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Before I could say anything, Lily walked in. “I’m here,” she sang in her best songbird voice, holding the long-awaited cake topper, which happened to be two weeks late. “Look how beautiful it turned out.” Lily removed the topper from the box. “You’re a masterful wedding planner,” she praised as only she could without sounding trite.
We finally had the missing piece to complete the job. Now I could relax. Sort of. My thoughts instantly went to Will and his “deal.”
I glanced at Tate, right when Lily turned around smiling. That was all it took, one look at me, and her face soured.
“What’s wrong? Did they call off the wedding?” she asked in a near panic.
Unfortunately, weddings were called off more frequently than most might realize, but not usually the day before the wedding. It wasn’t dramatic enough. Leaving the groom standing at the altar or the bride changing her mind just before sayingI dowas more common. The runaway bride would bolt down the aisle, tears streaking her face while a symphony of gasps played in perfect harmony. Or, my personal favorite, when the bride was caught screwing the best man in the limo. Oh, it happened.
Fortunately for me, I got paid whether the wedding went off without a hitch or not.
“No, the wedding is still on,” I assured her. “The monogram is perfect. Thank you for driving the three hours to get it here. Let’s close the books on this project.” I walked over to a chair holding my things, a handbag and tote bag filled with all my work essentials. I pulled off my black shrug, suddenly feeling overheated, and stuffed it into my tote.
“Then what is it? What happened?” Lily asked as I collected my items. “And I’ll know if you’re lying.” She glared suspiciously.
“Nothing. Will went into the office. They have a big deal they’re trying to close. He needs to tend to it.” I scoffed, slipping on my favorite black Armani pumps. I always took off my four-inch heels before setting up an event. My feet would be a mangled mess at the end of the day if I didn’t. “Have a good evening.” The exit, my escape, was only a few yards away. I walked briskly but not quickly enough.
“STOP!” Lily shouted.
I froze at the threshold of the double doors. I had almost made it out, but Lily never failed to react faster than me. Now I had to tell her the truth.
I calmly turned around, giving her my most intimidating glare. The one that said:You, bitch! How dare you yell at me!
Of course, Lily remained unfazed and Tate stared at me, arms crossed over his chest. He could pass as a bouncer in a nightclub.
I inhaled a deep breath, squaring my shoulders and prepared to be tag-teamed.
“Don’t take that tone with me.” I glowered, stalking toward her. “We may be best friends, but it doesn’t give you the right to yell at me.”
“I’m sorry. You’re right. It’s just you bolted for the door. I had to stop you. I know you’re trying to hide something. What is it?” Lily copied my expression—the turd.
“Will’s with the other woman tonight. He called before you got here,” Tate informed her. Just hearing him say “other woman” put tears in my eyes.
“That fucker!” Lily wasn’t usually so vulgar, but like Tate, she had lost her patience with Will. Or more like with me for not dumping Will. “That’s it. We’re going out!”
When Lily was angry, her chest and neck would turn a blotchy red color over her ivory skin. Within seconds, the blotches appeared. You’d think it had been her boyfriend cheating, or perhaps she was releasing some pent-up anger she’d held onto regarding Henry.
“No, I’m tired. I’m going to go home, soak in the tub, and go to bed. Tomorrow’s another big day,” I replied, hoping like hell Lily would drop the subject.
Who was I kidding? She’d never drop it.
“I told her I’d take her out for a celebratory dinner since the asswipe let her down again, but she refused.” Tate growled under his breath.
“Really, I’m fine. You guys need to accept my wishes.” I prayed they would leave me the hell alone this time.
“Uh-uh, let’s go,” Lily ordered.
And just like that, Lily was behind the wheel of my BMW. We were heading south on the 101. To where, I had no idea. At this point, I was only along for the ride. Lily could be bossy when she wasn’t her sugary-sweet self. By now, I didn’t care. Fighting with her wasn’t worth it.
And really, what was I going home to? Just an empty house.
Might as well see what the night brings.
