to love you.”
“Sounds good.” The words are forced past the lump in my throat. The more people we meet in each other’s families means the more this will hurt in the end.
“See you later, Jasmin.” Piper waves at me. “Parker, don’t take too long. I can’t guarantee I won’t end up fighting this woman.”
“Don’t do anything like that. Not all press is good. Remember that.” He points a finger at his sister before pulling me around the counter and toward the entrance.
“Your sister seems to like to make things messy.” My voice is low as we head to the door.
“She really doesn’t like this woman. Not that I blame her. She’s a pain in the ass.”
The sun is bright as he opens the door and I shield my eyes. It’s already getting hot early in the day. It’ll be brutal for the wedding in a little over a month. Oh my God it’s coming up quick and we still have so much to do.
“I can tell.” I laugh. “She seemed like a very unpleasant person.”
“She is. If we weren’t just now expanding into this area, I wouldn’t have accepted it.”
He finds my car at the end of the row. It’s a wonder I didn’t have to park further away. “Thank you for last night.”
“You’re welcome. I had a lot of fun. Did you?”
“Yes! I haven’t had so much fun since I was a kid. It was nice to get a break from being an adult. Besides I feel like adulting is overrated.”
“It totally is.” He laughs.
“You would be the one to say that.” A deep voice sounds from behind us and Parker’s entire stance stiffens.
“Hey, Pierce.” He gives him an awkward wave. “This is my girlfriend, Jasmin.”
“You’re the one I’ve been hearing whispers about.” He holds out his hand to shake mine and I take it. “I didn’t believe it at first.”
“That’s me. Nice to meet you.” I give his hand a quick shake and pull mine back. He seems like he’s in a bad mood and I’d rather not prolong this interaction.
“Parker, isn’t there an event you’re supposed to be overseeing?” He narrows his eyes at his little brother.
“Yeah. Piper’s covering for me while I walk Jasmin to her car.” I hate that Pierce makes Parker feel so small. Gone is the boyish charm, and I miss it.
I may be the oldest of my siblings, but I don’t belittle them. They know I’ve got their back no matter what. Even when they’re annoying or I don’t agree with their actions. I’m their support.
“Don’t take too long.” He turns his attention toward me. “I guess we’ll be seeing you at game night? I actually got an invite this time.”
Parker rolls his eyes. “You almost always get an invite, you never show up. Forgive us for not wasting our breath telling you to come when it won’t change the outcome.”
This is getting intense. I don’t want my interaction with Parker to be overshadowed by this.
“I’ll be there if I can. I have wedding stuff to help my sister with.” I give him a quick wave to let him know this conversation is now over. I may not have any authority here, but I know how to shut down a conversation. “I’ll see you later, Parker.”
“I’ll call you when I get off later tonight. Have fun wedding planning.” His entire body relaxes and I know his brother has left the area. Now, I understand why they have animosity for him. He’s not pleasant.
I give him a quick kiss before getting into my car. Seeing Pierces behavior makes me want to be a better sister. But I still hope to make Parker see his brother differently. Something clearly happened to make him bitter.
“I can’t believe Mom didn’t give you crap about not coming home last night.” Daniela is sitting on my bed, scrolling through her phone.
“Seriously? You’re almost never home.” I shake my head as I lay out the clothes I’m wearing to the office this week. “We’re adults, she isn’t dumb.”
“I guess. You’re just her perfect daughter, I figured she’d lose it.” She giggles. I’m not sure why she’s under the illusion I’m the perfect daughter. Not when she dotes on her and Adam. I’m the child that gets things done.
“Or, she’s hoping to marry me off next.”
“Probably.” She holds her phone screen in my face. “Look at this one.”
It’s a God awful yellow dress with more ruffles than should be legal. “I am not wearing that.”
“Fine.” She groans. “Want to go look at dresses over the weekend? I also want to get you and the girls together for a night out. Not a bachelorette party or anything, but a nice dinner.”
“You don’t want a party?”
“Not the kind most of them want. They mentioned a strip club. I don’t have a problem with it, but it’s not my cup of tea.
” She sighs and lays back on my bed, causing my pile of clothes to fall over.
“If we do anything, I’d rather go dancing.
And definitely not the night before the wedding.
Puffy eyes on my big day is not the look I want. ”
Look at my baby sister being smart about how she’s planning this whole thing out. As much as I don’t want to hang out with her friends more than necessary, I’ll do it for her.
“Dancing sounds fun.” It’s fitting because we used to dance together all the time at family parties when we were younger. It seems a fitting way to celebrate her next adventure in life. “Is there anything else we need to do for the wedding? It’s coming up quick.”
“Not that I can think of. Whoopsie Daisy is taking care of the bouquets and all that. Plus, the flower arrangements for the reception. I talked to a wedding planner at the festival and she hooked me up with sheer canopies for the ceremony.”
“Sounds like you and Jacob got a lot handled over the weekend.” A small pang of hurt hits me in the stomach. As much as I complain about taking care of the details, it feels weird not being needed. Is this what it’ll be like when both of them are off living their lives?
“Yep. We just need the table layout so we can figure out where people are sitting.”
“Have a lot of people already sent their RSVP? I don’t remember seeing you mail anything out.”
“We did it digitally. It’s easier for us to manage that way.”
“I didn’t get one.”
“Because we know you’ll be there. But I’ll share the link with you so you can save the photo we used. Oh, I want to do my bridal pictures in a couple of weeks. Are you available? I’m doing them in Asheville.”
“I didn’t even know you picked out a dress.” How could she not include me in that?
“I’ve tried a few on, but I’ve narrowed it down to three. Next Sunday I want to take you and Mom to lunch so you can be the deciding factors.”
“So, dress shopping and dinner on Saturday then lunch on Sunday?”
“Yep. I would never get my dress without you and Mom there. The two of you will be honest and not send me down the aisle in a catastrophe.”
I smile. “You’ve got that right. I can’t wait.” Picking up my phone, I make note of the dates. “I’ll call Parker tomorrow about the table set up. Do we want to go ahead and schedule out the rest of the things so we aren’t scrambling?”
That’s how we spend the rest of the night. Making plans for the rest of the month. Now I can find pockets of time to see Parker.