Taking Chances (Learning to Love) (6 page)

I had a feeling they were giving me the short version, but I really didn't need to hear anymore. Hallucinating birds and sleeping on the kitchen counter was more than enough information for one morning.

Despite my better judgment, there was one more thing I wanted to know. "Why did Sebastian get involved? I've never even met him before last night." His face flashed clearly in my mind and caused a fluttering that didn't go well with my current state of nausea.

"I have no idea, babe. You were out on the terrace with him for a while, but when you came back in you walked right over to Gary. I had no idea how much you had to drink until Sebastian told me," Kat apologized, looking at Matt rather than me.

"When I went out to check on you before that, Sebastian had his arms around you and it looked like you were kissing, so I came back inside," Matt said, guilt evident in his voice.

I closed my eyes and tried to piece together memory fragments into some sort of coherent time line, but my brain refused. I could see pieces, but that was it.

"I can't even think about this anymore." I forced myself off the kitchen stool and walked down the hall to my bathroom to shower.

I stood under the hot water and tried to absorb the previous night's events. I was a complete mess. My hair reeked of vomit and something else I couldn't even place and honestly, didn't want to know. How could things have gotten so out of hand?

After showering, I looked and smelled better, but the embarrassment hadn't faded. Even if Kat was right and my drunken scene went mostly unnoticed, I still had to face poor broken-faced Gary. Then there was Sebastian. I wasn't sure what I did to anger him in the first place or why he cared what happened with Gary in the bathroom, but I
needed
to know. Something about him, even with what little I could remember, drew me in.

I wanted to scream and reach into my head to pull out the memories. My brain didn't care how frustrated I was, it was holding on to its secrets. I had to find a way to push everything aside and get through the rest of the wedding nonsense. I still had to go to the salon with the girls, and pick up dresses, not to mention the bachelorette party and the wedding itself. This wedding had turned into a three day event. Nothing like prolonged torture to celebrate a doomed union.

This is going to be the longest weekend of my life.

***

After two hours at the nail salon getting manicures, pedicures, and matching nail designs for the whole wedding party, I finally got a break. I found a nice cushy chair to lose myself in while I waited for the rest of the girls to finish. My head was still throbbing, but the nausea thankfully subsided.

Jamie was next to finish and came straight over and sat on the small table directly in front of me.

"What the hell happened last night?" Her eyes were wide, and I realized then that she had likely been holding in that question all morning.

"I have no idea," I answered flatly, not really in the mood to rehash my humiliation even if I had the answer.

"Don't you give me that, Lexi James. I know you know what I'm talking about," she demanded, pointing her perfectly manicured nail at me.

"Seriously, Jamie, I don't really remember what happened. I drank too much tequila. There was a fight." I sighed. "I don't know."

Jamie narrowed her eyes and assessed me critically. For a moment, I didn't think she would buy it, and I cringed at the thought of having to give her the play by play. Her face softened and I released the breath I didn't realize I was holding.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry," she squeaked out and pulled me into an embrace.

"Um…thanks?" I squeezed myself out of her death grip. I knew by her dramatic reaction that whatever she knew was bad.

Jamie bit her lip and looked away.

"Jamie? Please just tell me what you know," I sighed.

"Well, I overheard Justin and his cousin talking…" Avoidance was unlike her. She was normally the biggest gossip I knew.

"And?"

"Well, Sebastian told Justin that you were coming on to him, but when he refused, you went out to the bar and threw yourself at Gary. He actually used the words, 'threw herself at him'. He tried to leave it at that, but he kept an eye on you because you were so wasted but then you disappeared with Gary when he turned his back to help Aunt Mary with her medication." She stopped there, giving me a minute to digest what she said.

The throbbing in my head increased, and I could feel a wave of lightheadedness come over me. I had get up, move, do something. I almost walked out the door, but Jamie stopped me. She put her hand on my shoulder and led me away from the door toward an overstuffed sofa in the corner.

I glanced at the other girls who were looking at us curiously. "Do they…"

"No. They have no idea you were involved with the whole mess."

She waited a minute to give me a chance to calm down a bit, but looked over at the others several times. They would be done and joining us soon. I knew she was dying to get out the rest of the story.

I closed my eyes for a long moment, then turned to her. "You might as well tell me the rest."

She sat up straight, looked at the girls one last time, and began in a hushed tone. "Sebastian said by the time he figured out you went into the bathroom, you were in your underwear, and Gary was about to score. I didn't even know anything was going on until the paramedics showed up and I saw Gary all bloody. By then, you were gone. It didn't even cross my mind that you were involved until Justin said something. You seriously don't remember any of it?"

"No. I have little pieces, but after what you just told me, I don't even trust them."

"Well, what do you remember?"

I choked down the lump forming in my throat. "Not a lot."

The other girls were finishing up and walking over in our direction. I slumped further into the seat and dropped my face into my hands. Christine and Becca both eyed my curiously.

"Hangover," Jamie covered with, being a great friend.

Kat shot me a sympathetic look. "You should have seen her this morning puking all over my rug."

Christine sat down on the arm of the sofa next to me. "I didn't even realize you drank that much last night."

Becca elbowed her playfully. "That's because you were busy trying to get Owen's attention the whole night."

I turned to look at Christine and arched an eyebrow. "Owen, the hot best man?"

She closed her eyes and moaned. "Mmm yes, that's the one.

Kat narrowed her eyes at Christine. "Don't you have a boyfriend?"

Kat had no right to be judgmental with the way she flirted with anything that had a pulse.

Christine laughed. "Boyfriend is such a strong word."

Jamie cleared her throat loudly. "Okay ladies, I think it's time to go pick up our dresses."

***

The bridal shop was only two blocks from the salon and we walked so we didn't have to find street parking again. It was a bitch to find parking on Fridays. The walk helped clear my head a bit. By the time we got there, I was starting to feel a little better.

My dress fit perfectly, so I found a cozy armchair out of the way to wait out the rest of the fittings. Of course, Jamie had a hissy fit because there was a single bead missing from the bodice of her gown. She had the poor seamstress in tears trying to find just the right bead to sew back on, perfecting her overpriced dress-for-a-day. Craziness, it was all craziness.

My phone buzzed. I answered, grateful for the distraction from the current sideshow.

"Hey baby sis. How goes the dress thing?"

I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn't see me. "You have no idea."

"Feeling any better?"

"Getting there. What's up?"

"So, I just got off the phone with Dad…"

I didn't like where he was headed. "And?"

"Look Lex, before you try to say no, just hear me out."

I laughed. "Matty, I can't say no if you don't tell me what it is."

I didn't need to see him to know he was smiling. "Right, well, I told Dad we would meet him and Greta for lunch Sunday so we could go over the wedding details. Plus, it would be a good idea for you to meet her before the actual ceremony, don't you think?"

"Yes." I wasn't going to lie and say I was looking forward to it, but I certainly could manage a lunch meeting.

He paused for a moment, then spoke, sounding confused. "Yes, you think you should meet Greta, or yes, you will go?"

"Both." I still didn't agree with the whole seventh wedding thing, but it felt good to do this for Matty.

"Seriously? You're not mad? I thought you were going to fight me on this. Are you hitting the tequila again?"

"No, I'm not mad, and
no
, I am not drinking." I shook my head at the phone. "You know how I feel about our father and his weddings. I agreed to do this for you, and meeting the bride to discuss details seems like part of the package."

His voice grew serious. "This really does mean a lot to me."

"I love you too, Matty. Now go back to work."

CHAPTER FIVE

"What are you planning on wearing tonight?" Kat eyed my closet with suspicion.

I knew she would be sticking her nose in there sooner or later to determine if I even owned anything appropriate for Club Verde. Knowing Kat, she probably had something all picked out for me and ready to go. What she didn't know was that I had picked up something even Kat would approve of the week before.

"I have something, don't worry," I assured her, guiding her away from my closet.

"Are you sure? Because I have some things that would look great on you, and I promise, nothing too crazy."

I was glad Matt was busy with the bachelor party and wouldn't be seeing me before we left. Even though I was twenty-three, he still thought of me as his baby sister.

"I'm positive." I led her out of my room and toward the kitchen.

She hopped up on the counter while I went to work making us both a cappuccino in the fancy machine her parents insisted we needed. Foamy white splatters went whirling out onto the counter and my shirt.

"This damn thing makes a mess every time I use it. I'm pretty sure it's defective."

Kat rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure it's user error."

I dabbed the counter with a paper towel. "I'd like to see you do a better job."

She smirked. "Ha! Yeah, right. If you want something in the toaster, I'm your girl."

She wasn't far off. The only kitchen appliance Kat ever used besides the toaster, was the oven and that was only to make cake. I opened the cabinet and motioned my head in the direction of the fourteen boxes of cake mix sitting on the shelf. "These don't exactly go in the toaster." I looked over the boxes. "Hey, did you buy more?"

She shrugged. "There was a sale."

I shook my head and handed her a cup of cappuccino. Kat raised an eyebrow at the mess I made, but happily accepted the steaming cup, sipping it carefully.

"You know, there are going to be hot guys with very little clothing everywhere you look this evening," Kat purred.

"Hey, I tried to have a little bathroom fun last night, but I was interrupted."

Kat spit cappuccino onto the floor. "That's not even funny." She was trying, ineffectively, to hold back a smile.

We both burst out laughing.

My chest hurt from laughing so hard. "Every time I think about seeing Gary and Sebastian at the wedding tomorrow, I want to puke."

Kat hopped off the counter and gave me a quick hug. "Look, what happened, happened. It's over, done. How about we just forget about all of it tonight and have a great time?"

I nodded. "I know you're right. There's really nothing I can do about it tonight anyway."

Kat smiled. "Exactly. So you find yourself a nice half naked stripper and forget all about those two idiots."

"Seriously, Kat." I shook my head and half-smiled at her. "Tell you what, I promise not to rule it out, okay?"

Kat beamed like a mother watching her child take its first steps. Maybe she was right. Maybe I did just need a hot, dirty, one night stand, not that I would tell her that.

"Okay, well I'm going to get ready. I suggest you do the same." She eyed the cappuccino splattered on the front of me. "Let me know if you change your mind about a dress," she called as she walked down the hall and disappeared into her room.

***

I looked in the mirror and wondered what to do with my hair. I rummaged through my jewelry box and found a fancy jeweled clip that belonged to my grandmother. I used it to secure my hair up and let a few loose chestnut curls fall loosely around my face. Marcus used to love my hair like that. If there was one thing I would give the bastard credit for, it was that he always made me feel sexy. Of course, he was also making anything else with boobs feel sexy, too. I wondered if I'd ever get over the fact that he ended up just like the one man I swore to keep out of my life, my father.