Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 101254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
“What can I get you?”
“Sparkling water.”
“Coming right up.” He smiles at me.
And it’s the smile.
The smile.
It’s kind of snakelike, and I know I’ve seen it before.
Goose bumps erupt on my skin.
I take the drink he hands to me. “Thank you.”
And I know this will be the last drink—alcoholic or not—I order tonight as long as that bartender is here. I take a seat back at the table. Betsy, Kathy, and Daniela are still dancing with the strippers.
“Hey, Tess.” Skye sits down next to me.
“Are you having a good time?” I ask.
“The best. I honestly didn’t expect you to get strippers. Or…scantily clad guys, to be more specific.”
“Yeah, well…it’s your big sendoff.”
I’m not about to tell her I had nothing to do with it, that her future brother-in-law planned the whole thing. After I told him not to get strippers.
“They’re so hot. I could dance all night. You know I don’t drink a lot, and I’ve lost count. I love Braden, and he’s the only man for me, but…”
“God, you’re not considering—”
She widens her eyes. “Oh my God, no. Never in a million years. I would never do anything to jeopardize my relationship with Braden. But I sure can look.”
“Doesn’t hurt anything to look.”
Then I glance back at the bartender, my skin running cold again. “See that bartender?”
Skye glances over. “Yeah.”
“You know him?”
She squints, looking closer. “No. He’s kind of nondescript. Why? Do you know him?”
“There’s something familiar about him.” I frown. “Something…eerie almost.”
“Are you sure you’re not just flashing back to Garrett?”
“I don’t think so. That guy doesn’t look anything like Garrett.”
She lays her hand on my arm. “I’m sorry this all happened to you, Tess. I should’ve been there.”
“I’m glad you weren’t there. You’ve been through your own stuff. At least I wasn’t held at gunpoint.”
Skye sighs, looking down. “It took me several sessions with my therapist to come to terms with that. I’m still not sure I’m over it.”
When I think about Skye, how she must have seen her life pass before her eyes when a gun was pointed at her, I feel even weaker. Why is it taking me so long to get over something that wasn’t nearly as devastating?
I was drugged, yes. Date raped, yes. But it wasn’t like Garrett and I had never been together. It wasn’t like I wasn’t going to have sex with him anyway.
So why is this having such an effect on me?
My therapist says I shouldn’t compare trauma, but it’s hard not to. She also thinks there may be something in my past—before Garrett—that is contributing to mine, making it worse somehow. Something I’ve blocked out.
She may be right, but I’ve been going to therapy now for months, and we’re no closer to figuring out what it might have been.
I’m done thinking about it now. How many times do I have to remind myself this weekend is about Skye and not me?
I’ve never been so fucking self-absorbed before in my life.
“Earth to Tessa…”
I snap out of my thoughts.
“So about that bartender…” Skye continues.
“He just looks familiar to me.” A chill runs up my spine. “And frankly, Skye, he makes my skin crawl. There’s just something about him that’s not right. He doesn’t have a Jamaican accent, either, so he’s not from here. He sounded American.”
“So? Maybe he moved. He lives here now, and he works here.”
“But why?”
“Who wouldn’t want to live here and work here? This place is a paradise.”
She’s right, of course. I need to stop thinking about it.
But something about him… Something’s not right.
And it’s driving me slowly senseless.
Maybe I need to give my therapist a call. It’s too late now, but I can call her in the morning. She’s really good about that. Taking time to talk to me when I’m not in a session. Most of the time she doesn’t even charge me for it, which I appreciate.
I take a drink of my sparkling water.
Skye takes another long sip of her drink. “I just want to tell you again, Tess. This has just been wonderful. I can’t thank you enough.”
“You’re welcome, Skye.”
Sometime, after the wedding’s over, I’ll level with Skye. I’ll tell her that Ben planned all of it. But I don’t want to ruin anything for her right now. And finding out her best friend was too into her own self-absorption to plan her bachelorette party would ruin her evening.
Some best friend I am.
I take another drink.
I’ve had about enough of this party, but I should stay until the end.
Skye excuses herself and goes back to dance with the men and the other ladies.
And I realize what I’ve been reduced to.
Tessa Logan used to be the life of the party.
Because as a child, raised by devout Catholic parents, she was never allowed to be the life of the party.
As soon as I got out on my own in college, I let my hair down and enjoyed life to the fullest.