“I think she sees me. Chelsea. Like really sees me. She’s not impressed with the shit that comes out of my mouth and knows I’m a damn fraud in a lot of ways.” He shook his head. “Can Bianca do better than me? Of course she can! But that doesn’t mean I don’t love her and I wouldn’t do anything in the world to show her that!”
Well…damn.
“So…talk to Bianca about this and tell her to stop inviting Chelsea around! Seriously, it would be a win-win for everyone! I still don’t get how they’re even friends!”
Chuckling, Jimmy replied, “She’s really not that bad. I know we all give her a hard time, but…she’s a decent person– the kind who would give you the shirt off her back. Bianca’s always talking about what a good friend she is, and as much as she seems to hate me, she got me the lead on the big rehab job I’m doing right now.”
“You mean the house in Sag Harbor?” he asked incredulously. “That job’s huge!”
“I know! Not only did she refer me, but apparently she’s the only reason the homeowners picked me. They talk about how they trust her implicitly.” He shrugged. “I don’t get it.”
“Wow…”
“That job is going to allow me to put a down payment on a house for me and Bianca.”
“Maybe that’s why she did it?” he suggested. “As a way of helping you out?”
“Yeah, but if she dislikes me as much as I think she does, it doesn’t make sense.”
“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”
Another shrug. “Maybe she’s just not good at trusting people.”
“Or maybe she’s just a miserable person,” Drew deadpanned. “And she’s looking to make her friends miserable too.”
Behind them, he heard everyone laughing and turned to see what was going on. Everyone was smiling and drinking, and Chelsea was nursing her glass of wine with a serene smile on her face–like a real smile would take too much effort.
“Thanks for listening,” Jimmy said. “Let’s go see what everyone’s laughing about!”
It was on the tip of his tongue to mention how not everyone was laughing, but…what would be the point?
If Chelsea Cooper didn’t know how to relax and enjoy herself, that was her problem, not his.
3
“There’s a problem.”
Two weeks after the big engagement celebration and Drew didn’t need to ask what–or who–Jimmy was referring to. “What’s up?”
“Bianca and I are eloping this weekend.”
“What?! That’s awesome! Where? When? And obviously I’m going to be best man, so…”
Jimmy sighed. “Okay, maybe two problems.”
Uh-oh…
Before he could ask, his buddy was explaining. “Bianca’s got her heart set on getting married at some resort down in South Carolina. She made some calls, and it just so happens they have an opening for one of their super small and intimate packages this weekend and she booked it.” He let out a nervous laugh before he went on. “I mean, we didn’t even really talk about it, and she went and booked our wedding!”
“Jim…”
“No, no…it’s great. Really. Our parents are all going to flip because they were already planning something big for like three hundred people, but I’m sure we can do both, right?” Another laugh that was bordering on hysterics–and not the funny kind.
“Jimmy, breathe. You don’t have to do this. Just tell Bianca no–that you don’t think it’s a good idea. It’s too fast! It’s too soon! And…you know, your family and friends will be devastated to miss out on it.” Drew let out a laugh of his own. “Well, most of your family and friends because…hey, I’ll be there.”
“Um…yeah…about that…”
“Seriously?” he cried. “Why not? I thought I was your best man!”
“Bianca said she wanted to do this just the two of us and then do a party when we get back, so…”
In the background, Drew could hear Bianca talking excitedly. No doubt she was calling her friends just like Jimmy was doing. He couldn’t make out what she was saying, and honestly, it didn’t matter. “Okay, so…what’s the problem?”
“We weren’t going to tell anyone–and I mean anyone,” he added for emphasis. “But she let it slip to Kendall who’s a blabbermouth for sure and we know if Chelsea finds out, she’s going to show up and try to stop the wedding. Everyone’s going to meet up tomorrow night as usual, and I need you to make sure…”
“You need me to throw myself on the grenade,” he said miserably.
“Pretty much. I don’t know if anything will happen, but when we don’t show up at O’Dwyer’s, people are going to wonder, and you know how Chelsea is.” He paused. “I know it’s a lot to ask, Drew, and I have no idea what’s going to happen, but…”
“Don’t worry about it,” he assured. “Whatever I need to do, I’ll do. Although you should probably just say there’s a family emergency out of town. Who can argue with that?”
“Normally we would, but like I said, Kendall knows, and she cannot keep a secret.”
“Do I even want to know how you know that?”
“Let’s just say Bianca shared some…intimate stories with her, and Kendall blurted them out the next time we were all together.”
“Intimate details? Like what? I don’t remember that.”
“It’s not important.”
Leaning back in his desk chair, Drew grinned from ear to ear. “I’m going to need details or you’ll have to find yourself someone else to help with this problem.”
“You’re a dick, Drew.”
“And proud of it. Now spill.”
A low growl was Jimmy’s first response. Then… “As a joke, I put on a pair of Bianca’s panties.”
Wait for it…
“And I didn’t hate it,” Jimmy murmured.
Unable to help himself, Drew laughed–hard. And for a long time. Once he finally had himself under control, he said, “Fear not. I’m all over this. Tell me when you’re leaving, when the ceremony is, and when you’ll be back so I know what I’m dealing with.”
“Holy shit, you’re the best,” Jimmy said with relief. “Okay, we’re leaving in the morning. We’ve got a flight out of LaGuardia and the ceremony is Monday afternoon.”
“Monday afternoon? Who gets married on a Monday afternoon?”
Groaning, he replied, “Apparently, I do. So the wedding is Monday and the plan is to fly home Tuesday night. I know it’s a lot of time to cover, but hopefully there won’t be any issues.”
“Jim, there’s only so much I can do. It’s not like Chelsea and I hang out together other than Friday night. How am I supposed to know what she does for the other days?”
“I don’t know…ask her to dinner Saturday night or something. Take her out east for one of those wine tastings or something.”
“Are you out of your mind? She’d know something was up right away! We barely tolerate each other. Me asking her out is just going to make her think something’s up.”
He heard Bianca call Jimmy’s name. “Listen, I need to go. Just…promise me you’ll handle this.”
He had no clue how, but…
“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ve got this. Go and get married and call me when you get back.”
“Thanks, Drew. You’re a lifesaver.”
He grinned. “I know. But you owe me.”
“Anything you want, and it’s yours.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.” He hung up and sat up straighter and tried to wrap his brain around what he’d just learned.
His best friend was getting married…eloping with his dream girl to South Carolina.
And he liked to wear women’s underwear.
Wrong thing to focus on!
The main thing that really had him more than a little confused was the rush to get married. Drew was a firm believer in the institution of marriage, but he didn’t get why they were rushing like this. What was so special about this place in South Carolina that Bianca jumped at the first available date?
And didn’t she care about her friends and family at all? All the B.S. with Chelsea aside, what about the rest of them? Wouldn’t it have been better to wait so everyone could be there?
He thought about it and realized it wasn’t a huge deal for him to see Jimmy get married–that’s not what this was about–but both Jimmy and Bianca came from big Italian families. You don’t elope; you have a big circus of a wedding! That’s the way it’s always been and he couldn’t believe they were breaking tradition like that. Just last summer, Drew had gone to Jimmy’s brother’s wedding and it was like a three-day event! He just naturally assumed it would be the same way when Jimmy got married.
Plus, he totally had Bianca pegged as someone who would thrive on having the eyes of three hundred people on her for a big wedding. So what was going on? Again, why the rush?
His mind wandered to how everyone else was going to feel when they heard the news.
And not just Chelsea.
They were a close-knit group and he knew there were going to be hurt feelings. Hell, he was a little offended himself. And he knew he would kill to be a fly on the wall when the bride and groom break the news to their families.
“Better them than me,” he murmured.
Raking his hands through his hair, he leaned back in his chair and tried to figure out the best way to deal with tomorrow night. He’d make sure to get to O’Dwyer’s earlier than usual so he would be the first to arrive. Then, with any luck, Kendall would be the next to arrive so he could feel her out and figure out if she was going to blab the news or not. Maybe if she simply blabbed it to him, she’d feel like she got it out and then would be okay without telling anyone else.
The idea definitely had merit.
Okay, the way he saw it, as long as he kept Kendall busy, she couldn’t tell Chelsea about the wedding! Why waste his time talking to a woman who barely tolerated him when he could simply do his best to prevent the information from ever getting to her? It was brilliant! And Kendall was a good-looking, friendly woman. Asking Kendall to dinner or to go out east–if it had to come to that–would be way more palatable than having to do that with Chelsea.
Problem solved.
I’m a genius.
He mentally high-fived himself before putting his focus back on his computer and getting back to work.
For the first time in ages, Chelsea couldn’t wait to see everyone tonight. It had been a great week, she was going to start working with a new author next week, and hopefully this would mean she was finally transitioning from narrating textbooks and non-fiction titles to where her passion really was–fiction.
Particularly romance.
Just thinking about it had her feeling hopeful and excited and she couldn’t wait to share the news with Bianca. For so long she’d been the one encouraging Chelsea to speak up about wanting to narrate something different–something she enjoyed–and now it was finally happening!
Yay me!
Stepping into O’Dwyer’s, she looked around near their usual booth and didn’t see Bianca. Or Kendall. Or Shauna. Feeling slightly dejected, she figured they were all running late. Looking down at her watch, however, she saw it was well after eight and everyone normally arrived long before now. She was the one who was late!
“Chelsea!”
She looked up at the sound of her name and spotted Drew waving to her from the booth. Forcing a smile, she prayed they weren’t the only two here. That would mean she’d have to make small talk with him and hope the others would be arriving shortly.
“Hey,” she said, smiling. “Where is everyone?”
“Can I get you a drink?” he offered, taking her jacket from her and placing it the hook next to them. “Chardonnay, right?”
“Um, yes. Thank you.” He was gone before she could get an answer out of him, which was weird. Pulling her phone from her purse, she looked to see if she missed any messages, but she didn’t. There had to be something up and she quickly tapped out a group text to the girls.
Hey! Did I miss the memo where we’re all skipping tonight? Where’s everyone at?
She stared down at the screen and willed someone to answer, but all she got was the sent memo.
Dammit.
When she looked up, Drew was sliding into the booth across from her. He slid her wine to her with a smile. “So, how was your week?”
Fighting the urge to look around and see who he was talking to, she responded, “Good, thanks. And yours?”
His hands were cupped around his beer as he smiled at her. “Yeah, mine was good too. Busy. So, what fascinating book are you narrating now? Anything I’d be familiar with?”
And for the first time in a long time, he didn’t sound so…condescending about her work. Or snarky. Or…anything. He sounded genuinely interested.
“What’s going on?” she demanded, sliding her wine glass aside.
“What do you mean?”
“Where is everyone and why are you being so nice?” she demanded and almost wanted to kick herself for sounding so bitchy.
If anything, his smile stayed in place. “Contrary to popular belief, I’m a nice guy,” he said smoothly. “As for the rest of the group, I’m not really sure. Did you check your phone for any missed calls or messages?”
“Of course I did. The girls always tell me when they’re running late, so I can’t understand how they’re all late and not…” She stopped and gasped, suddenly horrified. “Oh my God! What if something happened to them? What if they were all on their way here together and got into an accident? What if…” She started to slide out of the booth when Drew’s stopped her. His hand was resting casually on top of hers and...she didn’t hate it.
“Chelsea, calm down. No one’s been in an accident,” he said, his voice oddly soothing.
“But…how do you know? Did you get any calls or texts?” And his smile finally slipped before his expression turned slightly…guilty. “Drew?”
He paled and that’s when she knew something was definitely up.
“I’m going to ask you again…”
“Okay, okay, okay,” he quickly interrupted. “Jimmy had a bit of a family emergency and Bianca went with him. I’m not sure where everyone else is.”
That was it? That’s was what had him looking like he did?
“Are you sure that’s it?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Because you looked way more panicked than that story would imply, so…is there anything else?” Before he could answer, her phone dinged and she breathed a sigh of relief. “Hopefully that’s Kendall or Shauna responding to my text.” But when she picked up her phone, she saw it wasn’t a text, but a notification from Instagram. She was tempted to ignore it, but for some reason, she was curious.
It was an Instagram story from Bianca with a picture of her hand–specifically her engagement ring–with the caption, “Destination Wedding here we come!”
“What the hell?” Chelsea cried. “Is she on a plane right now?” Looking up at Drew, she held up her phone toward him. “Did you know about this?”
“About what?” He leaned forward and tapped her phone screen to bring the video back. “Maybe they’re going to look at a venue or something.” He shrugged. “Who knows?”
“You just said there was a family emergency, Drew. What kind of family emergency involves flying off to a destination wedding venue, huh?” Muttering a curse, she tried to slide out of the booth again when he stopped her. Yanking her hand back, she glared at him.
“What are you so freaked out about? It’s a ten-second video with a cryptic message! You know how over-the-top Bianca has been about this engagement. Knowing her, she’s forcing Jimmy to look at venues rather than helping his poor uncle…uh…Vito!”
“Vito?”
He nodded. “Yeah, his uncle Vito is sick and Jimmy is going to help him out. Why he decided to bring Malibu Barbie along, I have no idea.”
“Hey! That’s my best friend you’re talking about!” Although she had to hand it to him, the name totally fi
t Bianca.
“Relax, Chels. All I’m saying is you’re being overly suspicious. Are you sure it’s even a current video? You know she posts like a dozen stories a day on there.”
“How would you know?” she asked and then, “Wait…you’re on Instagram?” And she burst out laughing before he could confirm or deny. “Wow, I never would have pegged you for an IG guy! What’s your handle?”
Drew’s dark brown eyes went wide before narrowing at her. “Why?”
“So I can follow you! I want to see what kind of pictures Drew Russo shares on Instagram!” She laughed again, although she couldn’t say why. Most people had an Instagram account. Why would she think Drew was any different?
“Hey, Drew! Did I leave my…”
Chelsea froze when Kendall approached the booth. Actually, they all did. Drew nervously looked between the two of them and Kendall was literally frozen in place.
Weird.
Drew cleared his throat and that seemed to snap everyone out of their stunned silence. Kendall looked away first, glancing at Drew. “Did I happen to leave my phone here earlier? I got all the way home before I realized it was gone.”
“You were here earlier?” Chelsea asked, but no one seemed to be listening.
“I didn’t see it,” Drew said as he looked around. “Maybe you left it up at the bar or back by the dartboards.”
“You guys played darts?”
Again, no one was listening.
Kendall turned and walked toward the back of the bar while Drew slid out of the booth and looked under the table. Two minutes later, Kendall was back.
“Found it!” she said happily. “The bartender said someone turned it in. Whew!”
“Is no one going to tell me what’s going on?” Chelsea cried out, slamming her hand on the table.
Drew looked at Kendall and then at her but remained quiet. Luckily Kendall finally decided to talk.
“Yeah, so…I was here earlier and didn’t know Jimmy and Bianca weren’t here…” She glanced at Drew who gave the tiniest of nods. “And you were late so…I figured we all just weren’t hanging out tonight.” She shrugged. “No biggie.”
Wrong Turn: Road Tripping Series Page 3