Break the Rules (The Flanagan Sisters Book 1) (17 page)

She tutted.
“Well, you must come. It’s six o’clock at my house. Bring a date if you like.”

“How
many have been invited?” Bridget hadn’t mentioned anything about the party.
Didn’t she know about it either?

“About a hundred.
Tanya sure does know some people.” It was said in a half affectionate,
half exasperated tone.

“Do
you need any help setting up?”

“That
would be wonderful. Your father is going to come over a little early to help
with tables and such. Perhaps you could come at three and help him. I’ve hired
caterers but I need to decorate the garden.”

“Sure thing.
I’ll be there.”

He’d
talk to Bridget when she got out of the bath. He didn’t want to interrupt her
or upset her. She’d been angry with Tanya, and they’d had words, but surely
Tanya would invite her best friend to the party? Though with what little he
knew about his new sister-in-law, he wasn’t so certain.

* * *

The
water was almost cold when Bridget got out of the tub. She’d had a long soak
while she’d reflected on the day. The team-building session had been well worth
it. Getting away from the plant and having some time to bond had been good all
around. And the fact they’d been able to brainstorm and plan their projects for
next year uninterrupted was also a boon. The only blip in the entire two days
had been Dirk’s outburst. All her doubts and insecurities had flooded in,
though Sally and Trish had done a lot to relieve her anxiety. After she’d
spoken with the team she’d settled for a ‘screw Dirk’ attitude. The most
important thing was to have the respect of her department. As long as they
believed she was capable and competent, it didn’t matter what others said.

Or at
least that’s what she tried to convince herself. That nasty little worm kept
squirming and whispering doubts in her mind. Could she survive another Lionel
affair? Could she ignore the insinuations? Would her career be over if there
was another incident? She squeezed her eyes shut and ignored the voice.

After
drying herself, Bridget slipped on a pair of pajamas and padded barefoot out to
the kitchen. Jack was sitting on the couch watching television.

“I’m
making some toast,” she said. “Do you want some?”

“No, thanks.
I had a sandwich. Did you have a nice soak?”

“Yeah.
It
was just what I needed.” She made peanut butter and jelly toast and brought it
with her to the couch, where she sat down next to Jack. “What are you
watching?”

“It’s
some renovation show,” Jack said, reaching for the remote and turning it off.

“You
don’t need to turn it off on my account.”

“It
wasn’t very interesting,” he said. “My mom called earlier.”

“How
is she?”

Jack
hadn’t told his parents about their relationship and Bridget was fine with
that. They hadn’t really defined it properly themselves.

“Great.
She wanted to know if I was going to Hal and Tanya’s wedding party on
Saturday.”

She
stopped chewing and swallowed.
“This Saturday?”

He
nodded. She hadn’t spoken to Tanya since she’d hung up on her, but Bridget had
figured it was Tanya being Tanya – too caught up in her newlywed excitement to
call.

“I
take it you didn’t know about it either.”

She
shook her head and acknowledged the stab of hurt from being so easily cast
aside.

Jack
took her hand. “Do you want to be my date?”

Did
she want to turn up when Tanya hadn’t invited her? Hell no. She obviously
wasn’t wanted there. “No, I don’t think so.”

She
caught the flicker of hurt as he withdrew his hand and she hurried to clarify.
“I would love to be your date, but I’m not going to my best friend’s party when
she didn’t invite me. Tanya might cause a scene.” She shrugged. “I’d hate to
ruin her day.”

“It’s
probably a mistake,” Jack said. “Hal was supposed to give me my invite but I
haven’t seen him. Mom was the one who invited me.”

It may
easily have been an oversight for Hal, but Bridget knew it wasn’t for Tanya.
Bridget had always been the first person Tanya turned to
to
share exciting news, or to help plan things. Should she make the first move
toward reconciliation? Did she want to stay friends with Tanya?

Yeah,
she did. As impulsive as Tanya could be at times, Bridget still loved her.
Tanya had brought sparkle into Bridget’s life when she’d needed it and had been
doing so ever since. “I’ll give her a call.” She picked up her phone and
dialed. It went straight to voice mail.
“Hey, Tanya.
It’s Bridget. I’m calling to find out how wedded bliss is. Talk to you later.”
She kept it light and friendly. The ball was in Tanya’s court now.

She
finished her toast and placed the plate on the coffee table. The urge to cuddle
up to Jack was strong so she gave into it, smiling as his arm came around her.

“I’m
sure she’ll call you soon,” Jack said.

“
Mmm
.”
If Tanya didn’t call by Friday, she’d drop by.
It didn’t matter whether she was invited to the party, what mattered was she
made an effort to get their friendship back together. And if it didn’t work,
there wasn’t a lot she could do about it. Her heart was heavy at the thought.

Her
phone rang. Tanya. She grinned.

“Oh, Bridget.
I’m so glad you called. I thought you were going to stay mad at me
forever,” Tanya gushed.

Bridget
blinked. So it was her fault they hadn’t spoken. She shook her head, bemused.
“Of course not.”

“Great!
You have to come to our wedding party on Saturday.
You and
Jack, of course.
I need you to be my maid of honor.”

“Tanya,
you’re already married. You don’t need a maid of honor.”

“I
know, but it’s kind of going to be like a wedding. There are going to be
flowers and cake and everyone’s going to be there. Oh and speeches of course.
You have to give a speech.”

Sometimes
it was hard to keep up with her best friend. “You want me to give a speech?”

“Yes.
We’re doing hair and makeup at three and you need to wear something fancy, a
cocktail dress or something.”

She
had nothing in her wardrobe that was suitable and now she had all of two days
to find something. She sighed.
“Anything else?”

“Lots.
You and Jack should come over for dinner tomorrow night. Are you free?”

She
checked with Jack. “Tomorrow’s fine.”

“Great.
See you at six.”

Bridget
hung up and stared at her phone.

“Sounds
like Tanya’s being Tanya,” said Jack.

She
nodded. “Yeah, she was waiting for me to call.”

“Well
it’s good you did then. That means you can be my date.”

She
smiled and snuggled back into him.
“All right.
I’d
like that.”

Chapter 17

Jack arrived at his mother’s place at the
designated time on Saturday afternoon.

“Jackson!
Thanks for coming to help.” His mother hugged him.

“Any time, Mom.”

He
followed her out to her large backyard where a white tent had already been set
up at the rear. Its sides were open to let the small amount of breeze pass
through. His father was already at work, setting up tables underneath. Jack was
pleased his parents had remained civil with each other after they split up. It
made things so much easier, and allowed family celebrations like this to happen
without potential issues.

“You
help your father set up the tables and chairs and I’ll continue hanging the
lanterns.”

“Where’s
Hal?” He knew Tanya was having her hair done with Bridget but his brother
should be helping out.

“He’ll
be here shortly, I’m sure.”

Jack
wasn’t as certain, knowing how bad Hal was at keeping time, but he didn’t say
anything. He just went to help his father.

* * *

When
they had set up the tables and chairs, they stopped for a drink. Hal hadn’t
turned up yet.

“So
have you met Tanya?” Jack asked his father.

“Sure.
Hal brought her over when they got engaged. She seems like a nice girl, though
how they’ll organize anything between them I have no idea. They’re both as bad
as each other.” Eric’s smile was affectionate, but his eyes were worried.

“They’ll
manage.” Though they’d rushed into marriage, Jack thought their enthusiasm
would make anything work.

“You’re
living with Tanya’s roommate?”

Jack
nodded. “Bridget. You’ll meet her tonight.”

“That
was real nice of you, but if it doesn’t work out, you’ve always got a place to
stay with me.”

Jack
clapped a hand over his father’s back. “Thanks, Dad. Bridget and I are just
fine.”

Hal arrived
then, coming out through the bi-fold doors and looking around at what had been
done. He spotted Jack and his father. “If you two have stopped slacking off,
there’s work to do.”

Jack
swapped a grin with his father. “Tell us what you need.”

* * *

Bridget
wasn’t very good at sitting still and doing nothing, so being at the
hairdressers having her hair and makeup done was her idea of torture, but at
least she was off her feet.

Tanya
had picked her up at nine so they could find her something suitable to wear.
Tanya’s younger sister had come along, and between the two of them Bridget was
dragged into what felt like every dress shop in Houston.

Finally
they had all agreed on a deep red satin dress with spaghetti straps that showed
a hint of cleavage and a split that revealed a lot of leg. Tanya had insisted
she buy a pair of matching heels which were far higher than Bridget was
comfortable with. She kept reminding herself this was Tanya’s day, and if it
truly had been a wedding, then she wouldn’t have had a choice in what she wore
at all.

They’d
eaten a late lunch at Eat, Drink,
Read
and then walked
down the street to the salon where Tanya worked to get their hair and makeup
done. Tanya’s sister went into the chair first and Bridget made small talk with
Tanya. She was already exhausted and the evening hadn’t even begun.

“We
should straighten your hair,” Tanya said.

Bridget
groaned. She hadn’t straightened her hair since the time in high school when it
had gone so badly she’d had to have it cut into a short bob to remove all the
burnt bits. It had been Tanya’s idea then as well.

“Can’t
we just put it up?”

Tanya
laughed. “With all your curls we’d have more pins than hair.”

The
hairdresser nodded. “It will have to be straightened if we’re going to do
anything with it.”

Bridget
sighed. At least the chances of her hair burning should be less with a
professional.

When
it was Bridget’s turn she did her best not to fidget. “Who’s coming tonight?”
she asked Tanya, hoping some conversation would distract her.

“Oh, everyone.
All Hal’s family and my family, of course.
Some friends from work, and Sally and Trish of course.”

Bridget’s
stomach clenched.
“From my work?”

“Yep.”
Tanya nodded.

Bridget
huffed out a breath. Sally and Trish might not care about their relationship but
still her gut clenched. After the fuss Dirk made, she was reluctant to confirm
Trish’s suspicions. Was she ready for further gossip?

Tanya
was watching her. “What’s wrong?”

“No
one at work knows about me and Jack. They think he moved in to help me out.”

“Are
you still worried about that? No one cares, Bridge. You can date whoever you
want.”

For
Tanya the whole Lionel affair was so far in the past it was ancient history,
but for Bridget it was still too raw. She couldn’t forget everything she’d gone
through. And she couldn’t forget Dirk’s accusations during the week.

“I
need to call Jack.”

“Not
until your hair is finished,” Tanya ordered.

Bridget
waited impatiently for her hair to be straightened and some kind of product to
be added and then got to her feet.

“Don’t
go outside. The less humidity you expose your hair to, the better.”

It
was getting near closing time and the other side of the salon was empty so
Bridget crossed the floor and called Jack.

“How
are things?” he said as he answered.

“Hair’s
done, makeup is next,” she said quickly. “Listen, Jack, Tanya’s invited Sally
and Trish tonight.”

“From work?”

“Yeah.
I
can’t be your date.”

“Why not?”

She
hissed out a breath.
“Because they will be there.”

“There’s
nothing to say roommates can’t accompany each other to the same event, is
there?” He was being rational.

She
didn’t like it. “But I’m meeting you there.”

“And
I’m taking you home.” His tone brought all kinds of ideas springing to
Bridget’s mind.

She
pushed them away. “They’re work colleagues.”

“And
you said Trish thinks there’s something between us anyway. They’re not going to
care.”

“They
could mention it to someone.”

“They
could say something whether we dance together or not. Bridget, I can’t just
turn off the way I feel about you, and that’s going to be reflected in the way
I look at you, and the way I behave around you. At work I’m doing my best to
remain professional, but this isn’t work. This is family, a celebration between
your best friend and my brother. Don’t deny me a dance because you’re afraid of
what some people might think.”

There
was a plea in his voice. She wanted to say yes, she wanted to dance with him as
well. But there was still the little voice in her head that whispered a
warning.

“Can
we play it by ear?”

He
was silent for a moment. “Sure.”

“Bridget,
you need to have your makeup done,” Tanya called.

“I’ve
got to go. I’ll see you tonight.” She hung up, feeling as if she was being the
bad guy in their relationship.

* * *

It
was six thirty and Bridget still hadn’t arrived. Jack wasn’t overly concerned
because Tanya wasn’t here either, he just wanted to see her and sort things
out. He’d already greeted Trish and Sally who had arrived together, and had
spent some time catching up with cousins, uncles, and aunts. He wanted to be
able to introduce Bridget to everyone, the way Hal was about to do with Tanya.

“Jack,
have you seen Hal? Tanya wants to make her entrance with him.”

His
heart lightened at Bridget’s voice and he turned,
then
stared, his mouth open. It was Bridget, yet somehow it wasn’t. Her hair fell
straight to her shoulders without the fun bounce it usually had, and her mouth
was painted a glossy fire engine red. His groin tightened as he panned down,
taking in the dress with its hint of cleavage and the split which started at
the top of her thigh and ran all the way down to the matching red stilettos.
She looked like a seductress. He couldn’t talk, he could barely breathe. The
woman standing in front of him was way out of his league.

“Jack?”
She waved her hand in front of his face and he blinked. “Are you all right?”

“You
look incredible.”

She
blushed and smoothed out the dress. “Thanks. It’s a bit fancier than I’m used
to but Tanya insisted.”

He’d
have to remember to thank Tanya later.

“Do
you know where Hal is?” she repeated.

“He
was over by the bar talking to my uncle,” Jack said, taking her hand and
searching for the closest nook he could drag her to. Spying the garden shed, he
moved in that direction.

Bridget
shook him loose. “Where are you going? The bar’s over there.”

“You
don’t want to make a scene, so I was trying to find somewhere private I could
get you out of that dress.”

Her
eyes went
dark,
her lips smirked into a little grin.
“Don’t you like it?”

“I like
it very much.”

She
glanced around, spotted Trish and Sally and her grin disappeared. “I’ve got to
make an entrance with Tanya. I’ll talk to you later.”

Jack
gritted his teeth. Every step forward with Bridget seemed to bring a step
backward as well. He wasn’t getting anywhere. Watching her walk away he noticed
she captured more than one person’s attention.

“Wow,
Bridget looks amazing,” Sally said from nearby.

“She
won’t have a problem finding someone to take her home,” Trish replied, giving
Jack a look.

He
ignored them. He couldn’t be expected to hide his emotions. Bridget
did
look amazing. He wanted to be able to declare to everyone that
he
was
the one taking her home, that she was his, that he loved her.

Patience.

If
Dirk hadn’t made a fuss that week she might have been fine to be his date at
the party.

His
father tapped the microphone and announced, “Ladies and gentlemen. Let me
introduce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs.”

He
pointed to the veranda where Hal and Tanya were standing – Hal dressed in a
black tuxedo and Tanya in a white lacy dress. They walked down the red carpet,
smiling as everyone applauded. Behind them was Tanya’s sister, then Bridget and
the two groomsmen. Bridget kept a smile fixed on her face but Jack could tell
she wasn’t comfortable. Her steps were small and cautious, her balance not the
best on the lumpy carpet and on those killer heels. She grabbed hold of the
groomsman next to her and a rush of jealousy flooded Jack as the guy said
something to make her laugh.

He
was being ridiculous. Bridget wasn’t interested in the groomsman. He waited
until she was finished in the receiving line and then he crossed to her and
held out his arm. “May I?”

She
grabbed his arm, putting some weight on it as she adjusted her footing.
“Please.”

He
grinned at her and helped her across the lawn to a spot under a tree.

“Thank
you. Tanya insisted on these heels.”

“You’re
as tall as me in those things.”

She
grimaced. “I feel like I’m on stilts. The sooner I can get them off, the
better.”

“Maybe
I can help,” he said, still thinking of the garden shed.

“Who
have we got here?”

Jack
grinned and kissed his grandmother on the cheek. “Grandma, this is Bridget
Flanagan. She’s Tanya’s best friend.”

“Ah.
The girl you’re living with.” The older woman looked Bridget up and down. “I
don’t know how you walk in those shoes.”

“I’m
still trying to figure it out myself, ma’am,” Bridget said, with a smile.

The
older woman laughed.

“Bridget
this is my grandmother, Mary Sue.” He was a little wary about introducing them.
His grandmother had a tendency toward bluntness and could offend people.
Bridget was skittish enough tonight as it was.

“Pleased to meet you.”

“All
this,” she waved her hand at Hal and Tanya, “must have come as a surprise to
you. I’m glad Jack was able to help you out.”

“That’s
Tanya for you. When she knows what she wants, she’s determined.”

His
grandmother hummed.

Recognizing
the gleam in her eye and realizing she was in a prying mood, which could end
badly, he asked, “Can I get you a drink, Grandma?” He held out an arm to lead
her away.

“A
gin and tonic would be mighty fine,” Mary Sue said, ignoring his arm. “What
would you like, dear?” she asked Bridget.