Kathy waited. While Moira would never run out of energy for talking, she would eventually run out of breath.
When Moira stopped, Kathy waited some more before asking, “And?”
“And the whole conversation was weird because first, Jimmy rarely invites anyone to the party, so why would he think of inviting my friend. Second, the reason Jimmy doesn’t like to invite extra people is because that gives him more people to keep an eye on, and because you’re my friend, he would feel the need to make sure you’re okay. So then I started to wonder more about why Jimmy brought this up.”
Kathy swallowed a lump of chocolate shake. “Why not just ask him?”
Moira snorted. “Getting information out of Jimmy is harder than getting my mom to talk about her feelings.” She swirled her straw through her shake. “I think Kevin put him up to it.”
Kathy absorbed the statement, knowing in her gut that Moira would get to this point. But she didn’t have anything to say. She hadn’t talked to Kevin. Not since his text yesterday.
Although Kevin’s text had surprised her, it had also made her smile. She’d worked her ass off most of the night to make the centerpieces for Deb Hanover. It wasn’t until the flowers were out the door that Kathy had the time to find out who the woman actually was. When Deb placed the order, she’d only told Kathy that it was a banquet for city officials. After the delivery, Kathy found that Deb was pretty high up in the city’s food chain. Her name was attached to almost every high-profile event sponsored by the mayor’s office.
“That! That look!” Moira yelled, and pointed at her. “What’s going on with Kevin?”
“What do you mean?”
Moira’s mouth tightened and she arched a brow.
“We’ve been in touch to plan the bachelor/bachelorette parties on the same night. Then he gave my card to some woman he works with and got me a huge order.”
Moira slid from the counter and stood in front of her. She was so short that she barely passed Kathy’s shoulders. Moira tilted her face up. “So you’re talking to him.”
Kathy couldn’t tell if Moira felt betrayed or intrigued.
“Kind of. Mostly we text.” She set her cup down. “We had dinner together to talk wedding parties.”
“I knew it. I knew he’d try to weasel his way back into your life.”
“What?”
“When he got a glimpse of you at the engagement party last year, he looked like a wolf homing in on his prey. I cut him off, but I honestly didn’t think he’d listen. Seems like I was right.”
“I don’t think that’s it. He’s been friendly and laid back. He hasn’t done anything nefarious.” Kathy knew better than to lay any of her suspicions out for Moira to grab on to. What she said was the truth; Kevin had been nothing but nice.
“That’s not like Kevin. What could he be up to?”
“Don’t you have anything better to obsess about? Like your wedding?”
“My wedding is planned. Kevin is the only wild card. I have no idea what to expect from him as best man. I’m afraid he’ll take Jimmy to Vegas for the bachelor party and marry him off to some stripper.”
Kathy laughed. Obsessed was too kind a word for this. “Even if Kevin had some evil plan, there is no way in hell Jimmy would fall for it. Jimmy would never marry someone else, no matter how drunk he was.”
“Yeah,” Moira acquiesced, “but what about the toast at the wedding? Kevin has known me his whole life. What if he gets up in front of everyone and tells embarrassing stories?”
“He probably will tell stories. About Jimmy. Why do you let Kevin make you crazy?”
Moira slumped. “I don’t know. He’s made me nuts for as long as I can remember. It’s like his sole purpose in life is to make me miserable.”
Kathy put her arm around Moira’s shoulders. “Kevin isn’t going to do anything to ruin your wedding. Even if he thought he was being funny, I’m pretty sure Jimmy would kick his ass.” As she spoke, she knew that Moira’s fears were really shaking her up. She sighed and added, “Do you want me to talk to him?”
“I can’t ask you to do that. Jimmy said the same thing. Kevin won’t do anything bad. I just don’t trust him. He made me so miserable as a kid.”
“This is going to sound stupid, but have you ever said this to him?”
Moira pulled away and reclaimed her seat on the counter. “He does it intentionally. What good would it do me to point out how effective it is?”
Kathy saw where Moira was coming from but something made her think that Kevin didn’t truly realize the effect his teasing had on Moira. “Maybe if you explained it to him like you are to me. He is a guy after all. They’re not too bright when it comes to understanding women.”
Moira slurped her shake. “Wouldn’t matter to Kevin.” Another loud slurp. “I’m probably being melodramatic. You’re right. Jimmy will keep him in line.”
She spoke without her usual enthusiasm or conviction. Kathy hated seeing her friend like this. It was too out of character.
Moira abruptly changed the subject. “So tell me what’s going on with you.”
“I’ve been working, getting ready for my best friend’s wedding. That’s it.” She sank onto the stool she kept behind the register. She rarely used it because once she sat down, she usually didn’t want to get back up. Right now her feet were screaming.
“Come on, Kath, give me something. A distraction from my stress.”
“Sorry to disappoint. You’re the one with the glamorous life. You should tell me about all the fancy parties you’re going to.”
For the next hour, Kathy listened to Moira chatter, and it was like old times. By the time their cups were drained, Kathy was rejuvenated. Her body was still tired, but her mind
