Page 11 of The Do Over
She did not knowhow a man could miss all the signs. Or, did he know and was enjoying it? She had seen him with her the night before, sitting cozy on the couch while she walked around, trying not to let it show that she was a little nervous around everyone.
Jumping into the pool with her clothes on was her stupid idea of letting loose, but all the time that Sophie was in there, she kept stealing glances at Jack. Judging him.
Did he not know that her brother did not invite Bethany? Bethany, who tried to sleep with Andrew a couple of years back? She stalked her on social media and called and threatened her when she thought that Sophie was his girlfriend.
When Bethany arrived at their house that afternoon, since they had all gone home in the morning, she was confused as to why she was standing outside the door. Bethany didn’t have words for her, choosing to force her way into the house, then head straight for Jack’s room, knocking hard.
Jack came out a few minutes later with bed hair that was very attractive to Sophie and was also surprised to see Bethany. So, Sophie assumed that he would tell her off once she had passed across whatever message she came to deliver.
But Bethany wanted to tag along with Jack— she didn’t mention Sophie at all.
“I’ll tag along to help you with picking out stuff for the wedding,” she said, sounding sickly sweet. When she touched Jack’s arm and held his hand, and he didn’t shake her off immediately, Sophie almost gagged.
She rolled her eyes at the sight, before going to sit in the living room while Bethany followed Jack into his room. Whatever they were doing behind closed doors wasn’t going to be her business.
Instead, she called her brother.
“Andrew. Did you see Bethany?”
Her brother’s groan was audible from the other end. She almost laughed at the reaction, glad that her brother didn’t think any better of Bethany than she did.
“She was here. Early in the morning, but I wasn’t home. She wanted to know how she could help Emily and my fiancée made the mistake of telling her that you and Jack were going to handle everything.
You know how Emily doesn’t like confrontation. She told Bethany where you guys were and according to Emily, she set off immediately. Is she bothering you?”
Sophie shrugged. “I don’t know. Your best man might have to file a restraining order, though. I think she might stay glued to him for the rest of the week and the next. And that’s bad since I’ve been shackled to him, running around and doing maid of honor duties.”
Andrew laughed. “Don’t worry about Jack. He can handle himself, Jack Williams. If they bother you, though, you can call me and I’ll get rid of him. Although…”
“It’s going to upset Emily, isn’t it?” Sophie finished. She sighed. “Don’t worry. I’m sure I can handle one adult man and an attention-seeking woman. If they get in my way, I’ll just go the other way.”
Andrew chuckled. “I told you Emily is a good judge of character, didn’t I? Thank you, sis.”
Sophie ended the call just as the two of them came out of the room. Jack had changed into a different outfit, a pair of loose jeans and a button-down shirt that was untucked, with two buttons left undone. His hair looked a little wet and slicked back, and he kept running his hands through it every other second.
Sophie hated that she wanted to be his hand. That she wanted to feel how soft his hair would be, and run her fingers down the length. Then she looked at Bethany and the thought dropped.
Bethany had also changed her outfit. When she arrived at the house, she was wearing grey skinny jeans and a small hoodie, with her hair in a messy bun. But she was wearing a tight-fitting blue dull gown now, and her hair had gone through a blow dryer. She also had pink lipstick on—which was awfully clashing with her outfit.
“You ready to go?” She asked Jack.
“Sophie?” Jack asked her.
“Oh,” Sophie couldn’t resist replying, “Am I included? I thought you two were going together, picking up the supplies—hand in hand and happy smiles on your faces.”
Jack made a face that she couldn’t read, while he held her eyes. Sophie tried to read him, gave up, and then stood up. She had the key to the car in her hand.
“You two can sit here while I change into something more comfortable, but I’m driving.”
•••
Surprisingly, Jack was insistent on sitting in the passenger’s seat, even when Bethany kept pulling on his arm to sit with her and the back and keep her company. He told her he had to handle navigation, which puzzled Sophie because he never did that.
And they had Google Maps. She was capable of reading a digital map.
The ride was unbearable too, since Bethany kept reaching forward to touch Jack, wanted to drive at some point, and kept complaining about Sophie’s driving skills (Sophie wondered what she would say about Jack’s) and at some point, would have joined back on the passenger seat if there was space for two.
They eventually stopped at the first confectionery bakery that was supposed to be in charge of pastries, desserts, and sweets for the wedding. Emily wanted them to choose gluten and gluten-free options, but she didn’t know which to choose out of the many options that the store sold.
