A Wedding in December

“I’m not a very happy flier.”

“Me neither. My best friend on a flight is alcohol.”

Maggie laughed. Maybe she and Catherine had more in common than she thought. “Do you travel much?”

“I used to. When I was building the business I used to go to all the big wedding shows, but now we have so many word-of-mouth recommendations we can barely keep up, so my work is fairly local. Most of my suppliers are right here in the valley. I use a photographer who has a gallery in town, a local florist, and there’s a bridal shop run by a designer who decided she preferred our mountains to the glitter of Manhattan. She has the most exquisite dress for Rosie, I can’t wait for you to see it.”

“It’s generous of you to have given Rosie so much support.”

“I adore Rosie. She’s so warm and genuine. The moment Dan introduced her I was thinking let her be The One. The whole family is thrilled by everything that’s happened. Aren’t you?”

Was she thrilled? “Dan seems delightful,” she said diplomatically. She still wasn’t entirely sure what she’d said to him the night before. “But it has all happened rather fast.”

“I know. When Dan proposed at Thanksgiving, I almost cried.”

Maggie had almost cried, too, although she suspected it would have been a different sort of crying. “So it was a shock to you?”

“You have no idea. It was always going to be a special gathering because Rosie was with us, but I never imagined how special. So romantic and meaningful, because my Dan is not impulsive. Is Rosie?”

Yes, Maggie thought. Changes her mind with the wind. “They do seem very much in love.”

Did they? She couldn’t remember much about that either, but it felt like the right thing to say.

How had Rosie seemed this morning? Pretty normal, although again Maggie had been focusing more on behaving like one half of a couple who were in love. And who was she to judge? She hadn’t been able to keep her own

marriage going. Even if she was being generous to herself, she had to be at least fifty percent responsible.

Maybe Nick was right. Maybe it was ridiculous hiding the truth.

It wasn’t too late to change her mind. Katie was arriving tonight. She and Nick could sit the girls down and explain things. They were bound to be upset, but they were going to be upset whenever it happened and there was still almost a week until the wedding. The wedding could even be a distraction.

Catherine drove toward town. “I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to have the bride’s parents still married and in love. When we have more time I’ll tell you about the last two weddings I helped plan. Nightmare! The bride’s parents were in the process of divorcing and let’s just say it was not harmonious. I know you told Dan this is like a second honeymoon for you.”

Had she said that?

Maggie wanted to get out of the car and run fast in the opposite direction, but the jeans made that impossible.

Apart from making a vow never to drink again as long as she lived, what could she do?

There was no way she could tell Catherine, or the girls, the truth.

The timing was all wrong. Nick was right. They should have done it months ago, instead of waiting. This was all her fault.

“We’re very definitely married,” she said finally. At least that was the truth. “I’m not sure I’d go as far as saying this is a second honeymoon.”

“Now you’re embarrassed, but don’t be.” Catherine glanced briefly at Maggie. “Honestly? I envy you.”

Maggie stared at her, this sleek, confident, successful superwoman whose jeans definitely weren’t cutting her in half. “You envy me?”

“Yes. You still have your soul mate. Rosie tells me that the two of you met in college. Jonny and I were the same.”

“I—I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Me too.” Catherine gripped the wheel. “But life goes on, right? You keep walking, even when your feet are bleeding and you can hardly stand upright. But it makes me happy to know you two still appreciate your couple time. Some people don’t know what they’ve got until they lose it, but you do. I wish Jonny and I had spent more time together, just enjoying each other, but we were always busy and focusing on the next step, you know?”

Maggie was a fraud, and these jeans were her punishment. “Most people forget to make the most of those small moments.”

“But you don’t.” Catherine reached across and touched Maggie’s arm. “We barely know each other, but I’m going to say this anyway and hope you don’t think I’m odd—I find you inspirational.”