Page 3 of The Best Man Problem
But he’s right there!
Amazing how her inner voice sounded a lot like her free-loving hippie roommate, Moira.
Giving up on the pantie search, Lilly debated writing a note but ultimately decided against it. What the hell would she say? Thanks for the hot night of sex? Ew. That sounded…wrong. Last night had been much more than hot sex, anyway. She’d felt a spark, a rush of heat, an instant connection the moment she met Lincoln’s pale hazel eyes across the bar. Maybe that was the reason she felt this clawing need to escape. This was supposed to be a fun one-night stand. Nothing more.
Lilly quietly grabbed her small clutch from the TV stand and slipped out the hotel room door. In less than ten minutes, a cab dropped her off at her apartment. The perks of living in the city of Denver—what had once been called the hook-up capital of Colorado—the driver didn’t even glance sideways at her appearance, which she assumed screamed “walk of shame.”
She walked the flight of stairs to her apartment, sliding the key in the lock and pushing the door open with a sigh of relief. Her relief, however, was short-lived as she entered the kitchen area to see her roommate sitting at the table, coffee mug in hand, sly smile on her pixie face.
“Why, Lilly Walsh,” Moira Rossi said with a waggle of her pale blond eyebrows. “I do believe you were wearing that exact dress last night.”
Lifting her chin, Lilly headed toward the coffee pot and the heavenly smells emanating from it. “You know it, since you were wearing the same exact dress, Mo.”
“Ah, yes, but it’s eight thirty in the morning, and I’m wearing my pajamas now. And slept in my own bed last night.”
Of all the mornings for her night-owl friend to be awake, why did she have to choose this one?
“Could it be our dear Lilly Walsh, champion of making a man wait until date eleven, has gone and had herself a sexual liaison?”
Lilly took her time grabbing a mug and pouring a teaspoon of creamer and a dash of sugar in before filling the mug with coffee and turning to face her smug roommate. “Maybe.”
“Wahoo!” Mo pumped her fists in the air. “‘Walk of success’!”
Stirring the brain juice, Lilly came to sit at the table. “Don’t you mean ‘walk of shame’?”
“Pfft.” Mo waved a hand in the air. “Hell no. A shame would be if you spent all night with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Sexy and didn’t get any. I assume from your rosy complexion and satisfied glow, you got it and then some.”
She had indeed. But wait. “How do you know he’s tall, dark, and sexy?”
“Aha!” Mo pointed a finger. “I didn’t; you just confirmed it.”
Crap! Her friend was far too crafty, considering the flower-child persona she played up.
“But it doesn’t matter if he was tall or short, dark or pale, muscular or had a rocking dad-bod. All that matters is he got you where you needed to go. The spark is all that matters.”
She and Lincoln didn’t have spark; they had burned the city down with fireworks. But even so, Lilly didn’t believe in the romantic notion of soul mates the way her friends did. She, Pru, and Mo all believed everyone deserved to have their special day with the one they loved, which was why they had started Mile High Happiness, their wedding planning company. Well, that and weddings were a very lucrative business venture. The average couple spent more than twenty-eight thousand dollars on their wedding. That was a lot of money for one day, and the women tried their best to ensure all couples got the dream wedding that would kickstart their happily ever afters.
But since 40 percent of marriages ended in divorce, she knew happily ever after wasn’t for everyone. After all, her mother was currently on her fourth “soul mate.”
“Lead with your heart, Lilly dear, and love will always find you.”
Her mother’s oft-said advice rang with the blare of a warning bell in her mind. If leading with her heart got her what her mother had—a string of bad husbands and multiple broken hearts—she’d lead with her head, thank you very much.
Love at first sight? Spark? Soul mate? These were simply words people invented to excuse their rash decision to jump into huge, life-altering changes too soon. She’d seen it before. A couple so enamored with each other they couldn’t see the problems ahead for the stars in their eyes. Mark her words, those who rushed in would rush right back out when they discovered that spark didn’t last.
You had to have substance, compatibility. You couldn’t just see someone and know. Love didn’t work that way.
“Are you seeing him again?”
Only in her dreams.
“I highly doubt it. He’s from out of town.”
Mo gasped, placing a hand to her heart. “Your first one-night stand. Oh, my precious Lil. I’m so proud of you. Look at you stretching your sexual wings.”
That didn’t even make sense.
“I can’t wait to tell Pru when she gets back from her honeymoon.”
