“Three months.”
Savannah shook her head. “That’s a long time to keep such a big secret.”
“It’s not like I don’t want to tell her. But you know how she would react if she knew.” They turned right at the end of her street.
“She definitely won’t be happy.” Savannah tucked a lock of her long black hair behind her ear to reveal one of the gold hoops she always wore. Britt still couldn’t get up the courage to get her ears pierced. “But maybe she wouldn’t be quite as mad if she knew he was different now.”
“I doubt she’d believe me.” Britt was still coming to terms with reconnecting with her dad again. It was only last week that she stopped calling him Daniel and changed over to Dad.
“Aren’t you worried she’ll find out?”
Britt sidestepped a huge crack in the sidewalk. Her suburban neighborhood, while nice, wasn’t without its problems, and aging roads and sidewalks was one of them. “Definitely. I’m being real careful. I still don’t trust him completely. But so far, he’s called me almost every night like he promised. We’re still getting to know each other.”
“I can’t imagine talking to my dad every night.”
“He’s kind of busy being a veterinarian.”
“Even if he weren’t busy, I don’t know what we’d say.”
Britt sometimes had that problem with Daniel—Dad. Especially in the beginning, after he’d contacted her through her channel and asked if he could see her. It took a while for her to think it over, then she agreed and he’d stopped by the house during the day while Mom was at school.
She’d felt confused when she first saw him. In some ways he hadn’t changed—he still had the same curly hair, although it was shorter than she remembered, and he was on the thin side. But he also seemed different. He looked healthy instead of gaunt, and there was a calm stillness about him, which was a huge contrast to his alcohol-induced volatility. He didn’t ask her for anything, just told her he was sorry for the past and asked if it was all right if he could call her every once in a while. How could she tell her father no?The sporadic phone calls became more frequent, and both of them became more relaxed. Now they never ran out of things to say.
She and Savannah changed the subject and chatted as they made the loop around her neighborhood. When they reached her house, her friend hadn’t broken a sweat. Britt couldn’t say the same. Wow, she was really out of shape. Being naturally thin, she didn’t have the impetus to exercise to lose weight. But now that she was almost twenty-nine, she needed to do something. She couldn’t rely on her genes forever.
They went into the kitchen and Britt filled glasses with ice water, and then they sat outside on the patio. Britt had just taken a gulp when Savannah spoke.
“Justin and I are engaged.”
Water spewed out of her mouth. “What?” Britt wiped the back of her hand over her lips.
“I don’t have a ring yet, but he proposed last night.” Savannah beamed. “The ring is on layaway since we don’t want to have any credit cards.”
Engaged? Britt knew they had gotten serious pretty quickly—they’d only been dating for a few months.
Savannah’s smile widened, showing perfectly straight white teeth. “We’re planning to get married in August. I know it seems fast, but I’ve known all along that Justin and I would end up together. It was love at first sight for both of us.”
Britt’s head was spinning. “You never told me that.”
She gave her a sympathetic look. “I didn’t want you to... I don’t know. Be jealous? And I definitely didn’t want to be one of those friends who changes when they have a boyfriend.”
She’d achieved that goal, because Britt was realizing she didn’t know much about her best friend’s relationship with her boyfriend. Scratch that—her fiancé.
Savannah turned in the lawn chair and faced her. “Will you be my maid of honor?”
Britt couldn’t find the words to answer. More than anything she wanted to be there for Savannah’s big day. But immediately, the obligation of the role plucked at her anxiety. She’d have to get a fancy dress and stand up in front of everyone. Then there were the bridal showers. And a bachelorette party. She’d have to coordinate things, talk to people, be around people... She rubbed her hand on the arm of the chair as she gripped the slippery glass in her hand. “Can... can I think about it?”
A flash of disappointment crossed Savannah’s face. “Sure.”
Suddenly a wave of regret washed over Britt. “I’m sorry. I... I want to say yes. I really do. But...”
Savannah reached for her hand. “I understand. And if you can’t be in the bridal party, that’s okay.”
Britt squeezed her hand, fighting back the urge to flee. “I promise I’ll let you know soon, okay?”
“Yeah. Sure.” Savannah let go. “There’s something else I have to tell you. Justin got a job in Missouri. It’s with a prestigious architecture firm. He’s getting a promotion, raise, the whole package. He starts work next week.”
At first, Britt nodded, happy to hear that Justin had gotten a great job. Then the full meaning of Savannah’s words sank in. “You’re moving?”
