Page 11 of Deal Breaker
She giggled. “Sounds good.”
“Enjoy the rest of your evening, ladies.” He gave us a mock salute, then went on his way.
I shut the door after him, preventing the Arctic breeze coming into the cabin any longer than was absolutely necessary. The smell of hot pizza filled the living room, and we resumed our places at the table.
Max stumbled out of the bathroom and into his room, not even looking in my direction. Humiliation flooded through me. Why had I gone ahead with the dare? I should have stalled, asked them to give me another forfeit. Anything other than what had actually happened.
Jodie waved the box of pepperoni and olive at me. “You want some of this?”
Automatically, I took one to try and quell my churning stomach. Chewing on a slice, it tasted no better than cardboard. I swallowed down some more wine, the acidic sting burning my throat. Feigning a yawn, I put down my glass.
“I think I’m going to call it quits and head to bed. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow, and Brianna won’t appreciate us being hungover.” I forced a smile, pretending that was my only reason for running out on my friends.
Autumn’s hand froze midway to her mouth, and she put down the glass at my words. “You’re right. She won’t, and we’ll never hear the end of it.”
Jodie nodded in agreement. “I’ll just have one more slice of pizza, then I’ll come in.”
While I waited for Jodie to come to bed, I got undressed, went to the bathroom to brush my teeth, then lay down under the starchy bedsheets. I tossed and turned in the tiny single bed, trying to get comfortable, sleep evading me. When Jodie finally got into the other bed, she seemed to fall asleep almost immediately.
Then again, she hadn’t made a total fool of herself with Max Coady.
Chapter Four
Max
How the hell did I get here?
I stared up at the ceiling, trying to get the room to stop spinning.
One minute, I’d been with Joshua and the rest of the guys, having a great time and now…
It had taken me a little over an hour and a half to get to the Holiday Springs resort. I’d enjoyed the drive, singing along loudly to my driving playlist, the sun streaming in through the window of the truck, giving me the impression of a deceptively warm November afternoon.
The pine tree-lined entrance to the resort welcomed me to Guest Services. When I collected the key to our cabin, I wasn’t surprised to learn my sister and her friends hadn’t arrived yet. It gave me the opportunity to bag the best bedroom, although there wasn’t a great deal to choose from between the three rooms. I took the double at the back of the cabin, which seemed to be the largest. I hung up my dress suit. Then, I found the nice shirt and chinos I wanted to wear to the rehearsal dinner, the remainder of the contents of my bag strewn across the bed.
My phone pinged.
Joshua: You here yet, buddy? We’re in the restaurant.
Max: Just arrived. Putting on a shirt and I’ll be there in five.
Joshua: Great! Don’t be long, you’ll miss out on the champagne!
Inwardly, I sighed. Despite my warnings that we needed to be sensible when it came to the drink, it seemed Joshua had other ideas. Brianna would kill him if he turned up to his own wedding with a raging hangover. I didn’t fancy trying to get through the day with a headache and a grumbling stomach either. I’d have to try and keep him under control.
Quickly, I fired off a message to Autumn to let her know I’d arrived and was heading off to the rehearsal dinner, then made my way back to Guest Services. The restaurant was down a small hallway to the right of the main reception. I could hear the party before I saw them. Brianna and Joshua were there, obviously, hand in hand, talking to someone who held an elaborate-looking notebook. Evan, Joshua’s older brother and best man, stood to one side along with Trent, my buddy from college and also a groomsman. Both of them clutched beers, and my heart sank. Clearly, no one listened to me when it came to taking it easy on the drinking. Brianna’s older sister and two of her friends, who I recognized as cheerleaders from high school, stood chatting with her mother and grandmother. Joshua’s father was talking to Brianna’s father, while his mother flitted between the groups, checking everyone’s glass was topped up.
I made a beeline for Evan and Trent.
“Where the hell have you been? Joshua’s been having a fit.” Evan punched me on the arm.
“His best man was already here, I’m only making up the numbers,” I joked. “And who do you have to sleep with to get one of those?” I gestured to his beer.If you can’t beat ’em…
Trent waved at one of the serving staff, pointed to his glass and held up three fingers. Less than a minute later, three beers appeared.
“You’re lucky, all you have to do is walk the ladies to their seats, then flank me to make me look amazing,” said Evan. “I’m shitting myself about the speech.”
“All you have to do is say how pretty the bridesmaids are, tell a funny story about Joshua, thank all the parents, and for God’s sake remember to tell everyone how beautiful Brianna looks.” I sipped my beer. God, it tasted good after the long drive.
