Page 18 of Wild Ever After
What the hell am I going to do now?
7
MATCHMAKER
JADE
“Are you okay?”
I glance over to see Declan, standing a step outside of the bar. I’m not even surprised he followed me. One thing I know for sure about Declan, he notices things other people don’t.
“Yeah.” I nod and pull myself together.
“No, you’re not.” His jaw hardens and he looks around like he’s hoping to find some jerk who made me cry so that he can kick their ass. I wish he could. “What happened?”
I clear my throat and squeeze my phone in my hand. “That was Sam. It’s over.”
“Shit. I’m sorry. I thought…”
Shaking my head, I speak before he can finish the sentence. “That was the first time I’ve talked to him since I saw you Monday. I hoped we could still work things out.”
He studies me silently.
“I’m having my bachelorette party for a wedding that isn’t happening. God, how pathetic am I?”
“You’re not pathetic.”
“No?”
“Never.” He steps forward and runs his thumb underneath my left eye to remove the smudged makeup. “Drink? Dance? What do you need?”
“A drink sounds good.” More like a dozen of them.
He stares at me a beat longer, before stepping back toward the bar and holding the door open for me.
The rum and Cokes I ordered are waiting for me. I take a long drink of one, then ask the bartender for two tequilas for Declan and me.
Declan lifts a brow in surprise. I wave a hand toward the veil and sash, reminding him I’m a jilted bride-to-be. “I should have yelled at him. Think I should call him back and tell him he’s lousy in bed?”
He isn’t, but it might feel good to yell it in his face.
I pull out my phone and Declan promptly grabs it. “Definitely not.”
“I’m so mad,” I say, but I’m sad too. Part of me knows I pushed Sam too far, but I can’t find it in me to regret getting engaged.
“I’m holding onto this,” he says and slides my phone into his front jeans pocket. “If he’s truly bad in bed then I think you’re better off.”
A small laugh escapes me. Declan offers me a crooked smile. “It still sucks to have to call off the wedding, though. I’m sorry.”
“I’m not calling off the wedding,” I say and drain the rest of the rum and Coke. Declan is quick to order me another.
“I don’t understand,” he says.
“My boss told me that the wedding is happening with or without me.”
“She could just replace you? How’s that work?”
“She would spin it to say that I was writing the articles for another bride. A million girls would kill to have the kind of wedding I planned. I’m sure she’d have no problem finding one to take my place.”
