“Brady Bennett,” he replied and shook her hand.
“Are you a friend of Harper’s or do you work here?”
“I’m a trainer here,” he replied.
“Oh, how nice! And what were the two of you talking about?” she inquired.
“Engagements,” Brady said before Harper could answer.
“Oh, yes. Poor Harper’s had three failed ones,” she said and then made that annoying tsking sound and Harper wished the floor would simply open up and swallow her. Melinda patted her on the arm. “We’re so happy Julianne’s found the right man and that their relationship is so solid. If only this one…” she motioned to Harper.
“You know what, Mom? It looks like Julianne is looking for you. See? She’s looking out here from her stand. You should probably go back inside,” Harper said hastily and gave her mother a gentle nudge toward the door. “I’ll be back in a minute. I just…I need to get that drink.”
“Oh. Okay, great! I’ll see you inside. Nice to meet you, Brady!” Melinda said with a wave as she walked away.
Mortified.
It was the only word she could think of to describe the way she felt.
Without making eye contact with Brady, she excused herself and began to walk toward the locker room – her eyes watching her feet as she went. She made it all of three paces before Brady was beside her and guiding her down a hallway. Harper didn’t even question it. She figured he was going to give her the same sympathetic look everyone did when they heard about her life. She braced herself for it.
They stopped and Brady opened a door and ushered her into an office. Lifting her head, she looked around at the tiny space. It could barely hold the desk and chair that was in it and now with the two of them standing there, it was uncomfortably crammed.
Harper forced herself to look at him and waited for it.
The pity.
The sympathy.
“Can I ask you something?” he asked quietly.
She nodded.
“Did your engagements fail because you’re secretly in love with Gavin?”
Um…say what now?
“What?” she cried. “Why would you even ask such a thing?”
“Because of the way you were gushing over the guy while we were talking,” he said defensively.
“I was gushing because he’s a great guy for my sister,” she said emphatically. “And I wanted to make sure you understood how happy they were so you’d quit hitting on her!”
Now it was his turn to look shocked. “What the hell are you talking about? Hitting on who?”
“Julianne! You seriously need to back off! I get it. I know Julianne’s beautiful and great and all, but she’s engaged to be married, Brady. She’s happy and Gavin’s a great guy and if you care about her at all, you’ll just…you’ll leave her alone!”
He raked a hand through his hair and she had a feeling that if there were space in the office, he’d be pacing by now. “Let me get this straight…you think I’m hot for your sister. Do I have that right?”
Crossing her arms across her chest, she nodded. “But it’s wrong, Brady. It’s really, really wrong. I’m sure it’s going to be awkward because you guys kind of work together, but in time you’ll see…it’s for the best.”
Brows furrowed, he stared down at her.
This was beyond awkward but it needed to be said.
“I’m not interested in Julianne,” he said after a long minute.
“Brady…please. I’m not blind,” she said with a hint of sarcasm.
He took a step toward her – not that they were far apart – and gave her a cocky grin. He was so big and so good-looking and…why did he have to be attracted to her sister? Not that she wanted him…much…but…
“I think you are,” he said gruffly.
“I…I don’t know what you mean,” she said hesitantly. Seriously, she was confused. He’s been practically panting after Julianne for the last week. Did he really think nobody noticed?
“I’m not interested in Julianne,” he repeated.
This time there was something in his voice that stopped her. Intrigued her.
“Then…why…?”
One hand came up and cupped her cheek. “I really was just helping out a coworker. She asked for my opinion; I gave it to her and then thought I’d help her out. It didn’t seem like a big deal.”
Okay, that was a reasonable excuse. But then…what was this? What was happening here?
“And then you showed up and were so…passionate,” he murmured, his gaze homing in on her lips. “Even though you were arguing, I couldn’t take my eyes off of you. And then you punched the bag like a prizefighter and I knew I had to get to know you more.”
Her lips parted and she knew she wanted to say something but nothing came out.
“I thought I was playing it cool,” he said with a small laugh. “I figured if I continued to help Julianne with her boxing lessons, I’d get to learn a little bit about you. I’ve seen you around the gym for a while now and just couldn’t find a way or a reason to introduce myself. Then Julianne started with the lessons and I figured I’d bide my time and then…maybe I could ask you out.”
Wait…did he…was he…?
Harper looked at him in confusion. “You want to ask me out?” she asked weakly.
“Yeah,” he said softly. “I hadn’t planned on it being like this, but…”
Today he had on another Wolfpack shirt, slightly different from the one the other night. Everything about him was just so…big. She warred with reaching out and touching him and being repulsed.
Okay, maybe that was a little bit strong of a way to describe it. Brady was just…bigger and more muscular than the men she normally dated. And she always thought she didn’t find this physique attractive but being this close to his body, she found herself second-guessing that train of thought. Because right now, everything about him called to her – his smile, his words, and his body. So what did that mean? What was she supposed to do?
“I can’t…” she began and then cleared her throat again. “I really can’t do this right now. I need to get back to class.”
Then she waited for him to argue with her or tell her that she was being crazy, but he didn’t. His smile looked a little sadder but he stepped back and opened the door for her.
Great. He was a gentleman too.
“I’ll see you later,” he said, a little slowly and with a bit of vulnerability.
“Um…yeah. Okay. I’ll see you later,” she murmured and then did her best to walk calmly out the door.
“You’re doing great, everyone!” Julianne called out as Harper walked back in the door. “Now let’s see who can do a little Mambo with me! Yeah!”
Harper slipped in and made her way along the back wall until she found a spot to join back in and for the next forty minutes she knew she went through the motions. She kept up with the steps and even managed to put the effort in and worked up a sweat, but her mind was firmly back in that tiny office and how she was going to handle seeing Brady after class.
And how she was going to be able to turn him down if he really tried to ask her out.
He was all wrong for her – everything she said she didn’t want in a man. And the last thing she wanted to do right now was start a relationship with someone and have people like her mother remind her of how she was making another mistake.
It didn’t matter how tempting Brady was – and he seriously was – she had to stay firm on this.
Because she had a feeling that a mistake with him would leave a lasting mark on her heart.
Seven
Everything was weird.
And awkward.
Natalie looked around and saw Julianne kicking the bag to her left and Harper kicking the one to her right, and Brady looking like he’d rather be anywhere but here.
This was supposed to be fun! Therapeutic! And now it just felt wrong.
Maybe they just needed someone to break the ice…
“So after a
ll the angry sex Jayce and I had Saturday night, I found that I kind of liked it,” she said very matter-of-factly.
The sisters both stopped kicking and stared at her.
“What?” she asked innocently. “We said we were going to talk about it after class and now we are.”
“Geez, Nat,” Julianne said as she wiped the sweat off her forehead. “You could have eased us into that a bit.”
She shrugged. “Someone needed to start the conversation. So what do you think it means? You know, that I like angry sex. Should I be worried?”
“There you girls are!”
Ugh…Natalie thought. Melinda Burke, who she normally loved, was interrupting again. She knew it would put an end to this conversation, piss Harper off to the point where she’d leave again and aggravate Julianne.
Time to take another one for the team.
“Mrs. Burke!” Natalie said with a big smile as she stepped away from her bag. When she was beside her, she put her arm around the older woman and whispered to her. “I hope you don’t mind, but the girls are helping me through a rather…delicate situation. Normally I don’t mind talking about my problems with a group but…” She shrugged. “This is just something I was hoping to talk to them about in private.”
Melinda’s eyes went a little wide before she gave Natalie an understanding smile. “Say no more.” She hugged her. “I certainly don’t want to interrupt. Let me just say good night to the girls and then I’ll be on my way.”
Natalie sagged with relief. “Thank you so much! I really appreciate it.”
Melinda stepped away and looked at her daughters. “So we’re on for Saturday to find my gown, right?” she asked Julianne.
“Absolutely, Mom. I’m sure Hailey and the girls will find something wonderful for you and if you have something specific in mind, you should email it to them.”
“Oh, good idea. Thank you.” Then she turned to Harper. “And you’re going to come too, right?”
Harper smiled. “Sure. It’ll be fun.”
“You know,” Melinda began. “Remember when you were going to marry Dom and I had already picked out that champagne-colored beaded gown? The one with the diamond spaghetti straps? I really loved that gown and was so disappointed when – you know, because of you being fickle – I never got to buy it. I wonder if it’s still in style.” She turned to Julianne. “Do you think I could email Hailey about it and see if she could find it?”
Natalie watched as both sisters stared at their mother in disbelief.
Harper’s head dropped and her shoulders sagged as she excused herself. Natalie was about to go after her but she saw Brady hold a hand up to her and he followed her. She didn’t question it because Julianne let out a cry of frustration she’d never heard before.
“Dammit, Mom, why? Why do you keep doing that?” Julianne demanded and Natalie came up beside her because she was curious as hell too.
“What? What did I do?” Melinda asked mildly.
“Why do you constantly have to take those digs at Harper? Don’t you see how upsetting it is?” Julianne asked angrily.
“We were talking about dresses,” her mother replied. “And I mentioned a dress I liked. I don’t see what the problem is.”
“I give up,” Julianne said with exasperation and walked away. “I totally give up!”
Maybe Natalie was feeling bold because this wasn’t her family and she really had nothing to lose, but…
“But you didn’t just mention the dress,” Natalie said and Melinda turned to her in mild shock. “You had to stick in the dig about Harper being fickle. Just like earlier you had to mock her because of her lack of dance skills as a child!”
“When was this?” Julianne asked as she walked back over.
“During class!” Natalie replied. “We were all relaxing and doing our thing and your mom commented on how Harper had to be removed from dance class when she was a kid. That’s when Harper walked out.”
“Oh my God,” Julianne muttered. She took two steps away and then came back. “Do you not see a pattern here? I mean…look around. Where’s Harper? She left again because of you, Mom!”
“She needs to stop being so sensitive,” her mother replied, but she wasn’t sounding quite so confident now. “I’m merely stating facts, you know. It’s not like I’m making things up.”
Julianne sputtered for a minute and then walked away again which was fine with Natalie because she had a comeback all ready.
“You want to state facts? Well…you’re mean, Mrs. Burke. You are mean and so totally biased with your daughters that it’s despicable! I’ve been friends with Julianne for years and I knew from the first time I came to your house that you favored her over Harper!”
“I do not!”
“Yes,” Natalie said firmly. “Yes, you do. And you know what? That’s just wrong on every level. Your daughters are both amazing women. They are unique and wonderful and caring women. You can’t expect them to be exactly the same. And you know what? Yes, Harper’s had three broken engagements. So what? No one else holds it against her. But you won’t let Harper move on from it because you take every opportunity to rub it in her face!” She eyed the older woman from head to toe. “And to that I say shame on you.”
“Natalie!” Melinda gasped. Then she turned to Julianne. “Are you just going to stand there and let your friend talk to me like that?”
“Um…yeah,” Julianne said with a smile. “I am. I’m just sorry I didn’t say that to you first.”
“I…you…,” Melinda said and then stopped. Her posture went stiff as she looked at the two of them. “I think I’ll be leaving now. When you’re ready to apologize – both of you,” she added, giving Natalie a disdainful look, “you know where you can find me. Good night.”
Natalie went and stood beside Julianne again as they watched her mother walk down the stairs. It took a solid minute before either of them could talk.
“Wow,” Julianne said as she let out a long, weary sigh. “I…I don’t even know what to say.”
“Maybe I should have stayed out of it…”
“Hell no,” Julianne laughed and then turned to hug her. “You were great. Perfect. I…I don’t know why I can’t seem to make her see what she’s doing is wrong.”
They moved apart and went to sit down on a pile of mats.
“I’ve seen it for years,” Julianne said quietly. “I know she does these things and it makes Harper crazy, but I thought it was just something that happened between mothers and daughters. And don’t get me wrong, she’s way harder on Harper, but she digs at me too.”
“Really?” Natalie asked with disbelief. “Because I’ve never seen her do anything to you like she does to your sister.”
Julianne studied her for a minute. “Do you know why I’m a fitness instructor?”
Okay, change of subject, she thought. “Because you’re good at it?”
“No. Well, yes, but no,” Julianne began. “From the time I was little, I enjoyed sports. Anything athletic came naturally to me. As I got older, like fifth grade, I started to get a little chubby. I don’t really know why because I was involved in all kinds of extracurricular sports, but I was gaining weight. My mother started harping on me about my weight – she started me on diets and monitored my calorie intake and my exercise habits.” She shrugged. “I didn’t mind it so much – I missed cake,” she added with a laugh. “But other than her input, I was still doing all the things I enjoyed.”
“But you were so young…”
“I found I got her approval when I worked out, when I lost weight, when I took leadership roles in doing those things.” She went silent for a moment. “I found I liked it, the approval and the tasks. To this day, I still wait for her to say ‘good job’ when I talk about one of my classes or when she sees me wearing something and compliments me.” Then she looked at Natalie. “How twisted is that?”
Um, very. But she kept that to herself.
“It’s completely natural to want your parents’
approval, Jules,” she said. “The only problem with that is if you base your career on making them happy. Are you happy with your job?”
“I really am,” Julianne replied.
“Then it’s fine. But…you need to stand up for yourself – and for Harper. I wish Harper would do it for herself but for some reason, she really needs help with it.”
“It’s not going to get better – like completely better – until she puts her foot down with Mom. I wish I could be the one to change that, but I can’t.”
And Natalie knew she was right, but right now, Harper needed all the help she could get. Looking around, she saw she wasn’t back yet. Julianne noticed it too.
“Brady went after her,” Natalie said.
“Oh…good.” But there was something in her tone that seemed odd. Again.
“What’s wrong?”
“Brady,” she murmured.
“You don’t like him? I thought you did. He seems like such a nice guy.”
“He is,” Julianne said miserably. “It’s just…well…I think he kind of was hitting on me.”
Natalie’s eyes went wide even as she grinned. “No way! Seriously? What did he do? What did he say?”
Julianne laughed softly. “I don’t know. It’s just this…vibe I’m getting. Like he keeps asking me when I’m coming back for lessons and asking who’s coming with me, like to see if I’m coming alone. I think that’s what he wants, you know, is for me to come back by myself. That’s why I begged you and Harper to come with me. I don’t want to be alone with him and have it be all…awkward.”
Natalie considered that for a moment and then remembered the way Brady looked when he went after Harper. He wasn’t paying any attention to Julianne – didn’t even look in her direction. Was it possible…
“I love Gavin,” Julianne stated firmly. “Nothing’s going to change that. But I have to admit, it’s kind of nice to think of someone else finding me attractive. Is that wrong? Shallow?”
“We all want to be attractive to others, Jules. And it’s not like you’re going out of your way to specifically be attractive to other men, it’s just who you are and what you look like.”
The Bridal Squad Page 13