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“We are here”—I sweep my hand out in front of me—“for your wedding.”
“My …” Her mouth drops open. “My wedding isn’t for another month.”
“That will be your public wedding.” I take her hand in both of mine, turn to face her. Behind her, some of her friends are tearing up, some rocking on the balls of their feet. Then I see Topher sneaking out of the house and coming our way. “We know that being in the public eye isn’t easy for you, and that you’re giving up a lot to marry into our family. So we wanted you to have a special day, just for you. Something that’s all about you and Topher, not the media or Flutterbum or anyone else.”
I can see I’ve shocked her, because she’s standing still—something Lauren never does—and blinking at me as if I’m speaking a foreign language. Then, at last, she speaks. “We?”
My brother slips his hands around her waist from behind. “We, love.”
Laureneeks, spins, throws her arms around Topher, and starts crying—all in seemingly simultaneous fashion. “I can’t believe you’re here.” Then she’s kissing him with such abandon and passion that I feel like I maybe should turn away to give them some privacy. But then she pulls back and smacks his shoulder, and points a finger at all her friends, at me. “And I can’t believe all of you, lying to me like that! You … you … beautiful people, you!”
We all rush her with hugs, and before we know it, another truck has pulled up with the rest of the groomsmen—Evie and Kayla’s husbands Connor and Josh, Shelby’s fiancé Eric, and Kennedy and Alexis’s boyfriends Ryan and Dax—and it’s pure madness on that deck.
I take a step back and observe it all with a smile, warmth in my heart.
And yet, even though I planned all of this, I can’t help but feel a little on the outside of it. Yes, this is partly my family with Topher and Lauren at the center. And then there’s Frederick, the man I love, who is slapping Topher on the back and shaking hands with the rest of the guys in greeting.
But he still won’t look at me.
I sincerely hope I’m wrong, that I’m just knackered from all the late nights and stress of the last week and a half. But it feels as if I’m being edged out. I can see myself slipping further to the outside of the circle. I technically still belong inside of it, but maybe there’s a concentric circle there too. One that connects, that’s creating a new pocket of belonging for me.
If only I’m brave enough to step into it. But what would that even look like?
At that moment, my phone vibrates in my back pocket. I shouldn’t answer it, not now, but it’s actually kind of nice to have a reason to corral the thoughts and fears trying to overtake my brain at the moment.
I don’t recognize the number as I step away from the group. “Hello?”
“Is this Chloe?”
“Yes. Who’s this?”
“Rhonda Howard, from Something Blue.”
Oh. Maybe she finally received the messages I left her when I first got to town. “Hi, Rhonda. I—”
“I hear you might be interested in buying my wedding shop.”
Not where I thought she was going with that. “Um, well … who told you that?”
“Lucy Reynolds.”
Of course.
“Listen,” she continues, “I’m going to be honest with you. My new husband is rather loaded, and I don’t really need the money, but the town needs a solid event planner.”
“I agree.” If I hadn’t had experience with event planning, then I’d have never been able to put together this wedding without Rhonda here. And there is so much more that could be done, so many packages that could be created. My brain explodes with the possibilities.
Rhonda goes on. “Hallmark Beach has the festivals that draw a crowd, but those only happen about six times a year. It needs more to recommend it, and creating a solid wedding economy is something I strived to do, but didn’t achieve.”
“I think you did a great job. Your shop is adorable, and when you met with my friend Shelby a few weeks ago, you were very professional and organized.”
“Oh! I remember you now. You’re Shelby’s British blonde friend.”
A breeze kicks up across the yard, and I shiver. “Something like that.”
“The point is, I think you are the right woman for the job.”
“What makes you say that?” Planner to planner, I truly want to know.
