AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Finally, we’re back out in the entryway and out of sight of the congregation.
“Are you all right?” Lucky asks me.
I shove my bouquet at her. “Be right back! Gotta fix my makeup!” I say over my shoulder as I sprint down the hallway. We still have photos to do and I absolutely have to get a grip on myself before that.
Plus I’m not ready to face Jeremy.
Back in the room, I grab my makeup bag from my purse and slip into the bathroom to survey the damage. My eyes and nose are red and my makeup looks decidedly worn, but it could be worse.
I begin making repairs. A minute later, there’s a firm knock at the door. “Blaze, you in there?”
It’s Jeremy.
I close my eyes for a moment, then open them. My still-blotchy reflection stares back at me.
I’m going to have to face him sooner or later. Do I tell him how I feel?
Not if I’m smart. A declaration of love from an overweight, mouthy, hysterically sobbing librarian would send any normal man fleeing for the hills. He may like me, he may even have called himself my boyfriend, but did he really know what he was getting into?
I wipe away some smudged eyeliner. “Hang on!” I call through the closed door. “Just getting myself pretty.” I make a grab for my concealer.
“Just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
The concern in Jeremy’s voice would be enough to trigger the tears all over again, except that I think I’ve finally cried myself all out. At least for the moment.
I force a laugh. “I’m fine. Just got a little emotional. Doesn’t Bailey look beautiful? Give me a moment.”
A few minutes later, I look presentable, if not quite as put together as I did before the ceremony. I still look and feel a little watery, but my makeup is respectable and eyedrops have cleared most of the red out of my eyes.
I stuff the makeup back in the bag and open the door to the room to find Jeremy leaning against the opposite wall, his arms folded across his broad chest. The normally teasing twinkle in his eye has been replaced with a worried wrinkle across his forehead.
“You all right?” he asks. “Looked like you cried through the entire ceremony.”
“You could tell?” He nods. “I just cry at weddings,” I say. “A lot of people do.”
He doesn’t look convinced. “Is it normal to cry that much?”
“It was a very moving ceremony,” I argue.
“It was beautiful,” he agrees. “But that was a lot of crying.”
Screw smart. If I don’t get this off my chest, I’ll just spend the rest of Bailey’s wedding choking back tears and hiding in bathrooms. I need to clear the air. And if Jeremy wants to head for the hills, at least we came in separate cars.
“We need to talk.” Taking his big hand in mine, I lead him into the room, pull him onto the bed next to me, and take a deep breath. “I think I’m in love with you,” I admit, defeated. “Scratch that. I know I’m in love with you.”
I can’t make head or tail of the look on Jeremy’s face. “You don’t sound very happy about it,” he observes, cautiously.
Well, of course he’s cautious. Who wouldn’t be? He’s just received a declaration of love from someone who is clearly unhinged and way out of her league. Years of insecurity bubble to the surface. What would a hot, handsome guy like the Chief want with a girl like me?
“We’re enemies,” I remind him, another sob threatening in the back of my throat.
“We’re rivals,” he corrects me. “And we’re not going to be rivals much longer. I’m going to tell your brother and the council that the fire station is withdrawing its bid for the Addison.”
I blink, my confession of love momentarily forgotten. “What? Why?”
“Because the library needs it more. I had a long talk with Mikey. We’ve got some leeway in the budget, we’ve got that back lot we could expand into, and it seems like the council is a lot more likely to come up with money for us to do that than they are to come up with money for the library. So I’m stepping back.”
“Are you sure?”
