Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Kate
Penny and Logan return to the living room with platters of food in the nick of time, saving me from having to come up with a response to Tucker’s version of last night. He didn’t really cut out while I was in the bathroom. He thought I left him hanging.
I don’t know how to respond to that.
I don’t know if I should respond.
No. That’s not true. I know I should avoid the subject of last night at all costs.
I know who he is now. He’s J.T. Gibbs. Serially single.
He loves them and leaves them, is never settling down, and has been unequivocally marked off-limits by my best friend. Penny knows him. The real Tucker.
And I can’t let him charm the pants off me, figuratively or literally. Right?
“No,” Penny barks, and for a split-second, I think she’s developed some seriously impressive mind-reading skills.
But when I look over, I see her swatting at Logan’s hand as he tries to snag a handful of candy from the M&M bowl. His fingers wrap around her wrist as she swats again, lifting her knuckles to his lips for a sweet kiss before holding the hand hostage there and using his free hand to steal more candy.
Penny smiles through her attempt to look stern, and it’s so full of love and devotion, my heart hitches in my chest. Filled mostly with happiness for them but with the slightest twinge of jealousy, I watch them playfully squabble as I pick up the sub sandwich from my plate and take a small bite.
Will I ever have what Penny has? Will anyone ever love me as much as Logan does her?
Hell, at this point, I’d settle for a fraction of that.
I shake my head at the errant thought, mentally chastising myself. I will not settle. If I can’t find real love with someone who makes my blood sing, then I’ll just be single forever. It’s not so bad. Really .
I have a home, a business I love, and the best friend a girl could ask for. It’s enough.
It might have to be.
Without my permission, my gaze shoots to Tucker. I’m startled a bit when I find him staring right back at me, like he was watching me while I wasn’t paying attention. I hold the gaze for several long beats, but he doesn’t look away. In the end, I’m the one who breaks, pretending to turn my attention to my food before plucking a potato chip from my plate and nibbling on it.
Images of last night streak through my mind like lightning, and I don’t even try to fight it. The smiles. The laughter. His impressive show of chivalry when he threw that little weasel Alex out of the bar for insulting me.
The almost-kiss I’m eighty-four percent sure would’ve happened if I hadn’t rushed off to check my breath.
Why was I so worried, anyway? Tucker was eating and drinking the same as me, so we would’ve tasted and smelled the same to each other, right? It could’ve been––
No. Stop it, Kate.
I’ve already decided the comedy of errors that played out was a good thing. I can’t be kissing or doing anything else with the best man. Not only could it cause possible drama for Penny’s wedding, but J.T. Gibbs is a one-way ticket to Heartbreaksville.
Unless I go into it knowing it’s going nowhere…
“Kate, can you help me in the kitchen, please?”
Penny’s voice snaps me out of the dangerous train of thought, and even though I’ve barely started eating, I push myself up, leaving the boys to our makeshift picnic on the living room floor to follow her into the other room.
I’m bracing myself for her to call me out for fantasizing about Tucker––because obviously, she is a mind-reader––but she only looks worried as she takes my hands and pulls me close so I can hear her whispered words.
“I’m worried about you and J.T. being paired up for the games. I can switch things up. You can be partners with Sam this week. ”
I think about it for a moment, then shake my head. We spent so many hours planning out the week of fun and games, and I refuse to let her stir things up now, at the eleventh hour. I’m the maid of honor. He’s the best man. We should be partners.
“It’s fine,” I whisper back. “I talked to him, and he didn’t actually leave.”
“What?”
“He got a phone call while I was in the bathroom, and he stepped out onto the patio to take it. When he came back inside, Jasper told him I left, so he spent the whole night thinking I’d run out on him. It was a big misunderstanding.”
“That’s even worse,” she exclaims a little too loudly, and I shush her before looking over my shoulder to make sure the guys aren’t coming in to see what’s wrong.
“Sorry,” she says when I look back at her, lowering her voice back to an acceptable whisper. “But that is even worse. Now you don’t have a reason to be angry with him. There’s no protection from his…his hot boy sexy magic.”
“Hot boy sexy magic?” I repeat back to her, my voice tinged with laughter.
She shakes off my humor, not even cracking a smile when she replies, “You know what I’m talking about, Kate.”
I sober. “I do know. Consider me fully informed and on-guard. Really, Pen, it’s fine. I’ll be okay. Besides, I actually like him, and I think we’ll have fun together this week.”
Her gaze grows even more worried, so I place my hands on her shoulders. I stare into her eyes and make sure she’s paying attention as I clarify, whispering, “As friends. That’s all. I promise.”
“You promise?” she asks, hope and fear warring in her eyes.
I hold up one palm like I’m swearing in a court of law. “Consider me warned and fully armored against any and all hot boy magic, sexy or otherwise.”
“You say that now,” she says, a chagrined look on her face, “but I’ve seen it in action. Logan is the love of my life, and even I’ve found myself swooning a bit when J.T. sets his full attention on seducing someone.”
“Shut up,” I scoff. “You have not.”
She rolls her eyes. “Fine. You’re right, but it’s still a sight to behold. He’s like a seduction wizard, or something.”
“You’re ridiculous,” I say with a quiet chuckle, and she just stares at me, blank-faced.
“Just promise me, Kate. If you find yourself slipping, come to me, first. Give me a chance to talk you out of it before you make any life-changing decisions.”
Life-changing decisions?
Oh. She means… that .
“Done,” I say firmly. “I promise. No life-altering decisions without your input, first.”
“Thank you,” she says, the tension melting out of her.
We head back to the living room with a bag of chips we don’t actually need––we did need a plausible reason to be in the kitchen, and it’s the best we could come up with. Why would Penny need my help grabbing a bag of chips? It’s a flawed plan, but the guys don’t blink an eyelash when we return with the lame excuse.
Good men.
They know when to let it go, and that’s an important life skill to hone when it comes to dealing with Penny and me.
The doorbell rings, and Logan hops up to go answer it before any of the rest of us can react. The silence is thick between the three of us after he goes, and before I can think of something to say to break the tension, Logan reappears, the rest of the wedding party trailing behind him into the room.
Blaine, Logan’s sister and the only other bridesmaid, immediately hones in on Tucker as she enters the room, ignoring the rest of us. Plopping down beside him, she leans in for a hug with half-mast eyes and a seductive smile. Tucker hugs her, as expected, then disentangles himself before discreetly scooching a few inches away from her.
Interesting .
Blaine is a beautiful woman, pleasing in every way. Gorgeous, with the same blonde hair and blue eyes her brother inherited from their mother, though Blaine brightens her long, wavy hair with subtle highlights. She also has an amazing body, with curves in all the right places, a tiny waist, and sun-kissed skin.
Men fawn over Blaine, yet Tucker looks distinctly uncomfortable as she fawns over him like there’s no one else in the room.
Very interesting.
“Hey, Kate.”
I look over as Sam, Logan’s friend and the second groomsmen, sits down in the empty spot between me and Penny. Sam’s a good guy, usually smiling, and always friendly. He’s got real “golden retriever” energy, that one, and a boyish grin that’s made more than a few hearts flutter around town.
“Hey, Sam,” I say, offering him a genuine smile. “Are you ready for the festivities this week?”
His eyes dart toward Blaine and tense for an instant before his familiar smile takes over and he rubs his palms together. “Sure am. Should be fun.”
I look back over at Blaine and Tucker, and she’s in the process of scooting toward him, determined not to let him have the space he so obviously desires. He looks distinctly uncomfortable while Blaine looks a little too comfortable.
Like being close to him is something she’s all too familiar with, and she wants more.
Have they ever…?
Penny clears her throat, snagging my attention before I can finish the thought. Everyone else looks her way, too, and though the sound she made was for me, alone, she recovers quickly, offering the whole group a wide smile.
“Welcome to our wedding week, everyone,” she says without missing a beat while sliding her hand into Logan’s. “We have a lot of fun and games planned for the week, and the business owners of Bush Monkey have donated some awesome prizes for the winners. We’ll be competing in teams.”
“I want to be––” Blaine starts, but Penny cuts her off before she can finish.
“The teams are me and Logan, of course, and Kate’s with J.T., leaving Blaine and Sam.”
“Great,” Sam murmurs under his breath, and I fight to keep a straight face.
I feel the stinging heat of a thousand suns against my cheek, and I glance over to see Blaine glaring at me. I swear to God, her blue eyes flash green for a moment. Tucker, who was looking at me, too, must see something in my face, because he whips his head toward Blaine. The blonde’s expression morphs into a serene smile so fast, there’s no way Tucker caught the glare she was drilling into me.
And, oh shit, she’s jealous of me .
This is an unexpected turn of events.
Am I a bad person that I don’t hate it? No one has ever been jealous of me. Not that I’m aware of, anyway. It feels…good.
That’s it. I am a terrible person.
Hell, maybe I should suggest trading. Sam is a good guy, we get along well, and we’d have fun this week together. Letting Blaine have Tucker as her partner would keep her happy, too, and a happy Blaine is a less dramatic one.
I sneak a peek at Tucker, and he’s staring a warning at me like he’s read my thoughts. A slight shake of his head proves it, and I give him a shallow nod. And then I proceed to ignore the heat of joy streaking through me as he slowly scoots away from Blaine and closer to me.
“Today’s game is a scavenger hunt,” Logan says. “The staff at the Grill came up with lists of objects to find and typed up pages of clues. Each team gets a different list so we’re not all looking for the same objects. We’ll take pictures of each item, and whichever couple completes the list first wins a free dinner at Miguel’s Cantina tonight––donated by Miguel, himself––while the other two couples have to serenade them karaoke-style.”
A chorus of groans rings around the room at that last bit, making me smile. The karaoke part was my idea. Free dinner is great, but free entertainment courtesy of embarrassing cover songs?
Classic.
I chance a glance at Tucker, and his determined grin sends a thrill shooting through me. I knew he was competitive after our Jeopardy! war last night. He might even be as competitive as me .
Perfect.
Let’s do this.