your timeline.”
Meredith groaned and slumped down in the chair to rest her head against the top of it. “Maybe I should pray instead that He’ll take away my desire to get married. Then it won’t matter if the man I’m in love with doesn’t return my feelings.”
“Maybe you should pray for the patience to hold on until Major realizes what he’s missing.” Anne stood and picked up the binder.
“Right. And let God make me wait another eight years? I know what His sense of humor is like. No way I’m praying that!” She let Anne pull her out of the chair and followed her cousin to the small table in the bay window overlooking Town Square in the front of the building.
“Then I guess you’ll just have to muddle through.”
“Thanks. You’re tons of help.” Meredith stuck her tongue out at the woman who’d been her best friend since before she could remember.
“Well, you could always just talk to him.”
“Who?”
“Major—I thought that’s who we were talking about.”
“Talk to him?”
“About how you feel.”
“No way. Call me old-fashioned, but I firmly believe that a man should make the first move.” Meredith pulled her own folder of information for Anne’s wedding out of her bag. “Can we focus on you now, instead of me? You are getting married in a week, you know.”
“Nine days.”
“Right. Nine days. And there’s still lots to do, so let’s get to it.” Meredith pulled out her to-do list and started reviewing everything they’d accomplished since their last war-room briefing.
But she couldn’t put Anne’s words out of her head. Talk to Major about her feelings? What if he once and for all told her he could never feel that way toward her?
No, she’d rather live with the pain of unrequited—but hopeful—love than to know for sure that she would never have a chance at love with Major O’Hara.
Chapter 21
“Forbes, I saved you a seat.” Meredith waved at her big brother, who’d just entered The Fishin’ Shack.
“Thanks, Sis.” Forbes looked somewhat frazzled, which served as partial explanation as to why he was so late for the Thursday night cousins dinner. He walked around and greeted everyone at the table before taking the chair between Meredith and George.
“Tough day?” Meredith moved her purse from the table to the floor.
“Somewhat. But I’m no longer at work, so I refuse to think about it further. How was your day off? Did you and Anne get everything done you wanted to do today?” Forbes poured himself a glass of iced tea and doctored it with three packs of sweetener.
“There are still a few loose strings, but Anne will have everything tuned up and ready to go by the time we get to church for the rehearsal Friday evening.”
“I’m sure she will. I just hope we can all live up to her exacting expectations.”
“Hey—I heard that!” Anne leaned around behind George and poked Forbes’s shoulder.
“What? Anne’s here?” Forbes winked at their cousin.
Once the subject of the wedding had been brought up, it consumed quite a bit of attention around the table. Certain that no one was paying any attention to her or Forbes, Meredith leaned closer to him.
“What do you know about Major’s family?” she asked softly.
“Excuse me?” Forbes looked startled.
Maybe she should have figured out a better way to broach the subject, but she wasn’t sure how much time she would have before they were drawn back into the general conversation. “Major’s family. What do you know about them?”
“He was raised by a single mom.”
“I know that. But do you know anything more specific? I mean, you two are pretty close friends.” She twisted her napkin in her lap.
The little upside-down Y formed between Forbes’s brows. “I think that’s something you should ask Major.”
She sighed in frustration. “I have asked him, and he won’t tell me much more than what you just did.”
“Then I can’t believe you’re going around behind his back asking me to divulge whatever he may have told me in confidence. Really, Mere, I thought you had higher principles than that.” Though his words came across as angry, all she could see in his eyes was discomfort.
“I’m just worried about him. He had to leave the banquet early last night—some kind of an emergency. I wanted to make sure everything’s okay, and if not, to see if there’s anything I can do to help.”
With meticulous movements, Forbes unfolded his napkin and draped it across his lap. “As I said, it’s something you’ll have to ask him.” He turned his attention to the wedding talk, effectively cutting off any further questions from Meredith by the angle of his body.
Eventually, the discussion of Anne’s wedding waned. Across the table, Rafe said, “Hey, Mere, how’s the work on your house going?”
“Great. I talked to my contractor this afternoon, and he said it’s looking like they might be done early.”
Rafe’s left brow shot upward. “Your
“I’m not dating him.” Her pulse quickened—she hated being the source of her siblings’ amusement. “We’re just friends.”
“Really? What would you call it when you go out to romantic restaurants for meals alone with him?” Jenn joined in on the teasing.
“I’ve only been out with him a couple of times. We’re still just getting to know each other.” Meredith glanced at Anne for help, but her cousin was listening to something George was whispering in her ear.
Rafe laughed. “You met him on New Year’s Day, right? Jenn would be practically engaged if she’d met someone six or seven weeks ago who’d asked her out.”
“Take it back!” Jenn laughed and punched their younger brother in the arm.
Meredith laughed, too, glad not to be the sole recipient of the ribbing.
“Hey, did y’all know Meredith’s going to be on TV tomorrow?” Jenn turned a saucy smile toward Meredith.
So much for not being the sole focus of her teasing-prone family.
The next morning, Meredith’s desk was piled with messages and paperwork, as it was every time she took a day off—only today it was compounded by the fact they’d had a massive, midweek event.
“Corie?”
Her assistant appeared in the door, still in her jacket with her backpack hanging from one shoulder. “Yes?”
“What time do I have to be at the TV studio?”
“Let me check the e-mail.” She disappeared for a couple of minutes then reappeared sans coat and bag. “It says you should plan to arrive no later than ten o’clock.”
Meredith glanced at the clock in the lower right corner of her computer monitor. Seven forty-five. “Can you give me a heads-up at nine thirty if it looks like I’m not paying attention to the clock?”
“Will do. Want to go over the stuff from yesterday so we can get started on reports?”
Not really. “Sure. But give me a minute to get some coffee.”
“I’ll come with.” Corie grabbed her big, hand-painted ceramic mug from her desk and walked with Meredith to the executive kitchen. “How was your day off?”
