Best Man for the Wedding Planner

She laughed. “Good morning, bubby,” she crooned, and reached down to rub his ears. “You kept my feet warm all night, didn’t you?” He’d been very vocal when she’d returned home yesterday morning, demanding to know where she’d been all night. She’d had just enough energy to refill his food and water before heading for the sofa and a blanket.

He gave up kneading and perched on her belly, rolled his head a few times, and then flopped down. His antics never ceased to make her laugh, and the warmth of his body had kept her from feeling lonely many nights.

She was probably a crazy cat lady, but she didn’t care. Mr. Num-Nums was her fave.

He started to purr and she put her head back down on the pillow. Today she had to ignore the fact that Dan was still in town, and instead had to get back to work. The Valentine’s Day ceremony at Lake Louise was in just over three weeks; details were starting to come together and needed her attention. While winter wasn’t her busiest season, she had two weddings coming up that were destination weddings and required a different sort of attention. And then when April hit, her busiest season would kick off from then until October, really.

There were things she needed to do now, including putting things together for her accountant for tax season.

But for right now, her bed and cat were warm and comfy, and she was going to enjoy a few more minutes.

Shortly after eight she dragged herself out of bed, hopped into a hot shower, and dressed in soft, comfy leggings and a cozy sweater. She’d bought hand-knit wool socks at a market in the fall, and she pulled them on to her feet before heading to the kitchen to brew coffee—not tea.

In moments the coffee was dripping into her mug, and she popped two slices of bread into her toaster. Daylight started filtering through the windows, and she pulled open the blinds before feeding the cat.

Then she set u

p her laptop at the kitchen table, close to the coffee maker and the heating vent, and started answering the emails she’d ignored for the past forty-eight hours.

It was all very normal, except she couldn’t get the sound of Dan’s voice out of her head. Or the strange feeling in her stomach that was at once excited and nervous and also heavy with regret and dread. He made her feel so many things.

But he was going back to Toronto in a few days. Back to his life. And she’d continue on with hers. If she was left feeling as if things were unfinished—well, that was her own fault. As her mom used to say, If you burn your ass, you have to sit on the blisters. She’d made her choice, and now she had to live with the fallout. Again.

She made another cup of coffee, and then a knock came at the door at precisely noon. Her heart hammered as she wondered if it was Dan. But a quick peek through the little window showed Harper’s face amid a cloud of her breath. Adele opened the door and stood aside. “Hey. I didn’t expect to see you today.”

“I gave you time to sleep. And thought you could use this.” She held up a bag from their favorite lunch spot. “Chicken soup.”

“That sounds awesome. Come on in.”

Harper used her toes to push off her boots and left them on the front mat. Stocking-footed, they headed back to the kitchen. “Well, I wanted to be nosy, too. Last I saw of you was when the best man was walking you toward the door. He’s kind of hunkalicious, don’t you think?”

She must have winced because Harper’s eyebrows went up. “What? Is he a jerk? What happened?”

“You’d better sit down. Want a coffee? I’ll get a spoon for the soup. Have you eaten? Is there some for you, too?”

“That’s a lot of questions,” Harper replied, pulling out a chair. “Yes, I’ll have a coffee. And yes, I ate and the soup is just for you. Now. Spill.”

Adele popped another coffee pod into the machine and hit the button. “Well, I didn’t have time to tell you this on Saturday, but...the best man’s name is Daniel Brimicombe and he and I were in a relationship a long time ago.”

“Shut up. Really?”

Harper had swiveled in her chair so that she could face Adele. The look of surprise was priceless. Adele put milk in the coffee and brought it and a spoon to the table. “Really. In university. We broke up just before graduation.”

“But why? Like I said, hunkalicious.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

Adele laughed a little, despite the little knot of pain that centered in her solar plexus. “I know. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him at the hotel. What are the chances? Anyway, our relationship didn’t end well, so the weekend was pretty awkward.”

Understatement of the year.

“It didn’t look awkward when he was helping you to the door.”

Adele wasn’t sure how to respond. She reached into the paper bag and took out the carton of soup, avoiding Harper’s penetrating gaze.

“Adele?” She said her name slowly, and Adele sighed as she took the lid off the soup and dipped her spoon into it.

“Actually, he didn’t take me to the door.” She put a spoonful of broth in her mouth and affected what she hoped was a casual air.

“Oh, sister.” Harper leaned back in her chair. “There’s a story here. You might as well let me have it.”