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“Not really,” I said with a shrug. “When we went to dinner at his parents’ a few weeks ago, his mom showed us a spot in the vineyard they have for weddings.”
“What?” Kate shrieked. She sat up straight. “How did I not know about this? I’m going to have to call her and ask her to show me. I need this on my list.”
She wrote something down on a small notepad and muttered to herself. Ava fussed, so I stood and bounced her. It was late, and the twins were beyond tired. Frank was helping Peter and Charlie repair something in the barn that had broken during classes earlier, and he couldn’t help with them.
“I’m going to get her down.” I slipped quietly from the room and walked down the hall to the stairs. Mindy was coming down.
“I was coming to get her. Adaline is asleep.”
She took Ava from my arms and returned upstairs. I went to the kitchen for a glass of wine and some space before going back to the sunroom. Kate and Laney were looking through the books on the table.
“I think these flowers would look fantastic at the vineyard,” Kate said. “I’ve got a million ideas now that you mentioned it.”
The flowers were beautiful, and I could picture them wrapped around the arbor arch, but Sid and I weren’t actually getting married. Or were we? I was so confused.
“I like them,” I said.
“Perfect.” She wrote something down in that huge binder and then picked up another book, flipping it open to the first page. “Now the gown.”
“Yes!” Laney said, sitting up straight. “This is the fun part.”
I swallowed hard. It didn’t feel like fun. Lying to my friends felt horrible, and my heart pinched because I knew this would never be real. Then I thought of Sid and his smile and the things he was doing to not only my body but also my heart, and it felt like the ground had dropped out beneath me.
“Kat?” Kate asked, placing her hand gently on my arm.
“Yeah?”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m exhausted and overwhelmed.”
She nodded. “It is a lot to take in all at once. Planning a wedding isn’t easy, but I try to make it as painless as possible.”
Her smile felt like a knife to the heart. I had to get out of there.
“I have to go. I promised Sid I’d take him a coffee tonight, and I have to get home to Shiloh.”
It was another damn lie, but I couldn’t sit there and let them dote on me anymore. It was one thing to lie to my parents, but Sid’s mom was kind and didn’t deserve the pain that would come when she found out this relationship wasn’t real.
When I looked around the table, tears pricked the backs of my eyes, and I took deep breaths. These women were kind and had welcomed me with open arms, past be damned, and I was treating them terribly. I could come clean, spill it all, but then what would happen?
I stood and grabbed my bag. “Thanks for everything, and I promise to stay longer next time.”
Mindy walked in at the same time I was walking out. “What’s going on? Where are you going?”
“I have to take a coffee to Sid, and I have to let Shiloh out. I’m sorry.”
She leaned in and gave me a hug. “You’re running,” she whispered in my ear. How the hell did she know? God, she was so perceptive. It was only a matter of time before she figured it all out.
I pulled back, and she winked at me. “No worries. We’ll schedule another time.”
Numbly, I nodded and then bolted like my ass was on fire.
“CAN I HELP YOU?” an older woman behind a desk asked.
“Yes. I’m here to see Si…the sheriff.” Maybe I should have called or texted Sid first.
“Is he expecting you?” she asked.
