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“Why are you all dressed up?” Spur asked. His face paled. “Is it something for my wedding? What did I forget?”
Blaine laughed with Trey at Spur’s panic. “Nothing,” Blaine said between chuckles. “It’s another wedding you don’t need to worry about.”
“I can’t wait to be done with the wedding,” Spur said, his mood blackening again. “It’s so much work for no reason.”
“I think there’s a reason,” Trey said as Blaine went down the hall to the door that led outside.
An hour later, he’d collected a very nervous Denise, waited for a flock of geese to cross a street, and arrived at the wedding of Dr. David Frank and Abby Carbon. He immediately looked for Tam and found her wearing a pale green dress that hugged her body in all the right places.
Blaine watched her chitchat with a couple of other women in a rainbow assortment of dresses, and only a few seconds after he and Denise had walked in, Tam turned toward him. He grinned and tipped his hat at her as Denise said, “I need a drink.”
She walked away from him, and Blaine went after her. Tam had given him explicit instructions to make sure Denise didn’t get drunk today, and Blaine had a suspicion the next three hours were going to be trying. So trying,he’dwant to drink to forget them.
He arrived at the bar with Denise and waved away the bartender’s question as to what he wanted. He leaned against the counter and faced his date. “Tam told me you get three drinks today.”
Denise turned toward him, and while she wasn’t his type, she was pretty. She had long, dark hair she’d clipped back on the sides, and big brown eyes that could probably devour a man with a single look. “What?”
Blaine smiled at her and leaned closer, having spied the groom as he came out onto the patio. Having a wedding outside in July was ridiculous, but Blaine could ignore the sweat running down his back. “The good doctor is right behind you.”
She tensed, but she didn’t move. Blaine put his hand on her hip and smiled as if she’d just told him something he was thrilled about. “Three drinks, Denise. For the whole party. You can have them all now and then hang on my arm until you can walk on your own. Or space them out.” He chuckled and leaned even closer, his mouth right against her ear. “It’s up to you, but I’m not arguing with you about it. Now, put your hand on my shoulder or my arm.”
Denise placed her hand on his bicep, and that got her to relax and lean toward him too. “Thank you for doing this, Blaine,” she said.
“Sure,” he said, though he hadn’t been as agreeable until that moment. “Just so you know, Denise, you don’t have anything to prove to him.”
“I know it’s stupid,” she said, but the anxiety still lived in her expression.
“Denise?”
Blaine looked up at the groom, and he slid his arm around her as she turned toward him too. “Oh, hey, David,” Denise said, her voice falsely bright. She stepped into him and hugged him, and Blaine just watched.
She returned to his side and indicated him. “This is Blaine…” Her eyes widened, and pure panic filled them. “My boyfriend,” she finished.
“Nice to meet you,” Blaine said, extending his hand for David to shake. “What are you a doctor of?”
“I have a PhD in Health Sciences,” he said.
“I have no idea what that means,” Blaine said with a chuckle.
“No one does,” Denise said, laughing afterward too.
Dr. David Frank did not laugh, and he looked around like he’d rather be anywhere else. “Excuse me,” he said. “Lovely to see you again, Denise.” He strode away, and Denise turned to watch him go.
She sagged into Blaine afterward, giggling again. “I have a PhD in Health Sciences,” she said in a deep voice, and they laughed together.
“You sure you’ve only had that one drink?” he asked.
“He’s such a tool.” Denise sipped her drink and stared after David. “I don’t know what I saw in him.”
“Sure you do,” Blaine said. “He’s tall and good-looking, for one. He’s probably employed, and he’s educated. He has money, and you know, those two first names.” Blaine shrugged, watching the man smile falsely at a pair of people a generation older than him. Probably his bride-to-be’s parents.
Denise laughed again, though Blaine felt a bit bad for poking fun at the man’s name. He couldn’t help that.
Tam approached, and Blaine cleared his throat and straightened. “What are you two giggling about?” she asked, her eyes glued to him.
“First,” Blaine said. “I don’t giggle. Second, you owe me a year’s worth of work on the ranch for this.”
“Come on,” Denise said. “You’re having fun.”
