Under the Same Stars(83)

Which was all to say that my only human interaction that evening was a Zoom with the bridesmaids. Katie had not been included, since the main item on the agenda was rehearsal dinner speeches, but my recent breakup ended up taking top priority. “You were only together three weeks,” Yasmin said. “Are you sure that was enough time?”

“Yaz, she couldn’t even kiss him,” Meredith said. “I’m pretty sure it was enough time.”

“Says the person who fell in love with her husband in one week,” Amanda deadpanned.

“I still think you should’ve kissed him,” Paige told me. “Just to make one hundred percent sure you weren’t attracted to him.”

Meredith shook her head. “You should never feel pressure to kiss anyone.”

“Listen, a kiss wasn’t going to change anything,” I said. “I’m not attracted to Connor, he’s not attracted to me, and we never will be. I know what it feels like to be attracted to someone!”

Onscreen, the bridesmaids all gave me inquisitive looks. “Who have you been attracted to, Mads?” Reese asked sweetly.

Marco… my heart singsonged. Marco, Marco, and…oh, did I mention Marco?

We now texted every couple days, keeping things light and casual.

And by light and casual, I meant that I composed an unprompted, lengthy text about why Connor and I didn’t fit into a romance novel, yet I still didn’t know why Marco had broken up with Shelly. Maybe he hoped I would forget about it.

Neither of us ever mentioned hanging out together. The lack of communication between us was more than eye-roll-inducing, but I didn’t want to risk losing him by trying to communicate better.

“It doesn’t matter,” I grumbled, then focused on Amanda. “Now I vaguely remember you mentioning something about rehearsal dinner speeches?”

The Zoom ended around 10:30—a lot had been brainstormed from scratch—so I yawned as I shucked on a coat and whistled for Arthur and Francine. They needed to go out one last time before I locked the doors and closed up shop for the night.

I followed the Newfoundlands out into the chilly air. It wasn’t cold enough to see my breath, but we were getting there. The sky was overcast, no moon or stars in sight, so it grew dark as I wandered away from the house and into the back field. The dogs were almost invisible; I could only see their silhouettes darting between pine trees and hear their barking or heavy breathing. Creepy, I thought, but before I could switch on my phone flashlight, the iPhone started chiming with a call.

Bridesmaid Meredith, the screen read.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Hey,” Meredith said. “Am I interrupting anything?”

“Nope,” I told her. “My dogs and I are just conducting a late-night perimeter check of the property. We’re heading toward the barn.”

Meredith laughed. “The Cheval Collective’s headquarters?”

“Nah, the back barn,” I said. “It’s where we keep everything for tree season.”

It also needed to be renovated within the next couple of years. My parents wanted to pour a concrete floor so that groundhogs would stop burrowing through the dirt one.

“Right,” Meredith said. “Pearl’s Christmas Trees.”

“My grandmother started it,” I explained. “And unapologetically christened it after herself.” I sighed. “She died when I was ten, but lived with us ever since Austin was little. Christmastime was her favorite season.”

I could hear the smile in Meredith’s voice. “That’s exactly how Austin tells it. I think she and my grandmother would have been fast friends…” She trailed off. “Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Okay, I meant what I said,” I told her. “I don’t need a date for the wedding. My family’s going to be there, Connor’s going to be there, other Gallant-approved friends are going to be there; it’s not like I’m going to feel left out or embarrassed.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Meredith said. Our earlier Zoom had shockingly circled back to my lack of a wedding date. “Really glad, Mads. I was once in your shoes, and while my mental health wasn’t in a great place, you’d think it was the end of the world that I didn’t have a plus-one to my cousin’s wedding.”

“But that’s when you met Wit, right? Katie said you guys met at a wedding.”

“Yes, and that’s who I want to talk to you about,” she said.

“Wit?”

“No, Katie.”

Okay, I thought, kicking the ground with my boot. If we must.

“I know there was a spectrum of stories told while discussing speeches tonight,” Meredith said. “Some teasing was more innocent than others, so I need you to know that Katie is one of the most special people you will ever meet. I feel so lucky to call her my best friend, and you are even luckier that she’s about to be your sister-in-law.”

Unable to think of a response, I used Francine’s barking as an excuse to keep my mouth shut. “What do you love about her so much?” I asked once she quieted.

“Well, I don’t want to spoil my speech,” she answered coyly. “But one thing I really love and admire is how fiercely protective she is of the people she cares about.”