I nod, because it would have surprised me if my dad had been upset about it. He doesn’t care who’s with whom as long as people stay true to their commitments and work hard. “Is everything still going well at the store?”
“It is. Things are basically just as you left them, but I have more shifts now that you’re away and I can—”
Claire doesn’t get to finish that sentence. Someone behind us, who I don’t see, suddenly shouts, “Claire?!Tu fais quoi ici?”–What are you doing here?
Claire’s eyes widen, and I quickly turn around to see who she’s looking at.
“Mon Dieu, Joyce?!” Claire exclaims.
“What are you doing here?!”
“I work for Luc’s dad. I thought you were in Brussels?”
Joyce points at Cody. “I normally would be, but he’s my friend. I’m one of the bridesmaids.”
Claire’s mouth falls open, and I decide to use their silence to voice the question on my mind.
“You two know each other?” I ask in French.
“Oui,” Claire says softly, looking uncomfortable again. “We uh... used to date. A couple of years ago.”
I can’t help but suppress a laugh. “Oh, really? It’s a small world.”
It quickly occurs to me that I’m the only one laughing. Claire and Joyce stare at each other quite uncomfortably, with many things left unsaid.
Cody sees it too, apparently. “Luc, we should get back to the photographer. Claire and your dad should get the cake inside, and...” He glances at Joyce, unsure of how to finish that sentence. Do these exes want to catch up? Avoid each other?Who knows. “Et cetera,” he eventually says, and decides to leave it up to them.
“Yes,” I reply, agreeing to avoid further awkwardness. “Let’s go find her. She’s probably getting impatient by now.”
With that, Cody and I take our leave, making our way to where we left the photographer. But instead of heading straight back in a rush, he walks slowly. I have no idea why, and it’s making me nervous. We’re losing time, and I don’t know why. “Why are you strolling?” I ask, impatient.
He looks at me, his expression tense. “I know we’re on the clock, but there are some things I should tell you. You deserve to know the entire story before we get married. There are some things you might not like, both about your father and about me.”
I look at him, my unease growing again. What on earth does that mean? Ultimately, I decide to ask him the question that’s been edging its way into my head since I saw my father. “I must say, I have been wondering. Did you know my dad was coming all along?”
He shakes his head, and I feel somewhat relieved. “No, it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I became ninety percent convinced he would deliver, but I wasn’t sure until today when he showed up. It was crazy stressful to be honest. I hated not being able to tell you.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Good. I would have been disappointed if you’d known he was coming for months and didn’t tell me. But then, when did you arrange all this?”
“During one of my business trips.”
My stomach twists, and I think back to what my mother said yesterday...
“When a man tells you he’s going on a business trip, pack your bags and get out.”
And now, I can’t prevent another, more nerve-racking thought from occurring to me.
Oh god, Cody’s already lying about what he’s doing on business trips. It’s already starting.
I try to shove the thought down, reminding myself that this is different from what happened to my mother. Cody did this because it was supposed to be a surprise for me. I know that, but no matter how often I tell myself that, the thought refuses to be silenced.
“Cody, I just told you about my parents. My dad lied to my mother about what he did on his business trips.”
Cody tenses up and nods. “Yes, but what I’m about to tell you is nothing like that. You do know that, right?”
“I do, and I trust you. It’s just...” I take a moment to gather my thoughts. I trust Cody; that’s not the problem. But what if these unhelpful thoughts, like the one I just had, become more frequent and I grow paranoid? “You hid something from me about a business trip. What if I let what my mother said get to me, and I start doubting you?”
His expression is serious when he says, “Then we’ll get through it.”
