“No, they’re already ordered. Today is to make a decision as to how I want them displayed, but Jack’s no help so I thought, as you’re my bridesmaid, you’d help instead,” Mia said, but wouldn’t meet my eyes.
“Um, okay. Although, I’m not good with that kind of thing, but I’ll try and help.”
Was I insane? I struggled to get the chunks of bagel down my throat and caught Stephanie giving me odd looks.
Before I could finish, Stephanie whipped my plate from in front of me, tossing the remainder into the trash.
“Let’s go.”
“Wow, okay. I’ll just be a minute. I’ll catch up to you outside.”
Having run back upstairs for my purse, I felt as though a whirlwind had blown through the house. It had to be the most I’d seen of Stephanie during my stay – apart from the night I’d arrived.
Mia was quiet on the ride to her house. As we rode, I inspected her closer – she looked pale and withdrawn. If Mia didn’t love my Phoenix, but was attracted to Liam, which I suspected was true; perhaps I could plead with her to stop the whole thing. Ugh, but if I did that I could cause problems for Phoenix.
Sitting back, I tried to enjoy the scenery while I rubbed my temple, which had started to throb.
Mia pulled up outside a huge white house that looked like something from ‘North and South’. Oh yeah, my mom as punishment for catching me smoking pot, the first and only time I might add, had made me sit and watch every episode of the show with her when she bought them on DVDs. It had been either watch them, or no allowance for a month, so yeah, I’d watched them and unbeknownst to my mom, enjoyed them. Also it reminded me of home.
My parents lived in a huge monster of a house, probably twice the size of Mia’s and I hated it. My parents and me could live in the house for a month and not see each other; that’s how large my home was.
“Thalia, are you planning on getting out?”
“Sorry. Day dreaming. It reminds me of home,” I added in explanation as I slid out of the car.
“Home?”
Mia had already started towards the front door when I glanced at Stephanie.
“Yeah. My home is like this, but bigger.” Her eyes lit up either in disbelief or glee, I wasn’t sure which. “I hate my home, it’s just too damn big,” I stated following Mia inside her house wondering what the hell I was doing there.
Not knowing anything whatsoever about flowers, plants, displays or weddings for that matter, I wasn’t sure I’d be much help. I’d been a bridesmaid on rather a few occasions, but all I had to do was show up and smile and as I got older, to hold the brides dress when in the bathroom to make sure she didn’t pee on it.
Could I get out of this? I could walk to Kix and maybe see Phoenix and hoped he didn’t ignore me. If he did, I could always chat Donovan up for Callie. Phoenix wouldn’t have to know I was doing it for Callie, maybe he’d get jealous. I could always hope.
“Mamma, I’d like you to meet Liam’s friend, Thalia. She’s replacing Rebecca in the wedding.”
Mia always seemed so self-assured, but her mom looked...lost; out of her depth.
“Thalia, this is my mamma, Sarah.”
I held my hand out, which Sarah took and quickly shook before letting go. “It’s nice to meet you, Sarah.” Her hold on my hand had been light and quick, as though she hadn’t wanted to touch me at all.
While I worked up the courage to escape, Stephanie engaged her in conversation, but Sarah didn’t look well at all.
Being in Mia’s house I felt uneasy and needed to escape.
“Um, I need to go. I’m sorry, but I promised I’d help someone with something. I’ve just remembered. I’m sorry.”
Turning so I could make my escape, Mia ran up to me. She gave me an odd look then hugged me. “Please don’t do anything stupid,” she whispered.
Not stopping to think about what had just happened, I pulled the door open and practically ran through it hurrying down the drive and through the large gates before I stopped to catch my breath.
If I remembered correctly Kix wasn’t too far in the direction I’d started walking in. The weather had heated up some so I just prayed I hadn’t under estimated the distance.
I’d been walking about five minutes when I heard a motorcycle roaring towards me. My heart sped up with nerves, because I was walking on a secluded bit of road. I was so stupid...or maybe not, as he pulled the bike to a stop not far in front of me, I recognized the tattoo on the biker’s bicep, which was poking out from under his t-shirt. Reece.
He took his helmet off. “Now what’s a hot babe like you doing walking along here on her own?”
“Getting hotter!”
He sat staring at me then grinned. “I see why Phoenix is so screwed up over you. Come on, hop on.”
“You giving me a ride?”
Reece climbed off his bike and retrieved a spare helmet. “If you weren’t spoken for you’d be giving me a ride,” he said and winked.
He was damn cute. “Hmm, I would, would I?”
“Woman, get that sexy butt on the back of my bike so we can go. It’s too damn hot to stand around in the sun yakking.”
I laughed. “Yakking?”
“Yeah, yakking. I have five sisters and that’s all they do all day, apart from bugging me when I go to visit.”