AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I work in a skincare company, in the lab. I’m a chemical engineer; I’m responsible for the formulation and development of the company’s foundation line.”
And just like that, an image of her in a scientist’s white coat and nothing else but sky-high stiletto heels pops into my mind. I take a sip of beer and swallow. “A lab rat, huh? I wouldn’t have imagined.”
Pinning me with a stare, she asks, “And what would you have guessed?”
I can’t voice any of the dirty, dirty thoughts swirling around in my head, but say, “I would’ve pinned you down as more of a front-end cat. Like PR or marketing. Event planning, maybe?”
“Heaven spares me, I’ll leave that to Tucker.” She smiles. “Poor bastard. How my sister and Logan roped him into organizing this wedding is still beyond me.”
“Well, Tucker is our logistics man… so.”
“Still, camping supplies and survival gear are a far cry from frills and flowers. He seemed so stressed at the meeting you skipped.”
“Hey, I had an emergency.”
Deep blue eyes pierce me. “What kind of emergency?”
I shuffle through the possible answers:
Option number one: A sleepover involving a redhead who made me work extra time last night and miss my wake-up call today?
Nah, buddy, the lady is already prejudiced enough thanks to whatever stories her sister has been feeding her, which I will have to investigate later.
Option number two: A slip-up with the wedding rings and their unexpected retrieval inside the fridge? Cute, self-deprecating enough. This is the way to go; I tell her the story.
Summer laughs. “The fridge, huh? How did the box end up in there?”
“I swear I still have no idea.”
We chuckle again, and I’m happy to note she finally appears more relaxed. Nothing super obvious, but her mouth doesn’t go taut the moment she stops speaking; her body language seems less rigid, and even her eyes have more of a spark. “But promise never to tell Tucker or Winter,” I add.
“You bet,” she says. “Anyway, you’re lucky you missed that meeting. Tucker was super picky, and my sister… she’s gone a little bridezilla.”
“Has she?”
“Yeah, I know she’s usually the laid-back queen, but getting married has made her obsessive.”
“Is that why you didn’t join them for dinner?”
Summer’s easy-going expression darkens. “No,” she says. “I just wasn’t feeling that social.” She stares at the counter for a long moment before adding, “To be honest, I can’t wait for the week to be over. I’m dreading the next few days.”
I don’t know why she’s opening up to me. It might be the wine, or that I already know about the skeletons in her closet. But I’ll gladly use any breach into the mystery that is Summer Knowles.
“Because of what happened with Lana? I met her earlier, and she’s cool.”
“She’s not the issue; everybody else is. My entire old circle of friends and my most judgmental relatives.”
I wipe BBQ sauce from my mouth. “Are they being nasty?”
“That’s what I’m expecting, but I haven’t talked to any of them in months, so I don’t really know…”
“Maybe they won’t be as bad.”
“Yeah, sure, and tomorrow the sky will part and unicorns will come galloping down the rainbows.”
I swallow the last bite of my burger. “Sarcastic much?”
“Realistic. I foresee dark times ahead. I’m going to spend this week in isolation, and that’s the optimistic outcome.”
