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The dancing was over by midnight, and by that point there were only a trickle of people left in the room. The hotel staff was cleaning around them, stacking chairs and clearing tables. A very-tired looking Lucas and Ember came over to her, smiling in spite of their obvious exhaustion.
“Thank you so much, Caitie,” Ember said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. “Today was so special, and we owe it to you and all your hard work. We couldn’t have done this without you.”
Caitie’s smile was almost genuine. “It was a pleasure. Thank you for including me in your day; I’m honored you let me help.”
Lucas hugged her tight. “You’re amazing. A real rock. Nothing fazes you, not even having Breck cancel at the last minute. Flu and fever my ass. I bet he was hooking up with some chick.”
His words made Caitie’s stomach churn. She tried to ignore the way it clenched at the thought. “Yeah, probably,” she mumbled.
“Ah, I’ll give him hell after the honeymoon.”
Grasping at the chance to change the subject, Caitie asked him, “When do you leave again?”
“The day after Christmas,” Lucas said. “We’ll spend tomorrow night, or I guess it’s now tonight at our house, then Christmas day with Ember’s mom. After that, we’re off to LAX and on to Paris.”
“It’s going to be cold there,” Caitie said. “I hope you’ve got a good coat.”
“Ember’s bought us a whole new wardrobe. Coats, sweaters, boots. We’ll probably never want to come home.”
“I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t want to either.” She took a deep breath. “I guess I should head to bed, and let you two go. After all, it is your wedding night. You shouldn’t really be spending it with your sister.”
Ember laughed. “Well, I guess it’s past midnight. We really should get some sleep, Mr. Russell.”
“I’ll be right behind you, Mrs. Russell.” Lucas grinned at Caitie. “Good night, sis.”
“Good night.”
Watching them leave, she tried to ignore the ache in her heart. They were so in love, and they’d declared it in front of all their family and friends. They deserved every bit of the happiness that was glowing from them. Even if it was a painful contrast to the loneliness weighing down on her shoulders.
* * *
Climbing out of the hot shower, Caitie wrapped a towel around her chest and twisted another onto her head. Her feet throbbed from spending all day in heels, and with each step she took, the pain made her wince. She was too tired to dry her hair, unsure she even had the strength to hold the hairdryer. She’d probably regret it in the morning, but right now going to sleep with it wet seemed like a good idea.
She grabbed her phone from her purse, intending to check her emails before switching it off for the night. That’s when she saw the missed calls – four of them – plus a handful of text messages and voicemails. All of them were from the same person.
Breck.
Her heart clenched at the sight of his name. She wanted to hear his voice, to feel his arms around her, to make everything okay.
But it wasn’t. The way he walked out on her, and on the wedding, without a glance backward still stung. She was sad and tired and everything else that made her body ache.
Breck would have to wait until tomorrow. Maybe everything would be clearer then.
27
By the time Caitie’s parents had driven her back to their house on Christmas Eve, it was almost lunchtime, but her stomach was way too tight to eat any food. Instead, she climbed back into bed, her body weary as hell, and pulled the soft covers over her. Her mind had resisted sleep, still too hyped up with thoughts of Breck and the wedding, not to mention her work. But the tiredness had fought hard, winning out within minutes over the anxieties gnawing at her.
The days from Christmas Eve all the way into the New Year were always the quietest for her professionally. It seemed counter-intuitive at first, that a business which specialized in Christmas should be so quiet at the very time of year she worked toward. Yet by December twenty-fourth everything that could be done, had been done. Festive TV shows had aired, Theme Parks were closing, and corporate parties were over and done with for the year. Even her biggest clients – the retail businesses – were wrapping up the decorations, and filling the stores for th
eir New Year sales. She could worry all she wanted, but the fact was there was nothing else for her to do.
Nothing but sleep.
A knock on her door woke her a few hours later. Caitie sat upright in bed, blinking to unstick her eyes. She was wearing a sweatshirt and shorts, her hair sticking out in weird directions. Her eyes were puffy and red from too many late nights and even more tears.
“Caitie?” Deenie stuck her head around the bedroom door. “There’s someone to see you.”
“Wha?” She was still blinking the dry sleep away. “Who is it?”
