lly about something else—and I wanted to tell you in person.”
“Uh oh…” I raised an eyebrow. “Is there a problem?”
“I don’t know,” he sighed. “There might be…”
“Just tell me.” I leaned back in my chair.
I’m already having a shitty day. He might as well pile on the bad news if he has some to give me…
“Alright.” He took a deep breath. “So, Taylor got the wedding invitations in, and she’s been busy with school. Her sister, Anna, offered to help—and she sent one to Mary.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.” I shook my head back and forth. “It’ll just come to the house. She doesn’t live there anymore.”
I’ve been getting mail with her name on it since the day she left—seeing her name on an envelope isn’t going to bother me.
“That was my initial reaction as well, except that Anna thought it would be a good idea to send digital invitations to go along with the ones she was mailing—with a link for the guests to RSVP.” Bryant looked down and exhaled sharply. “It was just supposed to be close friends. You were obviously on the list, and Mary’s email was attached to your contact information…”
“I doubt she’ll show up. She moved to the city. She hasn’t been back to Carson Cove since the divorce as far as I know.” I shrugged.
“She already sent her RSVP.” Bryan lifted his head and sighed. “She also confirmed that she would have a plus one…”
“Oh.” The emotion drained out of my face. “Fuck… she’s dating again?”
“Aren’t you?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Well, yeah…” I nodded. “Obviously, it makes sense if she’s already dating too. I just haven’t really thought about it.”
“Luckily, the invitations for the engagement party were handled by Taylor, so you don’t have to worry about running into her tonight, but—just a heads up for the wedding.” Bryant sighed. “I’m sorry, man. I know we were all friends in high school, but I didn’t plan on inviting her to the wedding.”
“Don’t worry about it, Bryant. I appreciate you letting me know.” I faked a smile—just to ease some of his concern.
“Alright, I have to go.” Bryant leaned forward and started to stand. “Taylor won’t be happy if I’m not there to make sure everything is perfect for the party.”
“I’ll see you tonight.” I gave him a slight wave as he walked towards the door.
I probably shouldn’t have cared that my ex-wife was going to be at the wedding, but it did bother me. One benefit of Mary’s move to the city was not running into her at social events in Carson Cove. There were a few that I was forced to attend due to work, and they had been rather peaceful. I would have rather been able to see my kids more, but they had adjustments to make as well—stability was important for them, and Mary was able to provide that. Regardless of who would or wouldn’t be there, I couldn’t miss my best friend’s wedding, so I would just have to suck it up. That didn’t mean I had to be happy about it—I just had to pretend for a few hours. It would be hard to see Mary with someone else, but I expected her to start dating at some point.
Hopefully, she’s having better luck than I am. Things got a little ugly during the divorce, but I don’t want her to be miserable—I’m miserable enough for the both of us.
* * *
Later that night
I made my rounds as soon as I arrived at Benson Estate. I spent some time talking to Bryant and a few of our friends—then I headed for the bar. Taylor was busy talking with a couple of people I didn’t recognize, so I didn’t interrupt. I was still processing what Bryant told me and wondering if I could line up a date before the wedding. I didn’t feel the need to show up with a beautiful woman on my arm to rub it in Mary’s face, and I doubted that was why she was bringing a plus one. She had moved on. I needed to the same, but I was just treading water in the dating ocean.
I didn’t want to have her show up at the wedding and get the impression I was on some sort of downward spiral. Maybe my pride was just getting the better of me, but I felt like it would be easier if I had a date for the wedding. I truly had no idea what kind of emotional response I would have when I saw Mary again—and she might have concerns about sending the kids to stay with me every other weekend if I wasn’t able to handle it with the kind of maturity that was expected in that situation.
I never thought I would have to navigate my way through this kind of bullshit…
“What are we drinking.” Bryant walked up beside me and leaned against the bar.
“None of that fruity shit.” I motioned to his glass of wine.
“Yeah, I was mainly just holding it because someone put it in my hand.” He sat the glass down and looked at the bartender. “Can I get a Scotch?”
“Yes sir, Mr. Benson.” The bartender smiled and started pouring a glass for him.
“I don’t suppose you saw where my future wife ran off to?” Bryant raised an eyebrow. “She was just here…”