The Best Man Plan - Jaci Burton Page 0,7

over to Jason.

Jason took a swig and let the liquid burn its way down his throat, then screwed the top back on and handed it back to Finn. “Good.”

“Hell yes it’s good. Made it myself.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Johnny’s letting me experiment in one of the barns.”

“So now you’ve got a winemaking and whiskey business?”

“Well, I don’t make the wine. I’m just a carpenter and I help Johnny out. The whiskey’s just for fun. And okay, maybe someday. Ya know?”

Finn Nolan had lived here since his senior year of high school. His mom and Maureen Bellini had been friends back in Dublin when they were kids, and when Finn turned eighteen his mom passed away. With no other living relatives, Maureen brought him over to finish his last year of high school and attend college, so he lived with the Bellinis and started working at the vineyards. He and Jason had become friends at school and often hung out together, along with Owen.

“Well, you make some fine whiskey, Finn.”

“Thanks.”

“This is a damn hot mess that Owen got us all into.”

Jason turned to see his other best friend, Clay Henry, also dressed in his tux for tonight. Clay and Jason and Owen had all grown up together, had hung out and gotten in trouble and had one another’s backs for everything.

He didn’t have Owen’s back for this, though.

“Have you talked to him?”

Clay shook his head. “Tried to call him a few times, but all my calls go straight to voice mail. Now his mailbox is full.”

“Same.” Owen was going to have a lot to answer for when he got back home. First, he would have to answer to Erin, of course.

Jason gathered Clay, Finn and a few of the other guys together, determined to make sure that tonight was all about Erin. He also wanted to be sure that the guests didn’t hit her up with comments like “I’m sorry” and “Oh, poor Erin” or pummel her with questions about Owen that she didn’t have answers for. So he told the guys to greet everyone as they came in and make sure they didn’t ask those questions, and just had a good time and enjoyed the food and the music and one another. That way Erin could enjoy tonight.

The Bellinis had done an amazing job of decorating the vineyard, making it look nothing like a wedding and more like a party. Colorful lights were strung all across the front entrance to the vineyard, and the barn was lit up with bright lights and spring flowers. There was seating for plenty of people, and there were bars set up both in the barn and around the vineyard, so people could walk and enjoy the spring weather and still stop and get something to drink.

Music was playing, something lively and entertaining. Definitely nothing romantic, and Jason would bet Honor Bellini had everything to do with that. As the wedding planner, she’d made sure to obliterate anything having to do with a wedding reception so her sister wouldn’t have to even think wedding. She’d done a great job.

Now that the guys were greeting the guests, he planned to hit up one of the bars.

But then he saw Erin walk out of the main house and stopped dead in his tracks.

She wore something silver that sparkled. It was short—sinfully short, showing off magnificent legs that were accented by heels he had no idea how she maneuvered in. Her raven hair was down, long waves falling over her shoulders. And as she walked down the steps, she took his damn breath away.

Owen was the dumbest fucker on the planet for letting Erin get away.

He went over to her and couldn’t help but let his gaze roam over her. From a distance, she blew him away. Up close, the dress was hardly a scrap covering her magnificent body. If she was out to prove a point to her nonexistent fiancé about what he was missing, she was proving it. She looked nothing like a bride tonight. She looked like a seriously sexy single woman who had no intentions of getting married.

And there were a lot of single guys here tonight.

Shit.

“What do you think of the dress?” she asked.

“That’s barely a dress, Erin.”

Her lips lifted. “It covers the vital parts.”

“As long as you don’t move too fast.”

She laughed, and her eyes sparkled in the flicker of torchlight.

“I need champagne,” she said. “Care to escort me to the nearest bar?”

“Happy to.” He held out his arm and they walked toward the barn.

“You