Page 99 of The One I Want
I push tears away because that’s how beautiful Whitley looks in her wedding dress. It’s the most Whitley dress I’ve ever seen. Lace all over. The perfect strapless, mermaid silhouette. Just enough spark to catch your eye.
She looks like an angel.
“You, my best friend, might be the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.” I walk over to her and wrap her in a hug. “Thank you again for making me part of your day.”
“Are you kidding me?” She pulls away as the seamstress starts making the minor adjustments the gown still needs. “I would be losing my mind if you weren’t my maid of honor.”
“Thanks, but you don’t need to lie,” I say. “I know I’ve been busy, and I’m sorry. But it’s a month until the wedding. Anything you need, I’m here.”
“I’m not lying,” Whitley says. “You’ve organized the shower and the bachelorette party this weekend. You’ve helped with invitations.”
“That was more Emerson, but I’ll take the credit.”
“No matter what, I was helped,” Whitley says. “I never said you couldn’t outsource.”
I sit back and watch Whitley turn this way and that as the seamstress makes some final adjustments to her gown. It’s weird to think I’m about to take Whitley to her bachelorette party. It was at another bachelorette party we attended where she met Jake in the first place. It might have been four years ago, but it feels like yesterday.
Who knew they’d be anything after their one night together? Who knew she’d move to a small town in Tennessee for him?
Who knew I’d follow?
Thank God for Jake giving Whitley that lap dance.
“I’m going to go change,” Whitley says. “After that, let’s get lunch?”
I nod. “Tacos and margs?”
She smiles. “You read my mind.”
Whitley goes back into the dressing room, and I grab my phone to pass the time. I’ve been on it more since Magnolia and I started the channel, but if I’m scrolling on that account, all I see are other families doing other fun things. Which is great and all, but sometimes I needmyfeed—full of celebrity gossip, cooking videos, and my favorite, the muscled guy who cuts down the trees.
Yes, I love Wes. But it doesn’t hurt to watch. I call it helping another creator pay the bills.
I start scrolling when an email notification pops up with a subject line that nearly makes me drop my phone.
SUBJECT: Content creator interview, Alabama Now Network
I hurry and swipe away from the app, opening the email. Why in the world would Alabama Now Network, the largest media company in the state, want to interview me?
Betsy,
Good afternoon. My name is Ted Buckly and I’m the director of content with Alabama Now Network.
This email might be sudden, but we are expanding our social media content here at ANN. We are looking to bring different creators together to give our consumers a complete content experience. I’ve heard from your father that you are in this line of work, and after seeing some of your videos, we think you’d be a perfect fit.
Please call my office to schedule an interview. Look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Ted Buckly
It takes all I have not to throw my phone into one of the twenty mirrors surrounding me.
How fucking dare he? I haven’t talked to him or my mom since Thanksgiving, and all of a sudden he thinks he can swoop in and get me a job? And how does he know about the videos? I can’t even think about that right now, I’m so damn mad.
I jump out of my chair, pacing back and forth as I try to figure out how to handle this.
“Betsy?” Whitley asks as she comes out of the dressing room. “Are you okay?”
