Four Weddings and a Swamp Boat Tour - Erin Nicholas Page 0,85
front of everyone.
“It’s nice they’re still friends,” Paige said.
“I’m not sure Josh feels the same way,” Mitch said wryly.
“Okay, so who’s the gorgeous blond who asked Griffin to dance?”
“Someone was brave enough to ask Griffin to dance?” Mitch spotted his other roommate leaning against the bar.
“Yep. He said no, but he’s been watching her ever since
“Why are you paying so much attention to Griffin?” Mitch asked, but he was amused. And curious as well.
“Because I think he’s way softer underneath than he wants anyone to know,” she said. “A true grump doesn’t like cats and otters.”
“He claims he doesn’t like the otters.”
“He’s lying.” She gave Mitch a grin that grabbed him in the chest.
Yeah, he was in love with her. And the fact that this place and these people—his place and his people—made her so happy.
“Fred hasn’t slept on my bed since we got down here,” Paige went on. “But I caught him strolling out of Griffin’s room the other morning.”
Mitch chuckled. “I don’t know that his fondness for animals extends to people.”
“Well, he’s feeling something for that girl.”
“Which one?”
She pointed, and Mitch felt his grin grow. “Oh, that’s Charlie.”
“Who’s she?”
“Charlotte Arabella Clementine Landry.”
Paige’s eyes were round. “Wow. That’s a lot of names.”
“It is. And Charlie handles it.” He chuckled. “Of course, only the bayou Landrys get away with calling her Charlie. She is very much Charlotte at home in Shreveport.”
“A city Landry?” Paige teased.
“A couple of ’em got away.” Mitch winked. “Guessin’ Charlie knows which forks to use for what at a fancy restaurant.”
“Too bad Griffin is such a grump,” Paige said.
“I’m not so sure that would get to Charlie,” Mitch said. “She’s super friendly and… sunny.” He decided that was the right word.
Paige laughed. “Oh, God, Griffin’s nightmare. But…” Paige was studying Griffin. “A hot hook-up never hurt anybody.” She grinned at Mitch.
Right. They’d started as a hot hook-up. That’s all it was ever supposed to be. And yet, he was sitting here right now, head over heels.
Griffin should probably stay far away from Charlie.
“And who’s Fletcher dancing with?” Paige asked.
“That’s Jordan.” Mitch couldn’t help but smile.
“They look very friendly.”
“They are. Best friends. Since kindergarten.”
“And more?”
Mitch shook his head. “Nope. She started dating her boyfriend, Jason, when they were fifteen, and they’ve been together ever since.”
“Fifteen?”
“Yep. He asked her to the Valentine’s Day dance, and that was it.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. They’re practically engaged.”
Paige frowned. “Just practically?”
“Well, not everyone moves as fast as the Appleby guys do,” Mitch said. He was teasing, but he couldn’t help the eye roll.
Paige elbowed him. “Okay, okay.”
“They’re not officially engaged. But it’s been ten years.”
“Does Fletcher have bigger feelings for her?”
“If he doesn’t, he’s a dumbass.”
“But he’s never said he does?”
“Nope. Though, his brothers tried to break them up a couple of times, and Fletcher never protested.”
Paige leaned in, clearly interested. “How did they do that?”
“They doused Jason’s car with perfume and left a bra in his backseat so Jordan would think he was cheating.”
“But it didn’t work?”
“Nope. It backfired big time, actually.” Mitch grinned at the memory. “Jordan snuck into Zeke’s bedroom—because of course, it had been Zeke’s idea—handcuffed him to the headboard, doused his sheets in perfume, left a bra and panties on the floor, and shut off his alarm, so his mother found him that way the next morning when she came in to wake him up for breakfast.”
“Oh my God, that’s awesome,” Paige said with wide eyes.
“Jordan and Fletcher were eighteen. Zeke and Zander were only sixteen. And already, troublemakers. Zeke knew he would never have been able to convince his mom that Jordan, the daughter she’d never had, would do something like that. And that was in part because he hadn’t wanted to explain what he’d done to prompt her retribution.”
Paige was laughing now.
“Then he found a note on his car seat the next morning that said simply, Don’t fuck with me. —J.”
Paige looked out onto the dancefloor at Jordan and Fletcher. “I want to be her friend. For sure.”
For her and Jordan to be best friends, Paige would need to be here.
He could make that happen.
If he would just fucking chill. But if he told her everything he was feeling and asked her to stay, she’d probably pack her stuff and hit the road tonight.
Dammit.
Instead of saying anything at all, he cupped the back of her neck and brought her in for a kiss.
A hot, deep, sweet kiss.
When he let her go, her cheeks were flushed. “What was that for?”