Page 174 of The Wedding

“We want you to have a good time, Etta. You’ve got nothing to feel guilty about. I was at Jamie’s bachelorette party. You should have seen the amount of bare ass she had shoved in her face.” Adele downed the scotch. Jamie began to seethe.Don’t you dare spread stories about me.

“I’ll pass on that, thanks.” Etta eyed the empty bottle as if she wanted more. “On that note… never mind.”

Adele scooted forward, her face somber. “I’m sorry if this isn’t what you wanted. I had a hard enough time as it was trying to figure out what you like. Sometimes, I’m convinced you don’t want to have fun at all.”

“My idea of having fun doesn’t include a lot of people.”

“Just the perfect girl, right?”

Etta didn’t respond.

“You’re such a romantic,” Adele said, her sigh making her whole chest heave. “Can only imagine what life would have been like if we had married instead of just working together.”

Her head turned toward her.

“You know what I mean.”

“No. Do go on.”

Adele looked as if she had stepped into a hornet’s nest. She couldn’t find any water to drink fast enough. “Just… never mind!” Was she blushing? Was she thinking about being married to Etta, about all she turned down when she rejected her marriage proposal?They both claim they feel nothing for the other…Jamie believed her fiancée. Did she believe Adele?

Etta sat up, as if about to chase Adele across the room. “Why did you sayno?”

The groan filling the lounge was dreadful. “Don’t ask me that.” Adele pressed her hand against her forehead. “Anything but that.”

“I just did.”

“Fuck you, Etta.” Before she could protest, she opened her mouth again. “No, you know what? Fine. You know why I dumped you? Because it would have never worked. We were barely hanging on as it was.”

“It didn’t feel that way to me…”

“Well, it did to me. I was merely putting off breaking up with you because I was selfish and didn’t want to deal with the mess. In a way, you did it for me.”

“I see.” Etta didn’t sound like she did. “That doesn’t answer my main question, though.”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me.”

Adele sat back again. “You want the short version? You are too masculine for me.”

The room was silent.What? That’s possible?Jamie had never thought that about Etta. If anything, she was therightamount of masculine. Then again, Adele was a woman who ran around with submissive guys and hardass femmes for lovers.

“I’ve never gotten that one before, that’s for sure.”

“That’s not a slight against you. It’s… I prefer my lovers to be… softer. I don’t want to necessarily be in control, but I prefer more balance than what you’re offering a woman. Jamie clearly loves it. Fancy that. We’re not the same person, she and I.”

“No, you sure aren’t.”

“There’s nothing more to it than that.”

Adele stood, eyelashes fluttering in Etta’s direction. “I did love you. I still do, if I’m perfectly honest. Justnot like that.”

Etta looked up into her eyes. “You sure about that? Because I don’t want any drama between us going forward. I doubt my wife does either.”She called me her wife, and we’re not even married yet!“She already chewed me out when I brought you on board.”

“Well, can you blame her?” Adele tried to toss her hair behind her shoulder… except it was coiled on top of her head. “Look at me.” She laughed at her own joke. “But yes, Etta. I’m sure. I don’t have any interest in you like that. Want me to prove it to you?”

“Dare I ask how?”