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It was a ten-hour drive to Asheville. If I left tomorrow morning, I could make it to the rehearsal dinner. A whole evening to try and convince Jenna that she was safe with me.
I dashed off a quick text to Cassidy saying I’d reconsidered and asking if she’d present without me. She wrote back at once with a thumbs-up emoji.Good luck!
How had she guessed I needed that message? Despite my attempts to maintain a professional distance, Cassidy had clearly seen right through me when it came to Jenna.
I exhaled slowly, a wry smile tugging at the corners of my mouth, and then turned my attention to everything else I had to do. Find an all-hours dry cleaner that could return my suit by the next morning, pack, and make sure my car started after weeks of sitting in a garage.
And figure out exactly what to say to Jenna.
It took over twice as long to drive from the airport in Raleigh as it did to fly in from Philadelphia, but Dad’s quiet company on the route was restful. He accepted short answers to his direct questions: Yes, I was doing okay; yeah, I knew that things were crazy back at the house with all the wedding preparations going on.
Mercifully, he didn’t even mention Adam, though I couldn’t tell if he didn’t remember I was supposed to have a boyfriend or felt that a man he’d never met didn’t merit any conversation.
I sighed over the green foliage as we drove up our long gravel drive. Philly wasn’t a desert, but I’d grown up in a mountain forest. Being home again always made me feel like I could get a long breath in at last.
Dad parked the enormous white truck that advertised “Allen and Sons Construction” on both sides of the cab and the tailgate (Dad was both “Allen” and “sons” since his father retired two decades ago).
Mom had pushed past the screen door and was running down the porch steps before I could get out. No matter that she sometimes drove me crazy with her efforts to get me a date, stepping into her tight hug made some of the pain inside me evaporate.
“Jenna! Your hair’s gotten so long.” Mom tugged gently on my ponytail. I started to tear up with a combination of heartache and homesickness. “You okay?” Mom asked.
“It was just kind of a long trip,” I lied.
She rubbed my shoulder sympathetically. “Let’s get this dress fitting over with and then you can lie down for a bit until it’s time to make the welcome bags.”
Patrick, my teenage brother, gave me a sideways hug when I came into the house.
“What’s the latest?” I asked, motioning to his crutches. He still hadn’t recovered from an ultimate frisbee accident earlier in the summer.
He gave a long sigh. “I’m trying to stay off it as much as I can, but Coach doesn’t think I’ll be able to start this season.”
I made a sympathetic face for my brother’s football career and allowed Mom to usher me into the living room where Aunt Kathy was kneeling behind Beth with a mouthful of pins. She waved and made some noises that probably indicated a greeting.
Beth’s face lit up when she saw me, but she couldn’t move while Aunt Kathy was working on her dress. “Jenna! I’m so happy you’re here.”
I went toward her and gave her a careful hug. “You look beautiful!” Her ivory silk wedding dress had a fitted bodice that was encrusted with tiny seed pearls and sported delicate off-the-shoulder sleeves.
“Mom wouldn’t let me wear black, so this was the next best thing.”
I laughed, even though it wasn’t really a joke. Somehow Beth managed to pull off a chic, Parisian vibe in her usual black wardrobe, even though the color made me look like a diseased Victorian spinster.
“Sweetheart,” Mom began, eyeing Beth warily, “we talked about this. A wedding is a celebration, not a funeral. And this dress is perfect for you. We certainly searched for it long enough.”
Beth offered a long-suffering smile, a smirk playing on her lips. Unlike me, she couldn’t resist teasing Mom. “I suppose I can live with it. For one day.”
“Okay,” Aunt Kathy said, finally free of the pins. “Just need to sew this hem in place. Beth, let’s get you out of this dress. And Jenna, you go change, only let me hug you first!”
I moved forward to comply. Dad’s sister, Kathy, was our family’s expert seamstress. She gave me a quick hug and then stood back to examine me. “Have you gained weight since you sent me your measurements?”
“I don’t think so?” Those kinds of comments were why Aunt Kathy was also the most difficult member of our family to get along with.
“Kathy,” Mom chided. “You look great, Jenna.”
“It’s not a matter of looks; it’s about the fit. If I have to make a major alteration at the last minute, you won’t be my favorite niece anymore.” Aunt Kathy looked at Beth, waiting for her to protest, and cackling at her own joke.
“Sorry,” Mom mouthed, handing me the dress.
Beth climbed out of her dress and followed me upstairs in a black silk robe. I reached my childhood bedroom and unzipped the garment bag. My maid of honor gown was a green satin mermaid dress with puffs of crepe for sleeves that mimicked Beth’s dress. I’d seen pictures, but looking at it up close inspired a case of nerves. “Are you sure you want me to appear at your wedding in this?”
