by Lauren Boyd
Realization set in. Cecilia and Eric’s wedding was last night. They’re Mr. and Mrs. Wagner this morning. Kate glanced at the empty pillow beside her. I’m still…alone.
The door to the room opened. “Good morning,” Jess called out.
Kate covered her head with the comforter. “It’s not a good morning.”
“I brought you coffee.”
“That makes it better.” She pushed the cover away and sat up. Jess walked over and handed her a paper cup. “Did you and Mark have breakfast downstairs?”
“We did.”
Kate sipped the coffee. “This is delicious.”
“Everything was delicious. I’ll go with you if you want to eat.”
“Thanks, but I’m ready to get out of here.”
“Alright. I’ll call Mark and let him know.”
Kate set her cup on the nightstand and walked over to her suitcase. With an attitude of indifference, she pulled out jeans and a T-shirt and changed.
As she and Jess packed, a knock sounded at the door. Jess opened it, and Mark entered the room, rolling suitcase in tow. “Hey, Kate.”
“Morning, Mark. How’d the wedding go last night?” I don’t really want to know. I’m just asking to be polite.
Mark’s gaze slid to Jess. “Uh…”
Kate frowned. “What is it?” She looked at Jess as well.
Jess stared at her for a long moment. “Cecilia and Eric didn’t get married.”
Shock seized her, rendering her nearly speechless. “They…didn’t get married?”
“No.”
I can’t believe this! “Why not?”
“We don’t know.”
“Cecilia and Eric didn’t show up for photos,” Mark told Kate. “No one seemed to know why, or where they were.”
“I was getting dressed for the wedding when Mark called and told me,” Jess said. “I just assumed they’d decided to take photos after the ceremony, so I went on to the Wynnfield House.”
“What happened there?” Kate asked, hanging on her friends’ every word.
“The place was packed, people were smiling, music was playing—everything seemed fine.”“I’m engaged!”reo
“Around five o’clock, the wedding party gathered in the foyer to line up,” Mark explained. “Cecilia and her father weren’t there, and neither was Maryanne, so we started lining ourselves up. About that time, Maryanne came down the hall, frowning and mumbling to herself. She walked right past us and down the aisle. She said something to Reverend Wilson and the musicians, then turned to the guests and announced there wouldn’t be a wedding.”
Kate met Jess’s gaze. “He didn’t get married?”
“They didn’t get married.”
Kate forced herself to process what Jess and Mark had told her. Eric didn’t exchange vows with Cecilia. He didn’t put a wedding ring on her finger. He isn’t waking up to her this morning.
Eric isn’t Cecilia’s husband.
A smile crept across Kate’s face. Maybe I still have a chance with him after all.
Shame stung her. These two people found each other, fell in love, and pledged to give their hearts and lives to one another, only to have that pledge shattered in the final hours before their wedding. How could I celebrate that for a second? Kate felt tears welling up in her eyes. Eric should’ve had his happily ever after. It’s the least he deserves.
“I wonder what happened to the cake,” Mark mused.
“Mark!” Jess snapped.
“What?”
“That’s insensitive!”
Insensitive or not, part of me wonders the same thing.
“It doesn’t matter what happened to the cake,” Jess scolded him. “What matters is we did the job we were hired to do.”
“Now it’s time to go home,” Kate added. She and Jess finished packing, then followed Mark out of the room.
As they headed downstairs to check out, Kate’s mind spun with questions. Who called off the wedding, and why? Where is Eric? Is he alright? Will I ever see or hear from him again?
They stepped up to the front desk and handed their room keys to the receptionist. She smiled brightly. “How was your stay?”
“Unforgettable,” Jess smiled back.
The woman typed on her computer for a moment, then looked up. “Which of you is Kate Sullivan?”
“I am,” Kate said.
The woman handed her a letter-sized envelope. “This was left for you earlier.”
“Thanks.”
She smiled again. “You’re all set. Have a great day.”
“You, too.”
They walked outside, and Kate stopped on the terrace. She tore the envelope open and pulled out a folded piece of paper. A second piece fell to the ground, and Jess picked it up. “What’s that?” Kate asked her.
“A check from the Prescotts for the remainder owed on the wedding cake.”
“Awesome,” Mark piped up.
Kate read from the piece of paper in her own hand. “‘Dear Kate and Jess, Thank you for a job well-done. Feel free to use us as references. Sincerely, Walter and Loraine Prescott’.”
“References?” Jess repeated with excitement in her voice. “Having the Prescotts as references for Sullivan’s is almost better than the check—almost.”
“Yeah, a pocket watch in her apron."> Sullivan” Kate agreed absent-mindedly.
“What?”
Kate folded the note and slid it in her back pocket. “Something about Cecilia and Eric doesn’t add up.”
“What do you mean?”
“Why did they call off their wedding at the last minute? I mean, if they were having problems, why not call it off in the weeks before? At least that way, they could’ve spared their parents’ wallets and their guests’ time.”
“Maybe they weren’t having problems,” Jess replied thoughtfully. “Maybe something happened this weekend that led them to call it quits.”
“Maybe you’re both right,” Mark chimed in.
Kate and Jess looked at him.
“Maybe they were having probltold you we we
Chapter Sixteen
Tuesday, July 3
As Kate sat at the work table making fondant roses for a birthday cake, Jess came through the kitchen door. “I need your help,” she told Kate.
“Okay.”
“I have a customer who wants to order a cake.”
Kate frowned. “Why do you need my help?”
“You’ve handled an order like this before.”
“What does the customer want?”
“He wants a red velvet cake…only he wants the cake to be blue instead of red.”
Kate dropped the fondant rose she was holding. “Is it Eric?”
Jess smiled.
“Is Eric out there?” She jumped off her stool and pushed through the door.
He stood on the other side of the display case.
Kate’s heart beat wildly. “Eric.” I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again. “How are you?”
“Not bad.”
She walked out from behind the counter and realized Eric was wearing a suit…and a tie.
“It’s nice to see you,” he said, his hands in his pockets.
“You, too.”
“How are you?”
“I’m fine.”
“Good. How are Jess and Mark?”
“They’re fine.”
“Good.” He paused. “I came by to ask you if you want to hang out and talk sometime.”
“We can talk now, if you like.” I’m so eager to hear what you have to say.
“I would, but I’ve got a job interview in half an hour.”
That explains the suit. “How will you make it back to Manhattan in half an hour?”
“My interview isn’t in Manhattan. It’s in Hillsborough. My life in New York is over.”
Of course. His main ties to Manhattan were cut: he graduated from college, and he parted ways with his fiancée. Kate suppressed the urge to cringe. Wish I’d thought of t
hat before I opened my mouth. “I hope your interview goes well.”
“Thanks.”
“To answer your question, I would like to hang out. What are you doing for the Fourth?”
“Not a thing.”
“Why don’t you come to my house? We’ll go down to the watering hole and have a few beers, maybe grill some burgers.”
A smile of seeming realization spread across Eric’s face. “You own the farmhouse now.”
Kate returned his smile. “I do.”
His eyes twinkled. “I’ll be there.”
“Perfect.” I can’t wait.
Eric’s gaze slid from Kate to the clock on the wall. “I’d better get going. I don’t want to be late.”
Would it be out of line to hug him before he leaves? Probably so. Kate extended her hand.
He frowned. “What are you doing?”
“Waiting to shake your hand.”
“Why?”
“You said you have to go.”
“I know, but why do we need to sh&?p dpake hands first?”
“I would hug you, but I don’t know if I should.”
“Do you think I’ll break?”
“No. I’m just not sure if hugging you would be appropriate at this particular juncture.”
“Why wouldnall him on his
Chapter Seventeen
Wednesday, July 4
Kate and Eric sat at the edge of the watering hole, their legs dangling in the warm water. The evening was sticky and hot, and Kate could see storm clouds brewing in the distance.
She and Eric had made small talk earlier while grilling burgers, but Kate knew those conversations weren’t the reason he’d asked her to get together. She figured the reason had everything to do with his cancelled wedding, but by no means was she going to broach that subject. Whatever he w and stepped outsihtpiece ofanted to talk about was his conversation to start. Meanwhile, she would listen to crickets chirp in the grass and watch dragonflies hover above the water. “You want another beer?” she asked Eric.
“Sure.”
She pulled the last two bottles from the cooler. They were wet from melting ice, and they dripped onto her shorts. She popped off the caps and handed a bottle to Eric, then took a drink from the other.
“I called off my wedding.”
Kate nearly choked on beer. “You did?”
“Yeah.”
Her heart pounded in her chest. Tell me why, tell me why.
“Cecilia was insecure in our relationship.”
Insecure? “What do you mean?”
“She didn’t trust me around other women. I finally got tired of it.”
Eric is the last man on earth who would cheat. Why was Cecilia concerned?
He took a drink. “I started noticing her insecurities after we got engaged. Whenever I’d talk to other women, Cecilia would give me the silent treatment or make snide comments later. She even felt threatened by the women in my study group. I spent so much time and energy trying to prove my love for her, yet my efforts never seemed to be enough. It was exhausting.”
Wow. “I see.”
“I could tell Cecilia also felt threatened by you.”
“That makes sense, seeing as I’m a woman.”
“Actually, I think it had more to do with the fact I’d had feelings for you in the past.”
“How’d she find out you’d had feelings for me?”
“In the course of getting to know one another, she and I talked about high school—you know, just comparing experiences. I mentioned my friendship with you, and Cecilia asked me point-blank if I’d ever had romantic feelings for you. I didn’t want to lie to her, so I told her I had.” Eric shook his head. “I should’ve lied.”
“She gave you hell?”
“She did when the time came to pick a baker for our wedding cake, and I told her I wanted to use Sullivan’s.”
“Oh.”
“She immediately assumed I was just trying to be near you again. In truth, I wanted to use Sullivan’s as a way to honor my hometown on my wedding day.”
Kate’s heart melted. Wish you could’ve heard that, grandma.
“Once Cecilia finally gave in and met with you, it seemed like all she could talk about from that point on was how she didn’t think you’d really be able to make the wedding cake she wanted.”
“Yeah, she implied the same thing to me after we’d known each other for about six minutes.”
“I’m sure that was her insecurity talking.”
“Her insecurity pissed me off.”
Eric chuckled.
So that’s why Cecilia treated me the way she did. She saw me as a threat to her relationship with Eric.
He picked at the label on his bottle. “Remember how Cecilia seemed to have trouble deciding between your wedding cake sketches?”
“Yes! It blew my mind that she didn’t like any of them!”
Eric leaned toward Kate. “She liked all of them.”
What? and stepped out">Katep dp“How do you know?”
“I overhead her telling her parents as we left the bakery that day.”
What the hell? “Why did she pretend not to like them?”
“She didn’t want to give you the satisfaction.”
“Because she’s insecure?”
Eric straightened. “No, because she’s a bitch.”
Kate burst out laughing.
He took a long drink. “The final straw came the night of the rehearsal. Cecilia and I took a walk after dinner, and while we were walking, she asked me about my ‘Hillsborough friends’. I told her I planned on staying in touch with you guys once she and I were married, which included traveling to Hillsborough on occasion. That’s when she flat-out told me she wanted me to cut ties with y’all after the wedding.” He scoffed. “I knew her well enough to know what she was really saying.”
“Which was what?”
“She was telling me to cut ties with you.”
Just as I’d expected.
“At that point, I’d had more of Cecilia’s insecurities than I could take. I told her it was over between us, and I took off. I would’ve headed home right then, but I’d had a few drinks at the rehearsal dinner, so I just stayed another night at the inn. In the morning, Cecilia was at my door, begging me to take her back and promising to change. Talk about too little too late.”
Poor guy. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m over her. I’m ready to move on.”
Eric’s words caught Kate by surprise. I hadn’t even thought about him dating again.
Lightning flashed, and a rumble of thunder echoed across the sky. “We’d better go,” Eric said. “Storm’s here.”
“Right.” Absent-mindedly, Kate stood up and poured melted ice from the cooler. He’s ready to move on.
“You want me to carry that?”
“I’ve got it, thanks.”
“Alright.” Eric started across the field toward Kate’s house with the grill, and she followed with the cooler.
Heavy rain began to fall. It quickly soaked Kate’s hair and clothes, and left her blinking profusely to try and keep her eyes clear. Lightning illuminated the field, and thunder cracked in its wake.
The weather hardly fazed Kate compared to the final words Eric had spoken: I’m ready to move on. Unease filled her frame. I don’t want him dating and falling in love with another woman.
I want him dating and falling in love with me.
Realization set in. If I want a chance with this man, I’ll have to put it all out there. In doing so, I risk him saying he no longer has feelings for me, which would leave our friendship strained at best and ruined at worst. Kate watched Eric walking a few steps ahead of her. Is it worth it? Am I willing to jeopardize my rekindled friendship with him if it means the chance to kindle new love?
Yes.
Kate stopped in her tracks and dropped the cooler. “I’m in love with you.”
Eric came to a halt. He didn’t turn around. He didn’t speak. H
e simply &hp dpstood motionless in the pouring rain.
Fear swept over her. Did I just make the biggest mistake of my life?
He turned and met her gaze. “You’re in love with me?”
“Yes.” I’ve already jumped in the water—guess it’s time to start swimming. “I fell in love with you the summer you were home from college. I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want things to be awkward between us if you didn’t feel the same way about me. My grandma finally convinced me I should; she said there was always the chance your feelings were mutual. Before I could tell you, you emailed to say you’d started dating someone—and that was the last time I heard from you. After we lost touch, it took me a while to get over you…at least I thought I’d gotten over you.” Kate felt tears welling up in her eyes. “I realized I still love you after walking down the aisle at the pre-rehearsal. Out of respect for your relationship with Cecilia, I hid my feelings and tried to treat you like my customer rather than my friend.” Kate wiped her cheeks with her hands and couldn’t tell if she was pushing away rain or tears. “No matter what I said, or how I acted, my love for you was there. It’s still there.”
Eric set the grill on the ground and walked over to Kate. “You fell in love with me the same summer I was already in love with you.”
“That’s right.”
“We were in love with each other and didn’t even know it.”
The words were too much for Kate. She lowered her eyes from his. “Yes.”
“Too bad one of us didn’t speak up so we could’ve done something about it.”
“I know.”
“Fortunately, we can do something about it this time.”
Her gaze shot to his. “What?”
“I’m in love with you, Kate.”
She gaped at him in surprise. “You are?”
“Yes. I called off my wedding because I could no longer handle Cecilia’s insecurities…and because I no longer loved her.”
“You love me,” Kate whispered, trying to assimilate the notion.
“Very much so. I planned on telling you as soon as we got back to your house.” Eric took Kate’s hand, and excitement rushed in to replace her surprise. “In New York, I told you I’d made up my mind to get over you. Instead, I ended up falling out of love with Cecilia and back in love with you. I didn’t realize what was happening until the night of the rehearsal, when Cecilia and I took"G6PK5">