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Which was stupid. We’d only been engaged for a single night—not even twenty-four hours. And he’d been drunk last night—or at least a little wine and sex hazed. I should have known he wouldn’t mean it in the morning. Stupid. I’d been so stupid to let myself believe, for even a second, that—
“Hey, are you ready, they’re about to cut the cake—” Olivia said as she caught me in an unguarded moment hiding behind the catering truck. “Whoa. Are you okay? Did something happen?”
I tried to wave my hand and blink back stupid tears. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”
She crossed her arms and blocked my path. “Uh uh. I’ve known you since second grade, Ruth. I know when you’re lying. What happened? Did someone say something nasty about your dad? Who was it? I’ll punch them.”
I laughed through my tears and swiped at my eyes, then lurched forward and hugged my friend. “God, you’re the best. I’m going to miss you so much.”
She stiffened slightly in my arms and pulled back. “Miss me? Where the hell are you going?”
I breathed out and swiped again at my face. Shit. My makeup was going to smear if I didn’t stop it soon. I didn’t have Charlie’s mega-mascara on, just the cheap grocery store kind.
I looked my longtime friend in the eye and breathed out hard. God, it hurt, the brief future I’d allowed myself to envision along with Jeremiah’s faux-prosal. But it was gone and now I was back to reality.
“I’ve taken a job up near Fort Worth. I leave in a few weeks. I didn’t want the news to overshadow the wedding so I haven’t told anyone.”
Olivia’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Not even me?” She sounded hurt and now that we were here, I could see what a dick move it was.
“I’m so sorry, hon. I think I just didn’t want…” I shook my head. “I didn’t want to admit I was really going.” I looked out at the land I’d so long called home, that I’d fought so hard to hold onto. “Everything’s changing.” I looked back at her. “But you and me are family and nothing will change that.”
Now she was the one with tears in her eyes and she pulled me back in for another hug. “Nothing’ll be the same around here without you, bitch,” she whispered in my ear. “Whose gonna be my drinking buddy now?”
I laughed. “Well, luckily you’ve still got Charlie. She’s not going anywhere.”
But Olivia just shook her head. “It’s supposed to be the three of us. And now she’s getting married. And having a baby. You’re moving onto some awesome career. And I’m still just here. Same as always.”
“Don’t say that. You’re fabulous. And I’ll come back and visit all the time. It’s only a three-hour trip back. I’ll be back so much and crashing on your couch you’ll be sick of me.”
She looked up at me, her lovely features crumpled. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
We both laughed a little and then she said, “Jesus, look at us!” She reached in her purse and produced a compact and packet of tissues. “They’re about to cut the cake and we’ll look like goth chicks with these black tear tracks in the pictures if we don’t clean up!”
We hurriedly swiped at our eyes and then Olivia dabbed fresh concealer under her eyes and then offered it to me. We were nearly presentable if a little puffy eyed by the time we made our way back to the party group all gathered near the cake.
Charlie was glowing as she stood by Reece, who looked like he’d just won the lottery as he stared down at his bride. It hurt, seeing that face with that look of love on it. Not that Jeremiah would ever look that way at anybody. He’d never allow himself that kind of vulnerability. Everything in me wanted to look around and clock where the evil twin brother was, but no, I forced my eyes to stay on the happy couple.
Charlie glanced out at the crowd, briefly making eye contact with Olivia and me before grinning and spinning around so that her back was to us again.
She tossed the colorful bouquet backward over her head and, as if in slow motion, I could see it heading right toward me. It would have been easy to reach out and pluck it from the air. It would hit me straight in the center of the chest if I didn’t.
So I stepped backward several steps and Olivia had to dive sideways in a daring last-minute catch before the flowers hit the ground.
Around us, the crowd cheered her, but as Charlie turned around to look at us, I could see her eyes were quizzical when she saw how far away I was standing from where I’d previously been.
I just couldn’t, though, not even for my friend. Even such a silly tradition hurt too bad in light of Jeremiah’s retracted proposal.
“Now for the cutting of the cake!” I announced, forcing a wide, happy grin over my face as I beamed at the couple as if my heart wasn’t being forced through a shredder.
Reece took Charlie’s arm as he led her the few feet toward the huge, tiered wedding cake set up on a card table near the tent’s northernmost corner. The crowd followed, happy murmurs and the clink of glassware as champagne flutes as people drank deeply.
In fact, the day could not have turned out more perfect. For once, the day was cooler than usual. It was only in the mid-nineties instead of sweltering over the hundred-degree mark. Under the tent it was positively cozy, especially with the mid-afternoon breeze.
Yes, everyone was using the printed wedding bulletins as makeshift fans, but that was just a habit from church.
The caterer had already cut two perfect pieces of cake for Reece and Charlie, so they only had to pick up their individual plates. Reece forked a delicate bite and slid it into Charlie’s mouth. She swallowed it quickly, then reached out with her hand to grab Reece’s piece, snatched half of it up, and shoved it in his face.
