Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
“Let me buy you a drink?”
“The drinks are free.”
“Two then?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “One drink. But only because my date disappeared a half hour ago with a man who is prettier than me, so I’m bored.”
“Good to know.” He again laced his fingers with mine and led us to one of the bars.
“What would you like to drink?”
“Just water, thanks.”
“Why not something with alcohol?”
“Because I’m technically working.”
Wilder’s brows drew together. “Working?”
“I’m covering the wedding for a magazine.”
“Which one?”
“Bride.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t worry, I probably won’t mention the rude groomsman in my article. I tend to focus on the bride and groom. Or at least on the details of the wedding like the flowers, venue, and dresses.”
He paused. “You’re going to write about the dresses?”
I laughed. “You’re right. On second thought, maybe the rude groomsman would be better.”
“What do you normally drink, when you’re not working?”
“Tequila.”
“Have you ever tried a siesta?”
“Two parts tequila, half part each Campari, grapefruit juice, lime, and simple syrup.”
He nodded. “Is it your go-to or something?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m more of a tequila-soda drinker than a sweet-drink girl. I prefer my sugar in the form of cupcakes or cookies. But my family owns a bar. I worked there all through high school and college, and somehow I’m still there a few days a week.”
Wilder nodded. He turned to the bartender and ordered a gin and tonic and a tequila soda.
I took it when he passed the glass to me. “That’s not what I asked for.”
“I know.”
“So why is it in my hand then?”
“I decided you’re done with work for today.”
“Is that right? You decided?”
He sipped his drink. “Yep.”
“And what gives you that right? To decide anything for me?”
“I think you deserve it after being bullied into wearing a dress you didn’t want to wear and tolerating me as a partner.”
“How do you know Piper bullied me?”
“She does it to everyone. How do you think she got my poor buddy Aiden to the altar?”
“Why does your friend let her bully him?”
Wilder shrugged. “Hell if I know. I guess he’s into that sort of thing—a woman who bosses him around all the time.”
“And you’re not?”
His eyes caught with mine, and the corners of his lips twisted up. “I’m okay with a bossy woman. But there are definitely times I prefer to do the bossing.”
I think he might’ve been right about that hole in my head, because his tone made my body feel a little flushed. There was no doubt what he’d been referring to, at least not in my dirty mind. Needing to cool off, I sucked back some of my drink—a little too much since I’d forgotten he’d ordered me tequila. The mix was more tequila than soda, too. A few more sips and it reactivated the buzz I’d caught earlier.
“So what made you move to London?” I asked.
“My father’s from here, but my mother’s originally from Cambridge. They’re divorced. She got sick when I was in my last year of college, and she moved back to be near her family in England. I have a half brother there, so after she passed away, I took a job in London to be closer to him. Been there ever since.”
“I’m sorry.”
He nodded and looked away. “Tell me about this job of yours that requires you to dress up in hideous gowns and tolerate someone like Piper.”
I smiled. “It doesn’t require it. But Piper’s family is close with the head of the company that owns the magazine I work for, so I thought I should be amenable when she demanded it. I usually just attend the event and write about it for the magazine. We cover one wedding a month with a six-page story. Elijah, the guy with me, is the photographer. We’re sort of a team. I also run the magazine’s social media and YouTube channel, so our jobs go hand in hand.”
“I guess you should be lucky she didn’t paint you orange.”
I covered my smile with my hand. “They did look orange when they went outside for the pictures, didn’t they?”
“With those purple dresses, it was like ten Violet Beauregardes who ate Oompa Loompas.”
I laughed. “Your honesty is amusing when it’s not directed at me.”
His eyes dropped to my lips. “I like it when you smile.”
My guard was slipping down too fast for my liking, so I rounded the conversation back to work. “Sometimes I use a quote from a guest in my write-up. Would you like to give me one?”
He smiled. “That’s probably not a good idea if your boss is a friend of the bride’s family.”
“True.”
“Is your boss a jerk or something that you felt like you had to go the extra mile for the bride?”
“No, at least not that I know of. He’s more of my boss’s boss’s boss. I don’t really know him, other than to find him a little intimidating because of who he is and the way he talks. He’s very direct.”