Page 23 of Love in Tandem
Zach lifted his palms. He knew better than to keep a woman waiting for cheesecake. “Just a heads-up, I think I heard my mom say something about shooting photos before the wedding, so we’ll need to get there plenty early.”
“I’m not going to be in them, am I?” She sucked in a breath. “I’m the maid of honor. I’m going to be in the photos.”
“Pretty sure Mom will want you in the family photos too, just so you know.”
“This is a bad idea, isn’t it?”
Probably. But for some reason, Zach couldn’t help thinking how this bad idea felt so good. Maybe because he was already picturing the reception when he’d get to dance with her. In front of Ben. Ha!
His elation plummeted with the next gust of wind. What was wrong with him? Why would Ben care if Zach danced with Charlotte? Ben had dumped Charlotte. Maybe this was a bad idea. “Look, if you don’t want to do this, I understand.”
“Oh no. Don’t pin this on me. I’m committed. If you want to back out—”
“I don’t want to back out.”
“Then why are we still having this conversation when I could have purchased an entire cheesecake by now?”
“Calm down, pilgrim.”
She plugged her ears. “This is definitely a bad idea,” she muttered as she headed back toward the restaurant.
“Everything’s going to be fine,” Zach hollered, looking forward to his brother’s wedding for the first time ever.
One day. One little square on the calendar. That was all. Charlotte could do this. She could help an annoyingly nice woman with an overly intense mother have a beautiful wedding day with Charlotte’s stupidly handsome ex-fiancé. She could. That’s why she was here. For them. Not for herself.
Oh, definitely not for herself. If she were living for herself, Charlotte would be at home right now watching Muscle Beach Party as she devoured the last of the enormous slice of cheesecake she’d brought home last night after leaving Cake Night, or whatever the place was called.
She would not be here. Holding a bouquet of pink peonies. Forcing her cheeks into a smile as a blushing bride walked down the aisle toward the man Charlotte was supposed to have married two years ago.
Oh my goodness, what was she doing here?
Charlotte inhaled a steadying breath, then made the mistake of glancing at Ben. Dopey-eyed, handsome Ben.
All the air rushed out of her. This was not at all how she had intended to spend her heartbreak sabbatical. At her ex-fiancé’s wedding. In her ex-fiancé’s wedding.
Forcing another breath in, she fixed her gaze on the peonies. Just get through it. She’d already made it through the photo session from hell where Zach’s mother had insisted on roughly two thousand pictures of Charlotte and Zach since the bride and groom wouldn’t be doing their photos until after the wedding. If Charlotte had made it through that, surely she could make it through this.
“Love is patient, love is kind,” the minister began.
Charlotte closed her eyes. She didn’t know if she could make it through this.
Somehow, twenty minutes later, she had. The processional march began. With trembling fingers, she met Zach in the center of the aisle and looped her hand around his solid bicep. Unable to meet anyone’s gaze, she focused on the white paper rolled down the center aisle, covered in flower petals.
Two more hours. Maybe three. That’s all. Then back to Frankie and Annette. She could stop pretending to be enamored with Zach. Worse, he could stop pretending to be enamored with her. That was the more troubling aspect of this whole scenario. During the photo shoot, the way he looked at her sometimes, she could almost feel as if he weren’t pretending.
And it messed with her head. Made her start thinking about things. Things like those weird kisses they kinda sorta shared two years ago in a sanctuary similar to this one.
Which was a terrible thing to think about. Because then it also made her think about how embarrassed she’d felt afterward, blubbering against his shoulder the way she had. The only reason he kinda sorta kissed her was to stop her snot bubbles, no doubt.
“Don’t go far. We’re going to get some more photos before we head to the reception,” the cheery photographer informed Charlotte and Zach as soon as they stepped out of the sanctuary.
Wonderful. More photos. “Can’t wait,” Charlotte mumbled. She dropped her hand from Zach’s arm and stepped to the side as Shannon, Ben, and their families gathered to form a receiving line. May as well go touch up her makeup while she had time to kill.
Zach grabbed her hand. “Where’re you going? The receiving line is this way.”
“So? I’m not family.”
“You certainly are today, dear,” Zach’s mother said from behind her. She dabbed her eyes with a lacy handkerchief. “What a beautiful wedding. Wasn’t that a beautiful wedding? Oh, I can’t get over how beautiful it was. I couldn’t have dreamed up a lovelier day. Ben and Shannon, married. You and Zach, together. Oh I’m so happy. So so happy.”
