Page 2 of Like It's 1999

Pam shrugs. “I knew it.”

“You did not,” Deb argues.

“Did too.”

“Did not.”

Steve leans over to whisper in my ear, “Are they always like this?”

I don’t even bother to keep my voice low. “Pretty sure.” Lifting my mug, I get to my feet. “Well, friends, I think a combination of congratulations and condolences are in order.” Facing Kate I say, “Farewell to your freedom and single girl status. And you young man,”—I turn to Will—“‘You break her heart, I break your face.’”

He bows. “Well said.” Then he grins. “Actually, someone else said it better—”

Pam groans. “Not a Shakespeare quote!”

“He can’t help it, you guys,” Kate says, throwing her arms around Will.

“And Alice did quoteSome Kind of Wonderful. Twice.” Steve points out.

Despite the barrage of balled-up napkins we send his way, Will—whose ability to quote Shakespeare is way more freakish than my ability to quote popular movies—forges ahead. “‘When I said I would die a bachelor, I did not think I would live till I were married.’Much Ado About Nothing.”

Kate shifts away from his embrace. “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

“Mm, I guess out of context… How about ‘This is a way to kill a wife with kindness’?”

This doesn’t sound much better to me. But he punctuates the quote with an ellipsis of kisses, and she sighs—obviously totally in love—before turning to the rest of us, her cheeks still rosy with happiness. “Anyhoo, we wanted to tell you guys first because we’d like you to be our wedding party, along with our siblings.”

Deb claps her hands. “Yay! I love being a bridesmaid! Can I design the dresses?”

Kate holds up a hand. “Well, hang on. We have something a little different in mind. Deb and Pam, even though I love you guys, you were Will’s friends first”—she gestures to Steve—“whereas, Hot—um,Steveis my buddy.”

“She almost called you Hot Steve,” I say out of the corner of my mouth.

“That’s my name; don’t wear it out,” he shoots back.

“Alice andSteve, I’d love for you to stand up with me.”

Naturally, I’m up for the job. I’ve bridesmaided for lesser friends. But…“We’ll have a boy on our team?”

“What?” He sits up straighter. “You think I can’t handle being a bride’sman?”

Kate clears her throat. “I think you’re up for starting a new trend in wedding parties. The bigger challenge will be dealing with my sister, the third bridesmaid. She can get a little nutty at weddings.”

Will circles his hand with a dramatic flourish. “And Deb and Pam, I’d love for you to be my… uh, I don’t know what we’ll call it, but you are my best friends in the world, so I can’t imagine getting married without you at my back. And I’m sure you’ll have no problem at all keeping my brothers in line.”

“Aww,” I can’t help but say. “You guys are fucking adorable.”

“Here’s the thing, though,” Kate says. “We want to get married on New Year’s Eve next year, so your Christmas travel will have to work around that.”

I tap a finger on my lips and pretend to think hard. “What I’m hearing is that I’ll need to be back from Atlanta the day after Christmas.” I nod, willing Kate to nod along with me. “That will curtail my parents’ matchmaking opportunities in a delightful way. For me.”

“I guess I won’t be skiing next year,” Steve moans. When Kate’s expression shifts to worry, he says, “Kidding. Who goes skiing between Christmas and New Year’s? That’s when all the yahoos are there.” He shrugs. “I’m in. But”—he points at Deb—“I’m not wearing a dress.”

She sniffs. “I doubt you have the legs for it, anyway.”

“‘Unbelievable. You make someone a bridesmaid, and they shit all over you,’” Steve huffs.

I can’t help it. I lean into him with a sigh of my own. “Sixteen Candles. You know all my favorite movies.”

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