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Adjusting her blue sheath dress, Mel smoothed the flyaways escaping her hairdo. “I think that actually went well. Brendan, you did great.”
“Of course he did great.” Pete sounded miffed. “Why wouldn’t he?”
Melanie’s eyes narrowed, and Brendan opened his mouth to head off the inevitable bickering. Before he could, his phone buzzed in his pocket.
He studied the name on the screen, a smile flickering across his face.
Cutiepants.
Diana couldn’t believe he’d entered her in his phone with that nickname. He’d promised to change it after the wedding, but he was inclined to keep it.
“Who's calling?” Pete demanded, craning his neck. “Who’s more important than us? If it’s work—”
Brendan turned the screen away from Pete’s inquisitive gaze. “It’s my brother's fiancée. I need to take this.”
“Your brother’sfiancée?Ooooh. You got something going on the side?”
“Don’t be a pig, Pete,” Melanie scolded.
“Ever meet his brother? They’re twins. Fucking identical. Like, indistinguishable. Ya ever switched places with him, O’Brian? Think that fiancée would notice?”
“That's enough,” Brendan said firmly.
His coworkers peered at him, confused. Brendan was known for being easygoing.
“Whoo!” Pete said. “Call the doctor, I think we hit a nerve.”
Melanie rolled her eyes. “I have to go back to the office,” she said, adjusting the cardigan around her shoulders. “See you there, Brendan.”
Brendan smiled easily. “You want coffee, Mel? I can pick some up for you. It’ll be about an hour, though, because I need to stop at home first.”
She pressed his arm gratefully. “You’re a sweetheart. That’ll be perfect timing.”
“Double latte with oat milk and a shot of vanilla, right?”
“As always.” Melanie laughed, looking a little more relaxed.
Thanking the bartender, Brendan left a tip on the counter and stepped outside the hotel.
Summer was in full swing. Though night had fallen, the June air was warm, humid, and sticky. People milled around on the sidewalk as music drifted from open car windows. Beneath his suit, Brendan started to sweat.
He didn’t need to stop at home. He had other plans before he headed back to the office, and he had to hurry. As he strolled to his car as casually as possible, he saw Pete and Melanie on the corner, huddled around Pete’s phone, watching a video of the night.
Once he was behind the wheel, he clicked on Diana’s missed call and set the phone in a holder. She picked up immediately.
“Hey, you.” She sounded sleepy.
“Hey, cutie.” Brendan pulled into nighttime traffic. “Everything going okay with wedding prep?”
Instinctively, he kept his voice low, though he was alone. His history with Diana came out in his tone, in a way some people might not consider appropriate for a future brother-in-law.
Di groaned in response. Brendan smiled, picturing her mashing her face into a pillow, her blue eyes wide and her dark brown bangs sticking up.
“I’m barely staying afloat right now. Between grad school and wedding responsibilities, I’m exhausted.” Diana was working toward a PhD in biology, with the goal of doing medical research.
“You’re doing amazing, Di,” Brendan reassured her. “I’m sure Ian’s taking good care of you. Any new poems?”
“Nope. None whatsoever. I haven’t had time to write in months. Why do weddings have to be so much work? I’m going to elope.”
