She should’ve known it was going to be a hellish day. All the signs were there this morning. They’d started before she brushed her teeth. While in the shower, she banged her head when she bent to pick up the shampoo she dropped. A headache set in soon after. More focused on answering text messages from relatives regarding the wedding, she burned both her eggs and toast not long after the shower incident. Rather than attempt to make more, she settled on the healthiest-looking cereal in the kitchen. The box claimed it was made with whole grain oats. But since the word frosted was also in the title, she doubted the box’s contents were all that good for you. Still, pouring a bowl of cereal took less time than cooking more eggs. And honestly, it had tasted pretty good. It would have been even better with some fresh blueberries on top.
Bad luck struck a third time when the handle of her coffee mug snapped off, sending the coffee all over the floor and her dress. While Josh cleaned up the mess, she changed. Even with his help in the kitchen, she pulled out of the garage later than usual.
After zipping through her emails and a quick meeting with Deena in marketing—wedding or no wedding, she had work to do—she called her cousin. Before she tried to reschedule the photographer or anyone else, she needed to know when she could use Cliff House. Thankfully, Callie assured her it was available anytime between now and late spring. Callie even offered to call Henri and let him know the wedding was off this weekend. She considered taking her up on the offer, since it’d mean she had one less thing to do, but she hadn’t.
Her conversation with the longtime chef went similar to all the other ones she’d had so far. He, along with probably the entire state, was following the weather forecast and had been since the weekend, so he’d expected she’d push the wedding back.
With the easy calls out of the way, she’d moved down her list. Now she had a slight pain above her right eyebrow and more unpleasant conversations to go.
At the knock on the door, she lifted her head. Please don’t let it be Mom.
She’d run into Marilyn this morning. While her mom hadn’t come right out and said, “I you told a spring wedding would be better,” it’d been implied.
Courtney crossed her fingers. “Come in.” Her shoulders slumped when Addie walked in, a bakery box and beverage carrier in hand.
“Figured you’re going a little crazy rescheduling everything and wouldn’t want to leave the office. So I grabbed us something while I was out.” She set the items down on the desk and sat in the chair opposite Courtney.
“A little crazy? More like a little insane.” She accepted the large paper cup from Ambrosia that Addie handed over to her. “Thanks for thinking of me.”
“That bad?”
“The photographer I hired isn’t available again until the first Saturday in September. The only reason she could do the wedding this weekend was because someone canceled back in December.”
For the sake of convenience, she’d settled on a photographer from the area. Now she didn’t care where they were based or the price tag she needed to pay to get them here.
“And forget about the band. They’re booked solid until July.” Worse case, they skipped hiring a band and went with a DJ. Even if they went that route, she needed to find a DJ and a photographer who were both available in three weeks. Uncovering her drink, Courtney sipped the hot vanilla chai latte.
Across the desk, Addie unzipped her purse and pulled out her phone. “It’s not the same, but I know a DJ. His parents and mine have been friends for a long time. I can call and see if he’s available for… when are you changing the wedding to?”
“Weekend after Leah’s wedding. And I just want music. I don’t care if it’s a live band or not. Heck, I’m tempted to hook my phone up to some speakers and use it to play music.”
While Addie made her call and left her DJ friend a message, Courtney opened the box from Ambrosia. She found two golden brown spinach pies inside. Much like the vanilla chai latte, the pies were something she frequently ordered at the café.
“It might be awhile before Dominic calls me back. He works for a computer company in Jamestown and does the DJ thing on the side.”
In a perfect world, she’d have everything lined up by the end of the day. She lived in the real world though, where the outcome you wanted and the one you got frequently didn’t coincide.
“Don’t suppose you know any photographers.”
“Sorry, no.” Addie uncovered her drink, stirred it with a spoon, and took a sip before saying anything else. “My cousin dabbles in photography. It’s a hobby for him. He’s got a ton of equipment, but he only takes pictures of landscapes. You wouldn’t want him taking your wedding photos.”
Oh, well, it never hurt to ask.
“Maybe you and Josh should push the wedding back further. It might make things easier for you.”
You’re telling me. She trusted Addie and considered her a close friend, but sharing the real reason wasn’t an option. “We’d rather not.”
Addie narrowed her eyes a smidge, and Courtney prepared herself for the question clearly on her friend’s mind.
It never came. Instead, she shrugged and removed one of the spinach pies from the box. “Maybe you should skip a traditional ceremony and reception. You and Josh could fly to Vegas next weekend and get married. Or ask Mark to marry you in his office sometime this week. There’s no rule saying you must have the whole family there.”
“Believe me, I’m starting to think you’re right.”
Maybe they should book a flight and get married in Vegas. She’d want to be surrounded by her family if this was to be her one and only wedding, but it wasn’t. Well, it might not be. It was possible once she and Josh divorced she wouldn’t fall in love again—a fact she kept safely locked away.
Addie’s cell phone on the table dinged, and Courtney crossed her fingers the text was from Addie’s DJ friend. Setting aside her drink, Addie reached for her phone. The expression on her friend’s face suggested the text wasn’t from Dominic.
“Something wrong?”
“I’m not sure.” Addie bit down on her lip before continuing. “What’s Josh up to today?”
Her question fell in the odd category. “He went into Boston for a meeting.” One she hoped was going well. “Why?”
If possible, Addie’s pained expression intensified. “Tracey sent me a link to something she saw on Twitter a few minutes ago.”
Shouldn’t the nanny have more important things to do than check her social media apps?
“Someone took a picture of Josh and a woman together and posted it.” Addie handed over her cell phone. “She thought you should know.”
Courtney knew who she’d see even before she accepted the device. The knowledge didn’t stop the burning ball of fire from taking shape in her chest as she looked at the picture of Josh and Naomi seated across from each other, his hand on her arm.
“Don’t people have better things to do than take pictures and post them on social media?” she asked, giving the device back. “That’s Josh’s ex-girlfriend, Naomi. They have a daughter together. I knew he was meeting her today.”
A picture merely showed a single moment, so she couldn’t assume too much from it. But at least it appeared Josh’s meeting was a civil one. The memory of Josh’s hand on Naomi’s arm popped up, and the fireball in her chest expanded.