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Her hand limply drops from mine. “Nope.”
I nod. Probably best not to egg her on. She and Beau have been best friends since we were kids. She grew up in the same cul-de-sac as us, and they were inseparable from day one. My other brothers, Thomas and Jason, became friends with her brothers, Kenny and Prescott, which left me as the tagalong. As the youngest, that’s to be expected though.
I feel protective of Marley, like she’s my little sister, even though she’s older than me by two years. I also have a very strong reason to believe she’s in love with my brother, Beau, but she’ll never say anything about it. I’ve been trying to pound it into Beau’s head for the last couple of years that he should give it a shot with her, but he always shuts me down. “I don’t want to ruin our friendship.” and “There’s no way she has feelings for me.”
So yeah, the mutual pining and mutual bullshit is pretty fucking annoying, but I’m sure they will find their way to each other eventually.
“I gotta take a leak before the ceremony. You need anything?” I ask, putting on my big brother hat for a moment.
“Nope. Keep an eye out for an email with the forms though, okay?” She stares me down, letting me know how serious she is.
“You got it, lil sis.”
“Not your sister,” she grumbles as I let the door to the bathroom fall shut behind me.
“You will be someday,” I say under my breath.
On the way out of the bathroom, I stop by the reception hall. Josie is practically skipping around the room, setting full vases on each and every table. The head table where we will sit has a beautiful arrangement of flowers lining the front of the table, and some draped over the shimmering white tablecloth.
Her hair is a bit of a haphazard mess. It looks like she tried to put it up in one of those alligator clips, or what do they call them? Crocodile clips? Whatever, I can’t remember. But half of her red hair falls out around her face, the other sticking straight up like the feathers of a turkey. Or maybe a peacock. They’re more majestic.
I watch her for a moment as she sets another vase on a table, then fiddles with a few flowers until they are in the perfect spot. She’s in the right profession. She has an impeccable eye for detail, and it’s clear she’s been doing this for a long time. If she’s stressed, she doesn’t show it. The only reason I would guess she’s under any pressure is due to her peacock hair. But that could be from her moving around so much.
I stride over to her, shoving my hands in my pockets. “Hey, you,” I say, catching her attention.
She looks up, eyes widening when she sees me. “Is the ceremony already over? There’s no way?” She starts muttering to herself, digging around for her phone in the pockets of her leggings.
“No.” I reach out my hand to stop her, resting it on her forearm. The instant tension that rolls through my body almost makes me choke on my words. “I was just checking in. We still have about fifteen minutes before it starts. You’re good.”
“Thank god.”
“So, are things going okay? Need anything?” Please need my help.
Josie shakes her head, already shifting her attention back to the bouquet. “Nope, things are actually going really well.” Dammit. She puts her hands on her hips as she moves her eyes across the room, taking in her handiwork.
“You say that as if you’re surprised,” I state.
“Well, it is my first solo wedding, so yeah, I am a little surprised.” Josie shrugs.
“Wait, this is your first wedding?” I ask, completely flabbergasted.
“Not ever. I was an assistant for a while so I’ve done quite a few weddings, but never on my own. You couldn’t tell? I feel like I’m a disaster.”
“Not in the slightest. I could have sworn you’ve been doing this for years.”
“Nope.” She shakes her head. “I opened my business about six months ago, and I’ve never done an event, only special occasion bouquets, or a funeral here and there.”
“Wow…” I breathe. “You’re incredible.”
Josie clams up, her jaw tightening. “Thanks.”
“I mean it, you really are amazing, Josie. You have real talent.”
“Thanks, that’s kind of you,” she says, her cheeks flushing slightly at my compliment. I can see the subtle signs that she’s trying to get back to work.
“I’ll leave you to it, but if you need something, anything,” I reiterate, “grab one of the managers, they are all super nice, and willing to help.”
She nods again, and I grit my teeth as I turn away from her. I can’t catch a vibe with her. I don’t want to flirt and make her uncomfortable, but I also don’t want her to get away. There’s this increasing tension I feel toward her every moment I spend with her, and I don’t want to lose it. I consider turning around and asking for her number, maybe asking her out, but I stop myself. The more I think about it, the more I realize she probably has a boyfriend. There’s no way she doesn’t. I mean, seriously, she’s incredible. Utterly gorgeous, sweet as can be, and owns her own business? Yeah, her boyfriend is a lucky man.
