Four Day Fling(14)

I nodded.

I needed ten.

***

I snatched my sister’s hand before she got wrapped up in another conversation with a guest. “Hey. I wanted to let you know that we’re leaving.”

She glanced at the dainty watch on her wrist. “You are?”

“Yeah, three of Mark’s cousins recognized Adam, and in the way only teen boys could, made a fuss. He stole the bartender’s pens, took selfies, and signed napkins. I think it’s probably better if we leave before someone notices he’s getting a lot of attention.”

She smirked. “I agree. Okay. We have to meet with the priest in the morning, but you’re ready for the rehearsal dinner, right?”

“Six-thirty, right here,” I said.

“Okay.” She hugged me, and I darted out of the ballroom before my mother saw me and tried to stop me.

Adam was waiting for me. “Did you manage to escape the mothership?”

I bit back a laugh and nodded. “Like a ninja.”

“Quick. Let’s go before anyone else recognizes me today.” He grabbed my hand and gave it a tug.

“Whoa, careful. I can’t run in these heels. And no, that isn’t an invitation for you to haul me off like a caveman.”

“Take them off, then. I’m on borrowed time. All it takes is one more crazy hockey fan from your family to up and leave that party, and I’m screwed. And if I’m screwed…” He raised one eyebrow.

I took off my shoes. “Where are we going?” I asked when he dragged me into the elevator and pressed the down button.

“To the beach. It’s quiet out there.”

“It’s also quiet in our room.”

“I know. But if I take you up there right now, it won’t be quiet for long.” He shot me a gaze. “And after what happened earlier, I think we probably need to get to know each other a little more.”

Well, there was a logic I couldn’t deny. There was no doubt that my mom would start her bombardment of questions the second she had a minute and found us alone. If I had another deer-in-headlights moment like I had tonight, I was done for.

“That’s a very good idea.”

The elevator doors pinged open, and luckily for us, the lobby was deserted. Mostly because everyone was still at my sister’s pre-wedding reception, but still. We made our way out to the front of the hotel and down the path that led to the private beach.

“There’s nobody here,” Adam said as we stepped into the sand. “Did your sister hire out the entire resort or something?”

“Actually, she did,” I confirmed, shaking my head. “Mark’s family is filthy rich, and mine isn’t exactly poor. Not to mention that Mark himself makes a fuck ton of money.”

“What does your sister do?”

“She looks pretty,” I muttered. “She says she’s going back to school to do a business and marketing course, but we’ve been waiting for that for two years.”

“In other words, she’s getting married, will claim she’s going to school, and miraculously get pregnant again.”

I pointed at him as we sat down. “We have a pool going about when she goes back to school, and that was my answer.”

“Can I get in on that?” He undid a button of his shirt and leaned back on his hands.

“No. I need that five hundred bucks more than you do.” I paused. “Also, I don’t think I actually have a hundred bucks spare to pay my share, so, come on Mark’s sperm.” I crossed my fingers.

He laughed. “I’ll lend my support to Mark’s sperm, so you don’t have to pay a hundred bucks. But, hey—since it’s also my vote, if it happens, I’ll pay your share.”

I rolled my eyes. “Thanks. Charity is so hot.”

Another laugh. “Think of it as we’re a team in our choice.”

“That sounds better.”

“So, I have a question.” Adam rolled his head to the side and looked at me. “If your family has money, why don’t you have a spare hundred dollars?”

I sighed and leaned back on my elbows. “Because,” I said, looking at him, “I’m a waitress at the Cheesecake Factory.”

His lips pulled right up.

“What are you smiling about?”

“I just really like cheesecake.” He fought a laugh. “So, my next question. If they have money, why are you a waitress at the Cheesecake Factory?”

“Because I did one year studying law and decided that being lorded over by my mother in both my personal and professional life would drive me to jump off a cliff by my twenty-fifth birthday. As you can see, I passed that without my death,” I said. “My dad is a hotshot lawyer, and my mom is a paralegal. That’s the family business. Until they snuff it, I’m serving cheesecake to people who probably shouldn’t be eating a whole lot of it.”

“I want to say that sucks, but you made that choice, so…good for you.”

“It’s not all bad. Sometimes, I get to take the leftover cheesecake home. Which was why I had to lose ten pounds before this wedding,” I muttered.

“Really? You had to lose ten pounds? Where did you lose them?”

“Somewhere in the middle of DisneyWorld. Although, if that were the case, they’d have found me again.”