Then again, Noah and I aren’t really seeing each other. It’s just fun.
I hate that I have to keep reminding myself of that, and it really should be an indication that this thing has gotten way more out of hand than we ever intended it to, but I really don’t have the time to evaluate that.
“How’s Craig doing?” I ask, trying to divert her attention.
For the first time tonight, Izzy looks unsure.
“Is everything okay?”
She nods. “Oh, yeah. Everything is great. It’s just ... we haven’t really talked about it a lot. Is that weird?”
I shake my head. “No, I don’t think that’s weird. I mean, you know you’re getting married still ... right?”
She doesn’t answer right away, and my stomach sinks.
Oh no, please, please, please don’t let anything be wrong. Please let them go through with this wedding. I need this so badly.
I met with Darla’s daughter, whom my mother gave my contact information to, yesterday, and we hit it off immediately. Our visions lined up perfectly, but just like so many other brides, she wants to wait a few weeks to make her decision. I like to think it’s just her doing her due diligence, but I know it’s because she’s waiting to see how Izzy’s wedding goes.
It’s just another reason I need this wedding to go off without a hitch.
“Right!” Izzy says cheerfully, shaking away ... I don’t even know what. Doubts? Worries? “Of course, it’s still happening. I love Craig, and Craig loves me. We’re getting married next week. Don’t you worry about a thing.”
I breathe a sigh of relief, but I can’t help but notice that the tension in Izzy’s shoulders isn’t completely gone, and I really wonder if thiswhole them not talking about a thing is bothering her more than she’s letting on.
“Anyway, enough about me. We’ve been talking about my wedding for weeks, and now I want to discuss the fact that you still don’t have a date for it.”
“That’s still talking about your wedding.”
“Shit. I guess you’re right.” She laughs. “Okay, let’s pretend it’s notmywedding. Let’s just pretend it’sawedding. I still think you’d have much more fun if you came with a date.”
I sigh. “Iz, seriously. I love you for being worried about me. I am not going to have time to entertain a date. I’m going to be worried about making sure everything goes perfectly for your big day.”
“And while I loveyoufor that, I trust you implicitly with this. The wedding is going to be incredible. There will be no hitches. There will be no problems. It is going to be flawless. It is going to save your reputation. I have complete faith in you, and you just need to have a little faith in you, too, and let loose for a change.”
If only she knew how loose I’ve been letting myself get with her brother.
“I’m telling you, just go with Noah.”
The spatula I’m using to stir the sauce falls right into the pan, completely coating it with marinara.
“Crap,” I mutter, fishing it out and tossing it into the sink.
All the while, Izzy laughs beside me, and I shoot her a dirty look.
“What? Sorry. It’s just so funny how you still get flustered anytime I bring him up. I swear you’d think you were still crushing on the guy with a reaction like that.”
“I’m not,” I rush out quickly as I rinse off the spoon. “I am absolutely not crushing on your brother, Izzy.”
She holds her hands up. “Okay, okay. I get it. You’re not crushing on Noah. Understood. But it’s also why I think he makes a great date for the wedding. There’s no obligation to go home with him at the end of the night, you don’t have to kiss him—blech—and you barely haveto dance with him because, honestly, he sucks at it. But you wouldn’t be alone.”
“I won’t be alone anyway. Practically the whole town is going to be there.”
“True, but we both know not being alone and having a date are two totally different things.”
She’s right. It is two different things, but still. I’ll be fine. It’s just one night. Like breakfast with my family and dinner with his. We will be fine spending one night apart and pretending we aren’t sleeping together.
“Can you please just drop it?” I ask, returning to my spot at the stove. The sauce is fickle, and it’s already starting to stick to the bottom of the pan a little bit, but I think everything will be okay. “I just really want to focus on the wedding, all right?”
