Page 90 of The Plus One Professional

“What do you mean, you don’t know? Have you told her?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Adults always say that, but, no, it’s not. If you love her, you should tell her. What is so complicated about that?”

Before I had the chance to respond, Carly’s phone rang. When she saw who was calling, she jumped off the couch, ran into her room, and slammed the door before answering it. I sat staring at the place that my niece had just vacated and where Lindsay had been the night before.

Was Carly right?

Was I making this more complicated than it needed to be?

Wasn’t that exactly what Lindsay had done? She’d been scared to talk to me when we were together, and then she ended up bottling it up, cheating on me, running away, and spending three years wracked with guilt.

Maybe I should go talk to Bailey.

Thank you. I heard those two words echo in my brain.

No. Carly was wrong. This was complicated. She’d thanked me for her ex showing up, and she hadn’t contacted me since. Whatever I felt for Bailey, there was really only one thing to do. Get over it.

37

BAILEY

I setthe final centerpiece on the table and stood back to double-check that everything was where it should be. String lights hung in a starburst from the center of the tent out to the edges. Every plate, candle, piece of silverware, and all glassware was in place on the six round tables.

The ceremony was to be held on the grass overlooking the city and the Bay. All of the chairs were lined up, and in the center was a row of red rose petals serving as an aisle runner.

Everything looked beautiful, but the real showstopper was the view. The blue water was shimmering as if diamonds were floating on the surface. And as the day wore on into evening and night, the buildings and bridge would be lit up, making it the perfect backdrop for the reception.

Today’s couple was close to my heart. Joanna Garrett, or Mrs. G, and Tom Burke had a love story for the ages. The two of them had dated over forty years earlier, when she was working as a waitress in the Playboy Club and he was a Chippendales dancer.

They lost touch, but then were reunited when Sadie, the daughter of Mr. Burke and owner of Sweet Temptations, met and got engaged to Alex Vaughn, a former foster child of Mrs. G. The wedding today was being held in Alex and Sadie’s backyard, which felt like the perfect place for the two to exchange their vows.

Their love story had given me hope that Simon and I would work out one day. Which, I supposed it had, just not in the way I’d expected. I knew now, without a shadow of a doubt, that Simon wasnotthe right person for me.

After spending three days with Cole, he’d raised the bar for what I expected in a relationship, and Simon did not even come close to reaching it.

One month had passed since Cole had driven away, leaving me on the sidewalk with my suitcase. Even after seeing him and Lindsay kissing, I’d still spent the first week expecting him to contact me. Every time I opened the shop, I was sure I’d catch a glimpse of him across the street at the bakery. Every time my phone rang or alerted me to a text, I expected to see his name. Every time there was a buzz at my door, I hoped it would be him on the other side.

I think the reason I kept thinking he was going to show up was the look in his eyes when he said he needed to tell me something. That look haunted me. I just couldn’t get it out of my head or let it go. But I’d come to peace with the fact that he was more than likely back together with his ex. And, if not, whatever he had to say couldn’t have been that important.

Was I kicking myself that I hadn’t had the confidence to message him that first week after he’d dropped me off? Yes. Because the window of appropriate time to ask what he wanted to tell me had passed. If I messaged him now, it would make me seem like I’d been thinking about it and obsessing over it all this time. Which I had, but I didn’t want him to know that.

For the past three weekends, I’d wondered if he’d show up at one of the weddings I’d worked. He hadn’t. Since today was a small, intimate affair, I knew I wouldn’t see him. There were less than forty people attending, and that included plus-ones and kids.

“The DJ had a flat. He’s running a little late,” Billie informed me as she stepped beside me and looked around. “Wow. It is the perfect day for a wedding.”

At first, I thought my sister was being sarcastic, but when I saw she was serious, I brought the back of my hand up to her forehead to check for a fever. “Are you feeling okay?”

She gave me the side-eye as she moved away from my touch. “Yes. Why?”

“Nothing.” I lowered my arm. “It’s just that in all the years we’ve been working weddings, you’venevercommented that it’s a good day for a wedding.”

Grandma Betty used to say that Billie was the Grinch of weddings. She’d never found them enjoyable or romantic like both Birdie and I did. Billie had always maintained that if you needed a piece of paper to prove that you loved someone, there was an issue with the relationship.

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