“I know, right?” The easy way Tyler immediately jumps into the conversation with our less-than-pleasant seatmate is a reminder of how he possesses the scarily easy ability to connect with anyone he comes across. “I mean, abreakup dinner? That’s worse than breaking up over a text message, in my opinion. Thank god I’ve never been broken up with that way.” His eyes skirt over me and my face heats up in shame, because while I may have had the heart not to break up with Tyler over text, I’m still not entirely proud of how Ididhandle it. And judging by the quick look he gives me, it seems like he isn’t quite over it, either.
Cranky Lady nods sagely, placing the magazine in her lap. “Oh, definitely. Entirely inexcusable.”
Tyler points at her as if to sayexactly,before turning back to me. “When are you finally going to break through as her voice of reason and convince her to ditch these deadbeats?”
Yeah, right.This gets a mirthless laugh out of me. “Please.We both know that the only voice of reason Sherri Austin listens to is her own. And that’s probably why she keeps ending up in these situations.” It’s not even like this is close to her worst heartbreak, either. Tyler nods in agreement.
The worst heartbreak of my mother’s that Tyler had ever seen was when some guy named Asher from LA proposed to her during a whirlwind weekend together after dating for a few months. Mom swore it was the real deal, as she often did—and it was right around the time that Tyler started coming over to the house, so he got a firsthand look at all the wedding planning she’d started doing, before she and Asher (read: mainly Asher) decided to scrap the whole thing and elope in Vegas. Tyler had been helping me pack and talking me through my jumble of nerves, being that I’d only been to Vegas with my mother one other time, and there was particularly bad turbulence that left me wary of planes ever since.
I remember, as soon as I’d heard about her harebrained idea, how quickly I’d pulled out my phone and texted Delia and Tyler in our group chat.
Olive: OMG, you guys, Asher and my mom decided they’re going to ELOPE.
Tyler: ??? What happened to the big white wedding she was going on about?
Delia: Wait, she’s actually going through with marrying that weirdo?
Olive: Guess so. Gets worse—they’re doing it in Vegas
Delia: OMG. This, I have to hear about. Are we all invited?
Olive: Ha, probably not. I’m shocked *I* even snagged an invite.
Delia: Well, I’m sure it’s bound to be the party of the season. Send lots of pics!
Delia: Oh, and if you manage to sneak yourself into a casino, give me a call first.
Delia: My uncle taught me some blackjack tips that could come in handy.
Olive: Yeah D, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind
Tyler: Ol, this is crazy.
Tyler: Hang tight. I’m coming over.
Delia: Wish I could join, but Nunzio has me doing double duty on deliveries tonight.
Delia: Pray that the customers tip well so I have some Vegas betting funds to contribute xo
“Is your mom sure about this?” Tyler whispered to me when he showed up fifteen minutes later, concern lining his features.We listened to the sounds of Mom struggling to zip up her suitcase in the den downstairs, humming “Chapel of Love” under her breath while she worked. “She seemed so excited about the big wedding every time I came over. She was literally showing me her Pinterest mood board the other day.”
“Pinterest?” I looked up from where I was folding the last few T-shirts that would fit into my bag. “I didn’t realize she even knew how toworkPinterest. Or that she knew what a mood board was.”
Tyler shrugged. “I didn’t even know what Pinterestwasuntil she showed me. It’s kinda cool.”
I grunted as I tried to close my own suitcase, which was nearly bursting open and one step away from vomiting its contents all over my bed. Tyler was perched on my desk chair, watching the whole thing in bemusement, since I refused to let him help. I watched him glance over at my planner, open on my desk, the Vegas wedding date inked in bright pink pen with a tiny diamond ring sticker next to it. Even if I wasn’t totally on board with the plan, it was in the planner, and so it shall be.
“It’s what she wants,” I explained with a sigh, even if I knew that deep down, I agreed with him and the whole thing felt like a mistake. “Who am I to stand in the way of that?”
Tyler’s eyes tracked my hands as, frustrated, I jerked the zipper of the suitcase closed. “Well, for starters, you’re pretty much her only voice of reason.”
I couldn’t help but snort at that. “Please. I couldn’t get through to her even if I tried. She’s a lost cause when it comes to these men, and she’s going to wind up pushing forward with whatever she wants to do, anyway.”
And lo and behold, she did—twelve hours later, Mom and Iwere standing in our still-dark kitchen waiting for the cab to the airport, which is exactly when Aster texted her to call off the wedding.Texted her.He couldn’t even bother to call her or, I don’t know, actually show up to tell her to her face. My mother’d had some close calls with love before, but until that moment, she’d never beenen route to the wedding itselfwhen everything fell apart.
I wasn’t even thinking when I did it—my brain was on autopilot. It was five in the morning, my mother had just crumpled to the ground wailing in heartbroken agony, and I didn’t know what to do, so my muscles took over. I hadn’t even known I’d taken the phone out of my pocket until I heard Tyler’s sleepy voice on the other line.
“Ol?” he mumbled, punctuated by a yawn. “Is everything okay?”
