Love According to Science_ A Hot Enemies-t-Lovers Romantic Comedy (Dirty Martini Running Club #2) - Claire Kingsley Page 0,28

her wish of finding her Prince Charming, and she’d found him. So perhaps a good portion of the ache in my chest was the satisfaction of watching one of my best friends in the entire world share her wedding dance with the man of her dreams.

“Here.” Nora handed me a glass of white wine, then lowered herself into the chair next to me.

I took a sip—the wine was light and refreshing—and set my glass on the table. “Thanks.”

Nora tilted her head, watching the newlyweds. “They’re disgusting, aren’t they?”

“Truly awful.”

“It’s our fault, you know. We’re the ones who made sure Shepherd got his head out of his ass.”

“Indeed.”

Nora and I raised our glasses to clink them together and shared a smile.

After taking a sip, Nora set down her glass. “Well, if I have to wear a bridesmaid dress, there’s no one I’d rather wear it for. Except you. Although I take it you’re still stubbornly determined to stay single.”

“Stubbornness is not the driving influence in my decision. And what’s wrong with the bridesmaid dresses?”

We were dressed in similar, but not identical, pale yellow dresses. Nora had helped Everly choose a flattering style for each of her bridesmaids, and the designer had coordinated them by fabric and color, rather than stuffing us all into matching gowns. Mine was long and form-fitting with thin straps and a sweetheart neckline. Elegant and still comfortable.

Nora was impossibly sexy in her long strapless dress, her curves tastefully highlighted. As usual, her hair, makeup, and attire were all perfect for the occasion.

She glanced down at herself. “Oh, there’s nothing wrong with the dresses. They’re lovely and my boobs look great. I’m just referring to the stereotype of the ugly bridesmaid dress. I’d happily wear an ugly dress for either of you. I’d wear one for Sophie, too. Although when she gets married, we’re not even going to pretend she’s allowed to pick any of the clothing.”

Sophie chose that moment to join us, a glass of wine in her hand. But judging by her amused laugh as she sat, she wasn’t offended. “I’m glad you said that, because I was going to beg you to come dress shopping with me. Not that I’m getting married anytime soon. You kind of need a groom for that and the only man I see on a regular basis signs my paychecks and is hopelessly in love with one of my best friends.”

“You need to start putting yourself out there,” Nora said. “You’re not going to meet anyone if the only time you leave the house is to go to work or go running with us.”

Sophie sighed. “I know. I’m just very talented at screwing up when I try.”

At least she hadn’t drawn on herself with a pen in an ill-fated attempt to distract her nemesis by pulling his attention to her boobs. Luckily, the ink had washed off. I supposed the good news was that I hadn’t stuck the pen in my mouth, which had been my first idea. Nora had said to draw attention to my mouth by biting things—but not my fingernails—so I’d considered putting the tip of the pen against my lips or between my teeth.

Although now that I thought about it, I wasn’t sure what would have been worse, drawing a line down my neck or getting ink in my mouth. Upon further reflection, I decided their mortification factor was roughly equal.

I took another—bigger—sip of wine. My attempts at acting sexy in front of Corban had been bungling at best, humiliating at worst. There was my awkward attempt at lip-licking, which I was convinced had made me look deranged. The neck-drawing debacle. A few days ago, I’d dropped a book in the hallway outside his office and slowly bent down to pick it up. When I was doubled over, I’d tried to check to see if he was watching, lost my balance, and toppled right into Pete the janitor.

The only good thing about that situation was the fact that Corban hadn’t been in his office to see it.

I’d already decided not to dwell on the part where I hadn’t looked to see if Corban was actually present to witness my little display before going to the trouble of bending over in the first place.

And also resolved that the next time I was bent double in heels, I needed to be careful not to move my head too quickly.

Nora clutched her wine glass and scanned the room. “Now that our bridesmaid duties are fulfilled, let’s see if we