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“Then what are you going to do about the wedding? What are you going to say?” Her disappointment is clear, and I just don’t get why.
“That I broke it off. That it was just a fling. Or that I don’t feel comfortable bringing someone I’ve just started seeing to my sister’s wedding.”
This time it’s my phone that interrupts our conversation. I pick it up, grateful for her timing—that’s a first.
“Hello, Mom,” I answer reluctantly.
“Carol dear, I’m calling about the reservation again.” There’s some hesitation in her voice.
I huff. Did she sense my change of plans? Or is she just messing with me so that I’ll spill the beans about my mystery date? “What now, Mom?”
“We’ve had—well, I told you a lot of people RSVPed late.” She doesn’t continue and I’m starting to lose my patience.
“Cut to the chase, Mom, I don’t have much time.” I can’t go through another half-hour discussion about the guests. Hell, I’d rather talk about Brian.
“Yes, sure. Well, you know Bella, Emily’s friend from high school? She recently got a boyfriend.” She pauses again.
“Mom,” I yell.
“It’s Morgan,” she blurts out and I freeze. Morgan? My Morgan? How is this possible? How did they even meet? She’s in Florida and he lives here.
I look up at the sky. It’s supposed to be nice, warm weather, but the sky is filled with clouds. They say summer rainstorms are the worst and I can’t help but think that it would be a fitting end to the day.
“Carol, can you hear me?”
Rose is staring at me, her arm offering more support than before.
What are the odds of my two exes appearing in my life the same day, six years and six months apart—one attempting to get back into my life and the other showing off his new girlfriend, at my sister’s wedding?
My mother speaks again, worry clear in her voice.
“I can hear you, Mom, I just don’t understand why you’re telling me this. I don’t care if he’s at the wedding.” I sound almost robotic.
“I’m so glad to hear that, darling. I knew that you’d moved on.” She sounds genuinely relieved. “I’m sure your date is no match for that—” I can sense a swear word coming but my mother never curses.
“He’s not, I assure you.” I want to end the call but decide to add one more thing. “Please, don’t worry, Mom.” This time my voice is soft and calm, and I know this time she’s convinced.
A flash of light illuminates the sky, followed by roaring thunder. We say our goodbyes and I tell Rose what just happened. After some actual swearing, she pops the burning question.
“Did you change your mind about Brian?”
Chapter Four
Brian
“She’snotinterested.”
Dennis states it so simply that it hurts. If there was yelling, or anger, or accusations, even just a “How dare you even suggest that?” I’d have more hope. I could talk to her and let her take it out on me. Carol is passionate about everything she does, that’s just the way she approaches things.
But what am I supposed to do with indifference?
Dennis eyes me for a bit before continuing. “Why did you guys break up?” He shuffles some papers around before putting them all in a box for the shredder.
It’s not a conversation I want to have with him. Dennis is a good guy for sure, but we’re not friends.
The investigator I hired to get some information on Carol three days ago gave me a thorough review of what her life has been like since we broke up. She graduated a year after I left and went back to her hometown, doing odd jobs until she landed an internship at a small company. She spent two years there and then moved to New York City, changing jobs, and going to seminars constantly for a couple of months, until she was hired by her current employer.
While the information confirmed what I already thought of her, it didn’t help much with how to approach her subtly. That was until he gave me a list of all her contacts in the city. When I saw Dennis’s name, I knew he was the person for this job. We had worked together a couple of months ago, so it was easy to reach out for a small project and then wait for the right moment to mention Carol.
