It felt like the final word. She liked the sound of it. She nodded and closed her eyes, fumbling until she freed up enough covers to pull over her. “I’m going to sleep now.”
“Good night, Amanda. Drink the water.”
“I will if I want to. You can’t tell me what to do.”
He was chuckling as he left the room, and she fell asleep before he made it to the door.
three
THREE WEEKS LATER, Amanda perched on the edge of a stool in Ri Kensington’s bridal shop, waiting for her friend to find a bridesmaid dress in the back room.
Ri’s given name was Ariana, but no one back in school had called her that. Amanda had known her as Ri since the two of them had sat next to each other in fifth grade. Last year Ri had moved with her brother Charles to the small town of Azalea, and she had liked it enough to stay and open this bridal shop.
Amanda couldn’t imagine living in this little town, which was cute but definitely limited in terms of opportunity and convenience. But if Ri liked it, then she wouldn’t dream of questioning her. People were different. They could like what they wanted.
“Got it!” Ri’s voice preceded her appearance. She was pretty and vibrant with dark hair, fair skin, and blue eyes. “I think it’s pretty good as far as bridesmaid dresses go.”
Amanda eyed the dress as Ri held it out. It was definitely better than the dress her sister had picked out. This one was slim-cut and satin in a tasteful and discreet dark blue. “A little boring maybe,” she said. “But I’ll take that any day over yards of chiffon.”
“I think you’ll look great in it. Go put it on and then I’ll fit it for alterations.”
Heading into a spacious dressing room, Amanda did as Ri said. The dress fit pretty well, just needing to come in a bit at the waist and up an inch at the hem. When Ri had finished with noting the adjustments, Amanda took the dress off and put back on her black trousers and stretchy wine-colored top she’d been wearing all day.
“It’s nice of Margot to use my shop,” Ri said, handing her a mug of cappuccino.
Amanda sank into a cushy chair to get comfortable as they chatted. “I mentioned that you’d opened it, and she never had a second thought about getting her dress and the bridesmaid dresses here. She’s just that way. And it’s less than an hour drive.”
Margot was Amanda’s cousin—just a year older than her and Ri. She’d always been part of Amanda’s regular social circle, which was why Amanda had ended up as another bridesmaid.
“That’s still quite a haul, so I appreciate y’all doing it.” Ri had her own cappuccino. “I’ve missed all my old friends, so it’s been nice to see you. So tell me everything.”
“Everything?”
“Yes, everything. What’s been going on? Who’s been seeing who? Who’s mad at who? I want to know everything.”
“Well, I’m sorry to say it hasn’t been all that exciting. It’s not like it was back in school when there was an ongoing soap opera of one drama after another. I don’t think any of our friends are dating anyone new. No one has broken up. Everyone’s mostly just focused on their jobs and their families and pretty much staying out of trouble.”
Ri made a face. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. I think so.”
“So other than Dave and your sister, there’s nothing.”
The sound of Dave’s name didn’t hurt as much as it had a month ago. Time did a lot to make those kinds of wounds fade. There was still a bittersweet heaviness of loss in her chest, however. Was that ever going to go away?
“Is everything all right?” Ri asked softly in a different tone. “I know you used to have a secret thing for Dave.”
“That was ages ago!” Amanda made sure her expression betrayed no hint of anything she felt or had been feeling. Ri was a friend. A good one. But there were some secrets she didn’t tell anyone—except in drunken, embarrassing mistakes to Robert Castleman.
“I know it was. I was just checking. I know it was just a schoolgirl crush, but sometimes those linger. And... I don’t know. You looked a little sad just now.”
“I’m not sad. I’m doing well. I got another promotion a few months ago. Did you hear that?”
“I did hear that. Charles told me. You’re amazing.”
“Not that amazing. I honestly think part of getting promotions is showing up on time for your job every day, doing everything they tell you to do, and not being an idiot.”
“Don’t be that way. You are brilliant. You’ve always been that way. And I’m glad the folks at your work have recognized it. Charles said you danced with him at the wedding.”
Amanda groaned and closed her eyes for a minute. “That was a very polite way for Charles to put it. I’m afraid I drank a little too much that evening.”
Ri giggled, flashing a dimple on the right side of her mouth. “He said you had a lot of champagne, but he thought it was funny. And you know what a fuddy-duddy he is. He wouldn’t have laughed if you’d done anything genuinely mortifying.”
“Well, that’s good anyway. I’m afraid I did make a few mistakes that night, but fortunately not with Charles.”
“With who then?” Ri’s blue eyes went very wide.
Amanda shook her head. She’d thought about Robert a lot since that night, but she hadn’t seen him or talked to him. It was just as well. She wasn’t sure what she’d been thinking, spilling all her deepest secrets to a man who made a point of never letting himself get too close to anyone.
“So there is someone? Did you end up in bed with the wrong guy or something?”
“I didn’t end up in bed with anyone.” The words reminded her that Robert had put her to bed. She pictured his dark eyes as he’d gazed down at her just before she’d fallen asleep.
He must have thought she was a silly little girl, getting sloppy drunk like a college kid.
It was humiliating. That was what it was.
“Oh, come on.” Ri put down her mug and leaned closer. “What’s the fun of making a mistake if you don’t tell anyone?”
“It wasn’t a mistake. Okay, it kind of was, but it wasn’t a big deal. I just drank too much and made a fool of myself with... with...” The desire to share what she’d been brooding about for the past three weeks was too strong. She admitted in a stage whisper, “Robert Castleman.”
If possible, Ri’s big round eyes got twice as big and round. “Robert Cast— You mean Taylor’s uncle?”
“Yes.” With an exaggerated groan, Amanda slouched back and covered her face with both hands. “I’m the poster child of the evils of overdrinking.”
Ri was laughing now. Couldn’t seem to stop.
“It’s not that funny.”
“Oh yes, it is. Robert Castleman! He’s always going around raising his eyebrows and looking like he’s secretly laughing at everyone. What did you do? Please tell me you threw up all over him or something.”
“I didn’t throw up. I just... I just got a little silly and talked to him a lot and stuff.”
“You didn’t sleep with him?”