AllFreeNovel
Share Us
No, really,isit? Because I’m seriously starting to wonder.
“What’s going on?”
The office door opens, and Jack appears at the exact moment the first tear rolls down Rose’s cheek. I’m at least 86% sure it’s fake.
“Rose, what’s wrong? What’s happened?”
He comes into the hall, looking rumpled and bleary and like a man who has absolutely no idea what he’s just walked into.
“Emerald says she doesn’t want me to be in the wedding,” Rose sobs, launching herself at him. “She says I’ll never be her sister, and she only wants Frankie!”
“Oh,come on,” I say indignantly. “That’s not even close to what I said. Rose! Why are you saying this? Why are you trying to make me look bad?”
“St-stop yelling at me,” she sniffs, as Jack pats her back comfortingly.
“Stop yelling at her, Emerald,” he repeats, glaring at me.
“I wasn’tyelling,” I say, my voice rising until it’s suspiciously close to, well,yelling. “I didn’t say she couldn’t be in the wedding, or that she’d never be my sister. I just said she couldn’t be Maid of Honor. Come on, Jack, you know I wouldn’t say those things. You know me!”
He looks at me above Rose’s glossy head.
“I really don’t think Emerald meant to upset you, Rose,” he says at last. “She wouldn’t do that. I think there must just be some crossed wires somewhere. Of course you’re part of the wedding. Isn’t she Emerald?”
“Yes, of course,” I mumble, looking at my feet.
At least he stood up for me.
Well, sort of.
“Really?” Rose raises her head from Jack’s shoulder, her eyes suspiciously dry. I dig my nails into the palms of my hands to stop myself saying something I’ll surely regret.
SomethingelseI’ll surely regret, I mean.
I wish a piano would drop on her from a very great height.
“Thank you, Emerald,” she says quietly, still valiantly working the ‘delicate little flower’ routine, and fooling absolutely no one. Other than Jack, I mean. “I’m so glad. I’m just so looking forward to it. Well, I better go and get changed. The caterers will be arriving soon.”
She bounces off towards the stairs and Jack and I stand there looking at each other, each waiting for the other to break the awkward silence that’s descended.
“It was a misunderstanding,” I tell him stiffly. “She thought I’d asked her to be Maid of Honor, but I didn’t. I wanted to ask Frankie. You know that, don’t you? I mean, you were there when I said it.”
Jack frowns.
“Couldn’t you just let her do it?” he asks. “I mean, does it really matter who has what role in the wedding? Other than us, obviously?”
He smiles, and his eyes crinkle at the edges in that way I love so much.
“It does matter,” I say carefully. “It matters to me, anyway. And it matters to Frankie, too. She was really upset when she thought she was being pushed aside.”
The smile fades from Jack’s face.
“It’s your decision, of course,” he says flatly. “But it would mean a lot to Rose, too. She hasn’t had an easy time of it lately, you know. It would be good if you could try to make a friend of her, Emerald.”
“Iamtrying to make a friend of her,” I insist, wondering what he means when he says Rose “hasn’t had an easy time of it”? From where I’m standing, Rose’s entirelifeis aneasy time of it. Unlike Frankie, say, who’s had to work for every penny she’s got. Or McTavish, who looks more stressed every time I see him.
“Hadn’t you better get ready too?” Jack says, looking at his watch. “They’ll be here soon.”
“Wait,” I say, remembering Rose’s comment about caterers. “How fancy is this thing, anyway? I thought it was just a casual get-together? I was just going to wear what I have on.”
