Page 76 of Save the Date

More uproarious laughter from the crowd. This woman could start a proper cult if she wanted to.

“But what the hell do I know?” Amanda asked as she reached out and patted Emma’s knee as consolation for questioning herlife choices in front of millions of people. “You’re the relationship expert. And I’m still in love with my second ex-husband.”

Emma forced a smile and wondered how much longer she’d have to look like a total idiot before they cut to a commercial break.

Twenty-Eight

“THAT WAS WONDERFUL,” DEBBIE GUSHED AS SHEenveloped Emma in a hug.

“Absolutely fantastic,” Alan agreed fervently. They’d all driven to the studio together and were now reconnecting in the enormous parking garage. Emma, confused by their positive reaction, wondered if they had somehow watched the wrong show or been drugged against their will.

“Really? I thought it was a disaster.”

Jackie, who was already trying to share clips of the taping on Emma’s social media—even though she wasn’t supposed to—looked up long enough to roll her eyes. They already had this conversation in the green room, the bathroom and on the way to the car.

“Oh my god, Emma, it wasn’t a disaster. She was just asking questions. That is literally her job.”

“Sure, but all of her questions made it seem like I was making a huge mistake,” Emma complained. Debbie and Alan exchanged a look.

“Doyouthink you’re making a huge mistake?” Debbie asked gently.

“No. Not at all. I mean, you know Matt. He’s amazing.”

“Soamazing,” Jackie confirmed, slightly salivating at the thought of her future brother-in-law.

“Then it doesn’t matter what some talk show host thinks,” Debbie replied. “You did a great job up there and I could tell the audience liked what you had to say. You had them hooked.”

“I guess I’ll choose to believe you,” Emma said. Maybe she’d been so afraid of looking foolish, her perception was skewed. And even if it wasn’t, there wasn’t anything she could do to save herself now. Delusion was the only option.

“Good,” Debbie replied as she opened the car door. “Because it’s time to get some celebratory ice cream.”

Approximately thirty minutes later, the family settled into a table outside their favorite artisanal ice cream shop. As Emma licked her black-raspberry-chip cone, she tried to assess the state of her parents’ marriage. The ride over had been filled with backseat driving and a fair amount of bickering over what legally constitutes tailgating, but that was par for the course. Since walking in on their closet fight, Emma was more curious about their interactions outside the exacerbating confines of a motor vehicle.

“Did you get my email?” Alan asked Emma as he slurped down some coffee chip. “The band needs to know your first dance song by the end of the week.”

Alan had graciously taken over the majority of wedding planning so Emma could focus on finishing her book and launching her podcast. It turned out he had a real knack for details and badgering people to get back to him—not that either was surprising after thirty-eight years as a high-powered attorney.

“What was your first dance song?” Emma asked.

“I don’t know if we had one,” Debbie replied. “The whole shindig was just to make your grandmother happy.”

“That’s not true,” Alan protested, forever defensive over Emma’s demanding grandma. “We both wanted a wedding.”

“Yes, but not one at a stuffy golf club surrounded by people we barely knew. I would have been happier in a field somewhere.”

“Who has a wedding in a field?”

“Plenty of people.”

“I’m sorry ours was such a disappointment because it was inside,” Alan said with bite. The conversation was quickly veering into dangerous territory.

“Oh, come on. Neither one of us would have chosen that type of wedding if we’d had the money to pay for it ourselves.”

“If you say so,” Alan replied.

Debbie looked at her daughters for backup. “Is thisThe Twilight Zone? Have youeverheard either one of us talk fondly about our wedding?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you mention it. But I did spend my entire adolescence tuning you out,” Jackie replied.

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