Page 67 of Both Sides Now

“Don’t thank me yet. There’s still time for me to upend a server and crash into the wedding cake. I have aspirations, you know.” I laugh despite the absurdity of our situation.

Something about the man makes me giddy, and I will always find solace in a good giggle.

Keegan’s solemn expression slides away as he chuckles in agreement. “I’ll have my camera at the ready. Shall we?”

He offers his arm, but I miss the teasing touches of yesterday.

This is staged. Rigid.

And I’ve no one but myself to blame.

It was a lovely ceremony.

Okay, that’s a crap statement. I don’t have a clue what the preacher said. I was too focused on my handsome groomsman … and the lithe blonde bridesmaid who kept eyeing him like a triple-decker sundae.

Keegan, for his part, maintained a neutral gaze, but I caught their whispers as they walked down the aisle together.

No, I’m not jealous.

I’d just like a moment or two of blondie’s time. Long enough to hogtie her until after the reception.

Instead, I call on every facet of my English upbringing to maintain a calm facade to his family and friends.

I’m failing miserably.

I can’t help it. I came as Keegan’s date, but I’ve hardly seen the man the entire day.

He’s involved in a wedding photoshoot that threatens to stretch on for eternity, complete with an endless array of poses, all of them far too close to his favorite bridesmaid.

Hard to believe Keegan told me he loved me last night when today he barely looks at me.

The more I ponder it, the more conclusions I reach regarding our argument. Trust me, none of them are good.

One option is that I hurt him with my cheeky question. A second is that hewasdrunk and didn’t mean the words he said. The third is my personal favorite. He ran into blondie in the bar and spent the night coaxing orgasm after orgasm from her.

In all episodes, I come out on the losing end.

A young server gestures toward the door where people are filing in from the patio. “Miss, they’re opening up the cocktail hour, if you’d like to head inside.”

I turn my head, shielding my eyes from the afternoon sun. “Is the bar open?”

“It is.”

“That may be the best news I’ve heard all day.”

I walk into the reception area, offering a smile to the myriad of guests wandering the area. The upside to a wedding where you know no one? You can people watch to your heart’s content. The downside? You’ve got whiskey for company.

“There you are, Callista. I asked Keegan where you’d gone.” Louise joins me at the bar, flashing me a smile. “I apologize about the photographers. They need about a thousand more photos. They might be finished by next year.”

I chuckle, accepting my whiskey from the bartender. “By Christmas, at least. You look lovely, if it’s any consolation.”

“It most certainly is, although I need something to drink. I’m parched.” She motions to the bartender, who pours her a glass of champagne. “Why don’t you join us in the garden? I’m sure Keegan misses you.”

I doubt that fact highly, but choose to keep that morsel of information to myself. “I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

Louise grasps my forearm, her smile as endearing as her son’s. “I’m so glad he’s found you.”

With that final blow to my heart, she walks away, leaving me to bleed out in solitude.

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