Maybe Susan ought to focus on allaying her daughter’s panic instead of trying to mess up all the plans they had agreed upon weeks earlier.
“I’m ready,” Lydia informed her grandmother and aunt. “I have a new dress. I look like a princess.”
Her words did the trick of distracting Kristine. She swallowed hard and hugged Lydia again. “I know you do. You’re going to have so much fun being a flower girl. Thank you again for helping me.”
“Welcome. This is Auddy. She’s my friend.”
Kristine smiled at the teenager. “Hi. Any friend of Lydia’s is a friend of mine.”
They visited for a few moments about other details for the wedding. As Holly was trying to think of a tactful way to excuse herself so she could return to her lengthy to-do list, Susan glanced at her watch and winced.
“We should go. We still have to go check on the catering to see if they can add a different vegetarian option, since my cousin’s son is allergic to onions.”
Holly truly pitied the catering company handling the wedding. She suspected Susan had already changed menu items multiple times.
“Thanks for stopping by. As I told you, everything has been ordered and is either already here or on the way.”
“And you’re still coming to the bridal shower, right?”
She nodded, though fitting one more social engagement in her packed schedule was about the last thing she had time for.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” she said, giving Kristine a hug.
Troy’s family had always been warm and friendly to her throughout the years she dated him and after their marriage. She considered his mother and sisters to be close friends and she adored his aunts. Those relationships were still important to her and she worked hard to maintain them, for her own sake as well as Lydia’s.
“I made a Christmas tree. Want to see?” Lydia asked, slipping her hand into her grandmother’s.
“Of course I do. I’ll take a quick look, then we really have to go.” Susan smiled as Lydia tugged her into the break room, leaving Kristine and Holly alone.
“I’m so sorry about the whole calla lily thing,” Kristine said in an undertone. “She’s driving me crazy. She wants to change everything. You’d think she hasn’t done this before.”
“You’re her baby and she wants everything to be perfect for you.”
“I know she does. And I’m grateful, believe me. But at this point I keep asking myself why Matt and I didn’t simply fly down to Vegas and get it all over with.”
Holly remembered that vague feeling of panic all through her wedding preparations. In her case, she suspected some part of her psyche was telling her not to go through with the wedding.
She should have listened to it, but then she wouldn’t have Lydia.
“Enough about me,” Kristine said. “I promise, I’m trying hard not to be a bridezilla, completely focused on myself. Have you found a date yet?”
“I have a date,” she answered calmly. “Lydia.”
Kristine frowned. “As amazing as she is, you know that’s not what I meant. You need a date-date. Someone you can dance with to the kickin’ band we’ve hired.”
“Are you kidding? I love dancing with Lydia. We have lots of dance parties at our house.”
“I’m sure you do. But I would love to see you dancing with a great guy. Matt has a couple of single friends who work with him at his tech company. They’re cute and smart and make great money. I would love to set you up with one of them.”
She forced a smile. Over the past two years, she had found that one of the hardest things about being divorced was the well-meaning but misguided efforts of those who cared about her constantly trying to set her up.
“I appreciate that, but it’s not necessary.”
“I want you to be happy, Holly. You’re the nicest person I know and you deserve better than what my stupid brother did to you.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”
She could tell by Kristine’s concerned expression that the other woman didn’t believe her. Later, when she was kicking herself for opening her big mouth, she had no idea what made her say it, other than she didn’t like the pity in Kristine’s eyes.
