Page 12 of Versions Of Us

“Well, I’m sending out the invitations right… now.” She makes a show of hitting the enter key on her laptop keyboard. “You should be receiving one in your inbox any moment.”

“Awesome! Does that mean you guys decided on a venue?”

“We did,” Liv replies happily. “Steve has offered to shut down the tavern for a few hours so we can have the party there.”

“The tavern?” I question, hoping the cynicism doesn’t show in my voice.

Money is no object for Liv. They could literally throw this party anywhere in the world, but she was choosing to have it in her fiancé’s father’s rundown bar in a tiny town in the middle of the coastline.

“I know what you’re thinking. I know Steve’s isn’t the most elaborate place we could have chosen, but we have a lot of memories tied up in that place.” She drops her hands into her lap and shrugs. “It’s home, you know?”

“Yeah. I know,” I agree.

And I get it. She’s right. It’s our place.

It’s home.

“I’ve been to so many fancy events and parties and I always hated how forced everything was. The caterers, the people. I mean, the food wasn’t even that great. Give me a nice juicy steak or a cheeseburger any day.” She laughs as she opens a new tab on the laptop and begins a Google search.

“I can understand that,” I say with a nod.

Liv came from a wealthy family and a complicated past. I can appreciate how she relates these elaborate events with a life she no longer wants to be a part of.

“But in saying that,” she continues, “We’re going to invest in some decorative additions to give the place a more romantic vibe. I’m thinking fairy lights…”

“Oh! And flowers!” I cut her off mid-sentence.

“Yes!” she agrees excitedly, then places a hand over her heart in mock delight. “You just get me. Look at these.”

Liv gestures for me to lean in closer to the laptop screen where she has a Pinterest board displayed with rustic engagement party themes.

“Oh wow, this looks so pretty,” I tell her, pointing to a picture of a wooden sign, complete with cursive font and framed by wildflowers.

“So pretty,” Liv echoes. “I like the simplicity of it. I really want to keep things chill, you know?”

“Yeah.” I smile at my friend, knowing there’s about as much chance of her turning into Bridezilla as there is of seeing a cow on a surfboard.

“I’ll go ahead and order a few things online, but I’m gonna need your help when it comes to decorating.”

The way her eyes light up with joy has me feeling the deepest happiness for her. Anyone that knows Liv and what she’s been through could easily understand why. I’ve never been more grateful that she came to this town and that EJ happened to be the guy that caught her attention.

“Of course. Anything you need,” I say. “And what about the catering? Will Steve take care of all of it?”

“Yes.” Liv pauses, resting her chin on her hand, suddenly deep in thought. “But I’ll talk to Carla and see if I can order some desserts from her. And I need to see Jenna at the bakery about the cake.”

“I can mention it to Carla if you like,” I offer. “I’m working tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you. That would be super helpful,” she says as she walks over to the fridge. “You want a drink?”

“No thanks, I can’t stay long.”

I take a glance at my watch. Today is my only free day this week and as much as I love my best friend, there are a few other things I need to do today before a cram study session this afternoon.

“You hanging out with Henley tonight?” Liv asks as she cracks the ring pull on her can of lemonade.

“Uh,” I hesitate. “I don’t know. Maybe later.”

Now that I think of it, I haven’t heard from him today. But I guess he’s just busy with work or maybe he went out to catch some waves.

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