Page 36 of Little Gray Dress

I look up at Liam only to discover that he is paired with none other than Greta. She’s got a firm hold of Liam’s arm and is giggling at whatever he’s said in the same way she leeches onto Jack.

“Just a friend,” I answer. How does this dreadful woman keep weaseling her way close to men I know?

“A friend you make out with?” He looks down at me with a disapproving look on his face.

“So? Why do you care?” I ask him, wondering what his motive is for drilling me on a man I’m with, considering he’s here with his fiancée.

“I don’t. I just wasn’t aware you brought anyone, that’s all.”

“Well, we are broken up, so why would I tell you?”

He sighs heavily. “Listen…” He turns to me, this time looking more sad than angry. “I’m not worried about your new guy. I’m worried about you.”

“Why are you worried about me?”

“I just am, Ems. I always have been; you know that.”

“When the music starts,” Muffy yells from midway up the room, “you are to count to three and then take your groomsman’s arm and start slowly walking up the aisle.” I glance up and see Liam and Greta now deep in conversation, and worry a tiny bit that some time between now and tomorrow night, this whole act might end up blown.

“We need to talk,” Jack whispers, holding out his elbow for me.

“We don’t.” I refuse to take his elbow before absolutely necessary.

His sigh says what he’s thinking without him needed to say it. “Ems, please, I just want to say what should have been said two years ago. Can I have at least that?”

“No.” I finally take his elbow with a glare.

“Fine.” We both take a step forward. “I’ll say it right now then.”

“What?” I say, a little louder than intended, and see Greta turn to us from midway up the aisle. “Jack, no.”

“I never cheated on you.”

I roll my eyes and take another step forward.

“That day, I know it looked bad, but it wasn’t the way it looked.”

“Stop.” I look up at his sad face. “Just stop. I’ve heard all this before, but I know what I saw.”

“You don’t, though, and you need to know this.” His eyes plead with me, and for the first time since I’ve been here I see a tiny bit of the Jack I knew and loved.

“Can we STOP the conversation back there and pay attention!?” Muffy yells back at us, her finger waving from across the room and silencing us both, which honestly is a relief on my part.

Another step forward but Jack leans closer to me. “We will talk this week, whether you like it or not,” he whispers into my ear, his breath making the hair on my neck stand straight up.

Chapter Ten

Four Years Ago

Cancun, Mexico

The Wedding of Lily & Josh

“So why did you choose a combined bachelor/bachelorette party? How will Josh have strippers if we’re there?” I ask Lily, who still has the curling iron in her hair even though we were supposed to meet the guys at the bar twenty minutes ago.

“Because it’s fun, there will be no strippers, and we’re all friends. So why not?”

“Got it. I just hope this burrito I ate earlier doesn’t make another appearance soon.”

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