Wedding Flirts! 5 Romantic Short Stories

by Lisa Scott

  Uncle Jim was sitting in front of his computer, bitching about the Red Sox. “I’d like to be there to boo them in person next time they strike out with bases loaded.”

  Craig sat across from him. “They’re in town tomorrow. Go catch a game. I’ve got things covered here.”

  Uncle Jim leaned back in his chair. “You serious?”

  “Of course.”

  His uncle pointed at him. “I think I’ll take you up on that. Maybe I’m the good luck charm they need. I’ve got two estimates lined up tomorrow. You can handle that, right?”

  “Sure.”

  “Good. I’m getting too old for this shit.”

  Craig laughed. He was sure he’d feel the same way after he’d put in several decades of breaking his body in the hot sun. Thing was, he hadn’t been too disgruntled with his job until he saw Moira.

  “Hey, I scheduled a session for a new promotional photo.”

  Uncle Jim rolled his eyes.

  “Now wait a minute. The picture you’ve been using doesn’t have half the crewmembers on it. We’re going to looking bigger and more professional if we get everyone in the picture.”

  Uncle Jim stood up and walked over to him, patting him on the back. “And with your handsome mug in the picture, we’ll be rolling in the dough. Good idea, kid.”

  It was a good idea. Because it was another chance to see Moira.

  ***

  While he was disappointed Moira wouldn’t be at the reunion, he was excited to see some old friends. Friends he swore he’d stay in touch with, but hadn’t seen for years, even though they were still living in Springfield, too. But when he walked in the restaurant and saw Carrie LaMont at the bar, all desire to rehash the big trip to the state championship with his football buddies was pushed aside.

  Balling up his fists, he took a deep breath and walked over to her, hot as ever. “Hey, Carrie.”

  She hopped off her barstool. “Fitz! Oh my god. How are you?” She forced a hug on him. “You look great.” She flashed a wedding ring and smiled with a flirty shrug. “Sorry, you’re a few months too late. Brain Surgeon, we’re building a new house.”

  He closed his eyes and forced a smile. “You haven’t changed a bit.”

  “Look closer.” She stuck out her chest. “Say hello to my new double D’s.”

  Craig pursed his lips, uninterested in her new plastic accessories. “Hey, I wanted to ask you about something that happened back in high school. During lunch.”

  She snapped her fingers. “I was trying to remember who’d gone into the broom closet with me.” She closed her eyes dreamily. “You were good.”

  He cleared his throat. “That wasn’t me. No, this was something else. With pictures.”

  “Oh, you bought one of those pictures I took of Samantha Cooper and her little bitty titties?” She giggled. “I made like, five hundred bucks selling those.”

  He looked up at the ceiling and blew out a breath. “No. I didn’t. The ones of me and Moira Moore.”

  She covered her mouth and laughed. “Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that.”

  “I bet you did. But I haven’t. And I’ve always wanted to tell you that it was cruel.”

  Her jaw dropped, and she swept her hair off her shoulders. “Oh, come on. That was nothing.”

  This was true. Compared to some of the things she’d done, this was nothing. “But why did you do it? Why would you make those pictures?” He crossed his arms.

  Music from their high school days thumped in the background. Carrie’s eye widened. “I didn’t make those pictures. I found them. On the computer in the photo lab. Moira hadn’t signed off yet.”

  His arms slid to his sides. He hadn’t been expecting that. “She made them? Moira?”

  Carrie nodded. “Clearly she liked you. So I told her you wanted to ask her something during lunch—and reminded her it was prom season,” she said in a lilting voice. “Then I printed them out and brought them to lunch.” She shrugged. “I was trying to be a matchmaker. It wasn’t my fault you didn’t like her.” She rolled her eyes. “God. And everyone says I was so mean. But come on. It was just Moira Moore. She was so stuck up.”

  He was too pissed off to stay. He wanted to find Moira, to ask her if it was true. Had she really liked him in high school? Him?

  “Fitz, don’t leave,” Carrie cooed. “She ran her hand down his shirt. “I thought we could catch up. I could see if they’ve got a broom closet since you missed out on that.” She arched an eyebrow.

  “Carrie, there’s a reason we never hooked up in high school.”

  “Bad timing?”

  “I don’t date bitches. Or whores.” He turned around and left without bothering to see the look on her face. He drove around town and considered stopping at a few hotels to crash the wedding receptions. Maybe she’d be working. But he didn’t want to upset her while she was on the job; and he didn’t want to ruin his shot at a second chance, if he was lucky enough to get her to listen.

  ***

  Moira had been both dreading and dreaming about the photo shoot with Craig. She didn’t fuss any more than usual with her hair and makeup that morning, because why bother? She would be professional and courteous and fast as hell so she didn’t have to spend any more time with him than needed.

  “So, why’d you say yes in the first place?” she asked herself.

  With no answer to that, she packed up her car, drove to the site, and found three dozen men with deep tans and grubby fingers waiting for her. They stood in front of a newly roofed house joking around and enjoying a break from work. Craig jogged up to her. “Need help with anything?”

  It was like the wind had gotten knocked out of her just being around him. She gulped in a breath. “No, I just need a few minutes to get set up. Everyone here?”

  “Yep. And I hope you noticed how punctual I am this time.”

  With shaky hands, she unloaded her gear. “Too bad I left all my gold stars back in the studio.”

  He smirked. “That wasn’t another joke, was it?”

  “Probably just half a joke.” She wanted to be serious around him, not semi-flirty. But Craig Fitzpatrick had that effect on women. “Could you get everyone lined up in front of the building?”

  “I was thinking some of us could be on the roof, and others on the ladder?”

  “Good idea. I’ll do some with you all posed in front, and a few fun ones like you described.”

  He grinned, like she really had given him a gold star.

  The photo shoot was easy, once the guys got their horsing around out of their system. And she couldn’t help it. She took a few shots just of Craig. Fine. More than a few.

  As she packed up her stuff, and the guys hopped in their trucks to get back to work, Craig approached her. “I’ve got an hour or so for lunch. Want to grab something to eat?”

  Her heart quickened. “I brought an apple and a sandwich to eat while I drive. I’ve got a shoot in half an hour.”

  He drummed his fingers on the roof of her car. “Can I ride with you?”

  She looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

  “Thought I’d give you the rundown of the class reunion.”

  “Sure. But I’ll put you to work.”

  “At your service.”

  ***

  Craig didn’t say anything about the reunion on the drive over. God, they hadn’t blown up the damn pictures and shown them, had they? In some stupid highlight reel?

  After helping unload the gear, Craig sat on the grass and watched her work. Moira was photographing an expectant mother and father with their four kids. She should have been self-conscious working in front of Craig, but she often got lost in her work, thinking of new poses, tinkering with the settings to capture the perfect image.

  “Craig, can you hand me that black bag?”

  He picked it up and brought it to her. “You can call me Fitz. Everyone else does.”

  “Your friends do. I was never your friend.”

  He said nothing and
sat back down. When the youngest boy tried to run away from the photo session, Craig scooped him up and carried him back to his grateful parents.

  “Thanks,” said the father.

  “No problem. I had eight kids in my family, and I was right in the middle. I have lots of experience wrangling little escapees.”

  Moira finished up and gathered her things. “I always thought it would be fun to have so many brothers and sisters.”

  He forced a smile. “Everyone without a big family says that.” He shrugged. “There’s good and bad to it.”

  “What was the bad?”

  “Bathroom time. Hand me downs. Going to a rich school when you come from a poor family. How can you not be poor with so many mouths to feed?”

  “Seems like you turned out all right.”

  He shrugged. “I dropped out of college when I got hurt playing football, I know my folks were disappointed. They wanted more for me.”

  “Mine too. That happens in wealthy families, too. You’re not alone there.”

  He gave her a funny look. “But, you’re a hotshot photographer. You’re incredibly successful. No surprise at all, by the way.”

  “Thanks, but they don’t share your enthusiasm. It’s not a very impressive job to brag to their friends about.” She tugged her hair behind her ears. “They keep thinking it’s a phase I’ll grow out of, that I’ll get my act together and go to law school or med school.”

  “Mine, too. Well, not law school, but something else.” He looked off for a moment, quiet. “I do alright with the roofing job and I own a duplex. Pays the bills and then some.”

  “Would you ever think of doing something else?” She climbed in the car and he followed.

  “I wouldn’t know where to start.”

  “Buy more duplexes for start. I bet you could fix up old houses, rent them out, and eventually just live off the rent money. That’s what I’d do.”

  “Yeah, well you were always a lot smarter than me.”

  She paused with her key in the ignition. “And how would you know anything about my grades? Or anything about me? I didn’t think you knew me at all until that day with Carrie.”

  He opened his mouth, then closed it. “I saw her, you know. At the reunion.”

  Moira rolled her eyes.

  “I told her she was a bitch for what she did to you.”

  She froze. “Really? What did she say?”

  “It was interesting. She said she didn’t make those pictures. She said you did.”

  Moira’s stomach rolled.

  Craig settled his hand on the back of the seat and leaned closer. He softened his voice. “Was she telling the truth, Moira? Because I was actually happy to hear that.”

  “You were?”

  “I liked you. I always thought you were pretty and interesting. So different from all the other girls. In a good way. But you were so quiet, I had no idea how to approach you. I didn’t know if you thought you were better than everyone or if you were just shy. And when I first saw those pictures Carrie held up, I was thrilled. I liked the idea. Then when you showed up and looked so horrified, I realized someone like you would never settle for someone like me.”

  Moira’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding, right? Someone like you? You were the most popular guy in school. Every girl loved you. Why would you ever think I was too good for you?”

  He pulled his hand away from her seat. “You never said much to me unless it involved an assignment. And your parents were rich. They’re disappointed in your being a successful photographer? Imagine bringing me home to your parents.”

  She pursed her lips. “The good thing is, I stopped caring what they think a long time ago. I would’ve been proud to bring you home and that’s all that matters.”

  He grinned. “Really? So, you liked me in high school?”

  She knew her cheeks were turning red. “Like I said, every girl did. It was a long time ago. I was a silly girl when I made those pictures.”

  His smile fell. “Right.”

  “It was so embarrassing.”

  “It wasn’t that bad, was it?”

  She turned in her seat to face him. “Craig, I had very few friends in school. Everyone loved you. Even though we were both in that picture Carrie held up, people were laughing at me. Like I ever had a shot with you. How ridiculous, right?”

  “No. It wasn’t. Moira, I just told you I liked you.”

  “Easy to say now. Back then, would you have asked me to prom if you’d known I liked you? As I recall, you went with Carrie’s friend Lacy Marks. You’re telling me, you would’ve asked me instead?”

  He rubbed the back of his head. “I don’t know. Things were so stupid back then. It was like only people in our little social group could date each other. I don’t know if I would have been strong enough to break that unspoken rule. But when I saw those pictures that day, I didn’t think it was funny. I thought, yeah, it would be cool to go to prom with her.”

  Moira drew in a long breath, trying to find her composure. “Too bad there are no do-overs from high school. It would have been nice.”

  “Why not try now?”

  She looked away from him, running her thumb along the steering wheel. “I can’t ever forget it happened. You don’t understand the humiliation that caused me.” After a moment, she looked back at him. “I’m glad we cleared this up, but I don’t think it could work between us after what happened.”

  He sighed, then nodded. “I’m truly sorry, Moira.”

  “Me, too.”

  She started the car and drove him back to his office. “Hey, stop by the office next Wednesday, and I’ll show you the proofs after I’m done touching them up.”

  He got out of the car and stared at her, like he was going to say something else. But he just said, “Sure thing. I’ll stop by after lunch.”

  Her heart hurt like hell as he walked away.

  She went back to the studio and should’ve downloaded the pictures she’d just taken. But she spent the next hour staring out the window at the trees bobbing and swaying in the wind. Her emotions seemed to be doing the same thing. Why couldn’t she let this go?

  ***

  Craig knew he should just let this go. Moira had told him she wasn’t interested, that it was too late. But if she’d liked him once, couldn’t she like him again? She was talented, professional, funny (who knew) and of course, beautiful. But she was kind, too. He’d let her run away once before. He wasn’t going to do it again. But how?

  He told his uncle he was calling it an early day and went home wishing things were different; with Moira, with work, with everything. And it didn’t seem like he’d be able to change one damned thing. Was there anyway to salvage things with her?

  ***

  When it was time to review the photos, he still hadn’t come up with a good idea to convince her to go out with him, and he couldn’t blow it again. He sat in the reception area of her studio while she finished up with another client. Craig was surprised when he recognized the guy coming out. “Ben Shanahan?” He stood up and shook his hand. “You were a couple years ahead of me at Highland.”

  “Hey, Fitz. I remember you from the JV team. Caught a few of your games after I graduated. Sorry about what happened at Umass.”

  Craig nodded. “Shit happens.”

  Moira held up a finger. “Give me just a sec. I’m going to get your pictures set up while you chat.”

  “What are you doing here?” Craig asked Ben.

  Ben put his arm around a cute brunette. “This is my fiancée Micki Keegan. We’re getting married in a week.”

  Craig pumped his hand, then hers. “Congratulations!”

  “Thanks,” Micki said. “Moira’s been so kind. We’re throwing this together at the last minute to be part of a reality show. They’re paying for the whole thing, and at the end of the season, viewers pick their favorite wedding, and the couple gets twenty-five thousand dollars for a down payment on a house.”

  “That’s incredible,” Craig s
aid.

  Ben beamed at her. “Micki’s a wedding planner, so she’s got a lot of great ideas.”

  “Yeah, and the best one was deciding to marry you.”

  Normally, Craig would want to gag when witnessing this kind of talk. Then he’d slink off and celebrate his single status with a beer. But seeing the two of them together so damn happy made him sad. Then, he got an idea.

  “We should get together sometime,” Ben said.

  Craig raised an eyebrow. “Sure. Because I’d like to talk to your fiancée.”

  ***

  Moira’s hand shook as she clicked the files that popped the pictures onto the screen. “We’ve got some really nice ones to choose from, but I like the casual ones you suggested best.”

  Craig nodded. “Yep, once in a while, I get a good idea. Like the two of us going out.”

  She settled her hands in her lap. “Craig….”

  He leaned back and ran his hand through his hair. “Why not?”

  “I…” Her hands twirled in the air like that motion might produce some good answer.

  He pointed at her. “See? You can’t come up with a good reason.”

  She closed the files, and turned to the order form. “Just let me know what your uncle decides.”

  He stood up and took the paperwork from her. “I will. Thanks for the great pictures.”

  “And thank you for the work.”

  He headed for the door, and then looked back to her. “I’m going to give you some time, but I will ask you out again. Hopefully, the third time will be a charm. If not, I’ll drop it. But I have a feeling you don’t want me to.” Then he left.