“Don’t worry, Cady.” Carolina’s tone was a little too condescending for Cady’s liking. “I have a book with a checklist of all your maid-of-honor duties. And a timeline, so there’s no room for error.”
Cady blinked, ready to unleash a tirade on the grinning event planner. But Bianca hugged her, drawing her in and holding her tightly. “You will be my maid of honor, won’t you, Cady? Please. I know you’re probably freaking out, but I need you now. You’ve always had my back.”
Cady was choking on all the nasty things she wanted to say to Carolina. The woman had no idea how ready Cady was to exploding. Instead she kissed Bianca on the cheek. “Of course I will. I’m honored. I love you, Bibi.”
“I love you too, Cady.” Bianca squeezed her again before letting her go.
“Well, now that that’s settled, let’s move on to the menu. Patton, what do you think?” Carolina purred, scooching her chair closer to Patton.
Dinner was a nightmare.
Cady poked at her salmon. She was too raw to find Carolina and her down-the-nose humor anything but grating. When she wasn’t glaring at Carolina’s attempts to charms Patton, she offered what she hoped were accommodating answers to any questions directed her way. She didn’t care about colors, evening weddings versus afternoon weddings or if a sit-down meal was better than a buffet. Apparently GG and Mrs. Ryan did. Bianca had taken careful notes so she could take their opinions into consideration—always the peacekeeper.
“Here’s the cost breakdown,” Carolina said, handing a pi
ece of paper to Bianca.
Cady saw Bibi’s expression. Sticker shock. Her dear friend was one of the most frugal, cost-conscious people she’d ever known. One thing she knew, weddings were expensive.
This marriage was a very real threat to Bianca. Her friend might be too lovesick to see it, but their lives were about to change forever. From what little she knew of Zach, he traveled a lot. Something told her—her intuition perhaps—that he’d enjoy a wide variety of amusements while on his travels, women included. Where did that leave Bianca? Home, worrying over her new husband? She had no illusions that Zach would be faithful. She knew Bibi—marriage was forever. Bibi would stay, even in an unhappy marriage.
She risked a glance at Patton. His fingers were tapping on the tabletop as he assessed the room in that restless, intimidating way of his. Tension rolled off him, feeding her own agitation. She knew exactly how he felt. And decided a distraction was in order. After a quick glance at the others happily immersed in Carolina’s portfolio, she put her hand on his thigh. He stiffened, the slight flare of his nostrils turning her on. She slid her hand up, her fingers stroking along the zipper of his pants. He was hard, throbbing against her hand. She looked at him, welcoming the raging hunger in his pale gaze. Her fingers found the tab of his zipper, but his hand closed over hers—preventing things from getting completely out of hand. He shook his head, his jaw locked and his lips a thin line. She smiled, enjoying herself even if she was being outrageous. Maybe she could lure him into a corner long enough to find some sort of relief?
“Cake.” The server slid a piece of lemon cake covered in whipped frosting and a glittering dusting of sugar. Patton released her hand, shook out his napkin and placed it back in his lap.
She’d just put a bite of the fabulous cake in her mouth when her phone vibrated. She pulled it from her pocket and stared at the text. Charles was asking her about rebooting a system. Again. Even after they’d had a very serious discussion about how that wasn’t a good solution and was just a Band-Aid. The remedy was to find the faulty coding and repair it. But she was beginning to seriously doubt Charles’s ability to read code, let alone repair or build it.
“Bad news?” Patton asked softly.
She stared at the text, laid the phone on the table then hit Lock Screen. If she responded right now, she’d probably get fired. She shrugged, shaking her head and sighing.
“All that?” he asked, laughing softly. His voice was gravel, sending a shiver of delight along her spine.
She arched an eyebrow and looked at him. “Words can’t begin.” He was too good-looking—dangerously good-looking.
“Charles again?” Bianca asked.
“Charles?” Patton’s voice was hard as nails.
Cady looked at him, startled by the change in his demeanor. His eyes were narrowed, his fork held in a white-knuckled grip.
“Her boss’s son,” Bianca explained. “Cady’s basically babysitting him.”
Was she imagining the rapid shift of emotions on his face? From almost fury to relief? She had to be—it didn’t make sense.
“How did Charles not come up on your date?” Zach asked. “You said all you did was talk shop.”
“Guess I forgot.” Patton shot his brother a crooked smile. His pale eyes locked with hers, making her insides molten.
“That’s my brother, the gentleman,” Zach teased.
I’m not really looking for a gentleman tonight.
She remembered the way he looked when she’d said that to him. The way he’d touched her face. The way she’d wanted him, ached for him... From the raging heat in his gaze, he was remembering, too.
Was everyone at the table truly oblivious to the pull between them? She hoped so. She hoped that, in time, this desire to rip his clothes off and make him beg for mercy would fade. Right now, it was what she wanted more than anything.
And the way he was looking at her wasn’t helping. “I never said I was a gentleman,” Patton murmured, tearing his gaze from hers.