Page 118 of Better When Shared
The silence stretched between us like a taut wire. I braced for tears, screaming, maybe something thrown at our heads. Instead, Gemma's eyebrow rose a fraction of an inch, and she let out a small exhale through her nose.
"I see." She smoothed down her already-smooth hair. "Well. That's rather inconvenient timing."
Maybe Jake was right, and her blood did run cold. Or maybe she was in shock.
"Gemma, I'm so sorry. I can't believe he would do this to you. Two days before the wedding, it's unconscionable. I know this must be devastating, and I want you to know that I'll do whatever I can to make this right, help with cancellations, deal with vendors, whatever you need—"
"Brian." Her voice cut through his rambling with surgical precision. "Breathe."
We all stood there for a moment, and I awkwardly shifted my weight as I wondered what the next steps were. Did we hug her? Leave her to mourn in privacy? Buy her ice cream? Imogen cleared her throat delicately.
"Perhaps I should put the kettle on? Tea always helps in situations like these."
The absurd suggestion broke something in Gemma's composure, and she laughed. It was a short, sharp sound that was more surprise than humor. She turned away from us, walking to an elegant side table where she picked up a thick folder.
"Thank you both for coming to tell me in person. I appreciate the effort to make sure I got the news in a personal way."
"Of course. We wouldn't do it any other way," Brian said.
"You know what?" She faced us again, and there was something almost calculating in her expression. "You two are rather sweettogether. Perhaps you'd enjoy my honeymoon cruise instead? No point in me taking all this time off work now."
Brian's face went red. "We're not… That's ridiculous. We're not a couple. He's Jake's friend. The sexy himbo, perfect sidekick to my freewheeling brother."
The word 'hot' sent heat rising in my cheeks… and other places. Uptight, buttoned-up Brian, who probably never even masturbated, thought of me as hot?
"Oh please," I said. "I’m not a sidekick, and Brian doesn't date. He's too busy being a boring accountant nerd to get laid."
Gemma blinked. "Well, either way, the tickets are yours. I certainly won't use them."
I tilted my head. "Can you change the cruise tickets?"
"Enzo!" Brian scolded. "We are not taking the tickets."
She ignored him, handing me the folder. "The Bancroft name goes a long way in the tourism industry. It won't be a problem."
Imogen looked from us to Gemma, and back, her hand fluttering up to touch her friend's shoulder, then dropping. "Gem, are you feeling quite all right? Your response is rather… odd, don’t you think?"
Gemma shrugged. "Not much point in sobbing into a pillow. What's done is done. Isn't it better he showed his true colors now?" With that, she turned and stalked back towards her office, leaving us all standing there, gaping.
The sound of Gemma's keyboard clacking in the office spurred Imogen into motion, and she bustled us out of the apartment, chatting with the manic cheerfulness that only came from sheer panic. "The cruise really is lovely. Mediterranean, five-star everything. Such a shame to waste it. Perhaps you should take her up on the offer."
"What about Gemma?" Brian asked. “Is she okay?”
Imogen glanced back towards the apartment, then huffed out a breath. "Perhaps she simply didn’t want to break down in front of strangers! I’ll feed her ice cream and cry with her later. Nothing to be concerned about.”
I frowned. "Do you need help with anything? Cancelling the wedding?"
Imogen shrugged. "It'll be fine. You two have some packing to do! Go, enjoy the cruise."
“But…”
“The woman clearly wanted to be rid of you two so much that she’s shipping you off to the Mediterranean! Go!” Imogen said, a little more firmly this time. The heavy door clicked shut behind us, leaving Brian and me standing in the hallway like two kidswho'd been sent to the principal's office. Brian immediately started pacing again, running his hands through his hair until it stuck up at odd angles.
"We can't take her honeymoon cruise. It's wrong on so many levels I don't even know where to start."
I tucked the folder under my arm and headed toward the elevator, Brian trailing behind me like a particularly anxious shadow. "Come on, man. She offered. It's not like we're stealing it."
"We're not seriously considering this." Brian jabbed the elevator button with more force than necessary. "I need to get back to work, and you need to get back to… whatever it is you do now.”
