The Mistake (Bad Bridesmaids #1) - Noelle Adams Page 0,28

little weird that you’d... I mean, you’re older, but you’re not that old. And if that’s the reason you think you can’t... I mean, it’s fine with me. If you want to... Oh shit. I’m shutting up now.”

Despite the weird twisting in his chest and gut, he couldn’t help but chuckle dryly about Taylor’s garbled but sincere proclamation. “Thanks, Taylor. Seriously. I appreciate it. But I’m fine. And I’m not heartbroken or anything close.”

“Okay. Okay. I get it. I’ll stop prying and go back to what I do best. Minding my own business.”

She smiled at him, and he walked her back to the door.

Despite her words and the way they’d left things after his assurance that he was fine, Robert wasn’t sure she’d believed him.

THE SATURDAY OF SHELLY’S wedding turned out perfect. An ideal day in May. Sunny and warm with a light breeze to keep it from becoming uncomfortably hot. It was perfect for a garden wedding. The flowers were blooming, the bride and groom were happy, and the bridesmaid dresses were a hit.

Amanda should have been pleased. She should have been having a very good time. And she would be if Robert hadn’t shown up and wasn’t currently acting like she didn’t exist.

It shouldn’t have been a surprise that he was invited. His family was good friends with Shelly’s family, just as Amanda’s was. But she wasn’t sure why he’d decided to come since he wasn’t close with either the bride or the groom. And if he did insist on coming, why couldn’t he act like a decent human being and maybe smile and say hello to her?

He did neither. Through the whole ceremony and most of the reception, he studiously avoided her.

Either he was doing it on purpose or he genuinely cared nothing about her at all.

She’d hate for it to be the latter even though the former infuriated her.

She’d been good to him during their night together. She’d been as generous in bed as he’d been—as generous as she’d known how to be. She thought she’d treated him pretty well.

She hadn’t done anything to deserve being ignored this way.

For a while she’d thought she was wrong about him, but she hadn’t been after all.

The man was truly an asshole.

She stewed about it during the ceremony as she kept a wide, pretty smile on her face. And she stewed about it as they took endless photographs afterward. And she stewed about it when they went over to the reception, which was taking place in the garden’s reception room and patio.

She stewed about it so much that she eventually had to act on it, so she started strategically placing herself right in Robert’s path.

Just to see what he would do.

He made a detour to talk to the bride’s parents to keep from encountering her by the bar. And he made a U-turn to keep from running into her at the restrooms. She really thought she had him when he came to get a piece of wedding cake, but he pretended to get a call and walked out onto the patio to “take it.”

She stared out the french doors at him.

The absolute bastard.

What kind of childish move was that?

If he didn’t want to talk to her or see her again, he could just say it right to her face.

Amanda had always had a quick tongue, but she didn’t have a quick temper. She was usually in control of herself, and she only showed anger when she thought it would do some good.

But she wasn’t doing it strategically right now. She was simply mad. Mad as hell. She’d spent week after week trying to get over Robert. Trying to get him out of her head. And he was acting like this.

No.

No.

She didn’t deserve to be treated this way.

She’d gotten a new glass of champagne a few minutes ago—only her second since she’d learned her lesson about drinking too much at weddings—but she hadn’t had a chance to even take a sip. She carried it outside with her, too distracted to find a place to set it down.

Robert was standing by a railing that looked down on the rose beds. He wasn’t pretending to be on the phone anymore, although he still held it in his hand. He was leaning on the rail, propped up on his forearms.

He looked tired. Exhausted really.

Amanda didn’t care. She was tired too, and she wasn’t the one acting like an ass.

She pasted on her pageant smile as she approached—the smile that was too big, too