Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 89265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
“Nice to meet you.” Karen looked very nervous and clutched a purse in front of her stomach in one hand and a full glass of champagne in the other.
Valerie put an arm around her. “Karen and I are trying to drown our nerves with a little bubbly. Would you like some?”
“Yes,” said Mrs. Gardner. “That sounds lovely.”
“No, thank you.” I wasn’t a huge fan of champagne, and I felt like I needed to stay sharp anyway. I could not fuck this up.
Valerie motioned to a server carrying a tray of full champagne glasses and then touched my arm. “Did you get a chance to meet Emme and Stella when they were visiting last month?”
“Uh, yes.” My voice came out scratchy, and I cleared my throat.
“Oh, good. Then it won’t be too terrible to sit through the wedding. Nothing worse than having to attend one of these things when you have no idea who anyone is.” She smiled again, and it was clear she had Stella’s way of putting people at ease.
“Mr. Woods took a little shine to our Stella, I daresay,” teased Mrs. Gardner.
Was it wrong to have a quick murderous thought about an old lady?
“Really,” said Valerie, her smile deepening. “How nice. Would you like to meet her father?”
“Um …” What I really wanted to do was run my ass off right back to the truck, but I forced myself to nod, praying her dad wasn’t some macho asshole with strong opinions about the war. All I knew from Stella was that her parents were divorced, and her father had remarried. “Okay.”
She led me over to the three men in charcoal suits. “Gentleman, I’d like to introduce you to Ryan Woods. He brought Ruthie here today. Lives next door to her.”
I was grateful she hadn’t said anything about Stella. “Hi,” I said, offering my hand to the guy on my left, a trim, silver-haired fifty-something with Stella’s dimpled chin. He had to be her father.
“Good to meet you,” he said, shaking my hand. “I’m John, the bride’s father, and this is my husband, Roberto.” He gestured to the tall Hispanic man on his left, who seemed a little younger with a more athletic build and a sharper jaw.
It surprised me, since Stella hadn’t mentioned her dad had married a man the second time around, but I did my best to keep a neutral expression as I shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
The third guy turned out to be Valerie’s boyfriend Phil, a little older, a little heavier set, with glasses, salt and pepper hair and a neatly trimmed beard. I forgot his name immediately. Actually, I forgot all of their names immediately. My nerves were getting worse by the moment. Would I see her before the ceremony? Or would our first glimpse of each other in weeks be as she walked past me down the aisle?
I felt a tug on my arm. “Excuse me, gentlemen.” It was Mrs. Gardner. “Could I steal my neighbor away for a moment?”
Everyone nodded and she pulled me aside. “How are you doing?”
“I’m not sure.” I tugged at my collar. “It feels a little warm in here.”
She smiled knowingly. “You’re doing fine. We have about ten minutes. Would you like to see Stella before we’re seated?”
I did, but the thought of having to say everything I wanted to tell her in ten minutes made me light-headed. “I don’t know. Should I? It’s not much time, and I—”
“It’s plenty of time,” she said, dragging me out the double doors and into the front hall again. “You wait right here. Excuse me, young lady!”
The woman with the clipboard who’d shown us into the library, Mia’s assistant—I forgot her name too—turned and smiled as Mrs. Gardner approached. “What can I do for you?”
“I need to speak with one of the bridesmaids. My granddaughter Stella,” she said. “Would that be possible?”
“Certainly. The bridal party is in a room upstairs.” She glanced at the staircase and back at the elderly woman in front of her. “I’ll go get her for you.”
“Perfect. Oh, I’d like to speak to her in private. Is there a quiet room we could use?”
“Sure.” She looked around and pointed toward the back of the house. “The kitchen is actually empty right now. The caterers are set up in a tent. Will that work?”
“Yes. Thank you, dear. What was your name again?”
“Skylar.”
“Thank you, Skylar.” She waited for Skylar to head up the stairs and hurried back over to me. “Head right through there,” she said, pointing toward the hall leading to the kitchen. “I’m going to disappear.”
The expression on my face must have indicated my level of panic. “Don’t be nervous, darling. This was meant to be.” She brushed some dust off my suit and straightened my tie before placing a hand on my cheek. “You know, I heard somewhere that the strongest thing someone can be is vulnerable, and you seem like a very strong fellow.”