Page 52 of The Vineyard Bride

Valerie’s beautiful eyes caught the twinkling lights.After another pause, she whispered, “I hope the ceremony went well?”

“Jenny read Kuan,” Lola explained.

Valerie’s eyes widened.“You’re kidding.It’s perfect.”

“It really was,” Lola agreed.

“We read that poem over and over again, amazed at that woman’s power,” Valerie breathed.

“We thought we were the most powerful women in the world,” Lola affirmed.“And just because I got married doesn’t mean that I feel we’ve lost all that power.If you and Jenny and I could arrange more times to meet...”

Valerie lifted a hand and shook her head.“I was such a jerk that night at the cabin.I’m so sorry, Lola.When I saw you today outside of Harry’s place, I felt jolted back to reality.”

Lola placed her teeth on her lower lip.Don’t push her to admit he’s insane.Don’t shame her into this.

“You don’t know what it’s like to feel like the world is going forward without you,” Valerie breathed.“I suddenly was like, Oh my God.I’m forty.I haven’t been in love in years, or maybe ever.And no man will ever care for me, not in any real way.When Harry asked me to come back to his place, he showered me with compliments and I-love-yous.It sounds so dumb to say aloud, but I finally felt special.”

Lola’s throat tightened.Already, she sensed where this story would go.

“As many women do, I shoved aside what I saw in front of me.Yes, there were heaps of trash around his yard.Yes, he had four rusted cars.Yes, he screamed at me sometimes, but only if he was grumpy when he woke up.Or drunk.”

Lola shivered against the wall of the Grange Hall.Across from them, on the dance floor, her father remained latched tight with Beatrice, dancing slowly to ensure Beatrice’s recently broken body remained okay.

“But Lola, when I saw you outside his place today, something broke inside me.I realized what a fool I’ve been.I saw you, and I remembered everything we’ve ever been through together.I remembered that there have been hard times and better times, and blissful times.I remembered that these times were necessarily based on the man I was kind-of dating at the time.These times were based purely on what I built for myself.Or what we three built together.”

“That’s right,” Jenny affirmed, dropping her eyes to the ground.

“Did you leave him?”Lola asked finally, her voice breaking.

Valerie nodded.“I did.He was so violent about it.He punched the wall with his fist.Blood everywhere...”Valerie lifted her hand to inspect her own skin as though she’d half-imagined that his violence had lingered on her.“I grabbed my backpack and ran out the door, past the stupid trash bags and the newspapers and that dumb dog.”

Jenny’s eyes widened.“And you came directly here?”

Valerie shook her head.“I wasn’t sure what to do, so I eventually wound my way to the Sunrise Cove Inn.A woman named Natalie was working at the front desk.I told her my sob story and that I really needed to get to your wedding before it was too late.She lent me this dress and told me to bring this gift along with me.”

Lola glanced at the tag on the present, which read:TO: LOLA, LOVE: NATALIE.

“So, I’m sorry.I’m sorry that it’s only me and my useless apology.All I can say is how sorry I am.And that I want to become friends again.And sponge that idiot Harry from my memories...”

Lola wasn’t sure she wanted to add insult to injury.She instead fell forward, wrapping both Jenny and Valerie in a hug, one that seemed to transport them back to their early twenties.Back then, Audrey had been a toddler, and their free time had sizzled with pop music on the radio, bad snacks, and plenty of laughter.

When their hug broke, Lola leaned back and, finally, drummed up the courage to ask: “I don’t suppose any of those cars in Harry’s backyard was a Chevy Cavalier?A maroon one?”

Valerie’s cheeks fell forward.“One of them, yeah.It was pretty messed up.It disappeared a little while ago, and I never figured out where it went.Harry was never one for questions.I finally just let it go.”

Lola craned her head around to watch as Amanda and Sam, hand-in-hand, headed out for the parking lot.Her heart pounded knowingly.Soon, Sam would call the police and tell them what they now understood.

But there was no use getting Valerie more involved in that criminal’s life.

“Why don’t we dance?Like the old days?”Lola coaxed.

“God, remember that club we used to go to all the time?”Jenny said.

“We could only go if we got a babysitter for Audrey,” Valerie said knowingly.“I remember it well.”

“Well, lucky for us tonight, Audrey’s twenty-one years old!”Lola joked, grabbing Valerie by her free hand.“I’ll show you where that present goes.And then, let’s head out there and dance the night away.For me.Okay?”

“Okay.I guess I will.For you,” Valerie offered, her eyes twinkling.

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