“I’ll get your initials stitched on it,” I joked. “It’s basically yours now.”
We got called for pictures and she handed me back the handkerchief, gazing up at me. “How do I look? Did I mess upmy makeup?”
Her freckles were still covered, but those emerald eyes glowed. I forced myself to breathe.
I’ve never been smooth a damn day in my life when it didn’t involve sports, but on this one day, at this one moment, the suave gods smiled on me. I crooked my finger under her chin and rubbed my thumb under her lips. “You’re gorgeous, angel.”
Chapter 10
Annie
JULY | Balance: $52,623
The paper shook in my hands, the bubbles in my champagne flute rising faster from my jittery grip.
“Hi, everybody. I’m Annie Markham, the maid of honor and Kitty’s best friend since we both shared a mutual love of salt and vinegar chips in the second grade.”
A warm laugh rustled through the people gathered under the massive tent on the Greenbrier’s grounds.
“I’m a sports attorney, so you’d think I wouldn’t be nervous to talk in front of people. And if it were a matter of negotiating a Wheaties deal or a player’s salary, I wouldn’t be nervous. But when it comes to summing up almost twenty years of friendship and undying devotion, plus a decade of Guy and Kitty’s love, I want to make sure I do it justice.”
I folded my paper so I couldn’t see the words I’d already said. Ibriefly looked up, catching Nick’s eye. He gave me a warm smile and a nod. My stomach jumped with a different kind of nerves. I took a deep breath and huffed out the top part of it.You’ve got this.
“The day was June 7, 2013. The time, 12:37 p.m. My phone buzzed with three rapid-fire texts. This is a tell-tale sign that you are being contacted by Kitty Gatto.”
More laughs. I was doing good. I knew the speech was good. It was just a matter of getting through it.
“Fortunately, I took a screenshot of my home screen, feeling that these texts would one day be fun to look back on. DJ, would you mind changing the screen so everyone can see?”
The screenshot lit up the screen that had been showing photos of Kitty and Guy over the years.
“For those who don’t want to crane their necks or get out their eyeglasses, I’ll read them for you. ‘Two red alert emojis: a new boy is moving in next door.’ Next message: ‘From Canada? It looks like he plays hockey? Hockey stick emoji.’ And finally, the piece de resistance, ‘Anyway, dibs. Crazy face emoji.’”
The crowd laughed along with me.
“And while Guy might not have known that dibs were called that very first day, he certainly carved out a piece of his heart that would always be owned by Kitty Gatto.”
Tears pricked my eyes and I sucked in a sharp breath through my nose.If only someone would carve outtheir heart for me.
“Guy only lived with us in Charleston for a year before he and his mom had to go back to Quebec, but he left a lasting impression. I remember the beach trip when I pined for Kitty’s brother, Frank—hi, Frankie,” I did a flirty little wave to Frank at the head table as his face went beet red, “while Kitty was a mess over Guy. And I remember, too, the night that she snuck back into our room late and crawled into bed with me whispering, ‘He kissed me, Annie.’ I’ll spare the rest of those details because that’s confidential BFF stuff. And let’s not forget, this whole time, Guywas also claiming to be Kitty’s best friend. I’ve always taken some exception to that title for him. How dare he try to dethrone me!”
The crowd laughed as I flipped my hair over my shoulder and shot Guy a death stare.
“Then when Kitty and I went off to college, she fell right back into Guy’s arms, but not without some angst and drama. Once she found out that he picked Alden University because he thought she’d go there two years later, she was sold. And who could blame her? That big hunky hockey boy was an absolute hopeless romantic for her.
“Life’s path split them up not long after, but I think everyone in this tent who was around at that time knew it wasn’t the end of Guy and Kitty’s story.”
I took a breath, knowing the next part had the potential to make me cry. I met Nick’s gaze again. He wasn’t smiling, but watched me like he hung on every word.
“So a year ago, I got a different set of texts from Kitty. ‘Guy came back for me. He came to my show and surprised me. He wants to get back together. What should I do?’ We all know what happened there. He left his Seattle team for a trade to L.A. so they could finally live out their happily ever after. And here we are today, celebrating a love so epic that I once saw a tweet that said, ‘Find a man who looks at you like Guy Stelle looks at Kitty Gatto.’”
I raised my glass. “Kitty, you’re my best friend and I’m so happy to celebrate you and that other best friend of yours today. To many years of joy, friendship, health, and happiness for Kitty and Guy!”
Kitty smashed me into a tight hug. “Thank you, Annie,” she whispered in my ear. “Love you.”
“Love you, too. Congratulations.” I squeezed her hard, then moved to hug Guy, squishing his cheeks to his laugh before I did. “Be good to her,” I told him.
I sucked down a couple of relieved glasses of champagne afterI sat, watching Kitty do a goofy dance with her dad while Guy danced with Kitty’s mom. I snuck off to sit with my dad and his wife while they cut the cake.
