The Paid Bridesmaid(46)

This was better. I’d told him about not being a spy and had to hope one, that he’d believe me and two, that he wouldn’t have some kind of meltdown that would make things hard on Dan and Sadie. I again resolved that Camden and I would be distant but polite acquaintances.

Plus, he had no reason to hang around me now. Telling the truth had hopefully eliminated that issue.

But knowing it with my brain and dealing with the sense of loss in my heart were two entirely different things. Because I knew I’d miss his attention. That I’d grown to enjoy him and his teasing and his touch.

“What happened last night?” Krista asked, instead of saying hello.

“Hi to you, too.” I knew what she was asking, and given that my entire brain seemed fixated on Camden at the moment, I didn’t need her making things worse.

“At least you seem like you’re feeling better. I’m glad you’re not still sick.”

It felt like it had been days since she and I had last spoken. “I wasn’t sick. I was drunk.” I explained about the mix-up.

“Then Camden, in his full knight regalia, swooped in and got you back here safely.”

“He did.” I nodded warily, not sure where she was going with this.

“And?”

“And nothing. I vomited, he got me a glass of water. End of story.”

She pursed her lips and then narrowed her eyes at me. “You know that I know you well enough that I can tell when you’re lying.”

“I’m not lying! I’m just selectively sharing the parts of the story I want you to know.”

“Ha!” She pointed at me, as if she’d caught me doing something. “I knew there was more.”

I tried switching back into business mode. “We should get going. I gave you Mandy’s number just in case, right? She volunteered to help out with Brandy if we get to that point. I’m hoping we won’t, but it never hurts to be prepared.”

“I’ve got her number. And I’ve got yours, too.”

Deciding that it wasn’t worth responding to, I held open my door and gestured for her to go ahead.

As we walked down the hallway she said, “You haven’t asked me about Rick.”

It took me a second to place his name. Oh, Dan’s cousin. “Is there something to ask about?”

“I’ve been waiting for your lecture on how we’re not supposed to date wedding guests.”

That would kind of make me a hypocrite, wouldn’t it? “I didn’t realize you two had gone on a date.” I hoped it hadn’t become more than that. Especially with Dan’s objections. While Dan wasn’t my main concern, he was Sadie’s. And to keep her happy, I’d have to make sure that he was happy, too.

We arrived at the elevators, and one of them opened as soon as we pushed the button. We stepped in and Krista said, “We did that group hang last night. Sadie kept trying to push us together, but that man just broke up with his longtime girlfriend and they’re a hundred percent going to get back together. Rick talked about her the entire night. It actually got a little depressing.”

Was this what had made Dan put his foot down about no fraternizing? “We can thank Sadie and her matchmaking.”

Krista nodded. “You know how people are at weddings.”

I did.

She continued, “But if she wants to set me up with someone, they should at least be available.”

We arrived on the ground floor and headed into the lobby. “He should also not be one of the guests at the wedding,” I reminded her.

She just gave me an enigmatic smile as we walked toward the west lawn. I knew what that meant. She was aware of the rule but if she found someone she liked, I could stuff it. We headed outside and came around a row of bushes and saw a sea of white camping tents covering the lawn.

“What’s going on?” I asked. “Did Sadie invite a bunch of Boy Scouts?”

Troy and one of his assistants (Anton? Antoine? I couldn’t remember) stopped in front of us. “We’re glamping,” Troy announced. Glamping? Wasn’t that just camping’s older sister who wore too much makeup? “Hand over your keycards.”

“Is this some kind of swingers thing?” Krista asked with a teasing lilt in her voice. “Because Rachel is not going to be okay with that.”

“Why do you need our keycards?” I asked.

I watched as Krista handed hers over. Troy said her name to his assistant, whom he definitely referred to as Anton, and Anton flipped through a giant album and placed Krista’s key in a pocket next to her name.

No wonder I’d had to make lei. This level of conspiracy to keep me from getting a good night’s sleep had to have taken hours.

Troy tapped his foot impatiently at me. “I need your keys because Sadie doesn’t trust you guys and doesn’t want you to go sneaking off back to your rooms. We’re sleeping out here tonight.”

“Gee, why would anyone do that?” I would much rather go back to my king-size bed than be stuck sleeping on the ground. I’d never understood the appeal of camping. Or glamping. Whatever this nonsense was.

“Key,” Troy said, holding out his hand. I took in a deep breath. He could find me new clients. This was not a hill to die on. I dug through my purse and found my keycard, giving it to him.