“Because of her soft, dulcet tones?” my brother asked.
“Uh-huh,” I lied, knowing he was serious. He was head-over-heels for her. He couldn’t hear that she spoke with an invisible ellipsis…after ellipsis…after ellipsis…
Meanwhile, when I’d made that joke to Dad, he’d nodded. “She should. That dispassionate, detached voice of hers could be a real moneymaker.”
I was being harsh, I know. But I just didn’t get it. There was something—or many somethings—about Katie that Austin loved. Why couldn’t I see them? It wasn’t as if I hadn’t been trying.
Honestly, I was grateful when Dad volunteered me to help clear the table. Katie was musing about each and every cocktail hour hors d’oeuvre. “The silver doesn’t go in the dishwasher, right?” I asked. “Hand-wash only?”
“Yes, hand-wash only,” he answered from our tiny wine cellar. “Even though she claims the opposite, your grandmother still caresdeeplyfor that silver.” He emerged through the cellar’s stone archway, holding a bottle of Katie’s favorite prosecco. “We’ll clean up later, though.” He nodded toward the mudroom, and I caught his drift to grab the raspberry cheesecake from the garage fridge. It was time.
Da made the toast, officially congratulating Austin and Katie on their engagement. My brother couldn’t stop sneaking peeks at Katie, and with her champagne flute raised, I assessed the unfamiliar diamond sparkling on her manicured finger. Emphasis onunfamiliar, because Austin had chosen to buy Katie a ring rather than propose with the beautiful engagement ring Da’s mother had given my brother before she died—a round ruby flanked by two small diamonds. It was unconventional, sure, but it stole my heart every time I saw it. “For the future Mrs. Fisher-Michaels,” I remembered Grandma telling sixteen-year-old Austin.
But apparently the family heirloom wasn’t Katie’s style, and my brother didn’t want to propose to her with something she wouldn’t like.
There’s no way he could afford that himself, I thought now as I looked at Katie’s skating-rink ring. The singular diamond was so big.No way in hell.
My guess was the ring had not only been from Austin, but also from our parents. Knowing Dad, the jeweler’s receipt was probably flagged in his inbox to reference when negotiating a payment plan with my brother.
Even though I was irked, I couldn’t ignore the flicker of warmth in my heart. Austin and I were beyond lucky to have parents who loved and supported us so fiercely.
“Do you have any initial ideas?” Da asked while we devoured our cheesecake. Little Sunflower Bakery in town never missed the mark. “Created a Pinterest board yet?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Da, come on, evenIhave a wedding Pinterest board!”
“Yes.” Katie put down her fork. “My mother and I have a few thoughts.”
“Christmastime,” Austin said. “This Christmas.”
Visions of sugarplums suddenly danced in my head when I word-vomited: “Like,Christmas-Christmas?”
My brother shook his head while Katie simply wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Early or mid-December in Princeton. Right, Kates?”
Katie had grown up across the river in New Jersey, and it was also where she and my brother met. While on Thanksgiving break in college, Austin and his high school friends had used fake IDs to hit up the bars in Princeton, and apparently after striking out left and right, he’d “triumphed” at Triumph Brewery by charming Katie. After Thanksgiving, they spent the rest of the vacation hanging out before returning to their schools, committed to long distance. It was only in the last year that Katie had moved in with Austin in Philly. Before that, she’d been at business school in Chicago.
“Princeton sounds lovely.” Da smiled. “Your engagement celebration in Paris also looked beautiful, although based on the Instagram comments alone, I know you have so many people in your life who would’ve loved to be a part of it.”
Nicely done, Da, I thought as I sliced myself a second piece of cheesecake.
“So,” he continued smoothly, “Harry and I”—he reached for Dad’s hand—“would be honored to host an engagement party here, for more family and friends.”
“Oh, wow,” Katie said. “That’s really kind of you.” She turned to Austin. “We should talk to my parents—”
“What’s there to talk about?” My brother grinned and kissed her, then turned to our dads. “Thank you! You guys are the best!”
“We are.” Dad nodded stoically. “It can sometimes be a heavy burden to bear, but indeed.” He squeezed Da’s hand. “We are the best.”
“You are, really,” Katie said after a moment, but I could tell by her smile she didn’t actually mean it. “What number did you have in mind for the guest list?”
***
“Hey, can I talk to you a sec?” Austin asked, joining me at the sink while I was hard at work doing the dishes. His cheeks were still pink and the tips of his ears red from the cold. Katie had wanted to visit the horses.
“Sure.” I dried off a silver dessert fork. “What’s up?”
“The wedding,” he said.
“Is already off?” I joked. “Did Tally talk you out of it?”
