“You’ve got foam on your lip.”
It was a poor excuse for a distraction and Justin didn’t fall for it. He swiped a paper napkin across his mouth before persisting. “Are you going to ask her out?”
“No.”
“How come?”
“She lives in Arkansas. She’s headed back there after the wedding.”
“Oh.” Justin nodded as if that settled the question. “Bummer.”
“I guess.” Jason wondered if he and Madison would have gotten together if she hadn’t lived in another state. As beautifully as they had meshed this weekend, they’d both known it was only temporary. Did they have enough in common that temporary could have become permanent? He supposed he would never know the answer to that.
“Katie said Aunt Tina’s ticked off with you because you wouldn’t go out with Corinna. Katie said the families have been hoping the two of you would get together since you were kids.”
“Bull. They tried for years to hook me up with BiBi, even pressured me to ask her to the prom. Fortunately, she was never interested. She was crazy about Carl even back then, though they broke up for a few years before getting back together. It wasn’t until they gave up on BiBi and me that they decided to throw Corinna at me as a default,” he said bluntly.
Tina Lovato wasn’t actually their aunt, of course, just a longtime family friend. But the fact that she felt like an aunt to them went a long way toward explaining why Jason couldn’t even imagine dating either BiBi or Corinna, any more than he’d have asked out one of his Walker or D’Alessandro cousins. Maybe they weren’t actually blood kin, but they might as well have been, considering how long they’d known each other. There was just no mystery, no chemistry, no…
No adventure, he thought, the word making him think of Madison again, for some reason.
“I had a thing for Corinna once,” Justin mused, breaking off another piece of cookie. “I think I was twelve and she was about fifteen. I was just starting to notice girls and she…well, she was definitely a girl.”
Jason chuckled, remembering the way Brandon had stared at Corinna when she’d ridden the mechanical bull. Brandon had been in danger of swallowing his Adam’s apple.
Considering the looks Corinna had given Jason that afternoon, he thought it was safe to say that her infatuation with him was over, whether or not she returned Brandon’s interest. And that was fine by him; he just hoped that someday, hopefully sooner than later, they could get back onto the easy “old friend” footing he shared with BiBi. Or had shared with BiBi, until an inconveniently timed telephone call had made her look at him as if he’d deliberately tried to sabotage her fairy-tale wedding.
He was getting a bit tired of trying to keep the Lovato family happy this weekend. He understood bridal jitters, having seen enough of them in his own extended family. But, damn.
His phone beeped. He glanced at it automatically. “Carly.”
“Wonder what she wants from you now?”
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“What makes you think she wants something?”
Justin gave him a look.
Jason sighed and lifted the phone to his ear, conceding the point. “Hey, sis. What’s up?”
Madison finally caught up with BiBi later that evening. During the elegant meal set up in a glittering hotel dining room, BiBi had sat at the table of honor, along with her fiancé, their parents and siblings. Seated at another table with several of the bridesmaids and their spouses, Madison had kept an eye on BiBi while they’d dined to the sounds of quiet conversation, clinking silverware and suitably subdued music from a string quartet set up in one corner of the room. BiBi had seemed to enjoy the meal. She’d smiled and even laughed several times, making the others at the table with her look a bit more relaxed than they had earlier when she’d been so stressed.
And yet…
During the past ten years, Madison had seen BiBi in almost every mood, and she could sense that something still wasn’t quite right. So, when BiBi slipped into the restroom while desserts were being served, Madison followed.
BiBi was studying her reflection in the mirror, an uncapped tube of lipstick in one hand.
“You look beautiful, as always,” Madison assured her with a smile, leaning one hip against the counter to study her friend. She’d spoken the truth. With her dark hair swept into a pretty twist and her curvy figure nicely displayed in a jewel-toned silk dress, BiBi had never looked better. Madison had worn a simple black sleeveless sheath chosen both for its flattering cut and wrinkle-resistance. She had dressed it up with a glint of diamonds at her ears and throat and high-heeled strappy sandals.
“I think I’ve gained weight this weekend,” BiBi fretted. “Too many desserts.”
“Don’t be silly, you don’t look as though you’ve gained an ounce. Besides, it’s your special weekend. Enjoy the sweets and diet later.”
“Easy for you to say. You never have to worry about your weight.”
“The closer I get to thirty, the harder I have to work to burn the calories,” Madison said with a shrug.