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“Yeah, well, no small animals were harmed, and no embarrassing information shared, so I guess we could call it a win.”
He grinned. “Do you have a minute to talk?”
I couldn’t do this. Not right now. Not at the wedding in front of a bunch of people and definitely not after my revelation. Luckily, I was saved by the bell, in the form of Brian’s mother.
“Mark, can we get pictures of you and Josh with the groom, please?”
He appeared hesitant to leave my side, but I took the out and encouraged him. “Go on.”
I stood watching for a few minutes while the three college friends stood for pictures, and then I walked toward the bar. I needed a few minutes of alone time with two cocktails. Slipping out of the ballroom while everyone was busy doing pictures was easy. Luckily, I found the women’s lounge upstairs. Gotta love a country club because it wasn’t merely a bathroom, but a full-out lady’s lounge, complete with plush sofas. Perfect.
Unfortunately, I hadn’t even taken a first sip before the door opened. I was unsure about the etiquette of downing two martinis in the ladies’ room but wasn’t sure I cared. Bracing myself to smile at the stranger, I was surprised to see it was Sasha.
“Oh, thank God it’s you.”
She flopped down next to me in her beautiful designer wedding gown. “That’s my line. I need a moment away from my new mother-in-law. Hey, do you have an extra?” She was eyeing my second martini.
Because I loved her and she was the bride, I handed it over. “Here you go. What happened?”
“Nothing major. But you know me with people. I just needed a little break, and then I’ll go back. Brian is out smoking cigars with his friends on the balcony, so it’s the perfect time. Loved your speech, by the way. And I want a copy of that photo from the slideshow. It was such a shock to see us from so many years ago.”
“Ha. Well, then, you’ll be happy with your wedding gift.” I’d framed it for them.
“You doing okay?”
Nope. But there was no way I was going to unload on her even a little bit on her wedding day. “Yeah. Everything is good.”
She quirked a brow. “As in hiding-in-the-ladies’-room-with-two-martinis good?”
I laughed, about to make some sort of joke, when the door opened again. We both were relieved to see Catherine come in, looking gorgeous in a stunning blue dress.
“What are you girls up to?” She eyed our glasses.
“Hiding from my mother-in-law. Juliette supplied the martini.”
She laughed and took a seat on the sofa across from us. “I love these shoes, but they’re killing my feet. And since Will is out smoking cigars with the guys, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to take a break.”
“I’ll text Kenzie to bring backup drinks. Come to think of it, she should just bring the bottle.” Sasha grabbed my phone.
I clinked my glass with hers as that sounded like a fine idea. I would return to the reception in a few minutes, but this was nice, hanging out with just the girls.
Haylee and Kenzie must’ve thought so, too, because they snuck in not only a bottle of vodka and another of champagne, but also managed a tray of the chocolate-covered strawberries.
All of us girls hung out for the next fifteen minutes until there was a knock on the door. We all looked at one another, wondering who could it be. Finally, Kenzie got up to answer.
I heard Mark’s voice. “Is Juliette in there?”
Kenzie opened the door wide enough for me to see him. “Yep. Uh, do you want us to give you a few minutes?”
He smiled at her gratefully. “Yes, if that’s okay?”
Sasha stood up. “Perfect timing, actually. Break time is over. I should get back.”
I watched wordlessly while my friends filed out, all giving small smiles. Kenzie was the exception, asking, “Did I miss something?”
Yeah, good question. When I got to my feet, I realized that three drinks in a short amount of time had me a bit tipsy. Given past experience, this probably didn’t bode well.
Once we were alone, he shut the door and moved in front of me. “Hi.”
