“Ginny?” Marcie beckons me. I get up and make my way to the top of the table. I’ve watched this moment a hundred times over, the good speeches and the bad. From sobbing endearments, to bitchy backhanded sniping about all the many men the bride loved before, I’ve seen it all. It should be a breeze, but when I look up the lights and cameras are blinding. A roomful of people is staring back at me expectantly.
I take a deep breath, and open the page. “As you all know, I’m Pixie’s maid-of-honor, but what you might not know, is that Pixie and I share a lot in common.”
I stop reading. We do?
There’s silence in the room, so I clear my throat, and press on. “We’re both Pisces, we love animals, and we both love sneaking off for a cheat day of double chocolate milkshakes with extra fries!”
“But only on cheat day!” Pixie pipes up. Everyone laughs.
Phew, OK.
“The thing about Pixie is that she’s a woman of hidden depths,” I keep reading. “Sure, she’s the fun-loving life of the party, always ready to down some shots and try a little skinny-dipping, but the Pixie I know is more than that. She cares deeply about the people in her life, and doesn’t want to let them down. She always has time for a friend, and puts everyone’s happiness above her own. Her sweetness and her generosity make her one of the most incredible people I’ve ever met, and any man would be blessed to have her at his side. You deserve the best, Pixie, and I wish you a lifetime of happiness--”
‘even if you’re marrying the wrong man.’
I catch the words a split-second before I read them, and manage to stop in time. “To Pixie,” I say, when I’ve recovered. “And Clyde!”
There’s toasting and cheers. I search out Theo in the room, ready to send my most furious death glare, but when I see him, he’s staring at Pixie with such hopeless adoration on his face. My anger fades.
He’s totally in love with her. And she’s getting married tomorrow afternoon – to somebody else.
“Thank you for that touching speech, Ginny.” Marcie moves in. “Did we get all the reaction shots?” She checks with the crew. “Great, perfect, let’s move on! Luke?”
I make my way back to my seat, passing Luke as I go. “Good luck,” I whisper.
He doesn’t reply, just slouches to the head of the table. “So, I didn’t prepare a speech,” he begins, before the crowd has settled down.
“Hold up!” Marcie calls. “Quiet, everyone!” There’s silence. “OK, roll tape!” Marcie announces, then gives Luke a nod.
“Marriage.” He says abruptly, and shakes his head. “That’s the goal, right? One person, to have and to hold, ‘til death do us part.” He pauses, and takes another swallow of beer from the bottle still in his hand.
I worry. What is he playing at?
“What they don’t tell you is what happens when it doesn’t work out. Because, let’s be serious, even when you think you’ve found the love of your life, the odds are, it’s all going to end in tears. And then what? Are you just supposed to try again, go ahead and make believe it’s not all going to end the same way?”
There are whispers around me. People don’t know what the hell is going on. But I do. This is my fault: Luke is still worked up over what he thinks I was saying to Pixie. But he’s got it all wrong; I wasn’t talking about us!
“So, good luck to you both, I guess. You’re going to need it.” Luke raises his bottle, and after a beat, there’s a smattering of applause.
“Yeah!” Clyde calls, enthusiastically embracing Luke in a big hug. “Let’s hear it for my boy. Thanks man, you’re a true friend. The best.”
Marcie clears her throat. “Yes. Thank you for that… touching speech. Now, are my bride and groom ready for their special surprise?”
“We get a surprise?” Pixie asks.
“Yes you do! It’s time for the next part of your evening… the bachelor and bachelorette parties!”
Suddenly, the bridesmaids all produce silly string and party poppers, and shower Pixie in a cascade of glitter. She squeals. “Oh my god! You guys!”
They all begin to hustle her to the exit, but I’m more worried about Luke. As everyone leaves the tables, I grab his arm. “Listen, we need to talk.”
“Not right now.” He looks closed off, and my heart aches to see the shutters over those gorgeous blue eyes.
“But you have to listen,” I say quietly, “You’ve got it all wrong. What you thought you heard—”
“Ginny!” Marcie yells, beckoning.
“You should go,” Luke says, backing away. “The guys are leaving now, too.”
“But wait!” I hate seeing him like this, feeling this distance between us after everything was going so well. “Can we talk after? I could come over, or meet you. Whatever you want.”
“Not tonight. It’s going to be a late one. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Luke barely looks at me before heading out after Clyde and his rabble of groomsmen.
My heart sinks. How can I explain, if he won’t even look me in the eye? I want to go after him, but Marcie swoops in and whisks me outside to where a massive party bus is waiting.
“Who’s ready to party?” she calls. The bridesmaids all cheer, hustling on board with Nick and Neil following right behind them. I couldn’t be any less ready, but I have no choice. I take a deep breath, and follow.
Inside, it’s already decked out with bright pink feather boas and a mini bar. The other girls crowd around, doing shots and pouring champagne as we drive away. “It’s your last night as a free woman, babe!” Lulu howls. “We’re gonna get you some action.”
“No, really,” Pixie protests weakly as they drape a Bachelorette #1 sash around her. “You don’t have to do all of this.”
“Who’s got their dollar bills, yo?” another girl whistles. “Driver! Take us to a strip club!”
Pixie squeezes in beside me. “That was a really nice speech you made.” She smiles at me. “Thank you.”
“Um, my pleasure.” I decide not to tell her it was Theo’s words she heard. The last thing I need is any more complication. “Are you all ready for tomorrow? You must be excited.”
Pixie swallows. “Sure,” she says, sounding like she’s got a dental appointment lined up, and not her dream wedding. “It’ll be great.”
I study her. She’s looking kind of pale. “Are you feeling OK?” I check.
“Uh huh. Just a little bus sickness. My stomach is kind of queasy.”
“Maybe it’s something you ate,” I suggest.
The bus rolls on, and soon the girls are on the third – or is that fourth? – bottle of champagne. We’re just rounding a corner, when suddenly Pixie lurches up. “Stop the bus!” she cries. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Eww!”
“Oh my god, don’t puke all over me!”
“Get her out of here!”
The bus screeches to a stop, and Pixie scrambles out. I hurry after her as she stumbles to the side of the road and starts retching.
“Hey, honey, it’s OK!” I hold back her hair and rub her back. “Shh, it’s OK.”
Pixie dry heaves, then straightens up. “I’m fine.” Pixie swallows. “It’s like you said, it must be something I ate.”
The girls are already tottering out of the bus. “Babes, are you OK?”
“You’re such a lightweight! We’ve got a ton of drinking left to do!”
“At least that’s one way to lose weight,” another snarks.
I clap my hands together. Executive decision. “Show’s over!” I declare. “Pixie’s not feeling well, so we’re cutting the night short. Time to go home!”
There’s a chorus of disappointment. “Buzzkill!”
Pixie looks stricken. “I don’t want to ruin everyone’s fun.”
“They’ll live,” I tell her, then have an idea. The production is sending more cars to trail us. “You guys take the bus and keep partying, I can run Pixie back to the inn.”
They don’t hesitate. “See you, babes!” The gir
ls climb back onto the bus, and soon, they’re driving away.
Pixie and I are left alone. I put my arm around her, and wait for headlights.
There’s a rumble in the distance. Pixie looks up at the sky with a hopeful expression. “Do you think it’s going to rain?”
Chapter Twenty-One
I wait up, hoping to speak to Luke, but Clyde’s bachelor party must have run late, because he doesn’t return my calls. I finally fall asleep, setting my alarm early so I can drive over to his place first thing in the morning and explain.
But it’s not the sound of the clock radio that wakes me. Instead, someone comes flying into my room and shakes me awake.
“She’s gone! What the hell are we going to do? Wake up, Ginny.Wake up!”
I groan, wrestling to get the duvet back. This is a nightmare. It has to be, because that voice sounds suspiciously like—
“Marcie?” I open my eyes. “What are you doing--?”
“Pixie’s gone!” Marcie yanks my covers away. “She had an early hair and makeup call, but she’s not at the house, and she’s not picking up her phone.”
“So? She’s probably getting breakfast somewhere.”
“She packed a case!” Marcie cries. “And took that stupid little dog too!”
Oh crap.
“The wedding is in eight hours!” Marcie is pale, pacing back and forth on the floor. “We have lights, camera, and no action! Do you understand what this means?” she demands. “We’re ruined!”
Now I’m awake. I scramble out of bed and grab a robe. “Calm down,” I tell her, even though my stomach has dropped with fear. Marcie shakes me off.
“We flew in all the co-stars. There’s a three-foot tied cake with her perky blond face on it! All my bosses are coming. Oh God, they’re going to fire me. I’ll never work in this town again!”
“Deep breaths.” My mind races, trying to figure this out. “Tell me, what does Clyde say? When did he see her last?”
Marcie snorts. “He hasn’t been home. Apparently his buddies decided to strip him naked and tie him to a streetlight down in Key West. The photos are already all over the internet.”
“Well, that’s good,” I say. “That means they haven’t heard about Pixie yet.”
“And they won’t.” Marcie grips my wrist tight. “Because we’re going to find her, before anyone knows she was gone. They’re getting married today, come hell or high water.”
I pause. Somehow, I’m not so certain. “Are you sure you don’t want to say something? Just in case we have to cancel.”
“Don’t say that word again!” Marcie still is holding me tightly, her nails digging into my skin. “You’re going to go out there and comb every last inch of this godforsaken town – and don’t you dare stop until you find her.”
“But what if she’s already left?” I protest. “She could be anywhere by now.”
“I have a team already checking rental cars and airports,” Marcie looks determined. “Unless she hiked out of town on foot, somebody knows where she went.”
“We’ll find her,” I promise.
“You better.” Marcie’s eyes narrow. “Because we both know, this is all your fault.”
“What?”
“You heard me.” She glares. “Pixie’s cold feet are nothing new, she changes her mind about everything all the time! But you’re the one telling her she can quit – yes, I know about that,” she cuts me off. “I know everything that happens on my shows. How do you think I got this far?”
“I was just trying to help,” I protest, feeling guilty. “Sometimes, a bride needs to hear they can leave so they choose to stay!”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass about your reverse psychology. Your plan backfired, and we’re all going to pay the price. Fix it!”
She turns on her heel and stalks out, leaving me reeling. Where on earth would Pixie go? Every time I asked if this wedding was what she wanted, she promised me it was. Why would she change her mind now?
I pull on some clothes and grab my keys. “Theo, pick up. This is an emergency!” I get his voicemail. “Pixie’s gone AWOL. You need to call me back ASAP.” I pause, suddenly thinking of something. The speech. Their flirty moments together. If he’s gone and done something stupid… “If you know where she is, you need to tell me, right now. Call!”
I hit the road and drive around town. I check the café, the park, even the beach. Anywhere Pixie might have gone. Marcie calls me every five minutes, her panic turning to fury, until I just let her calls go to voicemail. My panic grows.
This is bad. This is really bad.
I see the wedding guests around town, being filmed enjoying life in Pelican Key Cove. There’s crew everywhere, and when I drive by the mansion to check there too, there are dozens up people setting up for the ceremony, rigging lights and running cables from the massive generator trucks in the back. This is a huge production; everybody’s depending on us to pull it off, and I can’t even produce the bride!
Marcie took a chance on me, but you can bet if I don’t find Pixie and get her down that aisle my reputation will be ruined. My whole career depends on pulling weddings off without a hitch, and I would say this counts as a big one. Goodbye wedding planner business, hello public humiliation and shame. But that’s nothing compared to letting everyone else down, and worse still, having Pixie out there in the wind in God knows what state.
I bite back the panic, and try to think. I call my aunts, Wes, Jules, everyone I can think of to help search.
“Oh babe,” Jules says, “I’m so sorry! I’m on my way over with the cakes, I’ll call you if I see anything.”
“Thanks.” I sit, staring at the ocean for a moment. My mind is blank, my career is hanging by a thread, and what I told Marcie is true: she could be anywhere by now! But even in the midst of all this chaos, one instinct is stronger than anything else.
I need Luke.
I start the engine again and drive over to his house. Luckily, his truck is still outside. I hurry up the stairs, and burst through the open door. Luke is just at the table, looking at some plans. “Thank God you’re here,” I exclaim. I’ve never been so glad to see anyone in all my life. “Pixie’s done a runner, Marcie’s in meltdown, and I don’t know what to do!”
I reach for him, needing to just hold him, and have everything feel better the way it always does when I’m in his arms. But Luke steps back.
“Maybe she did the right thing.”
I pause, confused. “Didn’t you hear me? I have to find her. My whole career is on the line!”
Luke gives a tense shrug. “Is that all that matters to you? There are more important things than some stupid wedding, you know.”
I gape. I know he got the wrong idea the other day and we haven’t had a chance to talk, but his tone is so matter-of-fact. It’s like he doesn’t care at all.
“This isn’t just about the wedding!” I try to explain. “Pixie could be anywhere by now. She’s confused, she’s upset. We need to make sure she’s OK!”
“You mean so you and Marcie can talk her back into it. No thanks, I don’t want any part of that. Besides,” he adds coolly. “You were the one who told her she could quit.”
I step back, trying to keep it together. “This is about what you heard, when I was talking to her. I’ve been trying to explain, it’s not what you think. I wasn’t talking about us, me leaving, any of the past. You got the wrong idea!”
“Did I?” Luke challenges, his blue eyes distant and hurt. “You might not have meant it at the time, but it’s still true. Quitting on a relationship is the easiest thing in the world, you’ve already proved that once.”
“That was ten years ago!” I can feel tears rising, but I fight to keep them back. “You know why I left. You said you understood.”
“I understand.” Luke’s voice is quieter now, almost sad. “Leaving is what you do best. It’s what you’re going to do now, isn’t it? Just head back to New York.”
“I…” I pause, caught. “I
haven’t figured that out just yet. I don’t know what the future holds, but yes, I need to go back, at least for a while. I have a life there, a career.” I catch the flash of hurt in his eyes. “But it doesn’t have to mean the end for us! This matters to me, Luke. You matter,” I say fervently, willing him to just listen.
But Luke shakes his head. “It’s my fault, too, getting caught up in old feelings. But what we’re doing here, you and me, it was never going to last. This was just a repeat of something that played out a long time ago. We both should have known better.”
His words slice though me. Agony. “Luke…” I whisper, I can’t understand what I’m hearing.
“No, I’ve thought about it a lot. You had it right. A fresh start, moving on. There’s a reason we didn’t make it the first time,” he adds cruelly. “Let’s just call it what it is: a fling, for old time’s sake.”
My world crashes down. “You’re breaking up with me,” I say slowly.
Luke looks at me sadly. “No, Ginny. We were broken a long time ago.”
I can’t believe it. I thought this had been my second chance, that we’d mended the broken bridges of the past. I opened myself up again, I dared to dream I could have this love back in my life – build something real with him this time around. But Luke is looking at me like a stranger, as if I’m someone he’s found in his bed the morning after a one-night stand who doesn’t understand the rules.
I reel back, trying not to cry. I want to stay, to fight for him, make it so he understands how much he means to me. But Luke is clear: he doesn’t want me in his life any more.
This was all a mistake to him.
My phone sounds again. It’s barely stopped ringing, but this time I pick it up.
“Ginny?” It’s Theo, sounding nervous.
“Where are you?” I demand, turning away from Luke before he can see the devastation on my face.
“A motel, out north past Marathon. The Sandy something, I think. Sandy Shores.”
A motel. I freeze. “Is Pixie with you?”
“Yes, but Ginny—”
Beach Wedding Page 17