Page 64 of How to Break My Heart
“Yes! We didnothave sex.”
“With who, though?”
“With Aston!” I yell out unexpectedly.
A few people turn, forcing me to smile and pretend I didn’t yell out my best friend’s older brother’s name. “Look, there’s a lot at stake. So it wouldn’t be a good idea even if I wanted to, which I don’t. You don’t mix best friends and their older brothers with pleasure.”
Billie removes a plate from the stack of clean ones to serve three jelly-filled sugarcoated donuts to table five. “He certainly seems to rile a reaction from you.”
“He does,” I admit, remembering our encounter in the bathroom. “But, we’re all adults. Once this wedding ends, he’ll be long gone back to the city, and I’ll be here.”
“With the hot doctor…” Billie trails off with a knowing grin.
Right on cue, Maddy walks in, looking a bit frazzled. “Aston sent me to pick up his keys for him,” she says, barely meeting my gaze.
I hand her the keys, noticing her tension. “You all right?”
She lets out a sigh, fiddling with the key ring. “I’m fine. Just… meeting Georgina for tea.Again.”
I raise an eyebrow, unable to hide a smirk. “A tea party? Who are you, Alice in Wonderland?Isn’t that her second one this week?”
“Third, and the Mad Hatter at this point,” Maddy mutters, rolling her eyes. “She’s gone full mother-of-the-groom mode. Myles is her only kid, and she’s milking it for all it’s worth.”
I chuckle. “And you’re the perfect future daughter-in-law, smiling through it all.”
Maddy laughs, but there’s a weariness in it. “I try, but she’s pushing every button. I mean, who needs three tea parties to plan a wedding?”
“Maybe she’s just excited.” I try to keep a straight face, but Maddy sees right through me.
“Excited?Excited?Eva, she has this massive binder for table placements alone.”
“Sounds like you’re in for quite the ride,” I say, shaking my head. “If you need a break, you know where to find me.”
“Trust me, I’ll take you up on that.” She sighs, clutching Aston’s keys like they’re the lifeline she really came for.
For the rest of the week, I busy myself with wedding preparations.
The flowers take forever, but I manage to order everything from the bouquets to the arrangements for the ceremony and reception.
Billie offered to bake the cake, and given that she’s great with desserts, I took her up on the offer with Maddy’s approval. Then, the pastry chef at the Grand Honey Lodge insisted he bake the cake and threw a tantrum when Maddy mentioned Billie making the cake. What we both didn’t know was that Georgina had already discussed it with him. Honestly, it wasn’t worth the stress, so I encouraged Maddy to just let him do it to avoid any further conflict.
Now, with those details sorted, the next major item on the list is dress shopping—a task I dread more than anything. It’s not that I dislike wearing a dress—it’s just that once I find one, I prefer to stick to it. The thought of trying on endless gowns and parading in front of others under the unforgiving lights of a dress shop makes me want to crawl into a hole and hibernate until it’s all over.
But Maddy is my best friend, and as her maid of honor, I need to be present with a smile on my face.
The wedding dress shop is about forty-five minutes away, two towns over. It’s owned by a friend of Georgina’s—apparently, they’re bridge partners. Of course, that connection only adds another layer of pressure to this whole dress-shopping ordeal.
We take a seat on the white bouclé sofas as an assistant serves us champagne. Aside from Georgina and Patricia, two of Myles’s cousins join us. One of them being Ramona.
The owner, Helena, takes dresses to the back changing room for Maddy to try on. I know exactly what she wants and doesn’t want, so hopefully, she will find the dress here because I have checked, and Helena can make alterations, even given the short notice.
We chat among ourselves, mainly about dresses and fabrics. It’s all civil until Georgina, out of nowhere, says, “So, Patricia, I hear your son is single. Quite the handsome boy.”
“I’m not quite sure, Georgina. My son likes to keep his private life private.”
I pretend to be busy on my phone but listen attentively to this conversation. Considering I haven’t heard from Aston for almost a week, I’d also like to know what’s going on.
“Ramona, dear,” Georgina calls out softly. “Perhaps the two of you should have dinner. You’re not getting any younger, my love.”
