Free One-Off by Lynn Galli Page B

cheek.
    My eyes rolled. I almost bumped my shoulder against Ainsley before I realized she despised me. “So the menu is okay?” I asked to get them back on track.
    “Looks good. Did it taste right, Ainsley?” Colin asked.
    “You’ll love it.”
    “Did the invitations go out?” Dallas asked.
    “We’re addressing them tonight.” She looked like she was going to scold me for not getting it done sooner, but I interrupted her. “The invitations weren’t in yet.”
    “Fine, fine,” she allowed. “I’m just worried that some of my family won’t get it in time to respond and get a flight.”
    “I’ll overnight both sets of family invitations.”
    “You’re so awesome, Skye.”
    “Just doing what you’d do.”
    She grinned brightly. “Since that’s a hypothetical situation, I can absolutely agree. Or did you suddenly start believing in marriage while we’re here?”
    “Dallas,” I scolded and could feel Ainsley’s eyes flick to me.
    “Right, okay.” Her hands came up but the grin didn’t diminish. “We should get going.”
    “Give Colin and Ainsley some time alone. I’ll talk to you next week.”
    “Bye, Skye. Thanks again.”
    “Take care.” I stood and headed toward the office door with Ainsley’s eyes tracking me. She didn’t seem to believe I was going to leave her alone or thought to leave her alone. More than anything over the past week, I’ve wanted to change her perception of me. If not to stop the silly bickering, then at least to let her cousin know I wasn’t what she seemed to think I was. He knew me as his boss and Dallas’s friend, but I was sure Ainsley had given him an earful before he’d left for this story.
    Tori was just putting her desk together to leave when I came out of the office. “You done?”
    “Yeah. Van’s good, and things are going as expected.”
    “You’re not calling it a night, are you?”
    My shoulders shrugged in defeat. “More wedding stuff to do.”
    “You’re a saint to do this for her.”
    “I’m the MOH.”
    She blew out a loud raspberry. “My sister pulled that crap with me. I found out it was really just a way to order me around and get everything she ever wanted.”
    I snickered. “Brides, huh?”
    “Let me know if I can help.”
    “There’s already two heads making decisions. Add another opinion and we might just pop.”
    “Just saying. If it gets too much, let me know.” She glanced at the office door. “Ainsley’s nice. I can’t believe Colin never mentioned he had a cousin from Scotland and she’s going to be his best man.”
    “Best woman, yes.”
    “Rock on.” Tori raised her fist in a righteous maneuver as she stood and slung her purse over her shoulder. “See you tomorrow, Skye.”
    “Have a good evening.”
    “She’s sweet,” Ainsley said from behind me.
    “She’s good at her job.”
    She looked like she wanted to needle me but let it go. “Shall we? There are hundreds of invitations to address, aren’t there?”
    I gestured toward the exit and followed her out.
     

Twelve
    Ainsley stepped just inside my row house and stopped. Her head swiveled to take it in. “Wow. I thought Colin’s place was nice, but this is really great.”
    “You prefer old and drafty to sleek and modern?” Not really old and drafty, but Colin’s modern loft could be featured in a design magazine. I didn’t particularly care for the style, but beauty came in all forms. That Ainsley’s tastes bent closer to mine gave me more pleasure than it should.
    “I’m Scottish.” Her eyes flashed with mischief.
    “So is Colin.”
    She made a disbelieving sound before grinning. “Show me around?”
    I took her through the downstairs. It was a narrow shotgun setup, not overly crowded with furniture. A brown leather sofa played well against the open brick wall that lined one side of the row house. Two chairs and an oversized ottoman clustered together to form the living room. The L-shaped kitchen filled the back of the house with a small