flowing light blue maxi dress, her long blond hair falling in waves around her shoulders. ‘Dee and I are going up to dance. Care to join us?’
‘Perhaps in a bit,’ Jo answered, her eyes soft as shelooked at the older couple. Her expression said she was happy my dad had found Dee, and as I took in how relaxed he was, I knew for sure I was too.
‘Have fun,’ I said, and grinned at them.
Dee smiled down at me. ‘You look beautiful, Olivia.’ Her eyes swept the table. ‘You all do.’
‘Well, so do you,’ I replied, and immediately beamed happily under my dad’s approving smile.
I watched them walk onto the dance floor, feeling something shift inside me.
Not long after, Cole decided to reduce his boredom by seeking Hannah and Dec’s company, and Jo and Cam wandered off to find Ellie and Adam.
‘Want another drink?’ Nate gestured to my empty champagne glass.
‘Yes. Beer.’
‘You got it.’
I watched him walk through the wedding reception crowd, so at ease with himself. He’d shrugged off his jacket, leaving him in his shirt and waistcoat. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up and he’d loosened his tie. I could see most women following him with their eyes, so it wasn’t a surprise when a gorgeous young woman in a light blue, short, fitted dress pressed into his side at the bar and introduced herself.
I had to wait twenty minutes for my beer.
If I’d had Nate’s confidence I wouldn’t have had to wait twenty minutes for a beer. I could have just strolled up to a nice-looking guy, started flirting, and he’d havebought me one. If I could believe in myself like I knew I should, I could get up off my butt and do just that.
In fact, I was going to.
I searched the room for nice-looking men and pretended I couldn’t find any.
Slumping back against my seat, I mentally kicked myself in the shin, once again frustrated with myself.
After Nate was done flirting his ass off, he came back to the table and shuffled his seat closer to mine as he handed me my beer.
‘She was hot,’ I observed.
The left side of Nate’s mouth curled up, his dimple flashing me. ‘Sorry I took so long.’
‘Did you get her number at least? Or just a promise to hook up at the end of the night?’
His look said
What do you think?
We sat in companionable silence for a moment, looking around the room at all the guests. I barely knew any of them.
‘What would you prefer?’ Nate suddenly turned to me conversationally. ‘Being perpetually stuck at someone else’s wedding reception or at the wake of someone you don’t know that well?’
I mused over this. ‘Do I know the person whose wedding it is well?’
‘No.’
‘Are both reception and wake inside or out?’
Nate took a swig of beer. ‘Is this a weather issue?’
‘Yes.’
‘We’ll give both an even playing field. Inside.’
I turned slightly into him, ready to give him my answer. ‘Okay, I’m going to go with the wake. At the wedding I’d continually have to pretend to be happy, and it is far more exhausting to pretend happiness than it is to pretend sadness. Also, I don’t know the wedding people very well, so I’m not going to know many of the guests well either. At a wedding reception that’s just awkward. Moreover, we’re talking a perpetual sound track of cheesy music, so we’re talking a perpetual migraine. No thanks. At the wake of someone I don’t know I can at least spend some of eternity getting to listen to the stories about that person from each guest. Who knows, maybe the deceased was some amazing adventurer who lived to the grand old age of one hundred. We’re talking lots of stories that are sure to be interesting. There’d be no awful music. I could be miserable if I wanted, but if I couldn’t pretend misery then no one would blame me since I didn’t know the deceased that well. There’s usually a buffet at a wake, so I’m more likely to find something to eat that I’ll actually like. Plus, death always makes
‘Perhaps in a bit,’ Jo answered, her eyes soft as shelooked at the older couple. Her expression said she was happy my dad had found Dee, and as I took in how relaxed he was, I knew for sure I was too.
‘Have fun,’ I said, and grinned at them.
Dee smiled down at me. ‘You look beautiful, Olivia.’ Her eyes swept the table. ‘You all do.’
‘Well, so do you,’ I replied, and immediately beamed happily under my dad’s approving smile.
I watched them walk onto the dance floor, feeling something shift inside me.
Not long after, Cole decided to reduce his boredom by seeking Hannah and Dec’s company, and Jo and Cam wandered off to find Ellie and Adam.
‘Want another drink?’ Nate gestured to my empty champagne glass.
‘Yes. Beer.’
‘You got it.’
I watched him walk through the wedding reception crowd, so at ease with himself. He’d shrugged off his jacket, leaving him in his shirt and waistcoat. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up and he’d loosened his tie. I could see most women following him with their eyes, so it wasn’t a surprise when a gorgeous young woman in a light blue, short, fitted dress pressed into his side at the bar and introduced herself.
I had to wait twenty minutes for my beer.
If I’d had Nate’s confidence I wouldn’t have had to wait twenty minutes for a beer. I could have just strolled up to a nice-looking guy, started flirting, and he’d havebought me one. If I could believe in myself like I knew I should, I could get up off my butt and do just that.
In fact, I was going to.
I searched the room for nice-looking men and pretended I couldn’t find any.
Slumping back against my seat, I mentally kicked myself in the shin, once again frustrated with myself.
After Nate was done flirting his ass off, he came back to the table and shuffled his seat closer to mine as he handed me my beer.
‘She was hot,’ I observed.
The left side of Nate’s mouth curled up, his dimple flashing me. ‘Sorry I took so long.’
‘Did you get her number at least? Or just a promise to hook up at the end of the night?’
His look said
What do you think?
We sat in companionable silence for a moment, looking around the room at all the guests. I barely knew any of them.
‘What would you prefer?’ Nate suddenly turned to me conversationally. ‘Being perpetually stuck at someone else’s wedding reception or at the wake of someone you don’t know that well?’
I mused over this. ‘Do I know the person whose wedding it is well?’
‘No.’
‘Are both reception and wake inside or out?’
Nate took a swig of beer. ‘Is this a weather issue?’
‘Yes.’
‘We’ll give both an even playing field. Inside.’
I turned slightly into him, ready to give him my answer. ‘Okay, I’m going to go with the wake. At the wedding I’d continually have to pretend to be happy, and it is far more exhausting to pretend happiness than it is to pretend sadness. Also, I don’t know the wedding people very well, so I’m not going to know many of the guests well either. At a wedding reception that’s just awkward. Moreover, we’re talking a perpetual sound track of cheesy music, so we’re talking a perpetual migraine. No thanks. At the wake of someone I don’t know I can at least spend some of eternity getting to listen to the stories about that person from each guest. Who knows, maybe the deceased was some amazing adventurer who lived to the grand old age of one hundred. We’re talking lots of stories that are sure to be interesting. There’d be no awful music. I could be miserable if I wanted, but if I couldn’t pretend misery then no one would blame me since I didn’t know the deceased that well. There’s usually a buffet at a wake, so I’m more likely to find something to eat that I’ll actually like. Plus, death always makes
Similar Books
