Walk of Shame (Love Unexpectedly 4)

“Speaking of Queen Bey, do you think this dress makes me look like her?” Marley asks, spreading her arms out to the side and doing a little boob wiggle.

I give my petite, flat-chested blond best friend a once-over. “Absolutely.”

She nods in approval, gesturing down at the strapless, sparkly gold dress. “I spotted it last week at Intermix and thought, ‘There’s my New Year’s Eve right there.’?”

I pull a bottle of water out of the ice bucket. “Wait, how long have I been out of the circuit? Isn’t next week…Halloween?”

“Right, well, I decided the dress was too fab to bench it until January. But who cares about dresses when we can talk about boys?”

I can’t hide the smile.

Marley gives a delighted laugh. “I’ve always wondered what it’d look like on you.”

“What what would look like?”

“Being smitten,” she says smugly.

“I’ve been smitten before!” I say indignantly. “I’ve had lots of boyfriends.”

“Lots of boyfriends, yes. Smitten…nope. So be honest, do you think this gold shimmer’s going to be too tacky as a maid-of-honor frock? What season are you thinking for the wedding? Because I could really make this work for fall and winter.”

Oh, man. I wasn’t planning on having another drink, but if this keeps up, it’ll be vodka city.

Not because the wedding talk is freaking me out. But because it’s not freaking me out. And because for just a second there, I really did think about my wedding. Not so much about Marley’s bridesmaid dress as about the groom, and, well…

Yikes, is my smile getting bigger?

“So is he why you didn’t join us for dinner?” Marley says, propping her chin on her hand.

I twirl a strand of hair, then realize I look like a smitten schoolgirl and drop it. “Sort of.”

“Where’d you guys go? I’m bored with my restaurant rotation, need recs.”

“We stayed in, actually.”

“Ordered in?”

“Eh. Cooked.”

Marley is staring at me. “You cooked?”

“It’s a thing. Pots, pans, stoves…”

She flicks my arm. “Sure, but since when do you do it? You’re a Manhattanite.”

“Well, to be fair, I didn’t really do it. I mean, I tried, and failed, and had to be rescued.”

“Ooh, he cooks?” Marley’s eyes light up.

“Not so much. His sister-in-law stopped by.”

Her jaw drops, and she sets her fingers over her eyes. “Just…give me a second. So much to process. You’ve already met his family? She’s not going to bump me out as maid of honor, is she?”

“I don’t know. Her chicken was really good….”

“Did she join you for dinner? Did you pass the mashed potatoes around the table and eat off fussy china? Was there a tablecloth?”

“We ate at the kitchen counter, used paper towels as napkins, and no, she went home before we ate.”