“No, ecology and engineering. I just like to read.”
Marigold came to a stop right before they reached the door. “Wait. You recognized that quote fromThe Outsidersright away, didn’t you? You were just pretending so I wouldn’t feel stupid.”
“What are you talking about?”
She jabbed him in the ribs. “The ‘stay gold, Ponyboy’ thing!You didn’t want me to have to admit I didn’t get it, soyoupretended not to get it.”
Hugo flashed her a smile. “Since when did you become such a conspiracy theorist?” He opened the door and placed a hand on her back, guiding her inside. “Let’s go, pony girl.”
CHAPTER SIXTEENNatalie
The break in the rain didn’t last long, but Natalie waited until the last possible moment before heading back into the yacht club. If Marigold had been there, Natalie would’ve summoned the strength necessary to feign excitement about the wedding. But right now, the thought of fake-smiling through hours of small talk with people she’d never see again felt too daunting.
A message popped up from Tess.
Only ten minutes until your speech.
That was Tess-speak forYou’d better get your butt back in here now.
“There you are!” Hannah said brightly. “I was just grabbing my sweater from the golf cart and I saw you standing here all by yourself. You looked so lonely, I had to come join you!”
“I wasn’tlonely,” Natalie rejoined, then smiled. “I was just getting some air.” She generally found Hannah the easiest to talk to out of all the bridesmaids—she’d grown up in Maine and didn’thave Bri’s or Liesl’s jaded hauteur—but she didn’t have much of a sense of humor, either. Whenever Natalie told a funny anecdote about a bad date, Hannah would place a hand on Natalie’s arm and say something like,I’m so sorry that happened to you, like Natalie had just spent two weeks in the ICU instead of two hours at a wannabe dive bar with a stony-faced aspiring comic who, instead of laughing at her jokes, pulled out a notebook and said, “That’s funny. I’m gonna use that.”
“You know, I really admire you,” Hannah said. “I’d never be brave enough to go to a wedding without a date.”
“Oh, I didn’t even think about bringing a date. It wouldn’t have been fair to him, you know, given how much I have to do as the maid of honor.”That, and I had no one to ask.
Hannah perked up. “So are you seeing anyone special?”
“Oh, you know, I’m having fun, keeping my options open.” Natalie tried to sound playful and coy, but of course, Hannah was having none of it. She placed her hand on Natalie’s arm and said, “You’ll find someone eventually. I’m sure of it. You know, it always happens when you least expect it. That’s what happened with me and Kevin! Once I stopped looking, I got my happily ever after.”
“You sure did!” Natalie’s husband, Kevin, was perpetually sweaty—even in the winter—and laughed at his own unfunny jokes, an act that generally left him with a bit of white spittle in the corner of his mouth. “Will you excuse me? I need to go freshen up before my toast.”
Natalie had been dreading this moment ever since Marigold asked her to be her maid of honor. She’d always hated public speaking, but the thought of even momentarily becoming the center of attention in this crowd was particularly terrifying.She was happy with what she’d written, and grateful for the professionally applied makeup, but none of that was enough to give her the unwavering self-assurance that marked those raised in Marigold’s world. Natalie couldn’t remember ever seeing Marigold’s New York friends blush or stammer; they never seemed self-conscious or embarrassed. Their money functioned as a form of social armor. If they spilled on their shirt at lunch, they could buy a new one at the boutique next door, even if it didn’t stock anything under three hundred dollars. If they made a gaffe during a job interview, their parent could smooth it over with a phone call to the VP, their roommate from Exeter. If they noticed a pimple emerging the night before a big event, they could summon a concierge doctor to administer a steroid shot. The idea that self-confidence came from within was complete and utter bullshit—it came from trust funds and founder shares.
Natalie ducked into the bathroom to confirm that her teeth were still lipstick-free, then headed into a stall. As she tried to decide whether she had to pee badly enough to justify wiggling out of her Spanx, a group of women swept in with a rustle of swishy skirts and animated whispers. Through the crack in the door, Natalie could see Liesl, Bri, and a friend of theirs named Isadora, examining their reflections. “So what’sreallygoing on with Marigold?” Isadora asked, rummaging through a tiny beaded clutch before producing a tube of Chanel lip gloss. “The whole situation is kinda sus, right?”
“I don’t know.” Bri leaned forward to examine her eyelashes in the mirror. “I wonder if Olivia did something to her wedding dress. She seems like the type, doesn’t she?”
“Her toast last nightwaskind of unhinged,” Isadora agreed. “But I don’t think she’s reached that level of jealous. I’m prettysure she’s hooking up with the best man. They looked very cozy during dinner.”
“You meanZack?” Liesl scoffed, either skeptical that Olivia would go for Zack or irritated that the only single groomsman had set his sights on someone else. Not that Liesl had any interest in Zack—she dated photographers with man buns, trust funds, and a tendency to describe themselves as “humanists” instead of feminists—but she needed to confirm that Zack was attracted to her before she could dismiss him.
Isadora ignored her, probably because she knew Liesl’s next move would be to disparage Olivia, and Isadora had a craving for bigger prey. “Even if her flight was really delayed, it’s still super weird that Marigold’s missing the rehearsal dinner,” she continued.
“I wonder if she and Jonathan had a fight,” Bri said with a touch too much excitement. In an Uber back from the bachelorette party, Bri had burst into tears and told Natalie how unfair it was that Marigold had gotten engaged before her. “When’s it going to bemyturn?” Bri had asked in between sobs. “I should be the one marrying a doctor—I majored in nutrition studies!”
“It’s so Marigold to miss her own rehearsal dinner,” Liesl said with a sigh. “You know I love her, but sometimes it feels like she manufactures drama. Do you think it’s because she was worried about being upstaged by Richie?”
A flare of anger blazed through Natalie’s chest. These women were supposed to be Marigold’s closest friends—herbridesmaids. She straightened her skirt, unlocked the door, and stomped out of the stall, expecting to see Liesl, Bri, and Isadora turn red with shame. But of course, they barely gave her a second look.
“See you all out there,” Natalie said brightly when she finished washing her hands.
“See ya,” Bri said. Liesl and Isadora didn’t turn away from the mirror.
Natalie took some deep breaths as she entered the hall, but still felt herself fuming. Bri and Liesl were old childhood friends and were justified in saying that it was “so Marigold” to miss her rehearsal dinner—they’d witnessed more mishaps than Natalie had over the years. But there’d hadn’t been an ounce of sympathy or concern in their voices.
Marigold deserved better; shewasa good friend. Natalie’s best friend! Who else would’ve gone to four different delis so they could taste-test different matzo ball soups when Natalie had the flu? Who else would’ve given Natalie a key to her apartment so she could crash there even when Marigold was out of town? And raid her closet before a date? Marigold was the most generous person she’d ever known. But moreover, she was generous of spirit. She was loyal, a great listener, and the only person Natalie had met as an adult who made her laugh hard enough to spit out her cocktail. It wasn’t Marigold’s fault that Natalie had never gotten over her college crush. And it certainly wasn’t her fault that Natalie had spent years deluding herself into thinking she had a chance with Jonathan, despite all evidence to the contrary. It had been Natalie’s choice to set them up, even if it’d been a knee-jerk reaction in a moment of panic. If Natalie had any regrets about how things had played out, that was on her. It was time to stop moping and be the maid of honor Marigold deserved.
