Page 2 of Braden

She decided she might as well put her new, crazy idea on the table and hope for the best. At least Braden hadn’t said no yet. Heat mounting in her cheeks, she confessed. “Breaking up with Chet was pretty public. I found out he was sleeping with other people and I might have thrown my ring at him in a public place and called him a few names. And then…” She gulped.

“And then?” he prompted, one eyebrow raised.

Elodie took a deep drink of her feelgood, choked, coughed and said in a barely recognizable voice, “I invented a boyfriend. I couldn’t handle my stepmother coming down on me for blowing my chances at getting married—she thought Chet was a catch—and giving her grandbabies or all the pity from my so-called friends or the sheer embarrassment. I didn’t give too many details and said we were having a long distance relationship but now the wedding is here and I’m about to walk in solo. Unless you save me.”

“To be clear,” he said and she was relieved to hear amusement not condemnation in his voice, “You’re asking me to be your date for the wedding festivities, not to marry you and give your mom grandchildren, right?”

Despite her deep embarrassment over this entire fiasco, Elodie burst out laughing at his comical expression and the twinkle in his eyes. “Right. Strictly limited to this week of wedding related so-called fun and the ceremony and the reception. Then we part ways, no harm done and no grandchildren on the horizon. I’ll wait a while and then tell people we broke up over the distance issues and it’ll be no big deal by then. Well, except for my stepmother but I can’t please everyone. Will you do it?”

Braden leaned back in his chair. “This is the craziest thing I ever heard.”

Shoulders slumping, Elodie lowered her gaze to her drink and toyed with the umbrella. I shouldn’t have expected a total stranger to agree to this lunacy.

“But you know what the hell else have I got going on this week, except to be a fifth wheel here on my buddies’ dates? Sure, I’ll be your mystery date.” He raised his glass so she raised hers and they clinked together and drank.

“I can’t tell you how grateful I am.” Elodie set her glass down and picked up her purse. “We should go.”

“Nothing like jumping right in,” Braden said, obviously amused at the intense look on her pretty face. “What are we facing tonight?”

“A big cocktail party to welcome all the guests, or at least the ones who’ve arrived already.” Elodie led him through the crowded club. He reached out and caught her hand, surprised at the spark of connection he felt when their fingers touched.

* * *

As soon as Braden was outside, he took a deep breath of the fresh air. This was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever done by far but after the day he’d had, he was ready for a new, lighthearted escapade. “All right, we’d better get our basic facts down before we arrive. I’m a active duty soldier in the Special Forces. What do you do?”

“I’m an archivist on Dantana Six,” she said. “I’m in charge of the historical records for the entire Sector. It’s like a giant library and a museum and a research center all in one.”

“Impressive. Then how did we meet? I uh don’t frequent libraries often and I’ve never been within a parsec of that Sector.”

She walked in silence for a minute or two, chewing her lip adorably. “I did go to a conference on Miravall Twelve not long ago. Could we have met there somehow? The group of us dined out and went to various shows. I gambled a few credits at one of the casinos.”

“That works,” he replied. “I’ve been there, not recently, but I can talk about it, no problem. So we met at the craps table--”

“The roulette wheel,” she said, with a smile revealing her dimples. “You asked me to blow on the ball and of course then you won. And then⁠—”

“We were inseparable of course. So Lady Luck brought us together.” He grinned. “I like it.”

“But mostly we’ve had a long distance relationship,” she continued. “Coms and holos and that kind of thing.”

“Did we send each other dirty pictures?” he asked with a wink.

Elodie blushed. “Maybe. But I’d rather not bring the idea up.”

“Things must have been scorching between us on Miravall Twelve to have kept it going afterward.” He could certainly imagine taking Elodie to bed and staying there all night, in a variety of positions. His cock was getting hard thinking about it. She was a curvaceous package in a dress that showed off her assets with just enough of a tease to entice a man but not overly revealing.

She wouldn’t meet his eyes. “No one needs to know. Let’s not get carried away here.”

Braden relented. “All right, favorite color and birthday. Mine is blue and the 28th of Terra Standard September.”

“Pink.” She gestured at her dress, which was indeed a vision in ombre pink. “3rd of Terra Standard May. What’s your favorite food?”

“Betelgeuse lasagna, nothing better. And yours?”

“Dessert,” she said primly. “Anything chocolate. With whipped cream.” Taking a deep breath, she said, “We’re actually going to do this.”

“We are. I’ve got your six,” he assured her. When she looked puzzled, he explained, “Means I’ve got your back. Now whose wedding is this?”

Eyes wide, Elodie stared at him. “I told you, the bride is Tamarind. You know, the interstellar top model/influencer/actress? She’s marrying⁠—”