“Are you serious, Nick?” came a sharp, annoyed female voice.
I turned to see a tall, blonde, clearly annoyed woman, leaning out from the passenger seat.
“Just a minute, Julie,” he called over his shoulder.
She shot me a glance, her expression instantly going from irritated to downright hostile. Then, with a tight-lipped sigh, she sat back in the car.
I pursed my lips. Typical man. With his typical love story. I didn’t care. I just wanted to get to the wedding and be done with that day.
***
The wedding was extravagant. My mother looked thrilled. Harold seemed overjoyed. The guests were laughing, dancing, and having the time of their lives. And then my mother stepped up to the microphone.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for the bouquet toss!”
The crowd cheered. My nieces moved closer, already preparing to fight for it.
“And whoever catches it will receive my cherished sapphire ring!”
Another murmur of excitement.
“But there’s one condition,” she continued, raising a finger. “The winner must go on a date with someone of my choosing!”
“Oh, no,” I muttered, stepping back.
Then, my mother turned around, and right before she threw the bouquet, I swear she winked at me. She adjusted her stance, aimed…
And launched it. Directly. At. Me. I couldn’t move in time. The bouquet landed right in my hands. Silence. Then… cheers exploded around me.
I stood there frozen while my mother beamed. “Congratulations!”
“This is a joke,” I whispered.
“A deal is a deal, sweetheart,” she grinned.
“Who… exactly is my date?”
Her grin widened. “Nick, dear, come on up!”
My head whipped around. The same damn Nick was striding forward, looking entirely too amused. He raised a brow at me. “Well, well. Looks like fate wants us to have dinner.”
Behind him, Julie scoffed loudly in pure outrage.
I turned back to my mother. “Absolutely not.”
She placed a hand on my arm and whispered, “Please, sweetheart. Just this once. Do it for me. As a wedding gift.”
Before I could refuse, she waved Nick over and disappeared into the dancing crowd. Nick smirked, leaning in.
“So, when’s our big date?”
“Let’s just get this over with. I’ll do it, but only so I don’t ruin my mother’s wedding. One date. That’s it.”
“Perfect. Name the time and place, and I’ll be there.”
“Saturday. 7 p.m. That Italian place downtown. Vincenzo’s.”
“Fancy,” he teased. “I’m honored.”
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to pretend this never happened for the rest of the evening.”
As I turned to leave, I caught a glimpse of Nick out of the corner of my eye. He had already spun around and was making his way straight toward Julie.
She was already fuming but Nick just grinned at her, said something in a voice low enough that I couldn’t hear, and then, to my complete disbelief, took her by the hand and led her onto the dance floor.
I had seen enough.