Page 66 of Bridesmaid Undercover
I revel in the feel of his warm palm against my clothes.
I cherish this walk.
From the antiseptic smell to the bad linoleum, I desperately commit it to memory, hating myself for feeling so strongly about this man when I really shouldn’t. Ember is right—he’s after someone else and I need to keep that on repeat in my head when he does things like ask me to dinner, or place his hand on my lower back, or tell me that I deserve way more than a Tomothy.
But mother of God, can I just soak this in for a second?
When we hit the parking lot and reach my car, I unlock it and open my driver side door only to quickly shut it, eyes watering at the stench. “Oh my God.” I cover my nose and look up at Hardy in horror.
“Oh no,” he says. “Did my body not soak up all of the puke?”
“Doesn’t smell like it,” I say.
Hardy pulls out his phone. “I’ll take care of it.”
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Grabbing us an Uber.” He lifts his eyes. “Pizza good for you?”
“Yeah, that works.”
Hardy types away on his phone and when he’s finished, he says, “Uber will be arriving in five minutes. We need to head to the front of the hospital.” He nods toward it but continues to type away on his phone.
“What are you typing over there?” I ask as we set off.
“Texting my buddy who owns a body shop. I’m going to have him grab your car and do a detailing.”
Oh…okay, see? A true knight in shining armor.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” I say quickly.
“It’s done,” he says as we reach the front of the hospital. “Consider it a thank-you for everything you’re doing for me.”
“Hardy—”
“Or just a friendly gesture.”
“Hardy,” I start to say again.
“Or an ‘I’m sorry.’”
My brow creases. “Sorry for what?”
“For not soaking up all the puke with my shirt.” He winks.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” I toe the ground, feeling all shy and wooed by a man who is clearly not wooing me. “Maybe next time, though, puff your chest some more. Really give the throw-up a blank canvas.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
My phone dings in my purse, so I grab it and see that there’s a text from Maggie.
Maggie:Thank you so much for taking care of Brody. I can’t imagine what I would have done if this had happened and he’d been alone at our place. I just keep thinking about how lucky I am that he was with you. You acted quickly and got him where he needed to be. I’m so thankful for you and for Hardy. Thank you.
I smile softly and text her back.
Everly:I’m glad we were able to help. Let me know if you need anything—I can drop it off.
Maggie:Thank you. Hattie was driving right behind me. She’s going to my place to pick up some things and then coming here. But thank you. Can you just handle the joint email and cancel my meetings for tomorrow?
