And a plastic alligator.
“He's a guy I went to high school with.”
I narrow my eyes. “You never told me about a guy from high school. You always said everyone hated and bullied you but younever gave details, and you had one friend, the one obsessed with pirates.”
“I know. I know! Oh, and you’ll meet Sadie, the pirate woman, soon. Anyway, Damien was the one guy who stuck up for me back then. We never dated in high school, not really. He came into the bar a while back. And, ah, stuff happened.” She waves her hand nervously.
“Stuff?” This is unreal. Kate and I are a team. The A Team of kickass single women. The operative word beingsingle.
“Listen, I'll explain everything later. His name's Damien. You'll love him. He's super sweet. I really gotta go, but Lauren? I need to ask you something.”
Damien. Super sweet. “What?”
“Will you please come? It's here in Cypress Grove. His family owns a big resort here, and his mom is organizing everything. You can totally stay for free for a couple of weeks. It’s going to be a whole thing.”
“A thing?” I screech, feeling like a parrot. “You mean aweddingthing?”
I'm not a fan of weddings. Or love in general. It's not that I don't like guys — I do. But I don't do relationships, probably because I've never met anyone who made me feel like more than an afterthought. With the men I meet through work, I always feel like a prop in someone else's content. Which is fine. Gives me more time to pursue my dreams.
“Yeah, that.”
“Shouldn't you look happier about this?” My voice drops to a whisper. “Are you sure about him? How long have you actually known each other?”
“I'm sure,” she says, with a quiet certainty that's more alarming than excitement would have been. “Lauren, I'msure.”
“Why don't you take some time to think about it? Join me here, and we'll talk in person. Maybe in Paris? At a café!” I clapmy hands. Yes. Get her out of Florida. “I know exactly the place. Best coffee in the world. Then I’ll arrange a private tour of Notre Dame.”
“The ceremony is soon, Lauren. Three weeks. His mom's amazing at planning events, and I want you to be my maid of honor.”
Three weeks. I open and close my mouth. Twenty-one days.
“Look, just get here and I'll explain everything.” She looks up over the camera lens. “Mom, I'm coming.”
Just then, a tan-colored animal shuffles into the corner of the screen. I squint.
“What is that?” I point.
Kate swivels her head. “Oh, that's Steve. Steve, come here, little man.”
Her face disappears when she bends down. She resurfaces with what is possibly the fattest pug I've ever seen. Part pig, part dog, part sentient throw pillow.
I laugh, because I can't help it. He is spectacularly cute.
“This is Steve,” she says.
“Awww, of course it is.” I'm grateful for any reason to stop talking about weddings. “When did your mom get a dog?”
“He's Tate's dog — that's one of Damien's brothers. I'm dog sitting for the day. Steve's on a special diet and we're all trying keep him on track. He lost a pound last month.” She jiggles him gently. “Didn't you, bud? Good boy.”
“Babysitting the dog-in-law?” This all sounds extremely fishy.
She sighs. “Lauren...I know this is sudden, but I can't explain everything right now. Damien’s amazing, his family is really cool, and we have to do this in three weeks because he's got a work assignment right after, and our moms want the ceremony before he goes. Please say you'll come. Please? You can photograph the springs. They're absolutely stunning, I promise.”
You can photograph the springs.Something in me stirs unexpectedly at that.
I've been wanting to visit Cypress Grove for years. I'd read about it on a forum for sacred site photographers — someone had compared it to Sedona, said the springs had a vortex energy unlike anything they'd encountered in the Southeast. I'd begged Kate to take me home with her more than once. She always deflected. It's hot and swampy, she'd say. You'd hate it. You love the city.Welove the city.
I'd assumed she had her reasons for staying away, the way I had mine for never going back to Ohio. Now that she's mentioned Damien, I wonder if her reasons had a name.
