Jumping Puddles (23 page)

Dinner is just as nice. The conversation changes many times. His father is doing great. His mom has stopped hovering as much. My parents are fantastic. Georgie made the dean’s list. We talk about our busy lives, the places we’re headed the next few months and everything else under the sun. Everything except my upcoming wedding. That’s a topic he doesn’t bring up and I avoid at all costs.

“What do you want to do now? The night’s still young.”

“Well,” I begin just as I hear my name being yelled from across the restaurant.

What are the chances Aubrey made reservations at the same restaurant Blake did? Unbelievable!

I look to Blake and grimace as she approaches. I’m not sure how she’s going to react to seeing me with him. My lie has been exposed, and there will be no talking my way out of this. Even if she hadn’t caught me in the lie, she’d never believe the truth. When it comes to my relationship with Blake, she doesn’t approve. She never has.

“Well, look who’s here,” she coos as she comes to a stop next to our table. Her hand on her hip is a direct contradiction of the sweet tone she’s taking with Blake. Judging by the look on his face, he’s not falling for the false persona she’s attempting.

“Nice to see you, Aubrey.”

“Same.” Turning to me, she shuts down her conversation with Blake in an instant. “I thought you were going back to the hotel?”

“I was, and then I ran into Blake, and we decided to have dinner.”

“How convenient.”

“It looks like your table is ready,” I say, motioning behind her. All the girls are seated at a long table, staring in our direction. They have no shame. They’re watching to see if Aubrey is going to put on a show or let it go. None of them know who Blake is, but they all know who Zach is. I’m sure one of them has already called or texted him by now.

“So it is. I guess I’ll see you back at the room, then?”

“Of course. Enjoy your dinner, Aubrey.”

Stalking off with a huff, I smile at her back. You can tell she’s pissed just by the way she’s walking. There’s a slight stomp as her heels click against the tile floors.

“Why don’t we get out of here,” Blake suggests. “I feel like I’m being observed.”

“You are,” I laugh, tossing my napkin on my plate.

Blake settles the bill, not allowing me to pay as promised. Even after I told him how much money I won, he refused to let me pay. I give him a disgruntled look, but all he does is smile sweetly at me, pissing me off more.

With his hand on the small of my back, Blake guides me out of the restaurant. I can feel all thirty sets of eyes on me as we walk past Aubrey’s table. I don’t look over at them, and I don’t wave. Blake, however, fuels her fire and hollers loudly as we pass by. I’m going to kick his ass for that.

“Where to now?” Blake asks as we exit the restaurant.

“I guess back to my hotel.”

“Is that an invitation?”

I whip my head around to face him and find him smirking at me. “Asshole. Don’t think I won’t get you back for stoking the fire with Aubrey, by the way. It’ll be when you least expect it, too.”

“I’m shakin’ in my boots over here, lil’ miss,” he replies, rustling up his best southern accent.

Blake flags down a taxi and holds the door open for me as I practically fall into the cab. “Sorry,” I say as I right myself and tuck my dress under my butt.

“You didn’t twist your ankle again, did you?”

“Is this going to be how it is from now on? You teasing me every chance you get?”

“Maybe. It’s kind of fun.”

I push against his shoulder with my own hard enough to move him but not far. Blake gives the driver the name of my hotel, and he floors it, the motion pushing me back against the seat.

“I’ll sleep like the dead tonight. Aubrey had me up early to catch the plane and wouldn’t let me take a nap once we got here.”

“You really think you’ll be able to sleep through her rampage when she gets back to the room?”

“Um,” I start, contemplating my answer for a few seconds. “I hope so.”

“That wasn’t very confident. Why do you let her push you around anyway? You’re a big girl. You can make your own decisions. She doesn’t have to approve.”

“It’s not that. She’s my only friend. Well, besides you. We work together. We hang out when we’re not at work. Sometimes, it’s just better to avoid the fight. Plus, she planned this entire trip for us. I don’t want to seem ungrateful.”

“She’s not your only friend, Charlie. Besides, how many of those girls have you ever talked to before this weekend? One, maybe two? This trip seems more about her than about you. She’s out to have a good time, and she’s using your bachelorette party as an excuse.”

I don’t reply. He hit the nail on the head. I can tell it bothers him more than just a little. His tone didn’t give him away; it was his hands. He started to clench and unclench his fists.

We pull up in front of my hotel, and the valet opens Blake’s door. He climbs out and extends his hand back into the cab to help me. I stare at it, unable to move. I’m not ready to say goodbye to him. I’m not ready for tonight to end yet. More than anything, I want to avoid Aubrey’s wrath.

“Are you coming, Charlie?”

“No.” Leaning down so he can look into the cab, Blake studies my face for a few seconds before climbing back in.

“Where to?”

“Can I stay with you tonight?”

The cabbie takes off, this time, more gracefully. I cuddle up to Blake, hugging his arm, and close my eyes. I concentrate on what I’m going to tell Zach. I’m sure he already knows Blake is in Vegas, but I should lead with that. It’s everything else I don’t want to tell him.

As if he knows I’m thinking about him, my phone rings as we’re about to get in the elevator. I know I need to answer it. “Give me a sec, will ya?”

Nodding, Blake walks over to a bank of slot machines and takes a seat.

“Hello.”

“Hey, baby! Having fun?”

“Not really. What are you up to?”

“I just got home. The boys took me out to the bar tonight. Why aren’t you enjoying yourself?”

“I think Aubrey planned this trip more for her than me. She tried to get me to go to some male dancer show. You know that’s not really me.”

“Be nice. You know how excited she is about being your maid of honor.” I hate it when he scolds me like a small child. “What did you do instead?”

He knows. He’s baiting me. He wants to see if I’ll tell him the truth.

“I actually ran into Blake. He’s here for an assignment, so we went out to dinner while the girls watched the show.” I do the best I can to sound indifferent about it. If I don’t make it a big deal, maybe he won’t either.

“Really? How convenient.”

“Not really. It pissed Aubrey off.”

“I bet it did. Where are you now?”

“Blake just dropped me off at the hotel. I’m about to head up to bed.” He’ll buy it. It’s getting late here, which means it’s really late in New York.

“Well, try to be more understanding. And get some rest. From what she told me, you girls have a big day ahead of you tomorrow.”

Great. Not really what I wanted to hear. Glancing in Blake’s direction, I see he’s tapping the buttons on his screen monotonously. Even bored, he looks cute as hell.

“I will. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

“Night, Char. Love you.”

“Love you, too,” I reply, half whispering into the phone, before hanging up.

Walking over to Blake, I study him. It’s almost like I’m seeing him again for the first time. He looks the same as he always has, yet somehow different. Not really older. More mature, maybe. He still sits up rather straight, carrying himself with confidence. It’s not until I get within a few feet of him I notice the concerned expression on his face.

“What’s wrong?” I ask as soon as I’m within earshot.

“Nothing,” he replies, turning to face me. “Why?”

“You looked… sad or something.”

“Ready to head up?” he asks, changing the subject bluntly.

“Sure,” I say, drawing out the one syllable word much longer than necessary.

Following Blake to his room, I contemplate what it might be that’s put him in a sour mood. The only thing I can come up with is Zach’s call. It’s not like he hasn’t known about him. He knows I’m getting married. I think he also knows Zach doesn’t hold the piece of my heart I gave to Blake all those years ago. If it makes me wonder why I’m getting married to someone else, it has to make him wonder, as well.

“So, how’s Zach getting along without you?”

Inserting the key into the door, Blake ushers me in ahead of him.

“He sounds fine.”

“I’m surprised he let you come out here without him.”

“Why’s that?”

“He watches you like a hawk when you’re in the same room, Charlie. It’s not the fact he’s always staring at you, it’s the way he watches your every move. If you’re talking to someone, he moves closer. If it’s a guy, he gets as close as he can without you realizing it. Have you never noticed any of this?”

“Of course, I have. He just cares, that’s all.” At least, I think it is. I’m not really sure what he’s referring to. I’ve never caught Zach watching me the way he’s describing.

“I don’t think you should marry him.”

All the air leaves my lungs. I can’t breathe. I can’t speak. Sitting down on the bed, I put my head between my legs and begin to count. Five small breaths in, one big breath out. I feel the bed dip next to me, and then Blake’s hand starts running up and down my back.

“I didn’t mean to upset you, Charlie, but I can’t keep this to myself any longer. I always thought he would be a passing fling. I never imagined you would get serious with him. I don’t like him. He puts off this vibe I can’t really describe. It’s as if he’s threatened by me, or maybe he’s threatening me. I’m not sure. If I catch on to it, I’m sure other people do, as well. He’s obsessive and manipulative from what I can see, and I’m sure I haven’t seen it all. He puts on a good front when he knows someone is watching, especially when that person is you.”

He pauses, and I sit up, avoiding looking in his direction.

“This isn’t a ploy to get you back, Charlie. I promise. This is me concerned for you. I’ve wanted to tell you for a while now, but the moment never felt right. I figured I shouldn’t wait much longer since the wedding is coming up and all.”

“Blake,” I stutter out. “I don’t really know what to say. I know you’re only telling me this because you care about me, but I can’t help but wonder if there is another motive behind it.”

“Maybe the fact I’m still in love with you?”

I think back to my last conversation with his dad. I don’t have to wonder—I know it’s true. Turning to him, I can see it in his eyes. The love he carries for me is shining brightly, and it scares me that my love mirrors his. I know it does.

“I’ll always love you, Blake. You know that.”

“But?”

“But I’m marrying Zach in a few months, and no matter how I feel about you, nothing is going to change that.”

As I close the door behind me, it feels more like I’m closing the door on our relationship, on our friendship. I never wanted that for us. I do love him, and I always will. That wasn’t a lie. If I’d let him tell me he still loves me, if the words had crossed his lips, things would have changed. That’s why I left. I can’t get my heart shattered again. I won’t survive next time.

“I SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT
the other dress.”

“You look beautiful, Charlotte.”

“But the other dress made me look skinnier, I think.” I turn to find Alice shaking her head as she picks up around the room. It looks like a tornado tossed things around.

It wasn’t a tornado, though. Aubrey blew through here an hour ago and tore it up. Her makeup is spread across the vanity. Her curling iron is still plugged in and turned on. The only thing she picked up were her clothes, and that’s probably because she’s supposed to catch a flight back to New York after the reception.

“Scott is going to be here any minute to get you. I’m going to give you a minute alone, okay? I’ll see you after the ceremony.” Pulling me in for a hug, Alice exits through one of the large, white double doors.

I’m left staring at myself in the mirror, waiting on Scott to escort me down the aisle. A stray curl flops in my eyes, breaking free from the tight knot at the base of my neck. I should have a bobby pin in my purse. Where is my purse?

I search the room for a few minutes with no luck. It’s not until I hear a muffled ringing I remember where I left it. Lifting up my pile of clothes, my phone rings again.

Blake. Why is he calling? He should be taking his seat right about now.

“Hey! Are you calling to wish me luck?”

“Charlie,” he says, his voice filled with anguish. “I’m not going to be able to make it.”

“What’s wrong?” My words are rushed, and before I realize what I’m doing, I’m stuffing my bag with anything I can grab.

“It’s my dad. He had another heart attack last night.”

I stop instantly when his words sink in. Tears begin to well in my eyes and I know what he’s going to say next.

“He didn’t make it this time, Charlie.”

My phone falls to the floor as tears begin to run down my cheeks, ruining the makeup Aubrey spent an hour perfecting. Looking down, gray tears land on my perfect white dress, causing it to look discolored around my chest.