Page 72 of The Trouble with Runaway Brides

“See you. Last night was fun, huh?” She turns from the door to look at me. “I missed her.”

“Yeah, me too.” My voice has a sad note to it.

“Have faith. Just give her some time.” She opens the door and leaves.

I toss the letter on the counter and wonder how the hell I got here. It’s certainly not where I expected to be.

Twenty-Three

Kenzie

Less than a week until the wedding

* * *

With every day that passes, my nerves grow more and more frayed. Will can’t come to Lake Starlight until two days before the wedding now, and Lance is back in New York City. Everyone keeps asking me questions about why he left. What am I supposed to say? That it’s because he wanted me to walk out on my wedding for him?

Brinley came with me to Glacier Point Resort today to finalize everything, but being with her just reminds me of him. Regardless, getting to spend time with her since that night at Lucky’s has been amazing. In many ways, it feels as if we never grew apart in the first place.

“Okay, I’ve checked all the notes, and everything looks great. We’re all set.” Jeanette sits next to me at the table in our venue room. “The only thing is that you never did pick out an ice sculpture. Is that something you still want?”

“No, that’s okay. We were supposed to go look before Lance had to leave town. How about the outdoor pictures? Do you think that’s feasible? I know it depends on the weather, but I was just curious.”

“The forecast looks good but cold. If you’re up for it, of course, we’ll have the path clear of snow and ice.”

“Great. That’s it then.”

“Well.” She taps the papers on the table to straighten them. “Then we’ll see you on Saturday. This weekend is it. Get excited, girl, this is when it’s time to just sit back and enjoy.”

I smile, but it’s not sincere because I don’t feel happy. “I’ll be happy once I know it all went smoothly.”

She stands and touches my shoulder. “This is your day to enjoy. Let us handle the small details.”

“Thanks, Jeanette. I appreciate your help. Especially since Lance had to go back to New York.”

She nods. “Well, don’t tell my boss, but I always thought it was silly that they had Lance take it on. The boy is busy making a success of himself. He doesn’t need to be doing this kind of thing.” She smiles. “See you on the big day. If you need anything in the meantime, just message me.”

Jeanette leaves the room and I sit there, remembering the one part of the planning process that Will was involved in—the meal sampling.

“Brin,” I say, not moving from the table. “Do you know I’m allergic to garlic and onions?”

“Yeah, remember that time you accidentally ate it and got that rash all over your face two days before prom? I thought you were going to die.”

“If that wouldn’t have happened though, do you think it’s something you would have remembered?”

“Of course. I mean, isn’t that something the people involved in your life should know?”

“I guess. What about my favorite cake?”

She puts her hand on my forearm. “What’s this all about?”

I shrug. “Lance knew all of it. He knew my favorite cake, my allergy, the flowers I wanted. I’m not sure Will even knows my favorite restaurant in the city.”

“You’re just getting cold feet. It happens to everyone. Not that I don’t want you with Lance, but I’m trying to remain neutral here and go off of your vibe. If you think Will is the one, then he’s got my vote.”

I clasp her hand. “Thank you.”

Last night as I rolled everything over in my mind while sleep eluded me, I wondered whether, if Brinley had been in my life all these years, would the decisions I made have been different? Would I even be marrying Will?

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