Page 82 of Save the Date

“So great to meet you, man. I love your work,” Matt gushed, standing up and extending his arm for a firm handshake. Emma followed suit, trying not to wince as her fingers were engulfed in Phoenix’s enormous palm.

They all settled into their chairs and the requisite small talk about parking difficulties before Phoenix dived into business. “As we discussed on the phone, I want to make sure we’re all on the same page and I capture the right moments on your big day.”

Emma forced herself to nod along with Matt even though it seemed pretty obvious what Phoenix was supposed to capture; the wedding ceremony and the various guests came to mind.

“Emma, let’s start with you.” Phoenix rested his elbows on the table and cradled his head in hands like she was the most interesting specimen in the world.

His intense eye contact made Emma squirm. It was one thing to talk about romantic relationships as a trained professional, or evenwitha trained professional like her therapist. It was another to earnestly and openly talk about her own mushy feelings in a public café with a perfect stranger. This was what she meant when she’d told Imani she wasn’t a romantic.

“What can you see in Matt that makes him different from every other beefcake out there?”

Emma turned to Matt as his cheeks grew red from the compliment. It was a good question and Emma felt guilty that a rush of answers didn’t immediately spring to mind. Maybe it was the pressure to deliver that was getting in her normally loquacious way. She let out an awkward laugh that only showcased her growing embarrassment.

“Take your time,” Phoenix responded. “It’s a lot of feeling to put into words. That’s why we have cameras.”

This man takes his jobveryseriously, Emma thought before forcing herself to address the question. “Matt is probably oneof the nicest people I have ever met. He treats everyone like he already knows them, putting everyone at ease. And he’s also very good at making eggs.” Emma threw the last part in even though he’d technically only made her eggs once. It might have been a fluke.

Phoenix stared at her for a moment with what Emma could only describe as a look of deep disappointment. The silence lingered like a toxic gas until he asked, “Anything else?”

Emma looked at Matt, who offered her an encouraging smile. “He has very strong legs. But I guess that will be hard to showcase under his suit.”

Phoenix ignored her attempt at a joke and turned his focus to the groom-to-be. “What about you, Matthew? Why did this young woman take your breath away?”

Emma stifled another laugh. Phoenix seemed incapable of talking like a normal person and was instead trapped in the stereo­­type of an overly sensitive artist—which wasn’t that unusual in Los Angeles, but was still hard to stomach.

“Oh, well,” Matt said as he squeezed her hand. “Emma’s a great listener. She has a lot of empathy. And she’s an amazing caregiver.”

Emma felt her body tighten up. It wasn’t that what Matt was saying was wrong—everything he mentioned was something she took pride in. It’s just that they weren’t the first things that came to mind when she thought about herself. Traits likehilariousorambitiousseemed more accurate coming out of the gate.

“Amazing caregiver. I love that,” Phoenix replied as Emma tried not to focus on the less glamorous associations with that word. She hoped Matt wasn’t mainly excited to marry her because he knew she’d be willing to wipe his butt when they got old. Obviously, she’d do it, but it wasn’t like she was excited about it.

“If you could only keep one image from the wedding, whatwould you want it to be?” Phoenix asked with his standard gravitas.

“I thought contractually we were allowed to keep them all,” Emma joked.

“I think he’s just trying to figure out what we care about,” Matt explained gently.

“I know. I was just…being silly.” Emma smiled at Phoenix, who gave her a condescending grin in return.So much for bridal privilege, she thought.

“I think I have one,” Matt said with a bit of excitement. “I would really want a photo of our entire family. My side, her side, all together with the kids and grandparents. Like one of those photos everyone can hang in their living room.”

Phoenix nodded encouragingly. “Multigenerational. The past sowing the way for the future.”

“Sure,” Matt agreed good-naturedly. “What about you?”

“I guess your answer makes sense,” Emma replied. “Weddings are about community and not just the couple.”

Matt grinned, glad to be in agreement. He put his arm around her, hugging her close despite their separate chairs. Emma tried not to feel slighted that his answer hadn’t been their first kiss or their first dance. Or even one of those cheesily staged first-look photos.

But then again, Matt already had all those pictures with someone else.

Thirty

“I JUST NEED TO GRAB MY COMPUTER FROM THE OFFICEand then we can go to lunch,” Emma explained to her parents.

They were currently being icy with each other in the front seat of Debbie’s Volvo. Things had been increasingly tense since Alan stormed off at the ice cream shop a few weeks ago—a failed attempt at getting his wife’s attention. Debbie seemed fed up with Alan and Alan was clearly wounded by Debbie’s distance. They hadn’t played a single game of cribbage in weeks, breaking a daily tradition Emma had grown accustomed to since moving back home. Something had to change, and it had to change fast.

Plus, focusing on someone else’s relationship problems always made Emma feel better and more in control of her own life. But that was just a bonus.

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