The Wedding Date

Two Rules

Okay, buckle up, this chapter is a journey...and the longest one I've written for this story so far! I'm going to need you to be in the romantic movie frame of mine when you read it...no matter how insane it seems ;) Enjoy!!

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"I'm sorry," Penny whimpered as Joe steered the car onto the highway, heading back toward Bunbury at a slightly faster pace than was necessary, which Dianne was grateful for, since the entire car now smelled like vomit.

"It's okay, Pen," Dianne sighed, tilting her head toward the open window so she could breathe, as she inched further away from their shoes that they'd been unable to fully clean.

"But your SHOES," Penny wailed, her drunken sobs now reaching a new level. "Your gorgeous shoes!"

Dianne heard Joe snort, and she was already mentally preparing for how she'd make it up to him later. He deserved a medal...or maybe a few extra hundreds tacked on as a tip to the final First Rate Escort bill.

"I don't feel good," Penny mumbled, and Dianne responded by shoving a plastic bag she'd found in the boot, into the backseat.

"Try and aim into the bag," Dianne sighed, as Penny groaned and tried to curl into a ball in the backseat.

She felt Joe's warm hand on her leg, giving her knee a gentle squeeze, which immediately brought her back to the moment right before Penny had emptied the contents of her stomach on their feet. When he'd given her that look again. Had she been mistaken to think he had been leaning in to kiss her?

She wanted to kiss him again. That much she was sure about, and the realization made her heart beat faster and her mouth feel dry. She was in so far over her head, it was unreal. She'd been reminding herself this whole week that she was paying Joe to be here...she was his client.

Joe's hand shifted up to her thigh, where he gently squeezed again, before letting it rest comfortably, as if this was a position the two of them often engaged in. Dianne tried to even out her breathing.

He's just being nice. He's just doing his job.

"I think she's asleep," Joe murmured, his eyes drifting up to the rear view mirror for a moment before glancing toward her with a small smile.

Dianne turned to look into the backseat, rolling her eyes as she saw Penny curled up into the fetal position, clutching the plastic bag close to her chest.

"Best cousin award, I'm telling you," Joe chuckled.

Dianne felt her cheeks flush as she shook her head, "So far from it, actually."

"Why do you say that?" Joe cocked his head, still steering the wheel with one hand.

"Before I called you, I'd been grilling Penny about something weird she said earlier tonight," Dianne pursed her lips, thinking back to her cousin's weird behavior, "Which I shouldn't have. It's her wedding, I should just let it go."

"Something weird?" Joe asked, his eyebrows narrowing with concern.

"Make a right up here," Dianne pointed toward their exit, thankful to see the sign for Bunbury up ahead. "And yeah...it was probably nothing though."

Joe maneuvered the car off the highway, turning right and following the familiar roads toward Dianne's aunt and uncle's house where Penny was staying for the weekend.

"It doesn't sound like nothing," Joe mused quietly, shooting her another side glance, clearly not ready to let the topic drop.

Dianne bit her lip, wondering how much she should divulge to Joe. He was leaving in two days. Her family drama was her own and he didn't need to be dragged down into it. But that look...that damn look he kept giving her, as if he wanted to know everything about her...that look was slowly beginning to persuade her to let down the walls she'd been so careful to put up before leaving on this trip.