up in my eyes as I looked at Taylor’s sincere expression.
Truthfully, Taylor was my closest friend, too, and I wasn’t happy that I’d distanced myself from her simply because of my guilt.
We chatted a few times a week on the phone, so it wasn’t like we’d completely lost touch, but I’d refused every suggestion she’d made to get together in person. I hadn’t wanted her to know that I was struggling because she’d had such a full plate herself.
“I’d be completely honored, Taylor,” I replied earnestly as I looked from Taylor to Riley. “I think I’m going to need some help from the bridesmaid. I’ve actually never been in a wedding party before.”
Riley waved her hand in the air like it was no big deal. “I’ve got you covered, Harlow. I grew up a Montgomery. If I learned nothing else from my mother, she did teach me how to organize large events. I both planned and attended ridiculously lavish parties before I separated myself from the social elite crowd. I’ve taken part in some pretty elaborate weddings, too. We’ll make sure that Taylor has the wedding of her dreams.”
I took a sip of wine, feeling a little more relaxed. “Will your mother be at the wedding? I hate to be ignorant, but Jax has never said a thing about his mother. I know that your dad died a long time ago.”
I could feel the tension in the air as Riley and Taylor exchanged an awkward look.
“I noticed you came here with Jax,” Riley observed. “Do you two talk often?”
Crap! Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned Jax.
Honestly, there was no reason why I couldn’t tell them that Jax and I had become friends, but I had to watch what I said since Riley was in the dark about the existence of Last Hope. Jax and his brothers had decided not to tell their little sister about the organization because they were afraid she’d worry.
I could reveal things from a Montgomery Mining angle, but nothing that would tip Riley off about how Taylor was rescued, or her brother’s personal involvement in that mission.
I took a deep breath before I answered. “We spend a lot of time together. I was having some coping issues after the kidnapping incident. I lost someone I cared about on our work team.”
Riley nodded. “Hudson told me that he lost an employee. He was devastated. Were you close?”
“Yes. I guess you could say he was my boyfriend, but we really never got the time to figure out if the relationship was going anywhere. We were close friends, though.”
Riley’s expression was empathetic as she replied, “Oh, my God, Harlow. I’m so sorry. It would have been difficult enough to deal with the emotional trauma of what happened to you and Taylor. I can’t imagine losing someone close to you because of that incident, too.”
“It was hard,” I confessed. “But I’m doing better. Jax has helped me a lot. Once I got back to San Diego after doing my initial recovery at my mom’s place in Carlsbad, Jax stopped by to see how I was doing. We’ve been friends ever since. He’s been really supportive. Your brother is a good man.”
That’s about the best I can do without coughing up details.
“It’s about time that another woman noticed that,” Riley said. “I’ve known it for as long as I can remember. His playboy reputation is ridiculous.”
I smiled. “It didn’t take me all that long to figure that out. I just wished I’d known it two years ago when he asked me out to dinner. I turned him down flat because of that reputation, but I didn’t know him back then like I do now.”
Riley’s eyes widened. “You actually turned down a date with Jax?”
“You never told me about that, Harlow,” Taylor admonished.
“It was nothing, really,” I said self-consciously. “One minute we were discussing soil samples, and the next he was asking me out to dinner. I doubt there are very many women who aren’t aware of his reputation, so I refused. Looking back, I wish I hadn’t rushed to judgment just because of the gossip. I’m not usually so easily swayed, but I didn’t want to be hounded by the media just because I’d been one of Jax’s one-off dates.”
Riley shot me a questioning look. “I highly doubt that would have happened. Jax hasn’t exactly met a lot of quality women. He was rarely in one place long enough to have a meaningful relationship when he was in the Navy, and when