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“Of course I’ll review your contracts.” He gestured to her computer. “You’ve been a huge help the last few weeks. It is, quite literally, the least I can do.”
“Thanks,” she said, visibly relaxing.
He cocked his head. “Why would you think I wouldn’t do it?”
“It’s not that I think you wouldn’t. It’s more I was afraid you couldn’t.” She waved a hand around his office. “With everything going on, I didn’t want to add to your stress load.”
He scoffed. “Of all the things that I’m juggling, contract review is probably the easiest to accomplish.” Leaning back in his chair, he smirked. “Though it’s probably the most boring aspect of law.”
“Hopefully they won’t put you to sleep.” She started typing again on her computer. “I can bring the contracts over this evening, if that’s okay.”
“Sure, whenever you’re ready. It shouldn’t take me long to look over everything and share any concerns, but in my experience, wedding vendors have rather generic contracts just to cover their butts.”
“That’s good.”
“So…” he began. “Does that mean you’ve picked a date?”
“We have.” She kept her eyes on the screen, as if she thought that by not looking at him, he would drop the subject. Surely she knew him better than that.
“And?”
She sighed. “We’re planning for November fourth.”
He nodded then froze. “Wait…” It was like someone had kicked him in the stomach. “You’re getting married on Mom’s birthday?”
Her teeth worried her lower lip as she gave a stiff nod. “We want to get married in the fall, when there are still leaves on the trees. But October was too soon, and—”
“That’s insane,” he said, heat rising in his chest. Raking his fingers through his hair, he moved from behind his desk. “And you didn’t think to discuss this with me before you made a decision?”
Her eyes widened. “I thought it might be nice to have another reason to celebrate that day.”
For a moment, they stared at each other. He opened and closed his mouth as a million thoughts raced through his mind. Last year, he’d visited their mother’s grave alone to mark the day. Lanie was in Seattle, finishing school, and Dad had refused to join him. Rose had come to see him after her shift. She’d asked him to wait for her before visiting the cemetery, but part of him had preferred to visit his mother alone.
It had been one of the hardest days since he’d lost her. As they approached July, another hard day was arriving soon—the first anniversary of her death. Lanie’s timing in telling him the date she’d chosen couldn’t have been worse.
“Find another day,” he spat out through clenched teeth.
Her mouth fell open. “What?”
“Choose any day, any other day but that one.” He pushed his chair around his desk and glared at her. “I will literally help you find a venue and vendors who can accommodate an October date, if you’re insistent on having it fall themed, but choose a different day.”
She stared at him. “Why are you being like this?”
He wheeled his chair back and forth, refusing to meet her eyes. “Do you have any idea what the last year was like for me? You were on the other side of the country, barely answering my calls, and Dad was too afraid of his own grief to even share the burden with me. The only one who was here for me that day was Rose, and she had to work for most of it.”
“But don’t you see?” She closed her laptop and stood. “This year will be different. And instead of being sad, we can celebrate, together.”
“No.” His tone was harsh, but he no longer cared.
Her eyes filled with tears, and before he could say anything, she grabbed her things and rushed from the room. The anger that had welled up in him dissipated.
“Wait, Lanie. You don’t have to—”
But she didn’t stop or turn to hear what he had to say. Instead, she ran through the lobby and out the front door, leaving Leslie staring after her.
A lump formed in his throat. He wanted to go after her, but he would never catch her in his chair. Besides, what would he say? He might have been harsh, but he believed she needed to hear it.
How could she think I’d be okay with the idea of making our mother’s birthday into anything else? Doesn’t she understand that there are two days that will always be dark for me, for both of us?
