Baiting the Maid of Honor (Wedding Dare #2)(45)

Jesus, that scared the hell out of him.

Reed did his best to calm the rising fear as they walked past the lobby area and wound down another hallway. At the very end, he pushed open a heavy wooden door leading to the solarium he’d found earlier after his head-clearing walk. He breathed a mental sigh of relief to find it empty, save the plush furniture and bookcases full of reading material. Rain pelted the glass ceiling, the reason he’d specifically chosen this particular room to bring Julie. He closed the door behind them, locked it, and watched her wander through the room, taking it in. Even he, who admittedly didn’t know a damn thing about romance, could appreciate the atmosphere. Soft lamplight, the smell of leather, no sound except the falling rain. Even so, her stiff posture remained. He took a deep breath and waited for her to see the blanket and deck of cards he’d laid out in front of the window.

Julie paused at the edge of the flannel. “What’s this?”

“I...uh…” He crossed to her, sat down on the floor. “I thought we could play go fish. Since it’s raining outside and all.”

Reed could feel her staring at the top of his head, but he couldn’t look up at her, instead busying himself shuffling the deck of cards he’d purchased at the gift shop. Damn it, he’d put himself out there with this plan. It could very well be all wrong. Who’s to say she wanted to remember her sister this way? Doing something they, as sisters, had shared exclusively? Who’s to say she wanted him to be a part of that? Reed braced for the worst, fearing her rejection. If she walked out now, he didn’t know if he’d recover. So he waited. When she plopped down in front of him, shifting slowly into a cross-legged position, he couldn’t prevent a tiny sigh of relief from escaping.

When he started to deal the cards, Julie stopped him with a hand on his. “Wait.” Her voice sounded husky. “I have to cut the deck. With my eyes closed. It’s tradition.”

“Okay.”

Their gazes locked for a heavy moment, before her eyelids slid down to cover the blue eyes he missed immediately. She lifted the top half of the deck, nodding to indicate he should place the bottom half over it, which Reed did before taking back the deck. He didn’t take his eyes off her the entire time. Couldn’t. She looked so incredibly soft sitting in the dim light, shadows cast by the swaying trees outside playing over her face. With her dress spread out around her on the floor, looking like something out of a fairy tale, it took every ounce of Reed’s willpower not to drag her across the blanket. As a child, he’d never had quiet moments like this. It struck him then that while he’d arranged this for her, to commemorate the anniversary of Serena’s passing, it seemed to be filling some long-empty void inside him as well.

“You’re not allowed to let me win. Serena always let me win.”

Reed thought for a moment. “How do you throw a game of go fish? It all depends on the cards you’re dealt.”

Julie picked up the cards Reed tossed in front of her. “She’d ask me for cards she knew I didn’t have. Cards she already held, I suppose. I’d tell her to ‘go fish’ so many times, she’d have her whole hand full after five turns. I’d always run out first.” She smoothed her hand over the blanket. “I knew the whole time, but I never said anything. I liked winning. Isn’t that silly? Two girls sitting there, playing a pointless game when the outcome had already been determined?”

When her breath hitched on the last word, he knew she was rambling to hide her emotions. Again, he quashed the need to comfort physically and focused on what she’d said. “It’s not silly. You were both giving each other what you needed. The game was just an excuse to accomplish that.”

Julie frowned, shook her head. “I’m the one who got to win. What did Serena get out of it?”

“She got to spend time with you.” Her eyes widened in a way Reed couldn’t interpret. The reaction made him want to backpedal. Make a joke. But he heard Colton in his head. Tell her what you’re thinking, even if it sounds stupid. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Why do you think she loved the rain so much, pixie? It meant spending time with her little sister.”





Chapter Seventeen


Julie stared across the blanket at Reed, his words hanging in the air between them. A dozen thoughts swam in her mind at once. I must not have been that terrible after all. If Serena suffered through rainstorms and boring card games just to be with me. She’d had no idea until this moment that most of her insecurities stemmed from her distorted view of their times together. Her guilt had warped her point of view over the years. At that moment, instead of remembering her own whining and complaining during the card games, memories of them laughing hysterically, sharing confidences, pigging out on caramel corn, rolled through her consciousness as if projected on a movie screen. The rain pelting the glass in the quiet room made the memories come alive. She’d forgotten the good Serena brought out in her, only recognizing where she lacked. Where she differed from the perfection of her sister’s memory.

Was it possible she’d been selling herself short? Was she enough on her own? Just the mere possibility felt like lead weights toppling from her shoulders.

Julie came back to herself then, her surroundings returning in sharp focus. Reed, tuxedo-wearing Reed, watched her silently, a handful of cards tapping against his polished wingtip shoe, face partially obscured by shadows. Not shadowed enough for her to miss the intensity of his expression. He looked almost harsh in his attractiveness. The elegant attire suited him too well. She was suddenly thankful he didn’t wear suits and ties to work like the other men. He’d be beating the women off with a stick.