Page 60 of My Ex-Best Friend's Wedding

“I can’t wait to hear how they reacted to the news about the fifteenth-anniversary edition ofSandcastleSunrise. We’ve been talking about doing a live kickoff event from there—maybe a day or two before your wedding—you are getting married downthere, aren’t you? We still need to confirm that date so we can tie it to release.” There’s a pause—and I’m about to hit delete when she continues, “I saved the best for last. I got a call from a producer atSay Yes to the Dress. She’s a huge fan of your books. They want you on the show. They’ve even offered to give you the gown you say yes to—though you’ll have to keep that to yourself.”

She pauses again, presumably to let my good fortune sink in. “They can weave you into an episode right before the wedding. Of course, you’ll have to have some friends or family participate. Maybe we can fly your mother up and...”

Unable to listen to another word, I hit delete mid-sentence. I’m no longer lying in bed, but the nightmare continues.

?That night Spencer arrives with dinner from our favorite Thai restaurant and I actually greet him wearing clothes and makeup. While we open the takeout containers and settle at the kitchen counter, I tell him about the offer fromSay Yes to the Dress.Only he’s not at all horrified.

“Danielle’s right. It would be great exposure for the anniversary edition. And you are going to need a wedding gown.” He raises an eyebrow in question. “Unless you’re planning to call your mother and ask her to ship up THE DRESS?”

I freeze, my chopsticks halfway to my mouth.

“I mean, doing the show would kill two birds with one stone. And if you’re not planning to talk to Kendra or include her in the wedding, then I guess we should go ahead and make plans to have it here in New York. Right?”

I maneuver the panang chicken into my mouth. Somehow I manage to chew though I’m not entirely confident in my ability to swallow. I’m not fooled by his innocent expression or casual tone, but I don’t call him on either.

“It’s mid-April now,” he continues reasonably. “If we choose a date next June close to the book’s release, we’re basicallyfourteen months out. According to my sister people book the most sought-after venues years ahead. So we’re probably already behind the eight ball. We’d need to start looking right away.”

I’m still chewing when he retrieves his laptop from his messenger bag and brings it back to the counter. He opens a file. A calendar page for June of next year appears on the screen.

“All we have to do is pick one of these Saturdays or Sundays.” He smiles and pulls up another file. “Here’s a list of wedding venues Molly and Mac looked at and the ratings they gave each one.” Another smile. “And here’s a list of wedding planners Molly interviewed and liked before her wedding. This is a list of florists from my mother.”

I stare at the screen, then at him. Now would be the moment to protest. To say I just need a little more time before I can talk to and forgive my mother, at which point we’ll plan an Outer Banks wedding. Instead, I ask, “Do you want me to make the appointments or shall we split up the list?”

It takes him a minute to accept that his ploy hasn’t worked. “Oh. I guess we should split them up.”

“Okay. Good.”

“About the wedding dress...”

“Yes?” I take another bite of my panang chicken and chew slowly.

“While Brett was choreographingThe Music in Me, he dated a dancer who’s also a part-time bridal consultant at Kleinfeld’s.”

I’m chewing and bracing. The vision of me in THE DRESS at the Sandcastle before Jake arrived flashes through my mind.

“If you wanted to go in on the quiet to look at gowns and see how you feel about the idea of doing the show, I could get her number.”

Our eyes meet.

“I’m sure Molly and my mother and grandmother would be glad to go with you.”

There’s a long beat of silence in which he does not say that Icould avoid all this if I’d just call my mother, and I don’t make up reasons why I couldn’t possibly do any of the things he’s suggested.

I put my chopsticks down. Miraculously, I manage to swallow without choking. I even smile. “Sure. Let’s sync up our calendars and start setting appointments. It only makes sense to look around and see what our options are.”

Bree

It’s a week since Lauren went back to New York, but the fallout continues. We all pretend to go about our lives as usual, but Lauren’s isn’t the only reality that’s been altered.

I’m at the store every day until three. I shop for groceries, cook meals, stop by to see Kendra, do my best to prod/supervise/“be there” for Lily. I’m even careful not to ask or look too carefully at where Clay is on a daily basis, but everything feels off. Everythingisoff. My husband is the only one of us whose life still appears to turn on its normal axis.

It’s not just Lauren’s past that has been rewritten without warning. Kendra is no longer the person I thought she was and Lauren’s early “adventures” in New York aren’t what I thought they were.

Not only have the blinders been ripped off, I no longer have my novel to disappear into. Nor do I really know what I’m supposed to do withHeart of Goldnow that it’s completed. I mean, you can’t work on something for fifteen years—let everyone know that you’re doing it—then shove it back under your bed when it’s done. Even if that’s where it probably belongs.

Mrs. McKinnon brings that point home each afternoon that she comes in.

“So, have you sent offHeart of Gold?” she asks again today with an eager smile.

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