been Callie’s friend for years. She’s the one who Callie had to go to Florida to testify for.”
“Ahh, that’s right. The one with the crazy ex.”
“So I wouldn’t say she’s playing any cat-and-mouse games. I seriously doubt she’s ready for any of that.” Nigel looked him dead in the eye. “You’re interested?”
“Can you blame me?” Marshall looked in her direction. “Look at her. She’s gorgeous.”
“And she’s off-limits,” Nigel said.
Marshall jerked his gaze back to Nigel, frowning. “She just ended her marriage. You telling me she’s already dating someone else?”
“No, I mean she’s off-limits to you.”
Marshall began to smile. “Should I be offended?”
“What I’m trying to say is that she’s had a rough year. She’s just closed the door on her abusive ex-husband. She’s not the typical girl you like to hook up with, the kind who’s interested in having a hot fling and nothing more.”
Marshall nodded. “So basically you’re telling me I should stay away from her because you think I’d hurt her.”
“Not on purpose. But considering I doubt she wants what you want, yeah, I see the risk of her getting hurt.”
“No worries, Nigel. I’m not planning to hurt her. I’d just like to get to know her a little bit better.”
Nigel gave him a knowing look.
“You telling me I can’t even talk to her?”
“You’re a big boy. I’d never tell you that. But she is Callie’s friend, which means I want to look out for her. She’s got to be vulnerable right now, so I would take that into consideration.”
“I’m your best friend, Nigel. You know I’m not some evil guy.”
“Of course not. If you were, we wouldn’t be friends. Just...keep in mind what I said. She’s fresh out of her marriage, so I don’t imagine she’d be interested in anything. But I do know that I don’t want to see her hurt any further.”
“Duly noted.”
Marshall looked in her direction again and caught her looking at him. She quickly averted her eyes. He smiled, because he’d caught her looking.
Oh, yeah, she was interested in him. At the very least, she liked what she saw. She hadn’t told him to get lost, and then there had been that whole flirtatious exchange. Marshall knew when a woman found him attractive.
But she was vulnerable. He could deal with the fact that she’d been hurt.
Because he wasn’t planning to cause her any more pain.
In fact, his thoughts were far from that.
* * *
Half an hour later, the crowd was cheering as Eric made a production of taking the garter belt off of his bride’s thigh. With Deanna seated in a chair, Eric teased her as he slipped his hands beneath her gown, much to the crowd’s delight, and lowered the blue garter. As people whistled and clapped, he gripped the garter with his teeth once it was past her knee and dragged it down to her ankle.
The crowd went wild.
Deanna blushed as Eric finally pulled the garter over her toes. Then he jumped to his feet, triumphant.
“All the single men, get ready for the garter toss,” the DJ announced.
The eligible men went to the dance floor behind Eric and vied for the best position to catch the garter. Tamara and the guests laughed as Eric pretended he was going to throw it one way—more than once—before ultimately tossing it over his shoulder high to his far right.
Marshall, who’d actually been standing just left of Eric about ten feet back, leaped so far to the right that he was able to snag the material with the tips of his fingers. Victorious, he secured it in his fist and did a little dance while the other men around him accepted defeat.
“Of course,” Tamara muttered.
“What was that?” Callie asked her.
“Nothing.”
“And now it’s time for the single ladies. All single ladies to the dance floor for the bouquet toss!”
When Tamara didn’t move, Callie made a face at her. “Aren’t you getting up?”
Tamara scoffed. “I don’t think so.”
“Come on, Tamara. It’ll be fun.”
Tamara shook her head. “There are plenty of single ladies getting up already.”
“Most of whom look too young to get married. Get your butt up there.”
“It’s not nec—”
“Last call for all the single ladies to the dance floor,” the DJ said. “Don’t be shy.”
“You heard him.” Callie got up from her chair and approached Tamara.
“What are you doing?” Tamara protested as Callie reached for her hand.
“Just get up. Come on. This is the fun part.”
With Callie physically taking her hand, Tamara sighed and stood. Those around her cheered as she made her way to the dance floor.
As if she wanted to catch the bouquet after Marshall had caught the garter.
Fine. I can stand here, but I don’t have to be the one to catch the cursed thing. While some of the teenagers around her looked supereager, Tamara resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
Then the music began, and as Eric had done, Deanna teased the teen girls and adult women by pretending she was about to release the bouquet. And then she did.
And it sailed in the air straight toward Tamara.
Reflexively—so the bouquet didn’t hit her in the face—Tamara caught it. And then people began to cheer, and she realized what she had done.
But the realization truly hit her when she looked to the edge of the dance floor and saw Marshall standing there, grinning at her as if he had just won the lottery.
“Give them a round of applause, ladies and gentlemen,” the DJ said with enthusiasm. People clapped. “And welcome the couple to the dance floor to share a dance!”
The guests cheered and whistled their encouragement for Tamara and Marshall to dance. And then Marshall began to approach her.
Tamara’s stomach sank. Good Lord, would she never escape the man?
“So we meet again,” Marshall said as he stopped before her. “How fitting.”
Tamara
