“Emily doesn’t want to get married,” I say with an almost proud smile on my face.
Kate’s face drains of all color. “I’m sorry, what?”
“We’ve been talking, and Emily decided she doesn’t want to go through with the wedding.”
“You’ve been talking?” Kate yanks on my elbow, pulling me aside into a corner of the room. “What did you say to her?”
“She told me she didn’t think she could do this and so we talked, and it turns out she isn’t sure about marrying Tim.” I know this creates a lot more problems for Kate, but shouldn’t she be happy that I’ve helped this woman avoid a major life-ruining mistake?
Kate closes her eyes and her nostrils flare with the deep breath she sucks in. “So my bride told you she was a little nervous and you somehow convinced her she doesn’t want to get married?”
“I think that’s oversimplifying things a bit.” I cross my arms over my chest.
“Get out,” Kate instructs. “Get out and do not talk to another person involved in this wedding.”
“But I—”
Kate halts my protests with a single look.
I sneak a peek at Emily, who’s still sitting on the couch, still crying, and somehow looking a lot less resolute thanshe was just a few minutes ago. I don’t say another word, pushing out of the room and away from another self-induced disaster.
The town’s one event space is located in the center of the main square, and I stomp all along Main Street until I’m back in front of my gate. I know without even looking that Ben is sitting on his porch, judging me.
I march a few steps down the sidewalk and throw open his little white gate instead of mine. Plopping into the rocking chair next to his, I gesture to the beer wrapped in his hand. “Got any more of those?”
He raises a single eyebrow, but doesn’t say anything, reaching behind the small table and pulling out two already opened beer bottles like well-timed magic. “Cheers?” He reaches across the gap with his beer.
I tap mine against his.
“Bad day at work, sweetheart?” Can you hear a smirk because I’m pretty sure I do when he uses that “term of endearment.”
“What are the chances we can just not talk about it?” I swig from the bottle and lean my head back against the cushioned chair.
“Your first wedding and you made the bride cry?”
Curse this town and its ridiculously fast traveling gossip.
“To be fair, I didn’tmakeher cry. She was sort of already crying.” I push down a very inappropriate giggle because really, nothing about this situation is funny. Not one bit. “I just didn’t exactly help the situation.”
Ben smirks—a visible one—though he attempts to hide it with a sip from his bottle. And fails miserably. “Safe to say Kate won’t be asking for your help again in the future?”
“I think that’s a pretty sure bet.”
We sit in a comfortable silence for a minute.
“Did she end up going through with it?”
Ben knows exactly who I mean, and somehow, though I just left the venue, he already has the answer. “Yes. Emily and Tim managed to make it down the aisle and through the entire ceremony, relationship intact.”
I should probably be happy that I somehow managed to not completely ruin the day, but I can’t make myself smile. “Poor fool.”
Ben leans back and turns his head in my direction. “Let me guess, you don’t believe in love?”
I scoff into my beer. “Of course I don’t believe in love. Relying on one person, committing yourself to them for the rest of your life? Assuming that because you found someone dumb enough to pledge themselves to you that you somehow get to escape the worst of the world’s problems? Tying your self-worth to the approval of someone you can never really know? Giving up your independence for the sake of having one more person’s expectations to live up to?”
Ben doesn’t say anything for an awkwardly long time. “That might be the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.”
My laughter rings hollow. “Why, because it’s true?”
