Carried Away - P. Dangelico Page 0,42

towel on the carpet. And I vow to take every step of this journey with you as long as I live.”

“Ladies room?” one of the wedding guests asks me.

It snaps me out of spell. “Down the hall on your right,” I inform her with a smile.

Physically and emotionally drained, I yawn again and lean against the wall at the edge of the room for support. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house after the bride finished her vows. Even Nan, hiding in the wings, looked on the verge of crying.

From what I’ve been able to gather from eavesdropping on some private whisperings is that the bride has been battling cancer on and off for the last three years, and she’s in remission now. Here I am, feeling sorry for myself when other people are really suffering. It’s a stark reminder to be grateful and count my blessings.

The band is playing a horrible cover of Celebrate! Somewhere Kool and the Gang is cringing. The bride and groom don’t seem to mind though. They slow dance while chaos reigns around them.

“Where can I get a drain snake?”

I look over my shoulder and find Jake standing close enough touch. Seeing him makes my breath catch. This is not a good sign. I am way too into him already for this to end anyway other than badly for me.

He’s in his painting clothes. An old Henley shirt streaked with color, his gray sweatpants, and Timberlands. The only addition is a beat-up Bears ball cap with the rim pulled low.

He looks me over, his open gaze roaming down my bare legs to my high heeled booties and back up to my face.

“You look nice.”

My face nearly splints in two by the sheer force of the smile that compliment elicits. “What do you need a drain snake for?”

“Shower.”

“I can send one of the guys––”

He shakes his head while his gaze remains on my mouth. “No. I’ll do it.”

I’ve learned not to waste my energy arguing with this man and motion him out of the room and into the hallway.

We get only a few feet when I spot Sean coming from the opposite direction. His eyes narrow on me, rake up and down my body. Surprise grows on his face.

“Pizza Face?” he nearly shouts, grinning widely.

My heart stops. For a single solitary suspended moment, it stops beating in shock and shame. Then it races ahead. I honestly never anticipated hearing that name ever again.

My feet follow suit, abruptly halting in the middle of the hallway. Jake almost runs me over. He comes just short of it by bracing onto my shoulders. Then he back’s off. Way off, it feels like. Because a cold chill runs up my spine, the absence of his body heat noticeable.

This is it. This is what I’ve been dreading all along and it’s happening in front of the one person I want to impress, the one who thinks I look nice, the one man that thinks we have chemistry.

I’m finally close to getting the boy I want. I can’t be Pizza Face in front of Jake.

While Sean walks up to us, I am paralyzed with fear. I can’t even look over my shoulder to gauge what’s going on with him. I’m not strong enough for that right now.

“It’s really you––holy shit,” the insensitive asshole keeps repeating. “Sean? Gorman?” Like I should be excited to see him. We were strangers. Sean was just someone in my class that ignored me ninety-nine percent of the time unless someone was making fun of me.

“I know, I know. I look different too. Lost a few pounds…” he continues, mistaking my silence. He looks around. “You work here?”

Years of self-discipline kick in. I force the words out, taking care to deliver them in a steady and measured way. “My family owns it…yes, I work here.”

I hear myself sound indifferent and cool when in reality I’m falling apart inside.

“You look great. Damn, I barely recognized you, girl.”

I want to puke.

While Sean slow nods and undresses me with his eyes, a low growl comes from somewhere behind me. Unfortunately for me, Jake didn’t cut and run. He heard everything.

Sean’s attention darts over my shoulder. I know the moment he recognizes Jake by the look of surprise. “Aren’t you Jake Turner?”

Jake makes a humming noise. He steps closer, his body brushing up against my arm and hip. Even under layers of clothes, everywhere we touch a prickle of awareness fans out.

“What are you doing here, dude?” Sean examines Jake’s clothes.