Page 46 of The Wedding Favor

“Here are a few other things the wedding party is taking care of.” Off she went, listing out so many responsibilities and events, I had to get another Santa from the cabinet. The bridal shower. The other “party” to assemble the wedding favors. The wedding party dance we all had to learn. “I hope that’s not too much.”

“Great.”

“Oh, one more teeny, tiny thing. Since you’re the best woman, you’ll be giving a speech at the reception. We want to try and keep that under ten minutes and, of course, keep it classy.”

I choked on a Santa arm. A speech? Holy sh⁠—

“I’m going to attach to the email a sample speech I’ve written. Of course, you don’t have to use it, but I thought it could give you an idea of what we’re looking for. Feel free to write your own. I am more than happy to read your first draft and give you any feedback. Sound good?”

No, it sounded horrible. I had to stand up in front of a roomful of people and wax poetically about Aidan and Missy? I was going to need a lot more chocolate Santas.

“Great,” I whispered.

SEVENTEEN

“I have learned that treating things like people and

people like things just makes you pathetic.”

—excerpt from the unpublished memoir,

Darling, I Must Say by Gloria Hayes

Clearly, I’d let all the confidence of the first three days go to my head because when I arrived on Monday to pick up Hallie from the day camp, I knew something wasn’t right.

I parked and went into the lobby. A quiet buzz filled the area, mostly moms of varying ages. I recognized more than a few. Instead of mingling, I shrunk into a quiet corner and kept checking the time on my phone. I thought I was pretty well hidden until a voice called out my name.

“What are you doing here? I know you don’t have any kids,” Megan Tillman asked. She’d been three years ahead of me in school, a senior when I’d been a freshman, which hadn’t stopped her from noticing me. She’d always had a comment about my clothes or my hair. I should introduce Missy to her. They’d be the best of friends.

I had history with Megan. One day when I was in high school, she asked if I would be spending Christmas visiting my dad in prison. I’d already been in a bad mood so the decision to punch her had been easy. It was the only time I got in trouble in school. Even with the surprising hand pain, it had been worth it. Some things just were. Like eating chocolate every day.

Never compromise on daily chocolate and punching mean girls.

My smile was more of a grimace. “Megan. Good to see you.”

“How have you been?”

Oh, please. Like you care. “Great. And you?”

“So good.” She flipped her long blonde hair (totally extensions) over her shoulder, making sure to flash the giant ring on her left hand. Yes, yes, Megan, you snagged a rich guy. We are all very happy for you. “What are you doing here?”

“I just like to spend my time watching other people’s kids. Sometimes I take pictures of them to post on the internet. Everyone needs a hobby, you know?”

Megan stared at me in horror.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m picking up a friend’s daughter.”

“Oh, well, good. How old is she? Wouldn’t it be fun if she’s in the same class as Audrina?” If I remembered correctly, Megan was her rich husband’s second wife and Audrina was her stepdaughter.

“She’s nine. Her name’s Hallie.”

“Oh, they’re the same age. Maybe they’ve become friends.”

I couldn’t take this sickly sweet, completely made-up conversation anymore. “Like we did in high school? Besties forever, right?”

Thankfully, the kids were released just then so I skirted around her to make my exit. I practically danced off. That had felt good. Really good. Though Mae might have something to say about it when it got around to her. And it would get around to her—welcome to life in a small town. Really, the government should start putting small towns in charge of the emergency alert system. The Two Harts’ gossip hotline could spread a rumor faster than you could butter a piece of toast.

The space cleared quickly as kids found their parents. There were only three adults left when Hallie showed up. Shoulders curved and head down, she walked slowly toward me.