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“Did you two just drive up at the same time?” Heather asked, while the party-goers nearby listened in.
“We came together,” Luke said, placing a hand on the small of Jane’s back.
“Oh good, then Jane called you about her little problem!” Heather tossed Jane a surprised look.
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Wow, my own big sister, needing a bodyguard. I don’t think you’re gonna need one at my party though, silly.” Heather shook her head and trotted away.
Jane glanced around the familiar family room, hoping Bradley would spot her with Luke before they veered off in different directions. But he was sitting across the room, deep in conversation with a guy Jane didn’t recognize. Oh well, maybe Luke would have the chance to make himself useful before the night was done.
He’d caused enough trouble for her today. The way she figured it, the least he owed her was to play eager date long enough for her to close in on Bradley.
Luke had finally left Jane’s house, fully clothed, at noon, leaving her fifteen minutes to make it to a hair appointment. Not that a hairstylist could do much for her, but she’d been six months overdue for a trim, and she’d had the gigantic split ends to prove it. Now her untamable curly hair was one inch shorter, glossy and stiff from a zillion hair products, and it draped her shoulders in a slightly more stylish fashion than usual.
She’d hoped to get a little writing done before coming to the wedding shower, but after being mock-attacked in the woods and having a naked guy in her kitchen, her muse was stubbornly on strike.
Instead, she’d torn through her closet for an hour, in a desperate attempt to find an outfit that would both get Bradley’s attention and not make her look like she was trying to get some guy’s attention.
Luke had come back by at six to pick her up, and they’d ridden to the shower in an awkward silence that only seeing someone you barely know naked could bring on.
Jane tried not to dwell too much on the unbridled sexual feelings Luke had aroused in her. She was obviously letting certain hormones affect her thought processes to a frightening degree, and she vowed to stop it. Immediately. No more ogling Luke, no more fantasies like the one she’d indulged in while getting her hair done….
Jane’s insides heated at the memory. She and Luke, alone in the woods, him chasing her down, taking her like a wild animal—
Whoa! That’s exactly what she was not supposed to be doing.
Seeing Bradley tonight would surely cure her of all this misguided lust. Not even Luke could compare to her Mr. Perfect, her soul mate, the one guy she was sure understood the validity of her relationship theories. Okay, so she’d never actually gotten to discuss them with him, but she could just tell by the way he conducted himself that he would agree with what she’d written.
This was her chance to make up for lost time. She’d let quite a few chances with Bradley slip through her fingers, and the more often it happened, the more awkward she grew around him. She was determined not to let Heather’s wedding pass by without finally telling Bradley how she felt about him.
It was almost too much to have him in the same room like this. They normally came in contact only occasionally through their mutual acquaintance with Jane’s sisters, or through Bradley’s work as manager of a restaurant Jane made a point to visit as often as she could.
Now if only she could work up the nerve to ask him out. Here she was, thirty years old, and one of her baby sisters was getting married. It was the kind of event that made a girl think about what she wanted out of life, and for Jane, she was pretty sure her want list included marriage and a family. It definitely included Bradley.
Luke had wandered over to the bar, returned with a drink and small plate of finger foods for Jane, then disappeared again. The guy who’d been sitting next to Bradley vacated his seat, and she saw her chance. She’d never forgive herself if she sat through this entire party without at least talking to him.
She took a deep breath, stood up from her chair, and prayed she could make it through a short conversation without spewing garlic dip or spilling her drink. Perhaps it would be better to leave her food behind.
“Hi, Bradley,” she said as she sat down next to him. Be still her heart, he looked heavenly in plaid flannel.
“Hey, um, Jane?”
Okay, so he’d forgotten her name. They hadn’t spoken in a few months, after all.
Think. Think of something witty to say. “Yep. Fun party, huh?”
“Yeah, I’ve never been to a co-ed wedding shower before. Always wondered what went on at these things.”
“Really?”
He smiled. “No. I was just saying that.”
