Indiscretion

“Only you, Reed.” My buddy Ben’s shoulders shook as he laughed. “Though I am enjoying that you’ve hit the age where you get punched when you slink into bed with a woman. I remember the days when we’d come home in the middle of the night and there’d be a naked woman waiting in your bed in our dorm room.”

I shook my head. “Those days are over. The only time that’s happened in the last decade was when I got a psychotic client out of prison on appeal after a five-year stint, and she broke into my apartment to thank me.”

Ben chuckled. “I forgot about that. Emily was with you, right? She wasn’t happy about that either.”

I frowned. “Let’s not even talk about Emily.”

Ben flipped the pancakes he was cooking at the stove. “How’s that going? She still giving you the cold shoulder even though she’s the one who was in the wrong?”

I shook my head. “It sucks. One of us has to quit.”

“You don’t think things will ever settle down between you two?”

“Not a chance.”

“You can always come to work on the other, more noble side of the table.”

Ben and Lily were both assistant district attorneys. Ben worked in the Manhattan Organized Crime and Racketeering Unit, and Lily worked in the Appeals Division in Brooklyn. We crossed paths once in a while in the courtroom, but not too often. “The only noble people in either of our jobs are the suckers sitting in the jury box for a whopping forty bucks a day. Plus, I’d hate your salary.”

“It’s not so bad when there are two of us to share expenses.”

“Yeah, that’s not on my agenda either.” I was only busting balls, even if the DA’s office paid only a fraction of what I earned. My buddy knew I didn’t choose my job for the money—not at the beginning anyway. These days, though, with some of the people I represented, it kind of felt that way.

“So you and Lily went to law school with Naomi, right?”

“Yep.”

“Where does she work?”

“Nowhere right now. She just moved to New York two weeks ago, and she’s working on a change in career.”

“Really? Why doesn’t she want to practice law anymore?”

Ben shrugged.

“What area did she practice in?”

“She worked in the Virginia DA’s office. Criminal prosecution.”

“No wonder you said we wouldn’t get along. Was she any good?”

“If you two had ever gone up against each other, I would’ve been sitting in the courtroom with a big bowl of popcorn to watch the show. She had the best record in her division in Virginia. Only ever lost one trial.”

“Why’d she move to New York?”

“Looking for a fresh start. She and her fiancé broke up last year, and her sister lives there. Frannie’s got some health problems.”

People rarely wanted a fresh start unless something big happened to make them walk away from their life. But Ben didn’t offer more, and I didn’t press. I knew better than most that we all had things we liked to keep to ourselves.

Ben plated breakfast, and we sat down together at the table.

“Any chance you have shredded coconut?” I asked. “I thought I brought some, but I guess I left it at home.”

“You and your damn coconut obsession. Don’t you ever get sick of that crap?”

“It’s good brain food, filled with iron, magnesium, zinc—”

“I know. I know,” Ben cut me off. “And copper, manganese, and selenium. Trust me, I can recite the nutritional values after four years of rooming with you in college.”

“Then you should have it in the fridge right now.”

Ben chuckled. “You’re such a knucklehead.”

I yawned as I picked up a glass of orange juice. It had to be close to nine by now, and I still hadn’t slept a wink.

“Lily has me running a million errands today,” Ben said. “I’ll be out of your hair as soon as we’re done eating, so you’ll be able to crash in peace for a while.”

“Thanks.”

He chuckled, looking at my black eye. “I can’t believe a girl kicked your ass.”

“It was dark. She got one punch in.”

Ben stuffed a forkful of pancake into his mouth. “Naomi’s cute, isn’t she?”

“Lily hears you calling another woman cute, we’re going to be wearing matching purple eyeshadow, my friend.”

“I’m getting married, not going blind.”

“She’s cute, but not my type.”

Ben’s forehead wrinkled. “What about her isn’t your type?”

“She’s got a dog.”

“Since when do you hate dogs?”

“I don’t. But having a dog or a cat or even a damn goldfish takes commitment. My new type is anyone who doesn’t get attached easily. Easy come, easy go.”

“You have a damn tortoise. Those things live so long, it’s a lifetime of commitment.”

“I got Sheldon when I was nine. I didn’t know shit back then. Naomi’s dog isn’t that old.”

“So you’re regressing to your college days, a new girl every semester?”

“Maybe.” I ran a hand through my hair. “I was happy then. Besides, Naomi’s high maintenance, and I’m done with that.”

“How do you know she’s high maintenance?”

“Lace pajamas, mud masks, and she got a pink cast at the hospital. Her dog has a rhinestone collar.”

Ben grinned. “She’s also vegan. I guess she does have a little Elle Woods in her.”

“Who?”

“Seriously? It’s a character from a movie Lily has watched like a dozen times. Legally Blonde.”

“Did someone just say Legally Blonde?” The screen door creaked open, and Lily walked into Ben’s cabin, smiling.

“Good morning, my lovely bride-to-be.” My buddy hammed it up with a big, goofy smile.

I rolled my eyes. “Morning, Lil.”

“What are you doing up so early, Dawson?” She walked to the table and kissed my cheek. “I thought you weren’t getting in until the middle of the night, so I figured you’d still be sleeping.”

“Things didn’t go exactly as planned.”

My very-whipped buddy put down his fork, pushed back his chair from the table, and patted his knees. Lily giggled as she climbed onto his lap and proceeded to plant kisses all over his face.

“Ugh,” I groaned. “I’m eating over here.”

“Dawson had an interesting evening.” Ben grinned. “He met Naomi…”

Lily’s eyes widened and a smile took over her face. “I knew you two would either hate each other or wind up humping.”

“The only humping last night was done by Leonardo.”

Lily’s nose wrinkled. “Ugh. Don’t tell me Naomi brought that stuffed turtle? Wait…” She reached out and turned my head. “Oh my God. You have a black eye?”

I nodded. “You can thank your friend for that.”

“Who? Naomi? What are you talking about?”

Ben proceeded to tell Lily the story, while I kept quiet and finished off the pancakes on my plate. When I was done, I plucked the rest of what was left on my buddy’s plate and ate those too.

“We’re going to need to add a stop at Macy’s to our to-do list,” Lily said.

“What for?” Ben asked.

“Dawson needs concealer for that eye.”

“Makeup?” I shook my head. “I’m not wearing makeup.”

“But you’ll look terrible in the photos.”

“Photoshop ’em.”

She sighed. “And here I was worried the fisticuffs this weekend would be you and Emily.”

“Emily? Why would I fight with her while I’m here and she’s in New York?”

Lily’s face fell. “Oh no.”

“What?”

“She didn’t tell you? Emily said she was going to tell you!”

“Tell me what?”

“That she decided to come to the wedding after all.”

***

“Sorry I’m late!”

Naomi rushed out of the back of a car looking a hell of a lot different than she had last night. Or was it this morning? I wasn’t even sure what day it was anymore. I’d only slept a few hours at Ben’s.

Her hair was down, styled in loose curls that framed her pretty face. The red blotches on her cheeks and neck were gone, replaced by smooth, pale skin. Her big green eyes were the same size now, and they didn’t need false eyelashes to get attention. Full red lips matched the color of her dress. She wasn’t showing much skin, yet she looked sexy as shit, and unlike the rest of the ladies in the bridal party, who were wearing sneakers, she had on four-inch sparkly silver stilettos that I wouldn’t have minded seeing her wear with nothing else.

The car she’d arrived in pulled away, and Cat, the woman that Ben had introduced a little while ago as the wedding planner, raised her hand.

“Alright, I think we’re ready to get started. This is as far into the park as cars can go. From here, we’re going to take golf carts. Tomorrow evening, we’ll all enter the same way we do today, but the guests have been instructed to arrive at a different entrance so no one will see the bridal party until we’re ready for the ceremony to begin.”

I caught my buddy’s eye and lifted one brow, as if to say, what the fuck is all this?

He responded with a shrug and a smile just as a caravan of golf carts pulled into the parking lot.

“Each club car holds four people,” the wedding planner continued. “Tomorrow the groom and best man will already be at the ceremony location, but for now, they’re going to take the ride with the bride and her dad. Evelyn and Jack, you’ll be walking down the aisle first, so if you can please take a seat in the front row of the first car, and Naomi and Dawson, if you would please sit in the rear-facing seat in the same car.” Cat rattled off more directions, and then we all headed to our assigned golf carts.

I held a hand out to help Naomi climb on.

“Thank you.”

I nodded.

She smoothed her dress as I took the seat next to her. “Did you hear from the cabin owner yet?”

I nodded. “I left a message on your voicemail earlier.”

“Shoot.” She opened her purse and pulled out her phone. “I didn’t get it. Or at least I don’t think I did. My cell service is terrible in the cabin.”

I’d wondered why she hadn’t responded. “Mine isn’t great either. I had to drive up to the highway and park at a trucker rest stop to call my office this afternoon because service kept going in and out.”

“What did the cabin owner have to say?”

“Apparently the app she uses to rent the place did a software upgrade the day you made your reservation, and a glitch allowed you to book it even though it was already reserved. She had no idea.”

“But I paid a deposit?”

“She initiated a refund already. And she was apologetic, not that it helps our situation. Unfortunately, she only owns the one cabin.”

Naomi sighed. “Alright, well… I’ll find somewhere else to stay. I thought about it, and you were right. You made the reservation first, so you should be the one to get the cabin.”

“It’s not a big deal. I asked my assistant to find me a place. She should be calling me back soon.”

“Are you sure?”

“You’re already settled in. And Leonardo has already christened the place.”

“That reminds me. Did you happen to leave a bag of shredded coconut behind?”

“I thought I’d left it at home. I guess you found it?”

“Leonardo did. He tore it open and ate some, so I had to throw it out.”

“Damn.”

“What were you going to do with it?”

“Eat it.”

“It was a giant bag. It looked like it came from Costco.”

“I really like coconut.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Lily promised me coconut cake at the rehearsal dinner.”

“Oh, and I think I found something else of yours.” She smirked and dug into her purse again, this time coming up with a strip of condoms. “Leonardo came trotting out with these after you left. I’m guessing they’re yours. You were hoping to do some christening of your own at the cabin?”

“How do you know someone else didn’t leave those behind?”

Her cheeks pinked. “They looked like your size.”

That comment and the big XL splashed across the front of the packets had me beaming. And here I thought I’d given a poor showing.

Naomi rolled her eyes. “Alright, alright, don’t let it go to your head. Big dick or not, you still seem like a jerk.”

“What did I do?”

“Well, for one, you’re a defense attorney. That in itself is the biggest clue. But you also insulted Leonardo.”

“And drove you to the hospital…”

“Maybe that part wasn’t so jerky. I’ll give you that one.”

“And insisted you stay at the cabin while I bunked on a hard couch.”

Naomi’s face softened. “Oh no, was the couch uncomfortable?”

“It was fine. But it could’ve been hard.”

She chuckled. “Nope. I was right. You are a jerk.”

The brigade of golf carts slowed in a clearing. I wasn’t much for weddings, but even I was impressed at what I saw. We were in the middle of a forest, but every tree around the perimeter of a small square of cleared space had been wrapped with twinkling lights. A wedding arch made of branches stood at the front, and white chairs were set up for guests. I’d never let Ben or any of the guys know, but I thought it looked…

“Magical.” Naomi whispered the word just as I thought it.

She looked around, even more wide-eyed than me. In fact, everyone was silent, doing the same thing.

“Well?” Lily said. “What do you all think?” She flaunted the biggest smile, probably because she already knew the answer. This was the coolest place for a wedding ceremony I’d ever seen.

The ladies all swooned.

Lily squeezed Ben’s hand. “This is why we made you come all the way up here to Michigan. We found this spot on our first date during our last semester of law school at U of M. We were hiking and stumbled onto this clearing. It didn’t have the lights or the chairs, of course, but we sat down and didn’t get up for eight hours.” Lily looked at Ben. “When we finally left the park, I knew I’d met my future husband. Four years later, Ben proposed in this very spot, and tomorrow evening we’ll get married here.”

Every woman either had tears in her eyes or was sniffling. Naomi was the former. She used her thumbs to catch droplets. Even I felt a little choked up.

The wedding planner stepped forward and cleared her throat. “We should probably get started with our run-through so we don’t make you late for the wonderful dinner Ben and Lily have planned. Tomorrow night there will be a temporary wooden floor down so it’ll be easier to walk. We had some rain the day before yesterday, and it takes a while for the earth to dry in here, so be careful when you step. The grass is still a bit mushy, and there’s mud under the trees where there isn’t any growth.” Cat walked to the back of the chairs. “If we could please have the bridal party line up here with their partners.”

I hopped out of the golf cart and went to walk around to help Naomi, but before I could get there, Jack, who’d been seated in the front row, already had his hand extended. I wasn’t a big fan of the guy and never understood why Ben was friends with him in law school. But at the moment, I liked him even less.

“I don’t think we’ve met.” He held out a hand. “I’m Jack Renner.”

Naomi smiled politely. “Naomi Heart. Nice to meet you.”

I caught Jack’s eye as he lifted her hand to his mouth for a kiss and flashed him what I hoped he’d understand as a warning not to pull his usual crap. The guy was shady as shit. Nevertheless, he helped Naomi from the golf cart, so I walked ahead. After two or three strides, I realized the ground was so saturated it actually had spring to it. Naomi had pretty thin heels on, so I turned to warn her, but I was a half-second too late.

Her left shoe sank into the grass and stayed there, while the rest of her kept moving forward. She wobbled, her foot came out of the shoe, and her balance went off-kilter. The rest happened in slow motion. Naomi’s knee buckled. She put out her casted hand, trying to find her balance, but there was no stopping the fall. Jack was still walking next to her, but he was too busy checking out the rest of the bridesmaids to notice what was happening until it was too late. I reached for her, but I couldn’t make it in time.

Naomi landed with a high-pitched squeal, right in a giant puddle of mud.

Shit. I shouldered useless Jack out of the way and bent down. “Are you okay?”

“I think so. But where the hell is my shoe?”

Leaning over, I plucked it from the grass. “Here.”

She slipped her shoe back on while everyone stared. Ben and Lily rushed over. “Oh my God. Are you okay?” Lily asked. “What happened?”

Naomi brushed mud from her dress. “My heel got stuck. I’m fine. Just a little mortified.”

I held my hand out to help her up. She went to take it but then froze. Hers was covered in mud. “But you don’t like germs.”

I clasped my hand around her dirty one anyway and pulled Naomi to her feet. “It’s fine. Dirt from the earth bothers me less than the kind from humans.”

Even after she was upright, I didn’t let go. “Is your ankle okay? It looked like you might’ve twisted it.”

“I think so.” She wiggled it around a few times before closing her eyes. “Oh my God. I didn’t tell you, but last night the nurse at the hospital asked me if I wanted her to call the police. Between your black eye and my hand, she thought you were my abusive boyfriend. Imagine if I wound up back there with two casts in twenty-four hours? They’d definitely have you arrested.”

“We’ll try to avoid that.” I looked down at her feet and shook my head. “Why the hell are you wearing those shoes anyway? Everyone else is wearing sneakers.”

“I didn’t bring any.”

“Why not?”

“They didn’t go with any of the outfits I’d planned. I brought a pair of flats, but they didn’t go with this dress.”

“That wasn’t very smart, was it?”

She pursed her lips. “Thanks for the reminder, Captain Obvious.”

I looked her up and down but kept my mouth shut this time.

“What?” she said. “Go ahead. I can see you want to say something.”

I shook my head. “Not really.”

“Just spit it out.”

I gave her the once-over a second time and shrugged. “I was just going to say the dress looks good on you, even with the mud.”

Naomi blinked a few times. “I must’ve misheard you, because that almost sounded like a compliment.”

“I figured I owed you one back.”

Her little nose scrunched up. “Back? What compliment did I give you?”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the packet of condoms, pointing to the XL on the front with a wink.

Naomi rolled her eyes. But not before looking down at my crotch.