This Can't Be Love (Whispering Bay Romance 5)

Luke threw his head back and laughed. She’d hated seeing him so quiet and distant before, but seeing him laugh now made her happy. “I wish you hadn’t stopped me from giving them a piece of my mind.”

“I can handle a couple of mean girls,” she said, throwing in some attitude. “No problem.”

“You shouldn’t have had to. I’m sorry, Sarah.”

“Tonight hasn’t been all terrible. We’re dancing, right?”

“I’d say tonight pretty much sucked. Although,” his voice went husky, “I’d go through a dozen nights like tonight if it meant that I got to see you wear that dress.”

“Keep talking like that and you’re going to get lucky tonight, mister.”

“I’m already lucky. I’m dancing with the prettiest girl in the room.”

Oh, boy.

Neither of them said anything. He pressed her so close she could feel his heart beating through his chest. Or maybe it was her heart that was beating so fast. She couldn’t tell.

The song ended. They clapped along with the rest of the guests and Luke led her off the dance floor. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Good idea.”

They stopped by the table so Sarah could pick up her clutch. “I need to use the restroom.”

“I’ll meet you downstairs by the valet parking,” Luke said.

The bathroom was oddly empty except for another woman who was reapplying her lipstick. When Sarah came out of the stall to wash her hands, the woman was still there.

“Can I just say how utterly awesome that gown is?” She was young, probably in her mid-twenties, and, like most of the guests at this hour, just a tiny bit tipsy. “Everyone at my table has been talking about you.”

Sarah dried her hands with an elegant cloth towel. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of that last part. “Um, thank you. The gown is a loaner. It belongs to a friend of mine. Lucky me, huh?”

“I’ll say. So, what do you think about Victoria? Do you know she had her gown special ordered?” Sarah noticed the glassy eyes and slurred voice again. So maybe more like a lot tipsy. “It cost over ten grand. I know that because I work in her office and she had a few of us lowly clerical types working on the wedding. I was the one who had to make sure all the addresses on the invitations were correct and all the RSVPs came back and all that garbage. It was the only way she could pull this off in less than two months. And no, she’s not pregnant, but it’s not for lack of trying,” she said, giggling.

Oh, boy.

“The brid

e looked beautiful and she seems very happy,” Sarah said, trying to put a firm stop to the conversation.

“Oh, she’s happy all right. She’s been planning this wedding for over three years now. Just to a different groom, but same end result, right? She gets her big moment in the sun and we all get to worship at the altar of Victoria Carson. Oops! That’s Mrs. Dr. Jeffrey Main, now.” The woman looked a little unsteady on her feet.

This was definitely too much information.

“I have to say, all of us were a little shocked when your boyfriend RSVP’d. I mean, didn’t he know that the only reason Victoria invited him here tonight was to gloat?” She made a big show of lowering her voice, like she was about to reveal a secret. “Between you and me, I really think she expected him to try and win her back before the wedding. Only, he got the last laugh, all right. He shows up looking like this God in a black tuxedo, and then to top it off, he has you on his arm!”

Boy, oh, boy. This conversation was quickly going straight into the gutter. The best thing to do was leave, but before she could get out the door, the woman ran over to the garbage can and began heaving. No matter how awful this woman was, Sarah couldn’t leave her alone while she was sick. She held the woman’s hair back from her face, making sure to keep enough distance between them that Lauren’s beautiful gown wouldn’t get ruined.

“Ohhhhh…” the woman moaned, then threw up in the garbage can. Sarah waited till the vomiting was over, then moistened one of the guest towels and handed it to the woman.

“You should sit down and rest before going back out.”

“Thank you. I’m Diana, by the way.” She sat down and laid her head on the back of the sofa.

“Can I get anyone to help you?”

“No. I just need a minute to pull myself together. Too many Moscow Mules for me tonight!”

No kidding.