Page 82 of Blue Hawaiian
As always, Gabi could see right through her. “Yeah. I didn’t want everyone asking me questions, like what I was going to do with my life and how long I planned to live at home. But it’s still no excuse for lying to you.”
“You’re right. It’s no excuse. And it’s certainly not my fault.”
“Sorry.” Jess hung her head and blinked quickly, willing herself not to cry again.
Usually, at this point, her sister would concede. But instead, Gabi’s voice rose, reaching a new level of rage. “You think saying sorry is going to make up for it? You ruined my rehearsal dinner. Never mind I spent hours planning it, choosing the menu, and making sure everything was perfect.”
Perfect.There was that word again. Aiming for perfection was admirable, but there was also something to be said for rolling with the punches when life didn’t go your way. Like Jess had been doing for most of her life.
Her mood shifted from apologetic to irritated. It wasn’t like sheplannedto fight with Gabi in a public setting. “In all fairness, if Brody hadn’t said anything, dinner would have been fine.”
“But—”
Jess stood up to face her. “Let me finish. Even after Brody passed out, we could have carried on like normal, and you could have confronted me after dinner, somewhere private, but instead you blew up at me in front of your guests.” She clenched her fists as her guilt turned to anger. “You’re the one who had a tantrum and stalked out of your own dinner like a five-year-old. That’s onyou.”
Her sister’s face crumpled. She started crying. “It’s all ruined, isn’t it? My perfect wedding is ruined!”
Now Jess wasdone. “Will you stop? Most people willneverhave a wedding like this. You don’t get to make this incident into a big trauma because your rehearsal dinner wasn’t perfect.”
Gabi stared at her in shock. “God, Jess, I expected a little more sympathy.”
“Then earn it. Stop yelling at everyone—me, Marc, Brody, Connor. We’re trying to be supportive, but we’re not perfect. No one is. And your wedding isnotruined. If I were you, I’d hold my head up, walk down that aisle, and act like nothing happened. You just need to keep swimming. You know—like Dory.”
For a moment, Gabi said nothing. She sniffed and wiped her eyes, then gave Jess a weak smile. “I love that movie.”
“I know. You’ve seen it—what—twenty times?”
“At least. Did you know there’s an aquarium in my suite?”
“An aquarium? Do you know how lucky you are? Marc adores you. Everyone here loves you. All you have to do is pull off a beautiful wedding, andthat’swhat people will remember.”
“Easy for you to say.” Gabi searched in her purse for a Kleenex, then blew her nose. “You’re not the one getting married.”
“No, but unlike you, I’ve screwed up a lot, and I didn’t have any choice but to keep going. I’ve been dumped multiple times, lost jobs, gotten in trouble at school, been publicly humiliated—and I’ve never let it stop me. That’s one of the benefits ofnotbeing perfect.”
As Jess said it, she felt proud of herself. Being perfect was one thing. But screwing up and having the courage to try again? That took a lot more guts. Maybe being an adult didn’t mean she’d stop making mistakes. It meant she’d own up to them right away and try to do better.
Gabi wrung her hands together. “What if Marc doesn’t want to get married? He’s already gotten annoyed with me because of the way I micromanage things. And we argued right before dinner because I was mad at Paige and he took her side.”
Jess wrapped her arms around herself. She was getting chilly, but she wasn’t going to suggest leaving until Gabi was ready. “You were mad because her bridesmaid’s dress didn’t fit?”
“Because she’s pregnant. She didn’t tell me before because she wanted to surprise me. Some surprise! She gained thirteen pounds. Mom had to adjust the back of the dress so the zipper would close. Do you have any idea how stressful that was?”
Ouch.“Did you congratulate Paige? She must have been excited to share the news.”
Gabi looked away. “Oh, God. I didn’t. I’m a total bitch, aren’t I?”
“Sometimes. You just need to relax. Everyone’s having a great time. And if they didn’t join in all the events you planned, then they had fun doing other things.”
“I know, but I feel so much pressure,” Gabi said. “I want this wedding to be perfect. I know a perfect wedding doesn’t mean I’ll have a perfect marriage, but I’m scared of ending up like Mama.”
“You won’t. Marc’s never going to leave you. You’re lucky to have someone who loves you that much.” Jess’s voice broke as she thought about Connor and what a mess she’d made.
“You’re still in love with Connor, aren’t you?”
She nodded, fighting back tears.
“I don’t get it. What happened?”
