Page 29 of The Wedding Run
“Really? Do tell.”
“We both took the lottery for roommates our freshman year. Didn’t know each other. He seemed nice enough. We hung out some at dinner. But mostly, we went our separate ways. When I had a date withtheone and only MaryBeth Hollingsworth?—”
I gasp. “NottheMaryBeth Hollingsworth!”
His mouth quirks sideways at my sarcasm.
“Must be someone significant to those of you who were Bulldogs,” I add.
“It’s Dawgs, by the way. And MaryBeth was the most sought-after girl on campus. Not just by guys but by all the sororities. She was a beauty queen in Arkansas.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Arkansas is known for its beauty pageants.”
He shoots a spray of water in my direction, making me squeal.
“As I was saying,” he continues, “I was getting ready for what I hoped was my hot date when Derek told me MaryBeth left a message and requested we meet at the library. Like a dork, I went to the library while Derek went on my date.”
“That’s terrible!” I exclaim. “And yet so like him.”
Luke grins to show he’s long over the loss of MaryBeth. “I learned my lesson. But from then on, all bets were off.”
“How did you seek your revenge?”
He glances over his shoulder and then edges closer as if it’s a national secret on par with who killed JFK and where the government keeps alien spaceships. “For starters,” he whispers, “I bought a universal remote. Every time he watched golf on that fancy TV he’d set up in our dorm room, aimed at his side, I might add, I secretly changed the channel.”
“Nice.” I grin.
“You say ‘nice’ like you won a gold medal.”
“Yeah.”
He nods as if he’s filing away that piece of information.
I realize he’s remembering my comments about his coffee, and I aim to distract his analysis. “I can’t think of a better way to get back at Derek. He loves his golf. Wish I’d had a universal remote on a few occasions.”
“Took a while for him to figure it out.” Luke’s frat-boy smile probably curled a few toes when he was in college. Not that it has any effect on me.
I don’t want to get distracted, so I ask, “Did you ever steal his date?”
“I’ll never tell.” He sprays my feet.
I jump back. “Hey!”
But it comes as more of a giggle than irritation.
“Made you laugh. And you have a nice laugh, Libby.” The dip in his voice sends a ripple along my spine. But the look on his face makes me think he surprised himself.
"Nice, huh?"
“I mean, Derek always told me you had a great… well, you know… laugh. He was right. He was very accurate in his description of you.”
“Even about how I micro-manage?” I joke, not quite letting him off the hook. After all, he doesn’t know I’m seeking my own kind of revenge.
“I haven’t seen that aspect of you yet. Other than the list you gave me at the rehearsal dinner.”
“Wait until I get started with Andrea’s wedding.”
“Micro-manage away. I see that as a total asset,” he counters, “not a flaw.”
