48 First Dates (Seeking Romance #1)

The Prince of Awkward Barbecues

35

Awkward barbecue

is a huge understatement!

It was deathly strange.

B renn drove us around Billings for the ten-dollar tour before dropping me off at my hotel for the night. They suggested drinks. I begged off—never in my life had I been so grateful for a flight that arrived later in the evening.

Libby promised to pick me up in the morning for a “day filled with adventures in the woods!” Brenn was quiet the whole evening, and she had happily filled in the gaps.

When I got up to my room, I flopped on the bed and called Mitzi.

“I’m dying,” I moaned as I closed my eyes.

She squealed so loud that I had to pull the phone away from my ear. “I told you it would work out!”

“No, Mitzi! Read the tone! I am literally dying, physically in pain, dying.”

“Oh no, what happened?” I heard the sound of leather creaking mixed with a puff of air. Mitzi must have sat down.

“Two words—Libby Barnes.”

“What’s she got to do with it?”

“Libby is Brenn’s new girlfriend. The one he neglected to tell me about.” I sighed as I rolled onto my stomach.

Mitzi was speechless, letting the gravity of the situation sink in.

“Mitz, what am I going to do?” My voice cracked as the tears built behind my eyelids.

“Can you secretly get back on a plane? You can not spend the next two days watching Brenn cozy up to McCracken High’s worst.”

I sat up and leaned against the pillows. “No, I checked on my phone as I sat in the backseat while Brenn drove us around the town. There are no flights back to Knoxville until the one I already booked. Did I mention they were holding hands?”

“Can you rent a car? It’s a long drive, but...”

“Already tried. The app said there were no cars available this weekend.” I picked at the raised threads on the comforter. “Libby dyed her hair red. She goes by Elizabeth now.”

“So you’re stuck. With Elizabeth-Libby, the redhead.”

“Yep.” I nodded, knowing that no one could see me. My bottom lip trembled. “But what makes it even worse is that she seems nice now. She apologized and asked me to pass the apology on to you, even asking for your number so she could tell you herself.”

“Huh...” Mitzi swallowed twice before she said, “Um, you didn’t give it to her.”

“No, of course not. I put her off.” I waved my hand at the nonexistent fly in the room.

“Well. I... uh...”

“Yeah...” That’s when the tears started to flow. I tasted the salty tracks as I leaned my head against the headboard to let them out. I grabbed a tissue from the box on the nightstand and wiped away the results.

“Ads, there is no way out of this situation. You are just going to have to make the best of it. I wish I was there to take some of the heat, but...”

I blew my nose with another tissue. “I know. I’ll get through it.”

And then Mitzi dropped her own bombshell.

“Look, honey, I know this isn’t good timing, but I have some news. Are you sitting down?”

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, sitting straight on the edge of the mattress. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“Brock is being transferred to Colorado.” I heard her take a deep breath.

“Oh, Mitz, I’m so sorry. Here I am complaining, and you’ve got your own—” I rubbed my palm on my knee as my spine curved into a C.

“No, Ads, that’s not the news!” she interrupted.

“Oh, what is it?” I stilled.

“We’re getting married. He proposed tonight. We’re going to squeeze the wedding in before he leaves in three weeks, and I want you to be my maid of honor. Will you?”

I was speechless.

Mitzi married. Mitzi moving.

“Just say yes, and I’ll forget to invite Brenn and his plus one.”

Breathe, Adelaide.

Mitzi is getting married.

That is a good thing. You should be excited.

“Ads, you still there?”

I cleared my throat and stood up. “Yeah, I’m here. And yes, of course. I’m so happy for you, Mitzi.” I tried to infuse all the happiness the moment deserved into my voice. Meanwhile, tears flowed down my face once more as I lowered myself to lie down on the bed.

This is too much.

I got off the phone as quickly as was socially acceptable after that. Then, I spent the rest of the night tossing and turning.

I love Brenn.

He doesn’t know.

Libby is here.

Mitzi is getting married.

The thoughts tumbled through my mind like a powerful undertow, pulling sleep further and further away.

The next morning, only a shower and a huge cup of coffee made the idea of hiking all day with Libby and Brenn tolerable. I put on my rather large sunglasses to cover up the results of last night’s revelations. The reflection in the mirror was passable.

Suck it up, Monroe. You’ve been through worse.

Montana was a nature-lovers paradise, so I took solace in the outdoors. Thankfully, we spent most of our time together outside.

I didn’t think we would get any time alone, but Brenn showed up by himself to drive me to the airport. “You can drop me off at the gate. No need to park and come in. I’m sure your girlfriend is waiting,” I said with more snark than I meant to.

“She can wait. I’m going to make sure you are off before I leave.” Brenn looked at me and smiled.

Maybe not all hope is lost. The thought forced my pinched mouth into a grin.

As we walked into the terminal, he grabbed my bag. “So, you and Libby, I mean Elizabeth. How’s that going?” I asked, but I didn’t want to hear his answer.

“Yeah... it’s new, but good…” He rubbed the back of his neck with his other hand as he looked up at the ceiling.

Good? I’d heard Brenn get excited about something good before. And the way he said it just now was not it.

Were things not all sunshine and roses with Libby?

“You don’t sound convinced.” I looked closer at him as I titled my head to the side. Brenn refused to make eye contact.

He set down my bag, but his eyes stayed focused on it. He blew out a breath. “Yeah... uh... no.” Brenn looked up, and his eyes found mine. “I mean, she’s just not—”

The airport intercom cut off his words, but my wishful thinking was sure he was going to say “you.”

Instead, he grabbed my left wrist. “You added some new charms.” He flipped through the apple and teddy bear. He smirked as he passed the stopwatch and the mosquito, which I had added for Hank. His eyebrows raised when he saw the I-LOVE-MOM charm resting on the soft fabric of my sweatshirt.

“Brenn, I... uh... I wanted to...” I stammered as his hand slipped from the cuff and fit perfectly in my left hand. The tendrils of his spicy scent wrapped around me. The warmth from his fingers radiated up my arm.

People rushed past us.

Time was running out. I needed to get to my gate.

This was going to be my only chance.

My need to tell him straightened my spine. I drew in a breath and squeezed his hand. His gaze meant mine. “I... wanted to let you know...” I closed my eyes to gather the courage.

His smiles from the weekend flashed in my mind, and I realized that Libby made him happy. She made Brenn laugh. She looked at him the way I wish I could. As much as it pained me, they looked good together.

I can’t do this to him.

I dropped his hand and said, “Mitzi’s getting married in three weeks.”

“What?” His eyebrows raised as his mouth fell open.

The mood shifted, and my stomach clenched as I watched the opportunity fly away. It was the right thing to do, Adelaide.

I nodded. “Yeah, Brock, the guy she met speed dating is being transferred. They are getting married before he has to leave. You should come.”

“Wow, yeah, of course. I’ll do my best to get there. Wow... Mitzi married.” He shook his head, glancing at a family walking past us.

“I know. I can’t believe that she’s the first to get married.” I picked up my bag but couldn’t make my feet walk away.

Brenn took a step toward me and lowered his voice. “I always thought the next ones would be...” We locked eyes, and I willed him to finish his thought, but he looked down at his feet.

I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. “I better get going.”

Brenn pulled me into a hug and whispered in my ear, “It was really good to see you, Adelaide.”

“You, too.” I soaked in the scent of his skin—bergamot, oranges, and wood. He had forever ruined Irish Spring soap for me.

We won’t talk about how I had found myself in the soap aisle in the months after we graduated. We won’t talk about how I used to take that bar of green soap in my hand to smell and remember. I couldn’t look at the emerald box and not think of Brenn.

He pulled back, searching my eyes once more. “I’ll see you soon.”

I nodded and lamely waved as he turned and walked away. I didn’t trust my voice. My heart shattered into a million pieces. I felt the absence of his warmth so keenly that it brought tears to my eyes.

As I waited to board the plane, I opened up the Royal Swype app and texted one of the options still in my kingdom. There was no way I was going to show up to Mitzi’s wedding alone, especially if Brenn and Libby were going to be there.

By the time I landed back in Tennessee on Monday, Henry had responded, and we set up a date for Saturday.

Two days before we were to meet, he texted me.

Henry

Do you mind if we change the venue?

Me

No, what did you have in mind?

Henry

Jack Greene Park for a barbecue at noon. Dress is Jimmy-Buffett casual.

Umm, what does “Jimmy-Buffet casual” mean?

Even though I wasn’t sure what exactly was going on, the park was public enough, and I was driving myself.

Me

Okay.

Henry

I’ll meet you in the parking lot. I’ll be the one in the straw hat.

Me

Sounds like a plan.

Henry

Great, see you then. And can you bring coleslaw and buns?

Me

Sure.

I showed up Saturday wearing sandals, jean shorts, and a Hawaiian shirt. In the spot where we were to meet stood a dark-haired, tanned man about the same height as me. He had on sandals, ripped jeans, a Jimmy Buffett T-shirt, and the agreed-upon straw hat.

I walked up to him. “You must be Henry.”

“Guilty. Which would make you Adelaide.”

“Yep, I brought the coleslaw and buns, as requested. Do you want to eat on the grass near the creek or find a bench?” There was a huge group under the pavilion, so I figured that was out of the question.

“Actually, we’re going to meet up with some friends of mine. Can I help you carry that?”

“Okay...” I said with trepidation as I handed over the food in my hands.

Henry turned and started walking toward the pavilion. I slipped my hands into my pockets and followed him.

What is going on here?

An older woman approached us as we got close. She looked a lot like a female version of Henry. Before I had a chance to ask a question, she pulled me into a hug.

“It’s so nice to meet Henry’s Adelaide. I’m his mother. You can call me Barb. G-ma would be so upset that she missed the chance to meet his girlfriend. Really, any girlfriend of Henry’s, but I like to think that she’ll be with us today.” She released me, kissed her fingers, and lifted them skyward.

What the what?

A lot of questions were forming on my lips when Barb grabbed her son.

“Henry, darling, she’s adorable. You had better keep this one around. There might not be another. At least we’ve never met one. And coleslaw and buns, so thoughtful. It’s like you’re a whole new person. G-ma’s passing must have really affected you.”

“It did, Ma.” Henry hung his head as he let out a loud sigh.

My eyes went wide as saucers as I listened to the exchange. I was turning around to leave when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Please don’t go. I can explain,” Henry whispered. I paused, crossing my arms—this explanation was too good to miss. “My G-ma passed away several days ago. She was a big Jimmy Buffett fan, and she wanted a barbecue for her funeral, so here we are.”

I turned around and pointed at Henry. “That explains your need to be here, but it doesn’t explain how you tricked me into coming,” I said through my teeth.

He sighed and looked down at his feet. “I loved my G-ma a lot. And I’m super busy building my business. I don’t have time for dating. I was only on the app because of her. Her last request was that I make time to go out with someone from it. She’s the one who accepted your swipe. When you texted me... that’s why I set up our date. I had no idea the memorial service would be on the same day. When my mom told me the date, I told her I had a date, but I could change or cancel it... that’s when things kind of got out of hand. The memorial service had to be this afternoon, and my mom thought we had been dating since before G-ma. Anyway, she wanted me to bring you along. I didn’t have the heart to tell her no or explain. So I went along with it and hoped you would be decent enough to do the same.”

I started open-mouthed at Henry.

“Please...” Henry begged as he grabbed my hand. “It would mean the world to me, and my mom would be so much more relaxed about what is going to be a very difficult day.”

“Why Jimmy Buffett?” was all I managed to get out.

“Because G-ma was a huge parrot head,” Henry said as if it was the most natural and obvious sentence in the world.

“I don’t know. It’s...” I shook my head gently back and forth as I took a step back.

Henry dropped my hand and leaned forward. His eyes begged me to stay. “Please, I know it’s strange, but you’ll see everyone is super nice, and it will be fun.”

I snorted and rolled my eyes. “Sure, it sounds like lots of fun.”

“Great!” Henry missed my sarcasm. He grabbed my hand, pulling me under the pavilion and parading me around to meet the family.

For the next hour, I struggled to find an opening where I could leave without causing a scene.

It never came.