At least I thought I’d moved on.
Obviously not.
The urge to stalk to the bar and order a beer hits me from out of left field. Old triggers resurface with the ghosts of my past, and that familiar fear of relapsing—of fucking up all the progress I’ve made—ultimately keeps my ass in my chair. I blow out a slow breath and count down from ten, then pull out my phone to check the time. Everyone is finished eating and conversations fill the room while we wait for Cam to settle up the bill with one of the servers before heading to the venue. I just need to get through the next few hours. Tomorrow morning I’ll catch an AA meeting. If I’m still feeling unstable tonight, I’ll call my sponsor.
A notification pops onto my screen.
Kenslee: This is boring.
A genuine smile spreads across my face and I bite back the urge to laugh. I catch her twinkling gaze across the room then tap on my Words with Friends app to play her in a round. Callie passes out directions to the venue and people stand, milling in small groups in preparation of heading out. I hang back, schooling my niece though she’s a strong competitor.
As I start another match, my brother’s phone rings. He frowns at the screen, then stands. “I better get this.” He swipes at the screen and answers, “Hello?”
“I’m sorry, what?” He moves away from the table, but the room quiets, picking up on the concern in his tone. “Say that again?” Cam pushes his cell against one ear and presses a hand to cover the other. “Shit.” He looks at Jill and winces. “No. I understand. I appreciate the call. Yeah. Will do.” He pockets his phone, walking to her side.
“Everything okay?”
“Uh, yes and no.” He scrubs a hand over his jaw. “We no longer have a wedding venue.”
“What?” Jill’s eyes bug. She shakes her head, then starts laughing. “You’re fucking with me.”
“I wish I was. Some semi-truck plowed through the farmhouse a few hours ago. I guess they’ve been trying to call you. Driver had a heart attack at the wheel. Took down a few electrical lines. Blew out the transformer. The entire town has no power. It’ll be weeks before they have it up and running again. Till then, the county’s shut down the venue.”
Before he’s finished talking, Jill digs through her bag to retrieve her phone. Her eyes are even wider, and she looks as if she’s about to be sick. “You’re not fucking with me.”
“Babe, it’s fine. We’ll figure this out,” Cam reassures.
Jill, who’s been the most chill and relaxed bride I’ve ever seen in all my years of watching friends get married, appears to be on the verge of a panic attack. “I don’t see how any of this is fine.” She glances around the now quiet room. “What about our guests? Everyone who’s flown into town? Cam, we’re supposed to get married in four days.”
Cam squeezes her shoulder. “And we will. It’s fine. Everyone will be fine. We’ll figure it out. Everyone just wants to see us get married.”
“Well, we’re gonna need a venue for that.” She throws up her hands. “It’s not as if we can invite everyone into the back yard. We won’t fit. And I already cut down the list as it is.”
“You could get married at the station,” one of Cam’s crewmates hollers.
Cam considers the idea. “It’s not ideal but we’d have enough space if we took over the parking lot.”
Jill nods but her face is skeptical. “Where would everyone park?” She heaves out a long sigh.
“What about my parents’ estate?” Alicia speaks up, her voice drawing stares from the entire room, especially me. God, she’s so beautiful. Time has done nothing to dull my attraction toward her. If anything, it’s done the opposite. I wonder if she feels the same toward me. Or if she even notices. I have no business entertaining either of those ideas. Obviously, she’s made her new life. Hell, she has a family now. And I’m with Julia.
“Your parents won’t mind?” Jill asks.
Alicia digs inside her bag and pulls out her phone. “Let me call my mom. I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”
“Thanks,” Jill says, as her gaze drifts to the man holding Alicia’s child.
Alicia smiles back. “Give me a second.” She turns and walks toward the exit, bringing the phone to her ear and slipping out the door. My eyes follow her, even though they shouldn’t.
“We’ll need tables and chairs, and just about everything else, and oh my god, I can’t believe I have to re-plan my wedding in less than four days.” Jill massages her pointer fingers along her forehead.
“I’m gonna need a new binder,” I joke, hoping to lighten the mood. But all I get is a glare. “Too soon?”
My brother bites back his amusement.
Callie scoots to Jill’s side. “Hey, we’ve got this. There’s nothing a few sticky notes and color-coded markers can’t solve. Everything will come together beautifully. You’ll see.”
“I can raid the community center,” I offer. “We’ve got a dozen tables and over eighty chairs.”
Cam rubs Jill’s arm. “And I’ve got the rest of this week off. I’ll do whatever it takes to pull this off.” He finds her gaze. “We’ll figure it out. It’s gonna take a lot more than a semi to ruin our day.” He winks and it must take every ounce of his control to not make a dick joke. “I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment.”
She presses her lips together to hold back her smile and rolls her eyes. “You’ve only known me five years.”
He grins. “Well, it feels like forever.”
“Hey!” She shoves at his shoulder, her face lighting with good humor.
He laughs. “Forever in a good way.” He claims her
