“Don’t worry. I’ll tell them something came up and you can’t go.” My hands flap in the air erratically.
“Why?”
Once again, my mouth falls open in shock. “Why?” My voice starts to rise as my stress and panic increases. “Why?Because my family is insane and there’s not a chance in hell I’d subject you to them for forty-eight hours. No one needs to be tortured but me.”
“Your entire family is like that?” he asks, surprise colouring his tone.
“Pretty much.” I reply. “It’s fine. I can handle them. I appreciate you trying to help or whatever you thought you were doing, but trust me, you don’t want to do this.”
“What if I do?”
I shake my head emphatically. “Jude, you don’t know what you’re saying.”
“If they’re as bad as you say, why should you face them alone? Your cousin seemed set on you having a date, so I’ll go.”
He makes it sound so simple, but it’s anything but. Still, the idea of having someone there with me, someone by my side to help me face the madness, is tempting. But fast on the heels of that comes a new wave of dread.
What’s Jude going to think of me after he sees the full force of my family’s contempt for me? Worse yet, what’s he going to think once he realizes my cousin is marrying my ex-boyfriend?
“You don’t have to,” I say, but he just starts to walk away, leaving me to chase after him. “Jude, seriously.”
He stops again, so abruptly I almost run into his back. “Lily, you said it yourself. We’re friends, sort of. You’re helping me, so let me help you.”
After hesitating a moment longer, I blurt out, “I have a room booked, but I’ll get a second one.” Holy crap, am I really agreeing to his crazy offer to go to the wedding with me?
Jude just nods, and then continues walking toward the café. When I don’t follow right away, he pauses and turns his head over his shoulder. “Are you coming? I was promised coffee.”
I hurry after him, fighting back a smile that is finally breaking free.
Jude Donnelly is going to be my date for the wedding from hell, and I’m willing to bet he looks a heck of a lot better in a suit than the groom.
Chapter ten
Lily
Any confidence I felt about having Jude go with me to the wedding has disappeared. If I didn’t want to ruin the manicure Kat insisted I get, my nails would be bitten down to the cuticle by now.
I’ve checked and rechecked my bag, changing things like my choice of pajamas about four times. Why? No idea. It’s not as if Jude and I will be sharing a room. He’s escorting me to the ceremony and the reception, and I fully intend on letting him disappear as soon as possible. There’s no point in both of us suffering through hours of tense drama.
The only amusing part in all of this was witnessing Kat’s reaction when I told her Jude was coming with me.
“My Jude? My grumpy older brother who won’t do more than grunt at any of us? That Jude offered to go to the bitch’s wedding?”
Her jaw fell open and I giggled as I pushed it closed with my finger. “Yeah, I was surprised, too. I gave him every opportunity to bow out, but he insisted on coming.”
Kat shook her head. “Wow, I know I asked you to try and get through to him, but I didn’t expect this.” Her face grew serious. “I think getting out of town for a bit will help. I know it’s only been a few weeks since he came back, but I can tell he’s feeling kind of smothered by us all.”
Her intuition was correct, but I wasn’t about to say that. Not when my bestie was obviously hurting over watching her brother suffer. Instead, I just pulled her in for a hug. “He’ll be okay.”
At the time, I meant it. And I guess I still do. Jude will be okay, it’s me I’m worried about. I have to keep my cool, not only around my family, but also around my best friend’s older brother, who I may or may not still be crushing on.
When I pull up to his apartment building, Jude’s waiting outside just as he said he would be. His cane and a small suitcase sit at his feet, and a suit bag is draped over the suitcase. I indulge myself for a minute while his head is down, focused on something on his phone.
His dark brown hair is that perfect blend of messy yet stylish, and it looks freshly trimmed. The fact that he went to the effort of getting a haircut before this weekend seems insignificant yet says a lot to me about Jude. He’s taking this seriously — helping me, that is. He might think all he’s doing is attending a wedding, but the truth is, he’s saving me from facing my demons alone. The combination of pity on some people’s faces and smug condescension on others that I’m sure I’ll experience this weekend has had my stomach in knots for weeks. But the knot loosened just a tiny bit that day on the sidewalk when Jude offered to come with me.
Several hours later, we reach the hotel in downtown Vancouver where Marnie and Clay are holding the ceremony and reception. It’s swanky, that’s for damn sure. But every Devereaux hotel is. I vaguely remember Kat’s boss Mila telling a story about how Cole Devereaux, the CEO, tried to buy Oceanside Resort to convert it into some fancy beachfront complex. But her best friend and sister-in-law Summer, who had inherited the place from her dad, refused. Now Oceanside is a chill, fun place that is always packed with families all summer.
We reach the front desk, and I give my name.
