"No one is here, Savannah," Sharon says through the phone speaker. Her voice is small. Panicked. "Are you sure you got the time right?"
I'm sprawled back in the armchair across from the couch where Savannah's sitting. I'm in a black band t-shirt that's seen better days, scrolling through my phone, pretending I'm not fully invested in this disaster. But I am. The moment I hear her voice, my attention snaps completely to that speaker.
"Sharon, did you get there late?" Savannah says.
"Define late," Sharon says defensively. "I was only… okay, fine, I was late. He's my ex. I kept thinking, I can do this, then I was like, I can't do this. Then I don't know, Savannah. Sorry I let you down."
I sit up straighter. There's something in her voice as if she’s scared. She was supposed to be there at nine, and it'snearly nine-thirty now. But this doesn't sound like someone who overslept. This sounds like someone who couldn't make herself walk out the door.
"Sharon," Savannah says, and I can hear the patient exhaustion in her voice. "That is absolutely not on time."
I can practically see her throwing her hands up. "In the grand scheme of the universe—"
"Where is the bride?" Savannah interrupts, cutting through Sharon's bullshit.
There's a pause.
"That's the weird part," Sharon says, and I can hear the panic creeping into her voice. "There's nobody here. No bride. No staff. No one. I couldn't even get through the door. Did you confirm the meeting?"
Savannah pulls out her planner from somewhere in the sea of baby blankets and scrolls through the details. I watch her do it. She's got that look on her face. The one that means she knows something's about to get complicated.
"The meeting is confirmed," Savannah says slowly. "Nine a.m. today. Penelope Carter and Ben Burnside. Wedding planning consultation."
"Well, they're not here," Sharon says flatly. "I've checked the grounds. I've walked through every room. Nothing. It's like they decided to skip the whole planning a wedding part and just not show up."
I sit up. My attention sharpens. But now I'm actually thinking about this instead of just half-listening. My mind's working through scenarios. Ben ghosting on his own wedding planning? That's very Ben.
"This wedding is a disaster," Sharon continues, and I can hear her breathing get heavier. "All of Penelope's RSVPs have refused. I got the final count this morning, and I thought there was a mistake. But no. She only invited forty people, which isweird considering she’s an influencer. Anyway, thirty-eight of them said when I went through them all yesterday."
"That's worrying," Savannah says.
"It's a catastrophe," Sharon says. "Who hates someone enough to refuse their wedding invitation? I mean, I hate my ex, and I still don't understand how he managed to get an omega to marry him in the first place. And as for his brothers, maybe they're the reason no one is turning up."
My spine goes straight.
"Jett thinks that he's God cause he's a stunt man and walks around showing everyone all his scars. Another obnoxious one. And don't get me started on Pine. And as for Cassian, the man would flirt with the damn table if he could."
The words hit different than I expected.
I stand up from the armchair, restless energy moving through me. My scent shifts. Cedar getting sharper. It irritates me that she said that. It irritates me more that it bothers me.
"No, Sharon. Keep talking about Pine," I interject, moving closer to the phone. My voice comes out gruffer than I intended.
"Savannah?"
"No, it's Jett, the one who can't stop showing off how he's God," I say, and there's an edge to my voice. I run my hand through my hair, frustrated. "Sharon, what happened? You're over thirty minutes late."
Silence on the other end of the line.
"I... we..." Sharon starts, flustering.
"Look Sharon, it's fine," Savannah says diplomatically, but her eyes are on me, watching my reaction. "But talk to me. What's going on? Maybe this whole thing was a bad idea."
I stop pacing. It clicks. Sharon was nervous about this job. About seeing Ben again. About facing all of this. She didn't oversleep or lose track of time—she froze. The thought of seeingmy brother again after what he did to her made her unable to walk out the door.
Savannah abruptly cuts Sharon off, “I didn't know that Ben was your ex. I shouldn't have done this to you. I wouldn't want to arrange my ex's wedding if he was the last man on Earth."
Then she hangs up. I don’t know what Sharon said on the other line, she probably apologized again. That would be Sharon always thinking of others and not herself.
