Maid of Dishonor Read Free Page B

for indiscriminate flings
any more, it was satisfying to know she hadn’t lost her touch.
    In fact, as she took a long gulp of the watery diner coffee ten
minutes later, she felt almost mellow. Until the revolving door at the front of
the restaurant spun round and out popped Marnie Price looking cute and efficient
in her power suit and kitten heels. Gina lifted a hand to wave, and watched
Marnie’s expression go from keen to wary when she spotted the empty seat next to
her.
    The hollow roll of regret flopped over in Gina’s stomach. While
it was certainly true that she and the Savannah Belle hadn’t had a thing in
common when they’d first met at Reese’s house on campus—and Gina had spent most
of that first month teasing Marnie mercilessly about everything from her views
on love and marriage to her perfect Southern manners—their friendship had
eventually developed into something strong and supportive and surprisingly
genuine.
    The truth was, Gina had felt superior to Marnie then. Gina had
considered herself a sophisticated, cosmopolitan woman of the world who knew all
she needed to know about men and sex and relationships—unlike the sheltered,
self-confessed Southern virgin.
    But Marnie had grown on Gina, despite their differences.
Because beneath those pristine Southern manners had been an admirable devotion
to doing the right thing, being accountable for your actions and always
believing the best of people. And then Gina had gone and mucked everything up by
jumping into bed with the brother Marnie idolised—and discovered in the process
she was hardly the poster girl for mature relationships either.
    But if there was something Gina regretted even more than giving
in to temptation that night, it was taking that bright, trusting light out of
Marnie’s eyes. Something that now appeared to be gone for good.
    â€˜Hi, Gina.’ Marnie sent her a polite smile as she slid into the
booth. ‘Are we early?’ she asked, probably hoping Reese—who was never late—would
magically materialise and get them out of this predicament.
    If only . ‘Reese can’t make it.
Something came up, apparently.’ Gina took a judicious sip of her coffee,
resisting the urge to say the something was probably a key part of the hot
ex-husband’s anatomy.
    â€˜And I’ll bet I know what it is,’ Marnie murmured, making Gina
choke on her coffee. ‘I swear, you’d think Mason had invented sex the way Reese
gushes about the guy.’
    Gina put down her cup, a grin forming despite the underlying
tension. ‘Gushes being the operative word.’
    Marnie gave a small laugh. ‘All I hope is that it’s more than
just sex this time around—because there is no way I am repackaging a billion
truffles again in this lifetime.’
    â€˜Amen to that,’ Gina said, toasting Marnie with her coffee mug
and smiling at the memory of how the four of them had spent two solid hours
taking table-top truffles out of engagement-ring-style boxes when Reese had
decided to reinvent her aborted wedding to Dylan into a celebration of... Well,
no one had ever really figured that out.
    â€˜To be frank,’ Gina added, ‘if I ever see another truffle
before I die, it’ll be too soon.’
    Marnie’s lips curved, but Gina could see the concern in her
pure blue eyes—and had the sudden realisation that she hadn’t given Marnie her
due in the last month.
    Seemed they’d both done quite a lot of growing up in the last
decade.
    After ordering herself an iced tea and some wheat toast from
the blushing waiter, Marnie got right down to business, tugging a smartphone out
of her briefcase. ‘Okay, I’ve narrowed a couple of possible venues down that can
accommodate a party of seven on the required date, can provide a wedding cake
and meet our “classy but not too intimidating” requirements.’ She pressed a few
buttons, her gaze