Page 128 of Bridesmaid Undercover
Everly:Always here for you.
I leanon the rail that overlooks the flamingo exhibit. Bushy trees surround the exhibit while a green pond rests in the middle. And at the center of it all are the Chilean flamingos that Maple loves so dearly. I know exactly why. They’re a very funny species with their long necks, stick-like legs, and thick beaks. Their colors range from salmon, to rose, to light pink, and the honking sounds they make are comical as they strut around the water, pecking with their bills and splashing around while looking for food.
Can’t imagine what it must have been like observing them in Peru. Considering the hustle and bustle around me—the tour groups and families with screaming children—I can see why Maple is having a hard time adjusting.
While I wait, I glance over to the left where I spot the bush Everly and I hid behind when JP found us. Smiling to myself, I think back to the look on Everly’s face when my nose came off, and then her quick thinking with the ketchup packets.
Christ, she’s great.
Smart and funny, quick-witted. She just…gets me.
Who would have thought?
This morning when I drank out of the mug, which we both got, I thought about how after we purchased them, we triedon nearly every pair of sunglasses in the next shop we visited, including the ones that were in the shape of animal faces. I chuckled, remembering the way she quacked like a duck and flapped her imaginary wings.
Not sure I’ve had that much fun with a person in a while.
And despite eating that giant piece of cake, I dragged her all the way down to the wharf where we bought some candied nuts for the road and tried to find a crying JP to at least observe him in his natural pigeon-loving state. Kelsey must have been able to drag him away before we got there. Shame, because I was looking forward to taking a video.
Before I walked into the zoo, I was feeling apprehensive, clammy, and ready to bolt, which was why I texted Everly. I knew just hearing from her would calm me down. And I was right, it did.
She seems to have that effect on me. One of the many reasons why I like her so much.
“Hey,” a voice says, drawing my attention. When I glance over my shoulder, I catch Maple walking up to me. She has a backpack strapped to her back, and she’s removed her nametag from her shirt, probably attempting to show people she’s off duty.
“Hey,” I say as I lean in and press a kiss to her cheek. She looks exhausted. “How was your day?”
“Pretty good,” she says. “One of our flamingos had a baby that just hatched, so I got to hang out with him all day.”
“That sounds like fun,” I say.
“It was.” She looks up at me. “So…why did you want to meet me here?”
Getting right down to business, okay.
“Thought we could hang out. You could show me around, and we could talk.”
“How about we just talk?” she says and then nods to the right. “Let’s go to the Leaping Lemur Café.”
Just talk, that’s never good.
“Sure,” I say, following her.
We enter the café, and being all business, she walks over to the drinks, grabbing a water in an aluminum bottle, and I do the same. When she walks up to the cash register, she starts to pull out her wallet, but I stop her and pay for the drinks myself.
“Thank you,” she says and then finds a table off in the corner. We both take a seat and she uncaps her drink, takes a sip, and then meets my eyes. “Why are you here, Hardy?”
Jesus. Okay, so she’s really getting down to business.
“Do you want the small talk or the ‘get to the point’ conversation?”
“Get to the point,” she says.
Okay. Can’t say I remember Maple being this…direct in college.
Like the night at the bowling alley, she seems detached, disinterested. I had hoped to reminisce for a moment, but it seems she has other plans.
“To the point, that I can do.” I clear my throat. “Well, here goes. When I heard that you were coming back to San Francisco, I wanted to get to know you again, see if there was still a connection between us. I wanted to ask you out on a date. Polly clearly wasn’t happy with that idea because she didn’t want me to scare you away, so I tried to take it slow, ease my way back into your life. Maybe it hasn’t been as smooth as I would have wished, but here I am, trying to ask you out.”
