He doesn’t take my dismissal well, and he grabs my arm at the same time I recoil from his touch.
“Oh, come on,” he says, his voice getting more slurred by the second. “Let me buy you a drink. Looks like you could use one. Might loosen you up.”
“I’m—”
“Teeny.” Everett reaches my side, his steps urgent yet calm and collected. His eyes dart to where this drunken stranger has his hands on me. His eyes narrow, and I see his jaw tic. “Is there a problem here?”
The man’s eyes round, dropping my wrist. “Nah, man. Just making sure she’s okay.”
“Like I said, I’m fine,” I snap at the man. He raises his palms in my direction and backs away with his tail between his legs. I turn to Everett, and he looks at me with his brow raised in amusement. “I could’ve handled that on my own.”
“I know.”
He peers down at me, starting at the crisscross straps of my shoes up to the too short hem of my skirt and finally stopping at the cleavage rounding my top, far below my neckline. “You look nice.” His voice cracks, and he tries to hide it with an unsteady hand through his hair.
I fidget with my clutch and smile politely, a little uncomfortable from the attention. He’s wearing a suit, of course, cut and tailored against the curves of his body. It’s a light gray color, and he paired it with a black dress shirt with the top two buttons undone. And I just know if I were to peek just an inch down his shirt, I would get a glimpse of that tattoo on his chest. “You clean up pretty well yourself, Hayes.”
I don’t realize it slipping from my lips, calling him something that used to come so naturally to me. Everett doesn’t respond with a pleased smile or chuckle. Instead, his eyes bore into mine, his gaze darkening with the furrow in his brow casting a shadow.
“Teeny!” Mina’s body collides into mine, making me stumble a step back, and I laugh into the wavy curls of her hair. I catch Josh from over Mina’s shoulder, walking toward us at a leisurely pace. “Girl, you look fucking hot!” she says, taking a step back and gripping my elbows in her hands. “Doesn’t she look hot, Everett?”
“Mina!” I hiss.
“What? You do.”
Too embarrassed to argue with her, I reach into my purse instead and pull out the magenta-colored BACHELORETTE sash I stuffed in there. “Here,” I tell her, lifting the looped part over her head. She takes it graciously and smooths her hand over the wrinkles before adjusting it.
“What else you got in there?” I hear a low whisper graze the shell of my ear. I push down the dull shiver that starts at my shoulders and turn to face Everett.
“You know. Just the necessities,” I tease. “A hat rack, my house plant…a Tide to Go Instant Stain Remover.”
We share an intimate pause meant only for me and him, and it feels so dreamlike, I want to bottle it up. Drop it into a silk pouch so I can hold it in my hands when I grow lonely and scared.
He doesn’t have time to sneak in a little quipped remark because Grace struts through the sliding glass doors like she’s walking a runway. With her true to words six-inch heels and body squeezing bandage dress showing an almost indecent amount of cleavage, she outshines us all.
“Okay, nowshedefinitely looks hot,” Mina gasps. Grace has her hands behind her back, hiding the fluffy tulle veil she and I planned to go along with her shiny satin sash. She holds it out for Mina, to which the bride adds to her ensemble with a rumble of excitement through clickety hops on the marble floor and giddy giggles.
“Where’s everyone else?” Grace asks, fixing Mina’s hair and making sure she doesn’t have a single strand out of place.
“The rest of the bridesmaids are meeting us at the club,” Mina tells us.
“And Andrew too,” Josh adds. With James unable to leave Kendall at home alone with the baby, it looks like it’ll be just Everett and Andrew keeping Josh company tonight.
“You guys ready?” Grace asks, walking toward the busy casino area to take a shortcut to the club.
“Actually,” Everett butts in. “I got a car for us.”
All of us look at Everett, mixed looks of amusement, confusion, and curiosity. “What do you mean, ‘a car?’” Josh asks.
Everett tilts his head in the direction of the sliding doors where hotel attendants are handling luggage and drunk patrons are stumbling across the concrete. Once we’re all outside, following Everett’s lead, all our mouths gape.
“This is your definition of ‘a car?’” Josh grins and grabs Mina’s hand before bolting for the shiny black limo parked out front with the driver nodding a hello at Everett. Everett nods in return before the driver opens the door and Mina scurries inside with Josh at her tail.
“Can you run by me why you two broke up again?” Grace whispers at my side. I nudge her gently with my elbow, avoiding her question with a little deviation. She ignores me and throws a wide grin over her shoulder before following the betrothed couple inside.
“This is very generous of you,” I tell Everett, taking slow teasing steps to his side.
“Only the best for the bride and groom.”
