Page 7 of The Charmer
Scott: Have fun, Jayde. If you need to take more time off, say the word.
I roll my eyes and show Reese the message.
He laughs. “See? Even Scott’s rooting for us.”
I snort in response, but I want Reese to be right. I want everyone to root for us the way my heart secretly is. I want this weekend to be perfect, even if I can’t admit it aloud.
THREE
REESE
“There he is!” Mick announces my and Jayde’s arrival to the group.
Familiar faces I haven’t seen in far too long beam, several of my friends jumping up from their seats as Ben orders two more drinks of the colorful cocktails the group is sipping.
“Golden Boy!” My friend Sandra squeals, wrapping me in a big hug before turning and hugging Jayde too.
Jayde remains frozen, her dark eyes holding mine with an edge of panic.
I place my hand in the center of her back, wanting her to feel at ease. After a second, she pats Sandra’s arm awkwardly.
“I’m Sandra. It’s great to finally meet you, Jayde,” Sandra says, pulling away as Mick and Emily approach.
“We’re so happy you could join us this weekend,” Emily says warmly, her eyes darting from Jayde to me. She kisses my cheek as I sling an arm around her shoulders.
“You sure you wanna marry this guy?” I tilt my head toward Mick.
Emily laughs, extending a hand to Jayde. “I’m Emily and this is Mick.” Mick gives a little wave, hooking his arm around my neck and pulling me from Em as he affectionately messes upmy hair. “They roomed together all of college after being paired up freshman year. That’s where we all met.” She gestures to the group who wave and call out introductions.
“At the University of Denver,” Jayde says, surprising me that she knew it.
When I finally shake free of Mick, I meet her eyes and she blushes, a soft pink, that would look pretty on any girl but looks mesmerizing on her. Probably because I’ve never seen her flustered before.
“Exactly,” Emily says. “Let me introduce you.”
I follow Jayde and Emily into the group huddle, so Jayde won’t feel overwhelmed. My college group is big—there are twelve of us plus significant others—and rowdy. But, just like I knew they would, they all welcome Jayde with heartfelt smiles and make room for her, Ben passing her a drink.
When he passes me one, I beg off. If there’s one thing I learned after that night at Taps, it’s that when I make the next move with Jayde, I will be completely sober. There won’t be any hesitation between us. I want us to come together because we want to, not because we’re in our feels or rebounding from an ex. Although, this weekend, neither seems likely.
Jayde takes a small sip of the drink and relaxes. Sandra pulls her into a conversation with Kate and Jamie. When Jayde laughs at something Kate says, I relax too.
“Glad you’re here, bro,” Mick says.
“Me too.” I grin, thanking the server for the bottle of San Pellegrino. “All right”—I glance at the group of guys—“let me hear the agenda.”
Jose snickers, shaking his head. “You think we have a plan? That’s your area of expertise, Keller.”
“Yeah, you always were the group organizer,” Ben pipes up. “So, tell us…what are we doing?”
The girls look over and at Emily’s expectant gaze, I dive in. “Well, there’s this nature hike I looked into?—”
The group dissolves into laughter, with even Jayde cracking a grin.
“There’s a waterfall and snorkeling. I’ve signed Jayde and me up for tomorrow morning…” I pause to wink at Jayde who blushes again, dipping her head. “But you’re all welcome to join. I spoke to the concierge and if we arrange it ahead of time?—”
“Which you did,” Emily says knowingly.
“Of course,” I laugh. “We can picnic on the beach before we head back to get ready for the nuptials.”
