“I’m Linda,” the woman says. “And I suppose I should say the bride no longer.” She glances toward her computer screen, which I see has a security feed pulled up with a direct view of the garden.
I wince. “Yes, that’s me. I’m so sorry for all the commotion.”
But to my surprise, the woman only shakes her head. “I’ve seen much worse. Anyway, your bill was paid weeks ago by your…ex-fiancé’s family. Incidentally”—she lowers her voice and leans across the counter conspiratorially—“that man has been trying to buy me out for years. Honestly I was tempted. I’m of a certain age, and this place needs a refresh. But thanks to theappalling behavior of his son, I now have good reason to wait for a better buyer.”
Of course. This is the woman Clint told me about. His cat’s named after her mom.
“Anyway, the place is yours to do as you please for the remainder of the weekend. Just know all the alcohol goes on a growing tab, so…have fun.” She winks.
“Thank you,” I say, laughing. “Want to join us? We’re calling it a Jilted Bride Jamboree.”
At that she laughs long and hard. “Goodness, I can see why Clint likes you.”
I freeze.
The woman smiles. “You were going to ask me to find him, weren’t you? I’m so sorry, but he doesn’t have a cell phone, and…well, I think he probably needs a little air.”
“Oh,” I say, because, of course, she’s probably right.
“He left you these, though,” she says, reaching behind the desk and pulling out my rose and a piece of paper torn from his notebook.
I hold them like precious jewels, tears welling yet again. “Thanks,” I say, praying he didn’t leave these as a goodbye.
She smiles, turning back to her computer.
I think about what to do next. I want to go back to the garden to see if Clint’s magically reappeared.
But I realize I can’t do that. I won’t. Because what I want to do is continue to be brave. To not run away when things get hard.
I’m about to leave, but I find I can’t. Because there’s something I need to know. “Linda?”
She looks up.
“What will happen to him? If you sell?”
Linda sighs. She seems to consider whether to tell me to get lost or to be real with me.
When she comes around the counter and grasps my hands, I’m pretty sure it’s the latter option.
“When I talked to his father about selling this place after my mother passed, years ago now, he told me Clint would never leave. When I asked him if he’d want to go and meet a girl somewhere, his father told me he already had, when he was ten years old, and that there was no one else in the world for him.”
My stomach and heart seem to collide inside me.
Linda sighs. “When I saw the way he turned to a ghost seeing whose wedding was on the schedule, I knew it was you.”
My throat feels thick with tears. “Oh,” I say, because I don’t know what else to say.
“Now listen, don’t you worry about Clint. He has no expectations. I don’t know what will happen when I sell. I’ll put it in the contract that he needs to stay, but you know that won’t be binding once the deed is handed over.” For a moment, she looks deeply sad. Then she gives her head a little shake. “But I’ll leave him with a good severance. And if he’s not with you…I don’t imagine he minds too much where he is.”
But that’s where she’s wrong. I know he wouldn’t want to lose his home. She’s telling herself that so she doesn’t feel terrible about uprooting him. But I can see in her eyes how she’s tired and ready to move on. She can only do the best she can.
But her best isn’t good enough.
Chapter Nine
The party is in full swing when I slip out the side door, into the garden. The air is cool and scented like roses.
I put Julia in charge of making excuses for me. She was more than happy to. She’s been crying all night about how she wishes she’d spoken up about her suspicions about Jeff and how she’s so inspired by what I did, she’s going back to Vancouver after the wedding to quit her job.
