The Wedding Party (The Wedding Date, #3)(5)

“Oh, it’s you,” was all she said when she stopped.

It was very irritating that Maddie was the only person he could talk to about this Alexa thing, but she was just going to have to deal with it.

“Yeah, it’s me. Want to bet how long it’ll be before they make some excuse and take off? I give it less than an hour.”

She tossed her head and laughed. Why did it feel like every man in the bar turned to look at her when she did that? Yes, she looked incredible in that hot pink dress; even he could admit that. But he got the feeling she was laughing at, not with, him.

“I’d never take that bet.” Yep, she was laughing at him. “I’d be surprised if they were still here in thirty minutes, though Alexa’s tendency toward unnecessary politeness might force her to stay longer than she wants to.”

He pulled out his phone and turned on the stopwatch.

“For science.” He grinned at her. Amazingly, she grinned back before she walked away.

He shook off thoughts of Maddie and turned back to his friends.

In exactly forty-one minutes, Alexa came over to him.

“So, um . . .” She was definitely blushing. “I think we’re going to take off.”

He did everything possible to hold back a laugh.

“You and Maddie are leaving early? Okay, well, thanks for coming, and . . .”

She smacked his arm, and he finally let himself laugh.

“You’re such a fucking asshole. No, not me and Maddie.”

He leaned in for a hug.

“He’d better be nice to you. See you Monday.”

When Alexa and Drew walked out the door, Theo looked around the bar for Maddie. She was in a group with Julian and Lindsey, but she was looking right at him, and they grinned at each other. After a second or so, Maddie looked away from him and back at Lindsey. Okay, well, he guessed that was the one day in five years Maddie would be nice to him. Now that Alexa was gone, he figured she’d leave any minute.

But every time Theo glanced around the bar for a glimpse of hot pink, she was still there. After an hour or so, Theo saw Ben walk over to her group. He wandered over, too, just to make sure his brother wasn’t causing any trouble.

“Hey, man!” Ben said. “I was just saying to these guys that we should go dancing. I know this great place in SoMa. Let’s go!”

Yep, Ben was trying to cause trouble, all right.

“Have a fantastic time, and give me a call tomorrow to tell me all about it,” he said.

Ben turned to Maddie.

“Maddie!” Ben said. “We’re all talking about going dancing. Want to come?”

She shook her head.

“Thanks for the invite, but I have work to do tomorrow. I have to go. Theo, happy birthday.”

She didn’t lean in for a hug, so he didn’t, either.

“Thanks, and thanks for coming. I saw you talking to Lindsey and Julian. Did you get another possible client?”

She nodded.

“I think so. And also maybe your friend Fiona.”

“Oh good, Lindsey and Fiona are both great. Glad this may have been profitable for you.” What a weird and businesslike thing to say at the end of a party. What was wrong with him? “See you around.” No wonder she thought he was uptight; even with a little too much bourbon tonight, he sounded so stilted around her.

She smirked at him and turned to walk out, when he thought of something.

“Wait. Did you drive here?”

She turned back to him.

“Yeah, I’m just a few blocks away.”

He checked his pockets for his phone and keys.

“Let me walk you to your car.”

She shook her head.

“No, you don’t have to do that. I’m fine to walk by myself. I don’t want to drag you away from your party,” she said.

He hesitated. He wanted to insist, but he couldn’t tell if she said that because she didn’t want him to feel like he had to walk her to her car, or if she said it because she was sick of him and really didn’t want him to walk with her. But the Mission could get weird on weekend nights, with too many marauding bands of bros. Well, he’d ask one more time and then let it go.

“Honestly, it’s no trouble. You’re not dragging me anywhere. Plus, it gives me an excuse to disappear when Ben is hatching his plan to move to a second location, which is always a bad idea.”

She shrugged and turned to the door.

“Suit yourself.”

He waved to Ben and followed Maddie out the door. He was glad the party was over. He’d had fun, and he was even sort of glad Ben had harassed him into having one. But his ideal birthday would be spent at home on his couch with a good movie on TV and a large pizza on his coffee table.

The cool San Francisco night air was refreshing after the stuffy, beer-scented heat of the bar, and he breathed it in as he walked with her down Valencia. They walked in silence for a block or two, until they turned onto one of the quieter streets.

Okay, now the cool San Francisco night air was just flat-out cold. He hunched his shoulders against the wind.

“Did you have a good birthday party?” she asked, just when he thought she wasn’t going to speak to him the entire walk.

“I did. I got coerced into having the party in the first place; I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not a huge party guy.” She laughed and he joined in. “But it was fun to see so many people who came out. Maybe I’ll do it again in another ten or so years.”