Page 31 of The Best Man Problem
His lips curled. “My parents enrolled me in cotillion classes as a child.”
Of course they had. The only thing Lilly’s mom had ever enrolled her in was after-school care so she could have more time with her latest boyfriend. Lincoln had the perfect childhood with the perfect parents, making him the perfect man.
No!
He wasn’t perfect. He liked role-playing games. She wasn’t one to judge, but she could never get into that dragon-and-elf-type fantasy play. And he drank pumpkin spice lattes! Two people who didn’t share hobbies or interests didn’t last long, in her experience. That went on the noncompatible side of her list. The side that was sorely lacking but she was determined to fill.
The maid of honor laughed again at something Lincoln said, causing Lilly’s gut to churn. Salacious flirt. There—she could add that to the list of why Lincoln Reid was a bad bet. Mr. No Relationships was probably trying to carry out the tired, old bang-the-maid-of-honor routine.
“She’s married.”
Lilly turned at the voice, startled to see Marie standing beside her. When had the woman left the dance floor? She’d been so focused on Lincoln, she’d lost sight of her bride- and groom-to-be. How unprofessional. Various forms of shame filled her, but she pasted a smile on her face as she asked, “Pardon?”
Marie tilted her head, short black hair held back with a beautiful silver headband. “Rachel.” She indicated Lincoln’s dance partner with a nod. “My matron of honor. She’s married. To Leticia.”
She had no idea where the woman was going with this, so she simply smiled brighter.
“I only mention it because you look like you want to scratch her eyes out for dancing with Lincoln.”
Lilly sputtered, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse for her obvious staring. “O-Oh, no. I wasn’t…” Nothing. She had absolutely nothing. “It’s not like that.”
Marie smiled, stepping closer to her side to speak in hushed tones as she stared at the couples on the dance floor. Specifically, Lincoln. Forcing Lilly to do the same.
“Really? Because I’ve seen the way you look at him.”
Crap! Had she been that obvious? The last thing she needed was to get into another heap of trouble with a bride over a member of the wedding party. She’d assumed she had her thoughts and reactions to Lincoln under wraps.
“And,” Marie continued, “I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”
Now the woman had her curious. She knew how she felt about Lincoln, sort of. There were a lot of confusing feelings and emotions, but she got the gist. Or her body did, anyway. But other than his desire for another roll in the sack, she had no idea how he felt about her.
Unable to stop the question from leaving her lips, Lilly turned her head to the other woman and asked, “How?”
The bride-to-be kept her focus on her friend on the dance floor, but a small smile played on her lips as she bypassed the question. “I love Lincoln. He’s my best friend after Kenneth. Like a brother to me. He’s been at our side through thick and thin. He was a rock for both me and Kenneth when I got sick and was going through chemo, always there to make me smile or hold me when I cried. He even held Kenneth a time or two. He’s our family.”
She understood that. Maybe not to the depths that those three experienced, but she, Mo, and Pru had been through a lot together. Death and heartbreak had touched their lives, and she and her friends had always been there for one another. She understood the bond Marie felt to Lincoln.
“He had a rough patch himself a few years ago.”
Lincoln? Always smiling and joking, carefree Lincoln had a rough patch? She couldn’t see it. The man breezed through life like he didn’t have a care in the world. Like he wore some kind of bad-news Teflon coating. She couldn’t imagine the cheerful guy experiencing a dark period.
C’mon, Lil. Life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. You know that, even if Mo doesn’t.
Yes, she had firsthand knowledge of the misery life could throw a person’s way. Naive of her to think Lincoln lived a life of carefree bliss. The man had a close friend who beat cancer. Of course he’d had some dark moments. But somehow she knew Marie wasn’t speaking of Lincoln’s reaction to her own illness.
“What happened?” The question was out of her mouth before she could really think about it. She didn’t need to know more about this man. Knowing more would make him more human, more…appealing. But she couldn’t seem to stop her curiosity from getting the better of her.
“Not my story to tell.” Marie’s gaze was still fixated on Lincoln, though her smile slipped a little. “But it scared him off relationships and love. He hasn’t dated much since. Or smiled.” The woman’s head turned to her, eyes considering. “But when he looks at you, I see it again.”
She held her breath. “What?”
The smile returned to the bride’s face, bright this time, hopeful. “Happiness.”
Well, damn.
“I like you, Lilly. You’re sweet and kind, and I know we’re paying you, so it might all be an act, but I don’t think it is.” Marie tilted her head, staring with those dark, knowing eyes. “You care.”
Her head bobbed up and down of its own accord. It was true. She did care. Not just about making a paycheck but about her clients. Even the ones she knew were doomed to fail. Those she sometimes cared about more because she could see the disaster coming but felt powerless to do anything about it. All she could do was give them the day of their dreams and hope things worked out in the end.
