Page 52 of The Bride's Pink Shoes

Together they’d hosted some amazing wedding. But what were they all doing in the coffee shop at this hour?

The rest of the tables were empty as it was the middle of the morning. Most people were hard at work, just like her friends should be doing. So what had drawn them there at the exact same time? Her gaze moved from one to the next, unable to make out their thoughts.

She moved to the table and forced a smile to her face. “Hey, guys, what are you all doing here?”

Brooke ducked her head, avoiding Clara’s questioning look. Selena conveniently took a long, slow sip of her coffee. Gabi’s gaze avoided hers. The fake smile slipped from Clara’s face. They all knew about her disastrous morning. There was only one person missing from the group, Liza.

Behind Clara the door swished open with the ding of an electronic bell. “Sorry, I’m late,” Liza said. “Just let me grab a coffee and I’ll be over.”

And that left Gabi to explain what was going on. Clara’s gaze zeroed in on her. “So, in the middle of a workday, none of you had anything better to do than take a coffee break?”

Just then Andrew pulled out a chair for her. She didn’t want to sit. All of her friends glanced up at her with worry in their eyes. She suddenly felt like she was on the wrong side of an intervention.

The air went out of her and she sat down. “Would you all quit looking at me like the world is ending?”

“We’re worried about you,” Gabi said.

“You read the headlines?” Clara grabbed her coffee cup but didn’t drink any.

“Everyone has heard.” Sympathy reflected in Selena’s eyes.

“News of Tula’s wedding is trending,” Brooke said.

Clara didn’t know what to say. She wanted to tell them that everything was going to be all right as she had a handle on everything, but that would be a lie. And she refused to lie to her friends who had accepted her into their group and made her feel like she belonged.

Clara sighed. “I don’t know how it happened. I certainly didn’t say anything to anyone outside of our group. And I trust all of you.”

“What did Tula say?” Andrew sat down beside her.

Clara shrugged. “She was upset. She almost fired me. But for some reason she didn’t. I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse.”

Liza joined them at the table. “I don’t know how Clara deals with that woman. She’s entirely too much.”

Gabi turned to Clara. “What can we do to help?”

“Yes, tell us,” Brooke said. “You know I’ll do everything I can to make this better.”

Selena leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. “Count me in.”

“Me too,” Liza said.

A feeling of gratefulness for having such awesome friends washed over her. Her eyes grew misty, causing her to blink repeatedly. Her biological family may be giving her the cold shoulder, but she’d found a family-of-choice.

These women had their own lives, jobs, and families to deal with, but still they’d taken time out of their day to be there for her. That touched her heart. How did she get so lucky?

Andrew cleared his throat. “And as the best man and brother to the groom, I would like to do what I can to help.”

Clara turned to him as a tear splashed on her cheek. She swiped it away. And then she turned back to her friends. “You all are so wonderful. I don’t have the words to tell you how much your caring means to me. But right now, I don’t need anything. Tula believed me when I said the leak hadn’t come from me. I offered to move the wedding date, but she wants to keep everything as is.”

There were a bunch of questions about the leak. This was followed by theories of who might have leaked the information. And then everyone got up, gave Clara a hug, and headed back to work—everyone that is except for Andrew.

Outside on the sunny sidewalk, he turned to her. “Is there anything at all I can do to help?”

“Thanks for the offer.” It truly meant a lot to her. “But I’ve got this under control. It’s going to be the best wedding ever.”

He stared deeply into her eyes, making her heart flutter. “Just know that I’m always there for you. I’ve got your back.”

She believed him. They’d both done a lot of growing up since their breakup. It was like Andrew was a new man. And she was so proud of the man he’d become.

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