The Wedding Setup, page 22
Chapter Nineteen
She landed in Denver in the late afternoon, the brilliant blue of the sky so startling and stark and stupidly unexpected, she felt, once again, disconnected from reality. She wanted to surprise Stuart with her return and had planned to rent a car and simply show up at his place. But when she walked off the plane and found herself literally stumbling from jet lag, she realized it might not be the best idea to get behind the wheel of a car. Jai, however, was happy to pick her up and keep it from his soon-to-be-husband, knowing how much it would please him. He was at the airport in what seemed like record time, and they made it back to the hotel by five. Ethel immediately plied both of them with a plate full of her awful muffins, which Jai was nice enough to gush over and begin eating in front of her.
Jai followed Ryann into her room, setting the extra muffins on the desk. She flopped backward onto the bed while he sat in an armchair, continually checking his phone and dismissing calls and messages.
“Stuart thinks I’ve died,” he announced, reading a message on his phone.
She laughed. “How long have you been gone?”
He glanced at the clock. “Less than three hours.”
She sat up again, rubbing her face. “Do you two normally check in this often?”
He nodded. “We text and chat all day unless we’re working, and he knows I’m not working. I was helping Maddie with the cake earlier today, but that was hours ago, and he knows that, too.”
She didn’t react to Maddie’s name, instead asking, “Do you need to call him?”
“Yes—if only to divert suspicion. What should I tell him?”
Her mind was still fuzzy. She wanted to surprise Stuart but hadn’t really thought it through in any way beyond her original plan.
“Maybe tell him to meet you somewhere in a little while?”
He pointed at her. “Good idea. We were supposed to have dinner and drinks with Erin and Darcy in a few. I’ll say I got caught up, and I’ll meet them all over there in a little bit. Then you can show up with me.”
“How long do I have?”
He tilted his head back and forth. “Thirty, forty minutes? I could push it a little, but you know how Stuart gets if you make him wait for food.”
She laughed and made herself get up, her whole body protesting. It was strange. After all, she’d slept well on the plane going to London, had slept solidly in her hotel last night in London, and had gotten a decent nap on the flight and on the drive here. She’d probably slept more the last two days than she had any night the last two weeks, but she was still terribly tired.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” he asked, squinting critically. “We could always do this tomorrow. You look like you need some rest.”
She shook her head rapidly. “Thanks, but I’ll be fine. Just need some coffee.”
“I’ll go ask Ethel—no, better yet, I’ll pop over to a little café down the street. I’ll call Stuart and come back for you in half an hour. What do you want to drink?”
“Double espresso. Thanks, Jai.”
A quick, scorching shower made things better. It already seemed strange to wear her casual clothing again, and with the limited time she’d been given, she once again had to settle for very light makeup. She could hardly remember the last time she’d gone out in public like this before recently, and she’d done so more than once here in Colorado. It helped, perhaps, that so few people she’d seen here seemed to wear much makeup themselves. And Maddie had seemed to like her this way, too.
She frowned at her reflection. She’d studiously kept her mind away from Maddie ever since her conversation with Ted in the pub. She didn’t want to think about the implications of her actions yet. They were too overwhelming. After all, she’d basically flown back here for her. Sure, she was here for Stuart, too, but she’d come back early for her primarily—there was no denying that. And she didn’t know what to make of it, even now, standing in this silly hotel room half a world away from that decision. It was too much to absorb, and much better to ignore, at least for now. She made herself dismiss that whole train of thought. She’d worry about Maddie tomorrow and try to enjoy Stuart’s surprise.
Jai knocked soon after, and she chugged her espresso after he handed it to her. He raised his eyebrows and did the same with his hot cocoa, sending both of them into pealing shrieks of giggles and laughter. Eventually he took her arm, leading her downstairs past the exuberant Ethel, who insisted each of them take Stuart a muffin.
“Shall we walk?” he asked her when they were outside. “It’s just a few blocks.”
“Sure. I could use the fresh air.”
It was strangely warm out for a February evening, and the sunset was brilliantly pink, almost hard to look at. She’d never seen anything like the skies here.
“Supposed to snow again tomorrow,” Jai said.
“Really?”
“You can always tell. When it gets weirdly warm, it’s often a sign a storm’s coming—at least this time of year.”
“Hard to believe.”
She felt, in fact, overdressed in her warm winter wear, and she was sweating lightly by the time they reached Henry’s—the restaurant where Stuart and the others were already waiting. She’d been outside this place before on her first night, when she’d run away from Maddie’s weird behavior. As it had been that night, the restaurant was incredibly busy despite the relatively early hour. She managed to hide herself behind Jai’s enormous back and shoulders, and the crowd helped conceal her. She heard Stuart call Jai’s name and stayed as hidden as she could, hoping that if she couldn’t see Stuart, he couldn’t see her. Jai finally stopped, and she almost collided into his back.
“Where the hell have you been?” Stuart asked.
“I had to pick someone up at the airport,” Jai said.
“What? Who? I thought everyone was getting here Friday or this weekend.”
Jai stepped out of the way, revealing her, and Stuart and the others he was with were also revealed to her—Erin, Darcy, and, of course, Maddie. Ryann realized then that she should have anticipated seeing her tonight, but it was clearly a shock to them both. Her eyes locked with Maddie’s, who didn’t look happy to see her. No, if anything, her surprise seemed to border on anger. Her eyes were smoldering, dark, her brow and lips creased.
But Stuart shrieked and leapt forward, pulling her into a dancing, jumping hug. She laughed along with him, grateful, suddenly, to have someone else to focus on.
“You came back!” he finally said, almost screaming. Several people nearby glanced their way, but their curiosity seemed friendly, not annoyed.
“Of course I did, you ninny,” she said. They’d spun in circles so many times her back was now to Erin, Darcy, Jai, and Maddie at the little corner table they were sitting at, and she could almost sense Maddie’s dark-blue eyes burning holes in the back of her cashmere coat.
“I can’t believe it!” he said. “I’d convinced myself I wouldn’t see you until next Tuesday—that you’d show up just as we said ‘I do.’”
She grinned. “I told you I’d get back as soon as I could, and here I am.”
“Yeah, but gosh! It’s like you just left. Did you really go to London and back since I saw you ?”
“I sure did. And I made a multi-million-dollar deal while I was at it.”
He shrieked in triumph again and jumped up and down. With any other person, she might have thought he’d had a few too many, but she’d seen him excited and overjoyed like this a few times before. The feeling was catching. She was suddenly thrilled to be here again with him, happy tears prickling the corners of her eyes, like his.
But then she turned around and caught Maddie glaring at her again. She looked away as quickly as she could, but her stomach dropped with dread. She greeted Erin and Darcy instead. Both were very happy to see her, Erin nearly fawning over her and jumping up to get her a drink. Darcy stood and motioned for her to take her seat. There was only enough space for four behind the little corner table.
“Oh, I couldn’t,” she said, laughing.
“Oh, but I insist,” said Darcy.
Sitting, of course, meant seating herself next to Maddie, who didn’t greet her at all. Luckily, with Maddie on her left and farther back into the corner, she could only sense her there—they didn’t have to talk or interact in any way. Erin was soon back with a dark beer—Cupid’s Kiss, which was on tap in local restaurants and bars now. She took a grateful sip, smiling at Erin’s expectant face, and gave her a thumbs-up.
“Even better than I remember.”
Erin hooted with glee, pumping her fist in the air, and everyone laughed. The men insisted on having the four women sit at the little table, both still standing as they waited for one of the nearby tables to clear.
“You really are going to give her a big head,” Stuart said, winking at her.
“She deserves it,” she said, smiling at Erin. Erin went five shades of red, and Darcy rolled her eyes.
“You truly shouldn’t compliment her like that. Now she’ll never stop talking about you. She was already half in love with you before the praise.”
Erin glared at her wife, sticking out her tongue, and the two of them laughed, leaning close for a quick kiss. Ryann turned to her beer to stop from watching them, once again very aware that not a single other patron in this room seemed to give one iota that two women were having a little PDA here. No one nearby even gave them a second glance.
“How was your trip?” Maddie said next to her, startling her so badly she choked on her beer. Maddie slapped her gently on the back a couple of times. “Are you all right?”
She took another sip to clear her throat and gave her a quick smile. “I’m okay. Wrong pipe. And London was great. Very successful.”
“Glad to hear it.”
She looked at Maddie more fully then, trying to read her expression, but Maddie seemed genuinely pleased for her. The recognition of this response made Ryann’s stomach flop a little with nerves, and she sipped at her beer some more to cover her confusion. Moments ago, Maddie had seemed upset at seeing her again. Now she was acting like nothing had changed. She was her usual charming self. It was hard to keep up with Maddie’s mood, and if her mind had been clearer, this behavior might have even upset her. As it was, she was simply very confused.
Luckily, Stuart saved her from trying to continue a conversation by knocking on the table in front of them. He waited until he had everyone’s attention and held up his beer.
“A toast! To Ryann’s success and her triumphant return.”
“Hear, hear!” everyone said, clinking glasses.
They ordered dinner, the little two-person table right next to theirs opening up for the guys by the time the food arrived. Maddie was mostly quiet, directing most of the conversation to Erin and Darcy. Ryann decided she must have picked up on her awkwardness, as Maddie barely glanced her way beyond a couple of polite inquiries about the food and drink. Maddie seemed, at least to Ryann, on her best behavior.
At one point, Erin was describing the other beers that had been submitted for the Valentine’s Day beer competition at the festival. She and the other local brewers were all friends, and all had already tried each other’s beers. Erin, however, seemed confident that hers would win this year. She eventually left for the bar to get everyone a sample of the other breweries’ entries, all of which were on tap here. Darcy watched her leave and then leaned forward a little when Erin was out of earshot.
“She’s really nervous about the competition,” Darcy explained.
“What happens if she wins?” Ryann asked.
Darcy smiled. “Nothing really—no money’s involved, anyway. The winning beer, brewery, and brewer will be featured in the local newspaper, which can help sales, I suppose, but she’s never had a problem selling out before. And a couple of bars like Henry’s here and some others in town will have some specials with it, but there’s no real reward beyond bragging rights.”
“She’s never won,” Maddie added.
“She’s been second and third every year, but never first,” Darcy added.
“Ah,” Ryann said, understanding quite well. That was almost harder than losing, in some ways. Second best was a hard spot to be in—close but not good enough.
“When does this festival start again?” she asked.
“Friday afternoon, and it lasts through the holiday Tuesday,” Darcy said.
“There are different activities every day through Valentine’s,” Maddie said. “I know Stuart and Jai want to hit up some of them this Saturday and Sunday between wedding stuff, so you should get to see a bit of it. The festival ends with the group wedding and closing ceremonies on Tuesday.”
Ryann was still a little baffled. Stuart had explained the group wedding, but it was hard to wrap her mind around it. Something like forty or fifty couples would be getting married or renewing their vows at the same time as he and Jai—maybe more. Indeed, for the actual wedding part of it, she wasn’t involved at all—none of the party was—beyond standing nearby. Later, at the reception, they would do group photos together, and Jai and Stuart would exchange their vows there, but bringing the rings was the extent of her responsibilities as maid of honor on the day itself.
The whole thing was bizarre. But he and Jai had watched the group wedding together last year on their first date, which was what had given Stuart the idea to begin with. She’d never envisioned anything so corny for his wedding, but apparently Stuart was a cornball at heart.
Erin returned with two flights of beer, a waitress carrying a third. Erin set one in front of her spot and Darcy’s, one in front of Jai and Stuart, and one in front of Maddie and her. As Erin explained each beer, Ryann was forced to watch and interact with Maddie, their hands brushing more often than was probably necessary as they exchanged samples. As they continued the tasting, her face flushed with heat and alcohol, and Maddie’s steady gaze on her wasn’t helping. Erin was explaining why her beer was superior to all of the others, but Ryann was only half-listening. She finally met Maddie’s eyes, and the outside world seemed to disappear in a hazy fog of relief. It was so nice simply to see her.
Finally, she held the second half of the last little glass out for Maddie, her fingers trembling slightly. Maddie took it, pausing briefly to squeeze her fingers and grinning somewhat wickedly at her blush. She looked away, suddenly embarrassed, and realized then that their friends had fallen silent. Even Erin was quiet, watching the two of them with a smirk.
“What?” she asked.
“Uh, nothing,” Erin said. “Just that you two are ridiculous.”
“What do you mean?”
Erin laughed. “Oh, I don’t know—maybe that you’re flirting over a glass of beer?”
Ryann colored, Maddie’s eyes catching hers for a minute. Her grin seemed smug, and Ryann was suddenly overwhelmed. She stood up, scooting out of the little booth. Everyone stared at her.
“Toilet?” she asked. Erin pointed, and she had to force herself not to run away.
Safely locked in the little stall, she splashed some cold water on her overheated face, realizing as she did that this was one of several times she’d done exactly this in the last week—hidden in the bathroom to cool off. She was being ridiculous and wasn’t angry per se, but she also didn’t like the direct interference from Erin and Stuart, or the passive version from Jai and Darcy. Everyone had been watching her and Maddie like they knew exactly what was happening between them. And Maddie’s behavior hadn’t helped. She too seemed to think that whatever was going on between them was obvious and sure. And while Ryann had, in fact, come back early for her, she didn’t like the assumption, especially as they hadn’t had a chance to talk about anything yet.
She took a deep breath and frowned at her reflection. She was overreacting. Her friends were excited, that’s all. Maddie was another thing, but she shouldn’t be upset by her, either. After all, she seemed happy to have her back, and that’s all that really mattered.
When she came out of the bathroom, Maddie was waiting in the hallway, presumably to use the toilet, and Ryann gave her a quick smile before starting back to the restaurant. Maddie stopped her, grabbing her hand, and when Ryann turned her way, Maddie stepped closer and pulled her into a searing kiss. Ryann relaxed into it before recognizing what was happening. It wasn’t that she minded—no, in fact, she wanted to go on kissing Maddie for the rest of the night. But they were in a public place. Anyone could show up at any moment. She pushed back and away, both of them breathing heavily.
“I wanted to do that the second I saw you,” Maddie finally said, gasping.
“It didn’t seem that way to me. You were upset when you saw me.”
“I was upset. I’d convinced myself I’d never see you again—or maybe only at the wedding. I told myself it didn’t matter, that you were right—that it would never work out between us. Then I saw you and knew I’d been fooling myself. I was angry at myself, not you.”
“Why?”
Maddie stepped closer again, tilting Ryann’s chin up with the tips of her fingers. “Because you said you’d be back as soon as you could, and here you are. I should have trusted you.”
Ryann raised her eyebrows. “You should have.”
Maddie kissed the tip of her nose, her eyebrows, her chin, and then, lightly, her lips. Ryann’s eyes fluttered open, and Maddie’s smile was open, warm, and happy. She seemed perfectly content, comfortable and pleased.
“We should get back to the others,” Ryann said, reluctant.
Maddie laughed. “It’s already going to be very obvious what we were doing back here.”
She grimaced. “They’re never going to let it alone, are they?”
“Nope.”
“Okay then. Fine. How about we give them what they want?”
