Page 53 of One More Shot
Cash’s brows shoot upwards. ‘At all?’
I shrug again. ‘Probably not.’
Truth be told, I didn’t even need a plus one in the first place. The wedding is for my sister and my best friend, so I can’t imagine there’ll be many people on the guest list I don’t already know in some capacity. But I’d asked for one anyway as a way to curb the sympathetic stares from my mother and various aunts, or to stop people from trying to set me up with their daughter once they realise I’m currently unaccounted for. The plus one had been a tactical request more than anything else, but I don’t even want it anymore.
It doesn’t feel right.
And besides, I’m pretty sure I can handle the endless stream of ‘Dane, when are you going to settle down?’ from relatives I haven’t seen in years for one evening.
‘The dating scene hasn’t really been all that appealing lately,’ I explain, answering Cash’s silent stare of disbelief. ‘I’m taking a break.’
Cash’s expression morphs from suspicion into something that’s a little too close to pity for my liking. ‘Is everything all right?’
‘Everything isfine,’ I say with a roll of the eyes. What does it say about me that the fact that I’m not actively dating right now can make my best friend worry about me?
There’s something on the tip of Cash’s tongue, but he swallows it down and shakes his head. ‘So, what are you doing tonight?’
‘Nothing.’ And it’s the truth too. When we last saw each other, I offhandedly mentioned needing to get my locs retwisted soon, and Eliott offered to give it a go. So that’s the plan for tonight. And maybe it’s not technicallynothing, but I know it’s not what Cash is expecting to hear. ‘But I do need to head out soon.’
I’m sure Cash is going to continue to press me on it. There’s a stubborn look in his eyes that tells me he doesn’t believe me in the slightest. That he knows there’s more going on than I’m currently willing to admit. If the roles were reversed, I know I’d push it.
Hell, Idid.
When I first cottoned onto the fact that his feelings for Bailey were genuine and that there could actually be something there between them, I didn’t let it go. I was the one who orchestrated the whole ‘spend a week together in Jamaica’ thing in the first place.
So I can’t exactly begrudge him for refusing to drop it now. Call it karma, I guess.
But Cash doesn’t push. He just shrugs and then sticks outhis arms and spins around on the spot. ‘What about this one? Think the fit is fine?’
The change in topic throws me for a half second, but I manage to kick myself back into gear quick enough to respond. ‘It looks great. Bailey’s gonna love it.’
‘Thanks, man.’ Cash grins that goofy grin at the mention of my sister’s name.
I wonder if that will ever stop, or if in twenty years he’ll still be smiling and looking at Bailey as if she hung the moon and the stars. I feel a flicker of envy and wonder, for a brief weak moment, if I’ll ever feel like that towards someone.
Doubtful.
‘How’s planning for my stag do going?’ Cash asks suddenly, a wary look on his face.
I grin right back at him. ‘That’s for me to know and for you to find out.’
‘It’s nothing too wild, right?’
‘It’s a perfectly acceptable level of wild,’ I laugh. ‘Don’t worry. It’ll be Bailey-approved. And Eliott’s been throwing some ideas my way, since she’s around that kind of stuff all the time.’
I don’t catch the slip of the tongue until it’s too late.
Cash’s mouth splits open into a wide, knowing grin. ‘Eliott? As in, my wedding photographer?ThatEliott?’
I could lie. Pretend that there’s another Eliott who has just happened to wander into my life during the last few months.
But there’s no point.
‘Yeah,’ I grit out.
‘Is that who you’re seeing tonight?’ Cash looks ridiculously pleased for some reason. ‘And who you’ve been hanging out with recently?’
‘It’s not like that,’ I say quickly, knowing what he’s alluding to. ‘We’re just friends.’
