Page 52 of Ten Christmases Without You
“Yeah, that’s perfect,” Emmy replied. “I’m going to duck into the ladies’ room really quickly. I’ll be right back.”
Madison nodded.
On her way, Emmy had the urge to run out of the building, call an Uber back to the hotel, and skip out on the whole ordeal. She burst through the bathroom door and set her clutch on the counter. Then, she leaned against the edge and hung her head. Everything inside her wished she could avoid this moment, butif she ever wanted to have even a shred of the confidence she’d seen in Amelia, she had to confront the situation.I’m exhausted already, she thought.
She lifted her head and looked at herself in the mirror. For the first time, she could see the cost of living in her mom’s shadow. Her mom’s life had seemed perfect, and with all her talent, Emmy was supposed to live up to it, yet she was failing miserably. She doubted she’d ever command a room like Amelia or her mother. So where did that leave her? She didn’t have the answers, but what she did know was that she could no longer continue the way she was going. Perhaps Madison was right, and she should leave New York to find something lower key.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The wedding was beautiful. Adrienne looked stunning in her satin gown that cascaded elegantly from a structured, fitted bodice. Delicate lace trim adorned the neckline and hem, and subtle satin-covered buttons gave it an heirloom-quality. The groom and groomsmen wore traditional tuxedos, each of them with a single red rose in the lapel.
After the ceremony, the room emptied, and they all went to one of the exterior rooms for the reception. To Emmy’s alarm, the tables had name cards at each place—little delicate cardstock flowers with their names in curly script. Emmy had seen this done at weddings before, and the bride usually grouped people with others they might know. She perused the tables for her name. When she finally found her place card, she was beside Madison. Holding her breath, she peered over to the flower to the left of hers: Charlie Russell. Next to him was Amelia Barclay.
“Oh, hey,” Charlie said, joining them, his date at his side. He turned to Amelia. “You remember Emmy from breakfast?”
“I do.” Amelia nodded, offering a self-assured smile. “Nice to see you again.”
“Same.”
“Shall we all get a drink?” Madison asked, bumping Emmy with her knee.
“Yes,” Emmy said. “Would you two like anything?”
“Oh, thanks for asking. We’ll get one in a minute,” Charlie said, pulling out a chair for Amelia.
Amelia draped her fur coat along the back of the chair and took a seat.
Madison was already pulling Emmy to the bar by the hand.
“Unbelievable that we’re seated with Charlie and his date,” Madison said.
“Not really. We all went to high school together.”
They reached the bar, and Madison handed Emmy a flute of champagne from the prepared supply at the edge before taking one for herself.
Emmy downed it in one go and set the empty glass on the silver tray to the side of them. Then, she took another glass.
“Okay, I’m ready,” she said. “Let’s go back to the table.”
Madison shuffled up beside her, her gaze shifting between Emmy’s empty glass on the bar and the one in her hand. “What are we doing at the table, exactly?” Madison’s eyes rounded. “Are you going to confront Charlie and ask why he brought someone else to the wedding? Oh, I wish we had popcorn. This will be good.”
Emmy stopped and faced her sister. “No. That’s absolutelynotwhat I’m going to do. Charlie was free to bring anyone he wanted. I’m going to make conversation with Amelia so she isn’t so intimidating. I’m going to ask her questions about herself and try to be friendly.”
Madison made a face. “Oh, that’s... boring.”
Emmy shook her head. “Boring is good. Uneventful weddings are good.”
By the timethe best man began his speech, Emmy had found out that Amelia was a financial analyst in the firm next to Charlie’s office in Chicago, she was the oldest of three kids, she’d never lost a promotion, and she’d met Charlie when she’d run into him on their lunch break, two years ago.
Well, Amelia had known adult Charlie as long as Emmy had, but Emmy held a secret triumph over her becauseshe’dknown the younger Charlie. Emmy had all the years of laughter, the moments when they’d climbed trees in the slip of woods between their houses, the long summer days spent eating popsicles on a blanket in her backyard, the two-light-blink code they used in their bedrooms to let each other know they were still awake so they could sneak out and talk for hours after everyone else had gone to sleep. She hadn’t thought of those days in a long time.
Once all the speeches had finished, the DJ began, and the crowd, now full of cake and dessert, had filtered onto the dance floor. Amelia invited Charlie to dance. He offered Emmy an apologetic smile before disappearing into the crowd. There was nothing to apologize for. It wasn’t his and Amelia’s job to entertain Emmy and Madison.
Charlie and Amelia were lost in the swarm of people with their hands raised, their feet moving in time to the beat. Adrienne and the groom were at the center, smiling and having a wonderful time, Adrienne’s long train now bustled into wide folds of snowy white fabric that swished across the dance floor.
A handful of songs later, Emmy was still sitting next to her sister, picking at her piece of Victoria beaded-pearl wedding cake with lavender cream as they people-watched. An old man danced with a little girl that might have been his granddaughter,spinning her around while her hair ballooned out of her headband. Another couple stopped dancing, doubling over in laughter at something. One portly man danced by himself, double-fisted with two glasses of champagne.
In the distance, Amelia and Charlie ducked out of the back door, and Emmy swallowed her disappointment. She didn’t have a claim on Charlie. He could do whatever he wanted. So why was the situation bothering her so much? She guessed it was because he’d always made her feel like she was worth something. At least, that was the main definable reason his being with Amelia bothered her.
