by Sophie Meyer
It seemed like a thousand questions came hurling at Ashley, like little arrows, each landing in a different place. As more and more questions kept coming, she felt more and more idiotic.
But Heather wouldn’t stop and take a breather. She lived on gossip and news like this.
“What’s the reason for such a quick wedding? Do any of the girls know?”
No one knows, Ashley was about to answer, when Heather suddenly looked at her watch.
“Oh my God, I have to run,” Heather said. “I have an appointment with someone at the dance studio. I just stopped in on the way to look for an invitation quickly. We’re having a ballroom dancing contest in two weeks.” Then she turned to Ray and looked him up and down quickly, as if to be extra sure he weren’t the One. “Nice to meet you Ray.”
“Nice to meet you too, Heather,” Ray agreed.
“If you hear of any studios for Ray -,” Ashley started to say -.”
“Sure,” said Heather quickly, “but it sounds like there are much more important things going on in your life right now! And I want you to know I can’t wait for you and your groom to come to the dance studio to rehearse the first dance.”
“Maybe,” said Ashley, but Ray’s studio is important, too.”
“Ashley, you’re getting married!” Heather insisted. “First things first.”
CHAPTER 9
Shane was at Heather’s dance studio when Heather arrived totally out of breath. She had stopped by to arrange times when she and Doug could practice their dance.
“What’s the matter?” asked Shane asked, as Heather burst inside the door, totally flushed.
“I can’t believe it, I just can’t,” Heather could barely get the words out.
Shane started to get nervous. “What?” Heather was a new friend, and Shane knew her well by now, but had never seen her like this.
“Let’s go into my office and sit down first,” Heather said, obviously trying to calm down.
The two of them went into the small room in the rear that served as Heather’s office. It had a metal desk with a computer on it in the middle, and a bunch of dance shoes lined up along the side.
Heather slammed the door shut behind them.
“Ashley’s engaged,” she suddenly burst out, not able to hold back another second.
“What?” Shane flinched, almost as if someone had thrown a punch at her.
“I just saw her and this guy looking for wedding invitations at Langstons. In fact they’re probably still there.”
“It’s not possible,” Shane could hardly answer.
“But I saw it and talked to both of them!” Heather’s voice got higher.
“Slow down, a minute,” Shane replied. “You’re giving me a heart attack.”
Heather did her best to relax.
“Who is the guy she was with?” Shane’s voice caught in her throat, her head was spinning. “Tell me exactly.”
“I don’t know,” said Heather quickly. “But he wasn’t the groom.”
“What?” Shane could feel her heart beginning to pound. “What are you talking about?”
“The guy’s some friend from yoga.”
“Heather, calm down,” Shane insisted. “I’m not understanding you.”
“I’m not understanding anything either,” Heather gurgled, “but it’s definite! Ashley’s engaged. Not only engaged, she’s planning a wedding. Soon!”
Shane became silent.
“What’s wrong?” Heather asked.
“I’m devastated” said Shane, “I can’t believe she didn’t tell me herself. We’ve been so close since she was little. Who’s the groom?”
“Who knows?” breathed Heather.
Shane felt her mind racing. Something strange was going on. “Who else knows about this?” she demanded.
“Nobody,” said Heather. “Please don’t be hurt. I just found out by accident. I happened to pop into Langston’s quickly on my way to the studio to see if I could find invitations for our dancing contest, when I suddenly saw her there with her friend.”
“Are you sure he’s only a friend?”
“Positive.”
“We can’t be positive about anything,” Shane started pacing back and forth. Something was off here, she was positive of it. “Was Ashley hiding in a corner of the store?” Shane was desperate for details.
“No, she wasn’t hiding,” Heather went on, “she was out there in public, sitting at the counter, going over invitations, beautiful ones. She was all dressed up, too.”
“Probably going to meet the groom afterwards,” Shane mused.
“Could be,” said Heather, “anything is possible.
No, it wasn’t. Shane had known Ashley for years. She always had a secretive nature, but not like this. And anything wasn’t possible. Life went along in predictable patterns. People didn’t suddenly change midstream and behave in ways no one expected, shocking you to the core. Did they?
“When did this happen?” Shane was determined to get the facts. “Did you ask Ashley how she met him? When she was planning to tell us all?”
“Frankly, I was so surprised I didn’t ask her much,” said Heather. “She did tell me though, that they had just met!”
“Just met?” Now it was Shane’s turn to become high strung. “They just met and they’re getting married? It doesn’t make sense, Ashley’s always been the cautious kind. She’d never marry a stranger.”
“Things like this happen, I’ve read about it,” murmured Heather.
“Not to Ashley,” Shane interrupted.
“Sometimes a soul mate suddenly appears,” Heather mused, “he wipes you off your feet. You have no idea what’s happening to you, wherever you are, suddenly you start dancing.”
“It doesn’t happen like that for Ashley. This has to be someone she’s known for a while,” Shane insisted. “We need to get on her Facebook page right away and see what’s going on in her life. I’m going to call the girls, create a conference call, and we can all look together. Between us we’ll figure out who he is!”
Shane felt as though she were trying to save a long, lost friend. “Ashley and I grew up together. She never made plans like that without telling me before.”
“Please don’t feel badly, Shane,” Heather repeated. “Ashley was probably planning to tell all of us together, at the same time.”
Just then the bell rang in front of the studio and Heather’s client walked in.
“Listen I have to run for an hour,” said Heather, and dance the Marengo.
“I’ll call the girls and let them know,” said Shane. “In an hour we’ll all go on Facebook and search. The guy’s got to be there somewhere. Once we put our heads together, we’ll figure out who he is.”
“Yes, we will, yes we will,” said Tamara lightly, slipping into dancing shoes and making her way to the ballroom.
*
Music for the Marengo played in the background as Shane started calling all their friends, one by one to let them know the news. She started with Jessica, who wasn’t in, then went to Kate, the private detective. She was the perfect person to call, Shane realized, she’d definitely be able to locate the guy.
“What’s this? Some crazy joke?” Kate said when Shane got her on the phone.
“It’s not a joke, can you make the conference call in an hour?” Shane asked. “We’re all going to check out Ashley’s Facebook page and take it from there.”
“Not today,” Kate sounded irritated, “I have appointments front to back. Besides, what’s looking on her Facebook page going to tell you?”
“Somebody will recognize something or someone,” Shane was disappointed that Kate wasn’t on board. Kate backed out regularly from all kinds of occasions and Shane wondered if Ashley was even going to ask her to be a bridesmaid.
“Why not just ask Ashley directly?” Kate said. “It doesn’t sound like she’s hiding anything.”
“Of course she’s hiding it,” Shane was irritated. “Heather only found out by ac
cident. If she wasn’t hiding, don’t you think she’d have told me by now?”
“Maybe yes, maybe no? It sounds like it’s all been very sudden. She’s probably not thinking so clearly right now. But what exactly are you investigating? Ashley was right out there in public, doing something completely normal, looking for wedding invitations. Don’t you think you’re making too big a deal of this?”
“No,” Shane answered sharply. “This is definitely unusual behavior.” Shane knew Ashley like the back of her hand. She’d always heard about every boyfriend Ashley had as soon as Ashley had met him.
“Whatever,” said Kate, only half interested. “It just doesn’t seem like such a big deal. Be happy for Ashley.”
“Oh, I am,” Shane interrupted, “but I also have to know who he is!”
“So call her family and ask them,” said Kate.
The idea of asking Ashley’s family was definitely upsetting. Her family would be as shocked as she was that Ashley hadn’t told Shane. Shane couldn’t bring herself to embarrass herself that way.
“I’d rather have you on the conference call with us,” Shane tried one last time.
“I’m really sorry, but I can’t,” Kate repeated. “And frankly, I’d recommend just being patient. Why don’t you wait and let Ashley tell you herself?”
“Normally, I’d say it was a good idea,” said Shane, “but I’m just too uneasy. It’s too weird for Ashley to be getting married to someone no one knows. I’m glad we talked though.”
“Okay,” Kate was eager to get off the phone as well.
Shane felt like a little girl who’d been begging her big sister for help and not getting it. Still, she couldn’t shake the queasy feeling she was having. Not only was she troubled, she was worried. There were all kinds of odd guys out there ready to lure a woman into a snare. Of course Ashley was not someone who ever fell into that category, but something could have happened, you never knew.
After she hung up with Kate, Shane took a deep breath and started calling all the rest of their friends to let them know what was happening. No one could believe what they were hearing, all jumped at the chance of going on Facebook and brainstorming to see if they could find the groom.
*
Needless to say the conference call was jammed, not only with the people Shane had contacted, but others. Each girl had called other friends to tell them, and before you knew it, the word was out. Ashley’s getting married! No one knows who the groom is. Let’s find out.
Everyone went on her Facebook page at the same time, looking to see if they recognized someone, and sharing it on the call. To Shane’s great relief, Jessica wasn’t there. If she were she would have tried to take everything over.
Some of the girls on the call knew nothing about what was going on in Ashley’s love life recently. Heather decided to fill them in.
“Well, for starters, I know that Ashley broke up with Brad a few days ago,”
“No big deal,” Robyn chimed in, “he was never right for her anyway.”
“I thought Brad was fine,” Heather retorted. “Ashley thought he was cute, smart, and had possibility.”
“Whew,” Shane let out a long, slow breath. “Ashley told me Brad was okay, but sparks weren’t flying. I told her to be patient, it can definitely take time for sparks to fly. Anyway, who said it’s so important for sparks to fly?”
“Are you crazy?” burst in an old friend, Ramona, “sparks flying are the best!”
“I even mentioned my own relationship with Doug,” Shane spoke over her. “It took a long time before the two of us realized something was happening. Doug’s mother told me he was a slow bloomer and to be patient. I listened to her advice and look how it worked out! Isle of Capri, here we come!”
“One thing has nothing to do with the other,” Heather insisted upon filling the girls in on details. “Brad came into the ballroom to dance with another woman, while he was dating Ashley! Of course I knew there was trouble right then.”
You could hear low gasps over the phone.
“Awful,” hissed Robyn, “she didn’t deserve that.”
Shane felt ashamed for Ashley, she didn’t like it that Heather had told everyone that personal detail about Brad. There was no reason for it. It made Ashley look bad.
“So, obviously Brad broke up with her!” Robyn was busy putting two and two together. “So, this new relationship she has now could definitely be on the rebound.”
The girls all got quiet.
“She’s choosing someone fast to get back at Brad?” Heather mused.
“Interesting,” murmured Ramona.
“Nothing interesting about it,” Shane defended her loudly. “Ashley’s definitely not desperate and didn’t care about Brad enough to do something like that. He was just a passing interest. Let’s look further on the page!”
“What about Fred Angeston?” Ramona piped up again. “He’s here all over her page, leaves messages every day.”
“Fred’s an old friend from college,” Shane said quickly. She knows him well. “He’s been going with someone for years and is very happy with her.”
“Then why does he leave so many messages for Ashley?” Ramona wouldn’t let it go.
“They’re friends – best friends. That’s what Facebook is for.”
Ashley had 451 friends and the girls browsed carefully.
“It could not only be a friend,” said Heather, “it could be a friend of a friend that we know nothing about!”
“No,” Shane disagreed. “If Ashley’s marrying someone, there’s got to be a trace of him somewhere on her page.”
Shane sat back in her chair as the girls came up with suggestions, talked to each other and wondered when Ashley was going to break the news herself. Shane thought about her own relationship with Doug. It had happened gradually. They’d enjoyed the same activities, he was easy to be with, considerate, never pushed her in any way. Finally, when their families met and loved each other, it was a match. Doug always wanted to make his family happy. That was the way things should happen, thought Shane, that was what made a relationship survive the years.
“The groom’s definitely not here,” Heather said finally, “this has got to be a sudden passion that’s swept Ashley away.”
Shane hated hearing that. “Then Ashley’s in for trouble,” she interjected. “Marriage isn’t about sudden passion that comes out of nowhere, and disappears just as fast.”
“Oh no?” said Ramona, “I beg to differ.”
“Doug and I never experienced that, and we’re still very happy,” Shane insisted.
“But that has to be what Ashley’s going through right now,” Ramona voice became sultry. “What else causes a woman to suddenly marry a stranger, but hot, uncontrollable, passionate sex that they just can’t get enough of?”
Shane shuddered. Neither she nor Ashley had been raised that way, and she for one was glad she was safe and stable inside Doug’s stable arms. There would be plenty of time for passion after the wedding. The isle of Capri was a fantastic, romantic destination. That should spark something between them. It was her mother’s suggestion and Shane thought it was a wonderful idea.
CHAPTER 10
Ashley and Ray left Langstons soon after Heather departed. The shock of seeing Heather left Ashley trembling, she couldn’t bear to stay in the store another minute.
“It’s not a big deal,” Ray kept reassuring her. “So she saw us looking at wedding invitations?”
“I told her I was engaged,” Ashley felt the blood draining from her face. “How could I have said that?”
“It’s good that you did, very good,” Ray insisted. “You’re speaking the truth!”
“The truth? Are you nuts?”
“The bigger truth. You’re not judging by appearances, by what happens to be here at the moment! You were speaking about what the big picture is - the universal plan. You are engaged! You chose it! We declared it so!”
Ashley lifted her hand to stop him.
; “Stop Ray! You’re going too far. I’ve gone too far. When I get home I’ll call Heather first thing and tell her it was a joke. I’ll say I just felt like looking at wedding invitations and got caught up in wishful thinking.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Ray interrupted.
“But that’s the truth and that’s what I’m going to say.”
Ray turned to her sweetly then. “Say what you want, but I don’t agree. If you only declare what you want, that’s what you’ll get.”
“Ray, Stop! We’re not at the workshop now.”
He laughed. “I hear you. I don’t want to become overbearing.”
Ashley was filled with a warm, tender feeling for him. He had so many sides to him, and all were interesting and flexible.
“You’re not always overbearing. We don’t have to agree and we can still be friends, right?” Ashley asked then.
“Absolutely,” said Ray.
“Now, let’s focus on you,” said Ashley. “I want to help you look at those studios you said you heard about, nearby.”
“Great,” Ray agreed, and the two of them spent a few hours looking around at studios. The day was mild and it was nice being with Ray, easy, lighthearted. They looked at one studio after another. One was too dark, the other too small, the third had a lonely vibe, as Ray put it. That vibe would keep people away.
“Expand your search, look a little further,” Ashley suggested.
“Nope,” said Ray, “I need to find a place in a ten block radius, and I will. The right one will come,” Ray seemed certain of it.
They had a quick late lunch at an outdoor café and then it was time to go home.
“I’ve got work tomorrow “said Ashley. “I need time to unwind, get my head back together, and put all this behind me.”
Ray looked stung for a moment. “Put what behind you?”
Ashley hadn’t meant to put it that way. “Look, this has been fun,” she corrected herself, “but it’s already gone further than I wanted it to.”
“Running into Heather?”
“Absolutely. I happen to know that Heather’s busy and working today. She won’t have the chance to tell anyone before I get to her. But if the word of this ever got out I’d be the laughing stock. You don’t know my friends.”