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CHAPTER ELEVEN
IVY
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When the front deskreceptionist called to tell me my friends were here to pick me up, little did he know they weren’t my friends at all. In fact, I was about to head out into a town I’d never been to with a group of girls I couldn’t have picked out of a lineup.
My stomach churned.
I can’t do this.
My insides twisted again.
Yes, you can.
The battle in my head between old Ivy and new Ivy waged on as I stood in front of my hotel door debating on whether to open it and head down. But then I remembered Iris’s encouraging words on the phone about how proud she was that I was pushing my personal boundaries and that pride that swelled inside of me too.
I can do this.
I whipped open the door and marched down the hall, then down the stairs. A bright red trolley was parked in front of the main doors, and the front desk receptionist told me my party was waiting out there. With a push of inner strength, I went outside and up to the trolley doors. When they opened, I stepped on board and almost slunk back down when I saw the six gorgeous women all staring back at me.
I can’t do this.
“You must be Ivy!” the tall blonde with the wedding veil said as she stood up and hurried toward me. She pulled me in for a hug so warm it eased a good chunk of my fears. “I’m Tami. The bride. Obviously.” She laughed and gestured to her veil.
“Nice to meet you, Tami. I’m Ivy.”
Tami grabbed my hand and pulled me behind her. “We are so glad you could join us! This is my wedding planner and friend, Jenna.”
I waved at the beautiful brunette with the long, shiny hair, and she waved back.
“Welcome aboard!”
“And Jenna’s sister, Jo.” I almost did a double-take because they could have been twins, but Jenna wore a fancy cocktail dress and heels, and Jo was in a leather jacket and ripped jeans.
“Hey, Jo,” I waved.
“Hey, Ivy. Nice to meet you.”
She pointed to the last three girls. “These are my sorority sisters, Allison, Nancy, and that’s Trisha.”
Allison, a beautiful redhead, waved at me, then the last two girls, both gorgeous brunettes, waved at me as well.
“Hi, everyone. Thanks so much for inviting me along.”
Jenna grabbed my hand and pulled me into the seat beside her. “When we heard that Ethan had brought awomanhome, you bet your ass we turned this trolley straight around to see you with our own eyes! I graduated with Tim, and I watched Ethan grow up and turn into that strapping stud he is now. And I’ve watched countless women throw themselves at him to no avail. And yet ... here you are.” She pursed her full pink lips. “Now ... spill the beans. How in the hell did you manage to pin down Ethan?”
All the other girls leaned in over the seat, and I truly realized just how serious Ethan had been when he’d said he doesn’t do relationships. I felt like a three-headed snake the way they all stared at me like some mythical creature.
“Honestly, it’s not like that,” I said. “We’re just friends.”
“Just friends? Oh, come on. No way,” Tami argued. “You can’t look like you, and he looks like him and just be friends staying at a hotel together. Impossible.”
“It’s true. We’re just friends,” I answered, trying to make myself believe it too.
“Hey, good-looking guys and girls can be just friends,” Jo argued. “Matt and Jake are both my best friends, and they’re both hot. We crash at each other’s places all the time.”
Jenna snorted. “Yeah. But you’ve been in love with Matt for likeever.”
