“Nah, that’s all me,” Beck says, shoving his hands in his pockets.
I don’t have the heart or energy to rib him for his customary arrogance. Or to point out that half the glances his way are wary, even if his troublemaker years are behind us.
By the time we reach the park where the wedding is set up, Griff, Beck, and Lane have scattered to meet up with their friends. I take this moment alone to wrangle the messed-up thoughts in my head, organize them in their little boxes, and let that shit go for today. There’s guilt, for sure. But it’s the powerlessness that’s close to enraging.
Lane is right though, appearances are important, and supposedly there’s something I can do about my dimples that’s not a total fuck-up.
I’m drawn to a glint of blue-streaked hair lifting in the breeze. Cassandra, who used to babysit me before Dad married Mom, was always a calming presence in my life. Rumor is she’s witchy, and that may be true. Right now she seems lost in contemplation of the whole town slowly gathering to celebrate the wedding she’ll be officiating.
Sensing my arrival, she turns around and opens her arms to take me in an affectionate hug. “What are we going to do with you?” she asks in my neck.
Not what I expected, but hell.
She’s right.
“You’ll figure it out,” she says when she lets me go.
I struggle to meet her gaze, but when I do, all I find is understanding. My glasses fog up a little.
I’ve never talked about the Callaway trust with her, but she’s acting like she knows.
“On a lighter note, who let you walk out of your house wearing this?” She pulls on the tie Lane chose for me.
“What’s wrong with it? It belonged to Dad.”
She purses her lips in a sad smile. “Didn’t mean it that way, honey. But…” Her swift fingers loosen the noose around my neck. “This isn’t your look. Bend your head for me.” Taking my tie off, she rolls it carefully into a purple canvas bag, next to her officiant guide.
A small strip of blue silk shimmers in her fingers as she pushes my jacket off my shoulders and lifts my shirt collar.
I trust Cassandra on a lot of things, but I’m kind of on the fence about this one. “A bow tie, seriously? Like the glasses aren’t enough.”
Her focus is now on my throat area, and she pushes my chin up. “Trust me.” Cassandra owns a clothing shop in town. To be honest, I’m told it’s mainly lingerie, not that I’ve ever been inside. Point is, it’s possible she might be a little more knowledgeable about fashion than Lane.Or not.But I know better than to challenge her decision right now.
Once she’s done, she folds my shirt collar down, pulls my jacket back in place, then takes a step back. “Much, much better,” she says, reaching over to give the bow tie a perfunctory tug. “Nowyou’re ready.”
Ready?
I have four months to fix the mess we’re in, and there’s only one way I can think of.
I’ve never felt sonotready.
two
Willow
“You’re gorgeous,” Kiara tells me as I enter her pastry delivery van turned bridal suite for the day. This was a stroke of genius from yours truly, delivering on my maid of honor duty to make the wedding as comfortable as possible for my best friend. The execution, though, was entirely Colton’s, and he did a magnificent job of temporarily replacing the fridges and shelves with comfy chairs.
“Shut up,” I joke, feeling myself blush. “It’s from Goodwill,” I lie.
“So? You’re still gorgeous in it.”
I laugh and do a little twirl in the small space. “I need to look good for you.”
“Sexy too,” she says. The light blue dress has a bare back, which was an immediate draw to me. It’s not every day I get to dress up.
“But you’re a bad liar,” she adds, reaching under my arm to pull out the price tag.
“Oh shit.” I thought I’d sewn the motherfucker securely inside. “Help me out, will you? There’s stuff in the bride’s kit I got you.”
