Page 49 of Bridesmaid By Chance
“I mean, I like ketchup and spaghetti sauce and sun-dried tomatoes, but if you keep them raw…” I shiver. “Vile.”
“That’s pretty harsh.”
“It’s the truth.”
Our server steps up to our table, and I watch as Hudson studies the wine list and orders some fancy wine I’ve never heard of—praying it’s white—and then he continues with what I want to say is sea bass but couldn’t be sure. He rambled about a lot of things, and I was so caught up in watching his lips that I got distracted.
Dinner should be a fun surprise.
“So,” I say when the server leaves. “How was your day?”
“You were there,” he says. “You should know.”
“Was I really though?” I ask. “Sure, I was in the vicinity of your day, but I wasn’t really in the room. So I wouldn’t know how your day went exactly. Seemed pretty smooth, no big fires that you had to put out, right?”
“Right,” he says softly, not elaborating.
“Okay, so should we say an average day?”
He adjusts the cuffs of his shirt. “I told Hardy about the wedding.”
Did you just hear that?
The sound of something getting the life sucked out of it?
Yeah, that was my right nipple shriveling into dust.
Why? Because Hardy is attached to the company. Who else is attached to the company? My brother. And the more people who know about the wedding, the more likely Jude will find out.
“You…you told your brother?”
“I did.” He lightly nods.
“Okay, sure, because you know, congratulations are in order.” I nervously twist my hands together in my lap. “Did he, uh, did he say that he was going to get us a wedding gift? Because a coffee maker would be aces.”
“He did not.”
“Sure, sure. Shame though because we could really use?—”
“He was pissed, Sloane.”
“Ah, yes. Not surprised by that reaction. Now, was he madder at you or at me, just so I can gauge how to be around him?”
“What do you think?” he asks.
“I was trying to be polite. I know he’s pissed at you.”
“Correct,” he answers.
“Well, did you, uh, did you tell him not to share the news?”
“I did,” he answers. “He said he’ll be telling Everly because he tells her everything.”
“Respectful. Just like I should tell you everything since you’re my husband. Which reminds me, I’ve been keeping a secret. You know the greendrink I was getting you in the morning? It was just a Naked Juice that I kept pouring into the same to-go cup. I found that if I skipped the stop at the juice bar, I could get ten minutes of extra sleep.” When he just stares at me, I say, “I’m realizing in this moment that revealing that might not have been the best timing.” I motion to him. “Please, carry on.”
I catch the flare of his nostrils, but to his credit, he doesn’t say anything—which might have been great timing in reality because I’m not getting a lecture. Also, the green drink I did get him the other day, the one without sugar, that was from the actual juice bar. Given the situation, I thought the stop was appropriate.
“He believes it was the wrong move and that if your brother finds out, I’m dead.”
