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“No, that’s okay. You two head on in. I’ll catch up.”
“Okay.” Lucy blows her kisses seconds before she speeds away.
Even though I want to wait, I turn and follow Lucy inside. When we enter the ballroom, I’m not the least bit surprised to find it decorated like a winter wonderland. Based on how the church was decorated, it fits the theme.
Everything is white. The tables, the place settings, the flowers, the tiny lights draped from the ceiling. There are even two massive ice sculptures on either side of the wedding party table. The only thing missing is a machine blowing fake snow all over the room.
“Wow.” Lucy looks around the room in awe. “This is gorgeous. I knew Bella would go all out, but I wasnotexpecting this.”
“Did she not tell you what she was doing?” I ask, a little confused. In high school, both Lucy and Hope were really good friends with Bella. I was honestly a little surprised that neither of them were in the wedding. Then again, Bella only had a maid of honor and one bridesmaid, both of which were members of her immediate family.
“We don’t talk much anymore. I’m just so busy with school and stuff.”
“I see.” I nod, peering behind me.
“Come on. Let’s go find our table.”
“Ourtable?” I question, following her through the room.
“You didn’t think Bella would let us sit wherever we wanted.” She laughs. “She seated us all together. Probably in the corner if I had to guess. Bitch,” she says playfully.
Lucy scans the name plates on every table we pass before locating the one she’s looking for. Funny enough, she was right. Bella did stick us all in the corner.
I look around at the name cards placed in the center of each plate. Lucy. Gretchen. Lance. Todd. Avery. Josh. Alec. Hope. The whole high school gang is here. Well, plus Henry, who Bella probably sat at the same table as his sister because she knows he doesn’t know many other people here.
I smile, seeing my name next to Hope’s. At least this way she can’t avoid me.
“There you are,” Lucy says, pulling my attention to the side as Hope steps up next to the table.
“Hey guys.” She drapes her purse over the back of her chair, avoiding my gaze.
“So, it would appear Bella is embarrassed of us,” Lucy tells her best friend.
“Why do you say that?” Hope asks.
“Because she stuck us in the corner.”
“Maybe it’s you she’s embarrassed of and the rest of us are paying the price,” I joke.
“Ha. Ha,” Lucy mocks, sticking her tongue out at me.
The three of us take our seats as Gretchen and Todd arrive at our table. Hope scoots her chair to the left in an effort to put as much distance between us as possible. My chest aches.
Our table begins to fill as people filter into the room, everyone waiting for the arrival of the new bride and groom. I try to keep my mood light and act completely natural, but it’s damn hard to do with this heavy weight sitting on my shoulders.
Hope talks to everyone but me as the reception gets underway. I try to ignore how that makes me feel and partake in the conversation as much as possible.
After Bella and her new husband arrive and are announced, along with the wedding party, several servers enter the room, carrying the first course of dinner.
I have zero appetite but I force down the salad anyway. I keep catching Lucy staring at me from across the table. It wouldn’t normally be a problem but Hope notices too. At one-point she even inches a little closer to her brother.
I’m not the best at reading people, but I’d have to be blind not to see what’s going on here. Given Lucy’s forward behavior toward me, Hope no doubt suspects that something is going on, which it isn’t.
When the salad plates are cleared and the main course is being served, I take the opportunity to lean in and speak to Hope while everyone is distracted.
“We need to talk.” I keep my voice low so only she can hear. I don’t miss the tight set in her shoulders or the way she stiffens at the sound of my voice.
Her head turns slowly in my direction and when our eyes meet I swear I forget how to breathe.
