Page 87 of The Grumpy Billionaire
“I know. Sorry,” she said, her voice so subdued I hardly recognized her.
“What’s the matter?” There wasn’t even a question ofifat this point. Something was wrong.
“Oh, Mare… my life is over.” She sobbed. “Mark called off the wedding.”
I sat down at the table. Hard. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry.”
Kenley’s wedding date was only three weeks away. Heidi and I were to be bridesmaids, and I’d already started wondering if I should invite Reid to fly to Atlanta with me and attend as my plus-one.
“What happened?”
Kenley’s voice was caustic when she answered, though her thick Southern accent could probably make even the foulest curses sound sweet.
“He saidGodtold him not to marry me.”
“God? What the hell?”
“I know—right? He’s been acting strange, you know, kind of distant for a few weeks, and I thought it was cold feet or something,” she said. “I mean, I had some of that myself, wondering if I’d done the right thing quitting my TV career to move back here to be with him, wondering if we could really spend our whole lives together.”
As I listened, I got up from the chair and walked over to the balcony railing looking down on the city’s morning hustle. The view wasn’t nearly as romantic as it had been on the night of Waterfire.
“But he came over two days ago and asked to talk to me,” Kenley continued. “He said it so calmly, so matter-of-fact, like he was Moses and had just been hanging around talking to burning bushes—like he had no second-thoughts about breaking it off with me. He said God told him we shouldn’t get married. And then, I was like, ‘Okay, well, maybe He did. Who am I to argue with the Almighty? Maybe it wasn’t as meant to be as I thought.’”
There was a dramatic pause. “And then I found out the truth.”
Oh, this was going to be bad. “What was the truth?”
“Last night I was missing him so much I drove over to his house to… I don’t know, just sit in my car and look at it, I guess, maybe get a look at him through the window—God I’m pathetic. And then I saw him.”
“Through the window?”
“No, coming home. It was late, like ten-thirty. And there was a woman with him.” Her voice was thick, on the verge of tears.
“That asshole. I’m going to kill him.”
“They looked like they were coming home from a date, all dressed up. They were holding hands, and she went inside with him. She stayed all night, Mara.”
“Oh Kenley, you didn’t stay outside of his house in your car all night did you?”
She started crying. “I did. I know it’s pitiful, but I had to see. I had to make sure. And now I’ve got a huge mess to deal with. I’ve got to tell everyone to cancel their travel plans and call the caterers and florist and reception hall… I don’t think I can stand this.”
“Email me the numbers. I’ll call everyone. I’ll take care of it. And I’m still flying to Atlanta to see you. And to kill Mark. Maybe I can change my ticket and come sooner.”
Then I thought of my mother, who’d be getting out of the clinic tomorrow and would no-doubt need me to be around. Maybe she could come with me? I didn’t know if she’d be up to it.
Ugh—this timing sucked.
“No. No, Mara—I don’t want you to drop your life so you can come and mope around with me,” Kenley protested. “Heidi says you’re working on some big story?”
“Yeah, but it’s nothing I can’t leave if you need me.”
In fact, a day or two away from Reid might help me think straight.
“So you told Heidi?” I asked. “What did she say?”
“She wants to kill him, too.” Kenley gave a weak laugh. “I have some tough friends.”
“You have friends who love you. And obviously, Mark didn’t deserve you. I know that doesn’t help very much at the moment, but you’ll see it’s true. Someday you’ll feel sorry for that skank thatGodtold him to leave you for.”
