AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I reached over to give Mom a hug, and she pulled me in close. “If anybody mentions your relationship status tomorrow, I’m going to tell them how proud I am of my beautiful daughter.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
She released me with a squeeze. “Guess we should finish getting this place cleaned up, huh?”
As I piled the rest of the apples into a crate, I wondered why I hadn’t said all of that to Mom weeks ago when she was first pressuring me about the wedding. I could have gone about my life without the heartache of finding out that the man I’d connected with on a soul-to-soul level would ditch me to chase after his previous crush.
I frowned to myself, wondering if there was any chance a tough conversation could have fixed things between me and Adam, too.
It was pointless to think that way. Adam could have texted or called if he had wanted to work things out, and he hadn’t tried. Not once. So even if there was some way he could have set my fears to rest, that ship had sailed.
Being honest with my family was the best I could hope for.
After ten hours in the car, my determination to declare my feelings to Jenna hadn’t flagged, but my energy reserves were even lower than my gas gauge. Grateful Jenna had emailed the wedding itinerary weeks before so that I knew where to go, I parked my car at the venue and took a few shaky steps on stiff legs.
As I got close to the entrance of the wedding chalet, my heart palpitated in an extremely rapid pattern. Jenna was always nice, so I wasn’t worried she’d be hostile, but I wanted more than forced politeness. Ideally, she’d be happy I’d come.
Hopefully surprising her wouldn’t turn out to be a giant mistake. I just needed a chance to tell her how I felt and prove I could be the kind of boyfriend she’d be proud to introduce to her friends and family. I’d spent the last several hours rehearsing my arguments, reducing my case down to a twenty-minute discourse.
The wedding chalet had an information desk just past the front door. “I’m looking for a wedding rehearsal?” I pulled out my phone to check the itinerary Jenna sent. “The Allen-Whitfield party.”
The young man in front of me flipped through a stack of papers on his clipboard. “Their rehearsal is over, sorry. I think they left a couple hours ago.”
The itinerary said the rehearsal and dinner would last until nine, and it was only seven fifteen. Had it ended early? My shoulders slumped. An entire day of driving and anticipation culminating in disappointment.
I’d just have to come back in the morning and meet up with Jenna at the wedding, but that plan seemed fraught with problems. Was I supposed to lurk outside the chalet door tomorrow morning, hoping to catch her attention before she walked up the aisle before her sister? I needed more time than that to go through my arguments. I could call, but talking over the phone wasn’t my strong suit, and she might just hang up.
Apparently, I had no choice but to wait. I turned to go back to my car and the hotel room I’d booked in town.
“Did you want the address for the rehearsal dinner?”
I turned back to the young man with relief. “That would be great.” I hadn’t realized it was at a second location.
Back in the car, I punched the address into my mapping app. Looked like it was somebody’s home address, maybe even Jenna’s. I filled up my tank on the way out of town, then settled in for the forty-five-minute drive that would take me a little northwest of Asheville.
I drove cautiously up windy mountain roads, full of sharp switchbacks and sheer drop-offs. Once the sun set, my headlights were the only thing illuminating my way. As I drove, I mentally recounted my key arguments: a thorough emotional development assessment highlighting my readiness for commitment and a comprehensive action plan, detailing steps like open communication, acknowledging past errors, and integrating into Jenna’s life. Each point was crafted to showcase my dedication to being the partner she deserved.
When I finally made it to the destination, I found a gravel lot full of cars just to the side of a large, picturesque barn. I squared my shoulders as I began my second walk toward Jenna. I could do this.
I ducked under a white balloon archway and into the barn, where a few dozen round tables resided in front of a long rectangular one. A woman at the main table—the bride, maybe—a tall, dark-haired woman who didn’t look much like Jenna, stared adoringly at the man next to her, his suitcoat wrapped around her shoulders despite the mild temperature.
I didn’t have much experience with weddings, but the setting was more formal than I’d imagined for a rehearsal dinner. Either the bride or the groom must come from some serious money, though Jenna hadn’t mentioned coming from a rich family. My eyes swept the room for Jenna, but there was no sign of her.
An aproned woman in black appeared before me. “This way, sir.” She ushered me to a round table just past the entrance. “Would you like the chicken or the steak?”
“Sorry, what?” I was too busy looking for Jenna to pay much attention. Maybe she’d stepped out to use the bathroom or something?
The waitress repeated her question.
“Oh, anything is fine, thanks.” I took the seat she motioned to, wondering if there were assigned places and how she’d known where to seat me when I hadn’t given my name.
The guest at my side leaned toward me. “The vegetarian option was very good.” The woman was probably my mom’s age but gray-haired, wearing an enormous silk scarf that draped across her back and down her arms. She didn’t seem to notice the edge of the fabric had fallen onto her plate.
“Your scarf is dipping into that chocolate sauce,” I pointed out.
“Oh, gracious me!” She pulled it away and began brushing at it with a napkin. “How stupid of me! You know, this was a gift from the President of Lithuania.”
Typically, I would have returned a polite, noncommittal sound so I didn’t encourage a stranger to confide in me about a tedious topic, but I was no longer the taciturn Adam people regretted inviting to their events. I was determined to awe Jenna at my efforts to make polite conversation.
