“It was true,” I said defensively. “Right up until recently. When he came back to town this summer, we realized we had feelings for each other we’d never admitted to.”
“God, we are so different. I’d have tattooed his name on my body by now.”
I laughed. “Probably.”
“You know everyone saw it except you two.” Now her tone was smug.
“Yes, well, now we do.” Leaning sideways, I attempted to peek across the hall into Hutton’s bedroom, where he was changing into workout clothes, but he’d shut the door.
“This is so amazing. But you know me—I’m going to need every single, solitary detail, and I’m going to need them now.”
“I don’t have time right now, but I’ll tell you at dinner tonight. Hutton and I are hosting everyone here, and I’m going to cook.”
At first when I’d asked Hutton if we could invite my family for dinner, he’d gone pale—it wasn’t that he didn’t like my family, but we’d just gotten rid of his family, and this would be a lot of peopling in one day. But I’d talked him into it, promising we’d get our story one hundred percent straight before they arrived and that he would not be left alone to make small talk with anyone. Also, I told him it would be much better to get the news out to everyone all at once rather than have to go through it multiple times.
“Are Mom and Dad coming?” Winnie asked.
“Yes. I just talked to Mom.”
“Did she cry?”
“Yep,” I confirmed, pangs of guilt hitting me again. “Burst into tears the minute she answered the phone, but she’s happy. She’s at work and the bakery is super busy, but she made me promise to tell her everything the moment she gets here.”
“I can’t wait until dinnertime,” Winnie wailed. “Can’t you tell me sooner?”
“I really can’t,” I said. It was the truth—Hutton and I still had to get the story straight. “But I promise it will be worth the wait. I’ll text you Hutton’s address and you can come around four.”
Winnie sighed heavily. “Fine. But call Mills right now, okay? She’s losing her mind.”
I bit my lip. Millie was the one person I was worried about—she had an innate bullshit detector, and she knew me better than anyone on the planet. “I will.”
“God. You’re getting married, Lissy. Married.” She was choked up. “I can’t believe it.”
“Me neither.”
“I’m so happy for you. How awesome to fall in love with a friend. And how sweet that you two have been friends since, what, high school?”
“Middle school,” I said. “He moved in the middle of seventh grade.” I could still see him standing in the doorway of Mr. Krenshaw’s honors math class, the guidance counselor’s hand on his shoulder as she introduced him. He stared at the floor the entire time, his floppy hair covering the top of his face.
The only empty seat in the room was next to me, and when Mr. Krenshaw pointed him in my direction, he looked right at me, and the first thing I thought was that he had the clearest blue eyes I’d ever seen. There was something so gentle in them, and I instantly knew he wasn’t a jerk like other middle school boys. I had the sense he might not fit in easily, so when I saw him alone at lunch, I invited him to sit with me. He didn’t say much, but he sat next to me at the table that day . . . and just about every day afterward.
“But we weren’t super close right away,” I said. “That took time.”
Winnie laughed. “Yes, you guys have been very good at taking your time—until now. Suddenly everything is lightning fast. Are you really getting married next month?”
“Um, hopefully. I still need to talk to Millie. See if it’s doable.”
“Well, if it’s not doable at Cloverleigh, let’s talk about Abelard,” she said. Winnie was the wedding coordinator there. “I totally understand wanting to have it at Cloverleigh Farms, but if you can’t get a date at such late notice, I might be able to help you out, especially if you can wait until September.”
“Hutton will be gone by then,” I said without thinking.
“Gone? What do you mean? Does that mean you’re moving too? What about your catering business?”
My legs started to bounce nervously. “Not sure of anything yet, but Hutton only has this house for about another month. Where we’ll live is one of the decisions we’ll have to make.”