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HENRY
You look great tonight, Edie.”
Edie’s cheeks color a little, and she smiles, looking me in the eye for the first time since this morning.
“Thanks, Henry.” She reaches out and squeezes my hand, sending bolts of electric desire to every inch of my body. I want… no, I need Edie in my arms. I need her as more than a best friend. The idea I could be happy with another woman is laughable. There will never be another woman as singularly amazing as Edie.
As soon as we get to the Grand Ballroom, the light in Edie’s eyes shifts, and she masks whatever’s on her mind.
I leave Edie with one of the bridesmaids and go to the open bar to get a drink. It’s killing me a little that the timing isn’t working for Edie and me to sit down and talk. Everything for these couple days before the wedding is planned with military precision.
“Hey, son. You look like you could use one of these.” An older gentleman holds up a tumbler of amber liquid.
I nod. “You read my mind.”
“I’m Jackson Banks, Jared’s father. Do you know my son? Or are you friends with Annie?”
“Pleased to meet you, sir. I’m Henry Watkins.”
The bartender passes me a tumbler of what Mr. Banks is drinking, and we lift our glasses and clink them together.
I’m grateful for the burn of the scotch. “To answer your question, I’m acquainted with Annie. My friend Edie was good friends with Annie in college. I’m her date.”
“Is that woman you came in with?” Mr. Banks looks at me intently as he sips his drink.
“That’s Edie.” I look at her across the Grand Ballroom for the thousandth time today, wondering what’s going on. If something or someone is bothering her, I want to help her resolve whatever is happening. It pains me when she’s unhappy.
“How long have you two been together? I see you’re not wearing a ring.”
I take a deep breath. “She’s my best friend. I was planning to… it sounds corny, but I was planning to ask her to be my girlfriend. I’ve been in love with her for years.”
“Son, how have you been friends with her that long without making your intentions known?” Mr. Banks’ eyes are wide like he thinks I’m at a remedial level with women and dating. Maybe I am.
“It’s a combination of things. One of us has usually been dating someone else. She was intentionally single for a long time. I think we’ve been trying to convince ourselves that we’re just friends, but,” I pause, taking a drink of the scotch and savoring the taste as I swallow, “we’re both single now, and I was going to make my move on this holiday.”
“But?” Mr. Banks raises an eyebrow. “I know there’s a ‘but.’”
“You’re not wrong. We’ve been out of step the whole time we’ve been here. Things have shifted between us, but we haven’t had a chance to talk. The schedule is pretty tightly planned.”
“Yeah, and the wedding is tomorrow.” Mr. Banks has the bartender refill our glasses and clinks his against mine. “But I’ll tell you this: I saw how you two look at each other. Make the time and talk to her – she feels the same about you.”
I look at Mr. Banks, wondering how he can be so sure. Could he tell that from watching us walk into the ballroom? “I sure hope so.”
* * *
The rehearsal dinnergoes by in an endless procession of speeches and toasts. Everybody is having a good time and getting a little bit drunk. As soon as the final speech is over, I breathe a sigh of relief. Nothing is going to stop me from talking to Edie.
"Hey." A woman's voice on my left catches my attention. "Are you going out for drinks with everyone after this? We're going to the Spruce Ridge Tavern if you don’t have other plans.”
I see it's the same woman the guy from the golf pointed out to me. She's pretty enough and blonde, but she's not Edie. The tone of her voice is playful, but it carries an assumption that I don’t have other plans, and even if I did, I’d drop them to be with her.
"No, thanks." I look toward Edie as she laughs and talks to the man sitting next to her. I wish we’d been seated together. "I need to go talk to a friend of mine. It's something important."
The woman narrows her eyes at me and nods as if she’s not used to being refused. I make it over to Edie, who’s still talking to the man sitting next to her through dinner. I can't help the jealousy that flares through me.
"Hey, Edie." I lightly touch her arm.
She looks at me, the smile still on her face, but her body tenses ever so slightly.
