“I... You...What?”
She sighs. “I realize now I never should’ve asked you to be my maid of honor. It was dumb of me.”
Dumb isn’t the word I’d use. Foolish, maybe. Inconsiderate, most definitely.
“Sienna, don’t you think it’s a little late in the game to switch up the batting order?”
“I realize this will throw a wrench in things, yes. But I can’t have you standing beside me if you have feelings for the groom.”
My stare is rock hard, my gaze attempting to penetrate her brain. I’ve never spoken the same language as someone and felt like all the words mean something else to them than they do me.
“You think I’m not over Shane?” Now I’m sputtering.
“You couldn’t even stand in for me during the rehearsal.”
“Because I didn’t want to! Because you never should’ve asked me to be in your wedding in the first place. It’sweird, Sienna. What were you thinking?”
Sienna palms her chest, her head flinching back. “Excuse me for thinking my big sister might like to be a part of my wedding day.”
“With my ex,” I say slowly, incredulous. Is she truly this unaware?
“I thought you were over him.”
“Iamover him.” Pinching the bridge of my nose, I look up at the starry sky and think about how I was ever withhim in the first place. “I’ve been over him for a very long time.”
“Then what’s with you bringing Klein here?”
“Why did I bring my boyfriend to your wedding?”
“No,” she shakes her head. “Why did you bring a fake date to my wedding?”
Her chin tips up, so pleased at herself for learning my great big secret.
“How did you know?”
“You’re not even going to deny it?”
I shrug. “What’s the point?”
“One of the women I work with sent his post from today to our group message. I recognized your tattoo in the photo. And then I spiraled into the rest of the account, and couldn’t believe what I saw.”
I stay quiet. What is there to say?
“You must have enlisted Klein in an effort to make Shane jealous. You two are just so... so...hot. All over each other. Watching one another. Whispering and laughing. Klein might want to take up acting.”
“Sienna, I—” Wait. Something about the timing of this is odd. “You knew all this before the rehearsal, yet you asked me to step in for you?”
A smug smile curves her lips. “It was a test. You passed. Or failed, depending on how you look at it.”
I’ve never seen Sienna this devious. It’s like she’s possessed… or desperate. For what, though? “I’m less than interested in Shane.”
“You couldn’t stomach the idea of walking down the aisle and standing next to him. Because you care for him.”
I’m already shaking my head before she finishes speaking.
“Yes, Paisley,” she insists.
Vehemently, I say, “No, Sienna.” Frustration threatens to topple me, and I press the pads of my fingers to my eyes until I see spots. “This is all so stupid, Sienna. You shouldn’t have asked me to be in your wedding. I shouldn’t have agreed. Everything else is details.”
