AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You made it!” Edie meets me in the driveway and squeezes me as tight as she can, which is not very.
If you put us next to each other, you would see the similarities: we have the same coloring, except she got the pretty blue eyes and Mom’s refined ‘old money’ nose. I got the baby-doll ski-slope nose and hazel eyes. And the cheeks. And the hips. There’s something refined about Edie that makes you expect her to break in a strong wind, or beckon chickadees to braid her hair.
Gwen and Hadley crowd me with a group hug. They’re Edie’s college friends from Mount Holyoke. But they’re always together. For all of college, Dad and I called them GwenandHadley, one breath. I sort of don’t know one from the other, beyond their looks. Gwen has pretty red hair and Hadley’s is molten-chocolate brown.
“Liza said your flight was supposed to arrive yesterday?” Edie asks.
“Nope,” I say. “I flew through Albany today.”
She brushes it off with a shrug and the girls help with my luggage. There’s not that much. I drop my things in my bedroom and we shift to the kitchen where Liza has mixed up a pitcher of Moscow Mules from a tray of mixers Mom picked up for us. I take my drink gratefully as I sink into the extra deep sofas in the living room.
“So, should we call dibs on the groomsmen?” Hadley says, flopping on the sofa next to Gwen.
“She wants to get in Tate’s pants,” Gwen says, nudging her.
“That’s not true,” Hadley says. “Been there, done that.”
Edie rolls her eyes and Liza snorts.
“Well, you’re paired up for the ceremony anyway,” Edie says.
Hadley squeals and rolls back, kicking her feet in the air.
“So, does that mean I get Eric?” Gwen asks, hope in her eyes.
“Yes,” Edie says, squeezing the blushing redhead’s knee. “He actually asked if he could pair off with that ‘sweet ginger.’”
“I bet he wants to get some of that ‘sweet ginger,’” Liza says between laughs.
The giggles continue as Gwen fills me in on Dar’s stockbroker friend who first caught her eye at a Memorial Day party on the Cape.
“So, that brings us to Chet?” Liza says, refills the glasses. Everyone quiets and Edie looks a little uncomfortable.
“Who’s Chet?” I ask.
“Chet is Dar’s cousin. He was the fourth groomsman, but he got stuck in Costa Rica and can’t make it,” Edie explains, her eyes apologetic.
“And we thought…” Liza says, gently nudging Edie to finish the thought.
Whatever this is, I have a feeling this is much more Liza’s thought than it is Edie’s. I only have to put up with her for the next few days. And then I can go back to pretending she doesn’t exist. So far, it seems like she’s been on her best behavior, but something tells me that can only last for so long. So I prepare myself for whatever it is she’s about to say.
“Well, there’s going to be a bridal party dance at the reception. And we thought that since you were bringing yourboyfriend.” Edie’s grin gets bigger and Gwen and Hadley makeoooh’sand kissing sounds as my stomach tightens. “That maybe you wouldn’t mind if Andrew, Dar’s best friend from Cornell, escorts Liza.”
I feel like I’m missing something crucial by the way they’re all staring at me with puckered lips and furrowed brows.
“It’s your wedding, Edie. I’ll do whatever you want,” I say with a little shrug.
“Oh, thank you Faye!” she says, throwing herself at me a little harder than usual. She’s definitely had a few more drinks than I have.
“It’s fine,” I say, trying to right her so she doesn’t fall off the couch.
“Right,” she says with a laugh. “That’s what I thought! I mean, it’s not the end of the world to have uneven numbers or anything.”
The other girls nod sagely, though I get the sense they’re glad they’re not the odd woman out.
“I think it’s so great that you’re comfortable with this curveball, Faye Ellen,” Liza says.
“It’s just Faye now,” I say.
