Page 117 of Bridesmaid Undercover
“Don’t be.” He looks past me toward the table. “Now go make that guy fall for you.” He winks and then takes off, leaving me feeling so many things.
Sad.
Embarrassed.
Excited.
Nervous.
How did this dinner seem to become a date between me and Hardy with two onlookers?
Is that what Maple saw as well? Will she be angry with me? Did I do that?
“It was really fucking obvious then that you two should be together.”
Did I commandeer Hardy’s attention the whole night? Is that why Maple left early…and abruptly?
Oh God, I hope not.
If I had my phone, I’d text her, but it’s with Hardy.
Feeling incredibly insecure and weird and…ugh, this is exactly what Ember told me not to do and there I was, having the best time with the wrong person.
Sighing, I head back into the dining area where Hardy is now sitting on the other side of the booth. His fork is poised at the cake, ready to dive in as I take a seat.
“I’ll have you know that I didn’t take one bite while you were gone.”
I barely smile as I lean back in my seat.
“Did he kiss you?” he asks with a waggle of his brow.
I meet his eyes. “No, he told me that it wasn’t going to work out between us.”
Hardy sets his fork down. “Wait, seriously?”
“Yeah. It’s fine. Not sure there was much of a connection there.”
“There could have been if he talked more. He was silent most of the night.” Hardy shakes his head. “What a fucking idiot. He had the opportunity to get to know an amazing woman and ruined it. His loss.”
I pick up my fork and pierce a piece of cake. “I might drown my sorrows in this chocolate.”
“Mind if I join you?” he asks as he takes a piece as well. “Pretty sure Maple was just here to help you. She barely spoke to me as well, and I think the headache thing was a cop-out.” He lets out a deep breath. “I think I just need to be open and honest with her.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“I mean, just ask her out, tell her I want to see her again…date.”
My stomach twists into knots. I knew I was right. Timothy can assume all he wants about how Hardy feels, but at the end of the day, it’s Maple he wants. There’s history there, familiarity. I can see how Timothy would think otherwise though. Hardy is a nice guy. He’s outgoing and…God, he’s nothing like his father. But Hardy isn’t interested in me, he’s just…he’s friendly.
“Do you think that’s a mistake?” he asks.
I glance up at him and peer into those blue eyes, eyes I wish I could wake up to in the morning. Eyes that I wish I could stare into without a hint of worry that he might see right through mygaze. Eyes that I wish would light up when I walked into the room.
But they don’t.
They light up for Maple.
“No,” I say, slicing another piece of cake with my fork. “I think if you want something, you have to ask for it. Maybe no more of this beating around the bush stuff. There’s only so much I can do on my end. Just go for it.”She’s a lucky woman.I’m just a lovesick girl.
