Page 5 of Take Me
I was dancing with Annabelle, so stupidly sure we were on a path to forever.The dumb thing is, we didn’t break up.
How could she dump a guy who wasn’t her boyfriend?
“Erika, hon.”My sister puts a hand on her arm.“I’m sorry, sweetie.This was insensitive of us, asking you to help with the wedding stuff.”
“God, you’re right.”Cassidy winces.“We’re such jerks.Between my wedding and Zoe’s and?—”
“And mine.”Lucy shoots me a frantic,help uslook.
“Neil’s a dumbass.”I reach for another pink candle.
Lucy sighs, but Erika laughs as she stacks my finished candles back in the box.“He’s not a dumbass.He just didn’t want to be with me.”
“Like I said, dumbass.”I mean, come on.Erika’s smart and funny and hot, if I’m allowed to say that about my childhood pal.Why the hellwouldn’tNeil want to be with her?
My sister’s still stuck at the pity party.“I know I asked you to be a bridesmaid,” she tells Erika, “but that if that’s too emotional after what you’ve been through?—”
“It’s not,” she assures my twin.“I absolutely want to dress up in tulle with a giant bow on my ass.”
“Who wouldn’t?”I pick up another candle.
My sister still looks fretful.“I just don’t want things to be too hard on you.”
Erika swallows.“I’m fine.”
“You said ‘hard on,’” I say, which makes Erika snicker.
Lucy ignores me, turning to Sam as she whips out her phone.“What do you think about these for quickie, DIY centerpieces?”She tilts the screen so Max can see, leaving me marking up candles.
Erika leans in again, blond hair brushing my arm as she studies my pen stroke.The fresh, fern leaf smell of her skin fills my head, and I nearly miss what she whispers.
“Save me from friends who love me too much.”
“No joke.”Was it a joke, or an actual request?Either way, I get it.Sucks to have people feel sorry for you.
A shared loathing for being an object of pity is kinda how we became friends in the first place.Even at eight years old, we knew being smothered in sympathy was the absoluteworst.
Cassidy exits the centerpiece convo and turns back to Erika.“Seriously, no pressure,” she says kindly.“I know I said yes when you offered to plan the bachelorette party, but please know I don’t expect you to go through with it.Not if it’s painful at all.”
“I’m really okay.”Erika’s voice says she’s trying to be.“I mean yeah, did I think Neil and I would get married?Sure.We’d been together since high school.”
“That’s what makes me so mad.”Zoe balls her fists on the table.“You wasted all those years on a guy who kept stringing you along.”
Color floods Erika’s cheeks.“Things don’t always work out.”She puts some more steel in her voice.“It’s fine.I’m good.I’m already moving on.”
Zoe tilts her head.“You are?”
“Totally.”She sounds almost convincing.“Getting back in the game, putting myself out there.Dating a little, working on myself, finding balance.”
She sounds like a freakin’ self-help book.All we need now is my brother’s fiancée.Myotherbrother’s fiancée, the famous self-help author.
Christ, is everyone engaged?
Brooke would normally be here, but her famous shrink life has her flitting around Hawaii this week.Kaleb went with her.Don’t ask me what my idiot brother has to do with drumming up pre-sales for her next book.A Lover’s Guide to Healing and Joyor some schmoopy title like that.
It really is raining lovebird shit around here.
“Has anyone heard how Kaleb’s trip is going?”Lucy looks instantly guilty.Guess our brother’s romantic vacation isn’t the subject change she hoped for.
