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My thoughts stop in their tracks as I remember I’m supposed to be meeting Joel in a few days.
Fuck. Will I still be able to pretend then? Will Claire?
~
Claire looks pissed. Exquisite, in a glossy bronze coat and tight black pants with her honey-colored hair sprawled over her shoulders. But pissed. At me.
Her smile vanishes as soon as she sees me. Her eyes narrow dangerously.
Uh-oh.
“Claire.”
I give her a smile to try and appease her and hopefully convince her to keep our secret, but she just pouts.
“Are you okay?” Joel asks her.
“Sorry I’m late,” she tells him as she shrugs off her coat.
It nearly lands on my face as she throws it on top of her purse, the pile effectively creating a barrier between us as she sits down.
“It’s okay,” Natalie says with a sweet smile.
I have to say she is an angel.
“You remember Ryker, don’t you?” Joel says.
Claire looks at me. Again, I try to get my message across. She looks away.
“Yeah. How can I not?”
What does that mean?
“Well, now that you’re both here, maybe we should tell them our decision,” Natalie says as she places her hand over Joel’s.
“Don’t tell me you’re calling the wedding off,” Claire says.
“Of course not,” Natalie replies. “It is definitely on. Right, sweetheart?”
“Definitely,” Joel answers as he squeezes her hand.
It dawns on me that lately, I’ve been in the company of romantic couples quite a lot. Ethan and Stella. Asher and Violet. Now, Joel and Natalie. Maybe that’s why I kissed Claire.
No. I’m not going to blame anyone else for my behavior.
“So, what’s this decision, then?” Claire asks.
Natalie draws a deep breath. “Claire, I’ve decided that I want you to be my maid of honor.”
Her eyes grow wide. “No way. I thought your friend from college was…”
“I realized I want it to be you,” Natalie tells her. “Because even though we’ve only known each other for a few years, I feel like I’ve known you forever and I think of you as my own sister, the sister I never had.”
Natalie reaches for Claire’s hand.
“Please?”
Claire purses her lips. Joel looks at her hopefully.
“I’ll let you pick your own dress,” Natalie promises.
That makes Claire smile. “Okay. I’ll do it.”
“Yay!”
Natalie stands up and tries to give her a hug from across the table. Joel applauds.
“Now, my turn,” he says. “I know I already asked you this, but I’m asking you again, personally and officially. Ryker Hawthorne, bro, will you be my best man?”
Natalie chuckles. “Wow. That almost sounded like a proposal. So what do you say, Ryker? Will you take Joel to be your groom?”
Ah. The angel has a mischievous side.
“You’re kidding, right?” Claire says.
“Of course I am,” Natalie says.
“I mean you’re kidding, Joel. Right?”
I realize she’s gone back to being pissed.
“What do you mean?” he asks.
“You haven’t seen Ryker in… years, right?” Claire says. “How do you know he’s still the same man you know and trust?”
I freeze. Is she going to tell Joel about what happened between us?
“I know because I speak to him nearly every month,” Joel says. “But you seem to have a reason why I shouldn’t trust him. Go on. Say it. Is there something you know that I don’t?”
I hold my breath.
“No,” Claire answers.
I exhale.
Joel gives her a look of concern. “Are you okay, Claire?”
“Yes, I’m okay,” she answers grudgingly.
Clearly, she’s not.
“What happened to you?” Joel asks her. “You used to like Ryker. You used to follow him everywhere.”
“I did not!” she denies emphatically.
“She did,” Joel says to Natalie.
Claire lets out a breath. “Fine. Maybe I did. Maybe Ryker used to be nice. Now, he’s… not.”
“Since when?” Joel asks.
Claire glances at me. Why is she looking at me?
“Since he ignored me at that Christmas party we attended at their house and he cut my finger,” Claire says.
I frown. “You make it sound like I took a shard of glass and ran the edge through your finger, which is not what happened.”
Joel scratches his head. “Claire, that was… long ago. Like ten years ago?”
“Seven,” Claire and I answer at the same time.
“And he’s been ignoring me ever since,” Claire adds.
“Well, I’ve been busy,” I say.
“Exactly,” Claire says. “He’s too busy. He can’t be your best man. A best man does… a lot of things for the wedding.”
I look at Joel. “What is the best man supposed to do again?”
“Stand beside me at the altar while I’m waiting for my bride,” he answers.
“And plan the wedding shower,” Natalie adds. “And the bachelor party, both of which are happening on the same evening. Same with the bachelorette party.”
Claire’s eyebrows furrow. “On the same evening?”
Natalie nods. “Everyone comes to the wedding shower, then we split.”
“So plan an evening and show up to the wedding?” I ask.
“And make sure the groom doesn’t get cold feet,” Natalie adds.
“My feet are very, very warm,” Joel assures her.
She grins. “And dance with the maid of honor.”
