Secrets of the World's Worst Matchmaker - Piper Rayne Page 0,2
blurry vision, I pick up my phone to find a million voicemails and text messages from my family.
“Oh my God!” I scream, and a loud thump sounds outside my bedroom door.
What the hell was that?
I grab my shoes from my closet and slowly open up my bedroom door.
“Fucking hell.” Colton is on all fours on the floor, getting up. He’s only in his boxers.
“You stayed?” I ask, wincing as my voice causes my brain to vibrate in my skull. My gaze travels the length of his chest, bouncing down his rippled stomach.
“I wasn’t going to leave you alone in your condition,” he says, grabbing his pants and putting them on.
“I gotta go. They’ve all had their babies.” I leave him in the living room and head back into my room, pulling out a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt.
“Don’t you think you should shower first?” He looks me over when I step out and grab my purse. “You look like you got run over by a semi.”
I narrow my eyes. “Aren’t you a sweet-talker. Is this how you got Brigette to marry you?”
He says nothing and his eyes cast down to the floor. I head to the bathroom to brush my teeth. He comes in and grabs the mouthwash from me. We both spit in the sink at the same time, our eyes catching for the briefest of seconds, but it’s like releasing the plug in a bathtub full of water. Memories of last night flood my brain.
They’re only pieces as I put them back together in chronological order. The drinks. The acid of the lemonade still raw in my throat. He walks out of the bathroom and I try to remember more. His hands on my skin while he helped with my dress. My lips on his skin. Oh shit.
I walk out of the bathroom to find him texting on his phone. No doubt to Brigette, explaining why he had to stay at my apartment last night. She probably thinks nothing of it because she feels no threat with me being Colton’s best friend. She trusts me. And I betrayed that trust and Colton’s last night.
Fuck, Juno, get your shit together.
He pockets his cell phone. “I’ll drive you to the hospital.”
“I can drive myself.” I want to ignore the confusing feelings where he’s concerned and being away from him will make it a lot easier.
“They’re like my siblings too. I want to see the babies.” He opens the door for me.
I file out with zero intention of acting as if I remember last night at all. But at some point, Colton will corner me about it—hopefully after I arm myself with an excellent excuse.
Two
One Week Later…
Juno
“Sorry, I’m all out,” Greta says, her apron smeared with frosting, proof she had a crazy morning. She only bakes what she bakes, and when she’s sold out, she’s sold out.
Matchmakers trust their guts, so I should’ve trusted mine this morning when I woke up with a sour pit in my stomach. I should’ve pulled the covers over my head, rolled myself into a ball, and forgotten anything existed outside of my bedroom for the rest of the day. But a failing business coupled with a fear of failure pushed me out of bed.
Now I stand inside Sweet Suga Things staring into an empty case that should be filled with donuts. And it probably was an hour ago when I should’ve been here.
“Your brother grabbed a bunch for the high school science club,” Greta says.
Austin, I think with a growl. Instead of showing Greta my annoyance, I smile and peruse the glass cases. “That’s okay. I’ll find something else.”
A potential new client is coming in today, and I want to look professional. So I figured some mouthwatering donuts and coffee from Brewed Awakenings might get him to sign on the dotted line.
As I’m looking over her cookie selection, I hear my last name mentioned behind me. Actually, I overhear two people having a conversation about my family. I slyly glimpse over my shoulder to find two old ladies Grandma Dori’s age seated at a table.
“Three of them just had babies. One is pregnant with their fourth. She’s now a great-grandma six times over,” the one says.
“She must be tired,” the other one says.
“You know Dori, it’s more bragging material,” the first continues.
Did they not notice me walk in?
“She acts like they’re so perfect. Even up in Fairbanks, I heard the stories about those twin boys. Always up to no good.”