Claire and Ryker proceed to explain that they met in college and had been living in Bellingham, but just moved back for Ryker to start his new job.
“So when is the big day?” I ask.
Claire’s smile eases slightly. “We’re hoping soon, but we haven’t been able to find the right place. Every venue we look at is either booked up or too expensive. And I recently started grad school so I don’t have a ton of time to focus on planning.” A small frown curves her lips, her eyes looking defeated as they meet Ryker’s. “Maybe we’ll just elope.”
“Let me plan it!” I burst. “I just took over as the event coordinator for my family’s winery and we’re offering full-planning services.”
Technically, I haven’t discussed this with my dad yet, but I know he’ll agree. Weddings are a huge moneymaker, and it’s a corner of the market the winery has been neglecting to nurture. Maureen, the former coordinator, retired last month, and she’d really been dropping the ball these last few years. I was itching to takeover but had to wait for her to retire before my title could become official.
Claire’s face lights up. “Wait! Really? Because I will seriously hire you right this second.”
Ryker lets out a breath. “Honey, you haven’t even seen the winery. What if you don’t like it?”
Sensing Ryker’s hesitancy, I rifle through my purse for one of my newly-printed business cards. “Here.” I hand it to her. “Call me on Monday, and you two can schedule to come take a tour. If you like what you see, we’ll move forward.”
Claire jumps out of her barstool, and wraps me in a tight hug. “Thank you so much! I can’t wait to see it.”
“Hey Ryk!” someone calls across the bar. “Got a boiler maker with your name on it.”
Ryker stands, putting his arm back around Claire. “Let’s go rejoin them. The guys are trying to get me shit faced as some kind of hazing ritual.”
We wave our goodbyes, Scottie shaking her head with smile. “Look at you, hustling after hours.” She lifts her glass tomine, cheersing. “You might’ve just booked your first solo wedding.”
I’m trying not to get my hopes up, even though Claire seemed really excited. Ryker not so much, but guys are rarely excited when it comes to wedding planning.
“Hopefully,” I say, shrugging while taking a sip of my drink.
Scottie cocks her head, her eyes trained on Ryker and Claire. “Was it just me or did she look familiar? She kind of looked…”
She trails off, her sentence dying as I feel her stiffen beside me, nearly dropping her drink.
“Uh, you know what?” She stands. “Suddenly I’m not feeling so great.” Her hands visibly tremble as she puts on her coat. “Let’s go.”
Her voice is shaky, laced with panic. Leaning back slightly, I gaze around the bar, trying to find the source of Scottie’s sudden shift, but I come up empty.
“What has gotten into you? Did one of your exes walk in, or something?” I say with a laugh.
She shakes her head quickly. “Nope! Not one of mine.”
I pause, my eyes pinching. “What are you talking about?”
Placing both hands on my shoulders, she forces my eyes on hers. “Babe, I’m gonna need you to take some deep breaths for me and don’t look over at the entrance.”
Without thinking, my head starts to turn, but she stops it with her hand on my cheek. “Who just walked in? You’re scaring me.”
I already know, I’m not sure why I’m acting as if I don’t. Maybe a small part of me is hoping Scottie is being dramatic, but there’s only one person she would be this freaked out about me seeing.
“Dominic,” she begins and my chest caves in, heart jolting. “He just walked in. He’s with his brother. Looks like they’re joining Ryker’s group.”
The tequila churns in my stomach, slowly rising. I’m going to be sick. I take an unsteady breath, swallowing burning acid as I do.
I haven’t seen Dominic since the day I broke up with him. It’s been over six years. And every day since then, he’s occupied corners of my heart and brain I actively work to not acknowledge. Over time it got easier to live with him at the fringes, just lingering there. But now, everything is in full-force, coming to the surface all at once.
I take a deep, gasping breath. “I can’t see him. I can’t see him.”
She strengthens her grip on my shoulders. “I know, okay. Let’s leave. We can slip out the back.”
“We need to pay!”
