ONE
Fern
For the millionthtime in the last year, I wonder how I let myself get roped into all of this.
I barely talked to my family before my cousin, Valerie, got engaged. Then suddenly, my job as a wedding planner was no longer embarrassing—it was useful. I was happy that my family was finally taking an interest in me and my career, which was why I agreed to be Valerie’s wedding planner. For free.
It’s my gift to the couple, though I’m sure she’ll be expecting anactualgift.
I step forward, wincing as I’m jostled by an angry-looking man who’s also moving to grab his bag from the luggage belt. He doesn’t apologize. I bite my tongue, doing the math in my head to calculate how many hours remain until I fly out of this city and back home.
Just six more days. One hundred and forty-four hours. You can do this,I tell myself as I grab my bag and head toward the rental car counter.
Truthfully, I feel like I won’t make it through the week without having a mental breakdown. It’s been a full year of constant calls and demands. Valerie is a total bridezilla, the worst I’ve ever worked with. Her fiancé isn’t much better. All he cares about is looks. Does it look luxurious? Will it photograph well for social media? Will his friends all be jealous?
Gross.
There are no loving looks, no romance, no passion. It’s all about image. In that way, Valerie and her fiancé, Paul, are perfectly suited. He’s a big-shot finance bro, and Valerie’s goal in life is to be a trophy wife. They look great together, but every time I’m in the same room as them, all I can think is that it could never be me.
I want someone who is obsessed with me. I want someone who loves me, all of me. I want someone who supports me, is interested in my dreams, and wants to hear about my day.
Unfortunately for me, that’s been hard to find. I’m about to turn thirty, and in that time, I’ve had one boyfriend. It was in middle school, and we dated for a day, so I’m not even sure that I could call him my boyfriend. We never kissed, didn’t even hold hands.
My family loves to remind me of my single status every chance they can get, and I’m already preparing myself for those types of comments—that and them scrutinizing every bite of food I put into my mouth and reminding me that I could lose a few pounds…or more than a few pounds.
I look down at my curvy stomach as I stand in line to pick up my rental car and shake my head. I tried to lose weight before I came here. I managed to shed about ten pounds, but I know that my family won’t notice or care. I’m not a size two, not even close, and I never have been.
“Next,” calls the bored attendant.
I smile politely as I step up to the counter.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m loading my suitcase into the back of my rental car and driving out of the lot and toward the small coastal town of Tidehaven, South Carolina.
I take the long way to the hotel, driving along the coast and admiring the views. The town is so charming. The beaches look like a postcard with their white sands and crystal-clear blue water. I wonder if I’ll have time to sit out and watch the waves while I’m here.
As if Valerie can sense me planning for some peace and quiet, my phone rings, and I force a smile as I answer her call.
“Where are you?” she snaps.
My smile drops. “Headed to the hotel now. It took longer than I expected to get my rental car.”
She snorts, and I can hear her start up a treadmill and begin to run.
“I need you here now! The family is arriving, and they have all these questions. I’m paying you to handle all of that,” she says.
“Actually, you’re not paying me,” I remind her.
She goes on like I never said a word. “There’s something going on with Uncle Roger’s room, Aunt Linda wants to talk about gluten-free options for the kids, and the staff need to know something about the rehearsal dinner.”
“Okay, I’m almost there?—”
“You need to handle all that. It’s my wedding week, and I can’t be stressed out.”
“Got it. I’m almost at the hotel now.”
“Good. They’ll be waiting for you in the lobby.”
She ends the call, and I squeeze the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turn white.
