Inside the ladies’ room she sank down into one of the lounge chairs and, because the sting of salt became too strong to blink back, she closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to her knees. Keep it together just a little longer. A couple toasts. Some dancing. A bouquet toss. You can do it.
Not like she had any choice. Staying in the ladies’ room wasn’t an option. Someone would come in eventually, and see her curled into her protective ball, nursing her wounds. There was something unbearably pitiful about a bridesmaid sitting alone in a restroom, crying. Nobody wanted to be that girl, including her.
She got up, walked to the mirror, and used tissues to dry her tears. Then she drew in a deep, stabilizing breath, released it slowly, and took stock. Surprisingly, the woman staring back at her looked calm and self-possessed. Only her overbright eyes hinted at any distress, but they also gleamed with determination. Maybe she wasn’t quite the “New Sophie” she’d set her sights on becoming, but she wasn’t “Old Sophie,” either. Which brought up the question of exactly what she was, but she could stand there all day and never figure out the answer, so she tossed her handful of crumpled tissues into the wastebasket and headed to the door…and almost got knocked out when Regan came barreling in.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” the tall brunette said.
“That’s okay.” She retreated into the lounge again. “I really didn’t want to leave the restroom anyway.”
“What’s going on? Why aren’t you out there with your guy?”
“Logan’s hardly mine.” Sophie shifted, toying with the edge of her dress. “He was only spending time with me as a favor to Colton. The good news, for you, is he’s no longer stuck entertaining the groom’s shy little sister. He’s all yours. Go for
it.”
Regan blinked. “I hate to be the one to break it to you, but a man doesn’t ask his best friend to sleep with his baby sister.”
“But—”
“And, seriously, that scorching kiss I got an eyeful of this morning when I walked by your room was nobody’s version of a favor. No one can fake chemistry like that.”
Sophie frowned. “I don’t know…”
“Yeah, you do. Deep down, a girl always knows.”
Did she? She knew what she’d overheard this morning. Had she misinterpreted? Was she misjudging Logan’s motives because of her own insecurities?
“Look, sweetie,” Regan went on. “That man is crazy about you. Take off the underdog cape you wear around like a security blanket, because it doesn’t fit at all. You caught Logan’s eye all on your own, and now you need to decide if you want to keep it. But if you ask me, only an idiot would let him get away just because the idea of being with him is scary. I don’t know you very well, but you don’t strike me as an idiot. Don’t prove me wrong.” She stepped back and held open the door.
Sophie stared up at her, at a loss for words. If Regan was playing some kind of game with her, she wasn’t smart enough to figure it out. She shook her head and started out the door, then paused and looked at Regan. “You coming?”
“I’ll be along.”
For once in probably her entire life, Regan didn’t look too good. Her face was pale. She’d chewed all her lipstick off and didn’t seem to care. “Are you okay?”
Regan raised her chin and smiled. “Always.”
Sophie wasn’t so sure, but she nodded and left the restroom. Dinner was winding down when she walked back into the main room—just in time to see Logan take the microphone and call for quiet. Perfect timing. Why not be standing in the middle of the room during the best man toast?
“Hi everyone,” he said when the room quieted. “My name is Logan McCade. I want to thank everyone for coming to beautiful Beaver Creek to join Colton and Kady for their big day. I’ve…ah…I’ve known Colt for a long time. Since freshman year of college. Over the years I’ve learned a couple of things about him. First, if he ever turns to you and says, ‘Let’s go to Rosarito Beach for spring break,’ tell him ‘No.’” He paused while the audience laughed. “Seriously, unless you want to see the inside of a Mexican prison…but I digress. The second important thing I know about Colt is that, for a long time, he was kind of cynical on the notion of love.”
Some people in the audience groaned their agreement.
“And why wouldn’t he be? We live in a cynical world. Lots of intelligent, good-hearted people have tried for forever and fallen short. Too many people get together for all the wrong reasons. It can feel like everybody’s got an angle or an ulterior motive. It’s easier not to risk your heart. Not to trust.
“But there’s something else I know about Colt. He’s not one to take the easy road. When you tandem climb a rock tower with a guy, you get to know stuff like that. You realize he’s not afraid to take risks when he values the reward. You learn he’s not the type to run scared…although I think he jogged some, at first, when it came to Kady.”
The audience laughed again, and Sophie couldn’t help looking at her brother, who was grinning and blushing and shaking his head.
“The first time I met Kady, I was floored, because she wasn’t at all like I pictured her based on everything Colt had said. I mean, does this lovely woman look like a ‘ball-buster who would try the patience of a saint’?”
A contingent of Kady’s sorority sisters hooted, “Hell yeah,” and the bride gave them an affronted look. Laughter filled the room again.
“Anyway, she was completely out of his league, but when I saw them together, I knew my friend the cynic didn’t stand a chance, because sometimes two people are so right for each other, so intrinsically connected, all the doubts fade. Which isn’t to say things have always been smooth for them. They’ve had some ups and downs, and some misunderstandings, but they’ve also got this undeniable love. You can feel it if you spend any time around them.”
People murmured their agreement and Sophie found herself nodding.
“There are experts much wiser than I who would tell you love’s just the start. Love’s the easy part. In this cynical world, to stand up in front of a church full of witnesses like Colt and Kady did today, bare their souls to each other and say”—his eyes unerringly found hers—“‘I love you,’ takes courage and trust. Trust in the other person, and trust in yourself.”