Out of Practice

by Carsen Taite

  Abby’s stomach fell and she dropped the phone like it was full of poison. If she’d needed a reminder relationships were doomed, the news her mother was rushing to the altar for the fourth time was right on schedule.

  * * *

  Friday morning, Roxanne paced outside Stuart’s office, ignoring the glaring looks from Sylvia. It wasn’t her fault Stuart had waited until just now to read the show script she’d sent over yesterday. Perhaps it was a good thing for her to catch him on the fly. If he had too much time to think about it, he was likely to reject her concept completely out of hand.

  By the time he opened his office door and motioned for her to come in she’d worn a trail in the carpet. She shot a glare of her own at Sylvia and followed Stuart into his inner sanctum. He sat down behind his desk, but she remained standing, not wanting to presume.

  “Go ahead and sit. I loved the script and we’re going to try out your plan with just a few tweaks.”

  “That’s great news,” Roxanne said, her mind flooded with relief. She wasn’t sure how she would’ve broken the news to Abby if the network had decided they wanted to focus the full episode on the Barclay’s closing.

  “We’ll see. If the teasers don’t play well, be prepared for us to take a very different approach. Understood?”

  “Fair enough.”

  “Excellent. You said you wanted to start with the piece on Barclay’s at the top of the show and then move on from there, so I think we should film the opening on location at one of their stores. Sound good to you?”

  “Sounds perfect. Oh, and I landed an interview with one of the owners, Tommy Barclay.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.” Roxanne resisted telling him it had actually been Abby’s idea, over pancakes no less. She suddenly had an idea of her own. “And I’m pretty sure we can get him to let us film the interview inside their flagship store. I don’t think it would hurt to give the viewers an inside glimpse of what all the protest is about, but just for setting, not like some exposé.”

  Stuart held his hands in the air. “Who said anything about an exposé?”

  “Uh-huh.” Roxanne wasn’t sure she could trust him, but her burgeoning idea would give her an excuse to call Abby. “Now that I know you’re on board, I’ll make a couple of calls and get back to you this afternoon for scheduling.”

  Roxanne barely waited until she’d left the building before calling Abby who picked up on the first ring.

  “Is this the Pancake Hotline?” Abby asked.

  “I think you’re supposed to call a hotline, it’s not supposed to call you.”

  “I guess that’s true, but a girl can hope.”

  “A girl can indeed,” Roxanne said. “Speaking of things a girl can hope for, I have a favor to ask.”

  “Funny, I do too.”

  “You go first.”

  “Okay, please promise you’ll hear me out until the end.”

  “I promise.” Roxanne braced for impact. “What’s up?”

  “Will you go to a wedding with me?”

  Well, that wasn’t what she’d been expecting. “Are you serious?”

  “Dead serious. It’s sudden and annoying and I don’t want to go, but I figured you might actually enjoy it seeing as how you like all things wedding, and if I was with someone who wanted to be there, I might not be tempted to stab anyone in the wedding party or any of the other guests.” Abby paused for a moment, and then rushed on. “Oh, wait. That was incredibly inconsiderate. Of course you don’t want to go to a wedding—that’s work for you…Are you still there?”

  Roxanne laughed. “I figured you’d run out of breath eventually. Are you done having this conversation by yourself?”

  “Yes, but forget I said anything.”

  “Who’s getting married?”

  “My mother. For the nine hundredth time. She’s convinced this one is going to take.”

  Roxanne heard the edge beneath Abby’s joking tone and remembered Abby’s earlier reference to her mother’s many nuptials. She wanted to ask more but decided this was a conversation better had in person. “What day?”

  “Pardon?”

  “What day is she getting married?”

  “Saturday night. It’s pretty thrown together, so it’s not going to be anything like what you’re used to—”

  “Stop.” Roxanne waited until she was sure she had Abby’s attention. “I’d be honored to go to a wedding with you. I have only one question.”

  “Spill.”

  “Will there be cake?”

  “Of course,” Abby said. “I think it might be against the law not to have cake at a wedding.”

  “Well, it wouldn’t do to violate the law, especially not with a lawyer present. Text me the details and I’ll meet you there.”

  “We should plan to be there about six. How about I pick you up at five fifteen?”

  “I can meet you there. Won’t you have wedding stuff to do?”

  “Oh, no. Not me. Been there, done that. I’m showing up and that’s all I’ve got in me for this one.”

  For a second, Roxanne wondered what she’d gotten herself into, but she wasn’t about to back out now and miss the opportunity to meet one of the primary reasons Abby was so anti-marriage. “Great. Five fifteen sounds perfect.” She paused. It felt weird to bring up her favor now, but it was the perfect time to see how into reciprocity Abby was feeling. “Now, about why I called.”

  “Of course. Sorry to sidetrack you.”

  “No worries. We’re going to open our first show with a piece on Barclay’s, including the interview with Tommy, you know, to give the audience a glimpse of the other perspective, and I’d like to use the flagship store as a backdrop.”

  “Nothing stopping you there. It’s not like there are cars lined up in the parking lot.”

  “The inside. I’d like to use the inside.”

  “Oh.”

  Roxanne felt the mood change and wished she’d waited to broach the topic to put some distance between the personal and professional. “Never mind. It was a dumb idea. I was thinking if you want to show more of an objective view of things, you could do for our viewers what you did for me and let Tommy give them an inside look, but I totally get why that might complicate things with the protests and all.”

  “Wait,” Abby said. “Actually, I think you might be on to something. I guess I’m just trying to figure out why you would want to balance out the perspectives when it seems like your strategy so far has been to stoke the fury of the brides-to-be.”

  Roxanne conceded she had a point. “Maybe sharing pancakes with the lawyer for the other side has persuaded me there’s more than one angle to this story. The lawyer was very persuasive, after all.”

  “She’s glad to hear that. Tell you what, I’ll talk to Tommy and see what I can work out.”

  “Perfect.” They spent the next few minutes discussing Abby’s mother’s impromptu wedding before Roxanne reluctantly ended the call. She walked the rest of the way to her car with a skip in her step, confident Abby would come through. In any case, they were going to a wedding together, and she was certain that meant more than Abby had been willing to imply. Weddings were about love and romance and happily ever afters. For all Abby’s protests that she didn’t believe in any of those things, her actions implied differently, and Roxanne was convinced that whatever happened this weekend would reveal Abby’s true self. And she could not wait.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Abby walked toward Roxanne’s door suddenly nervous about the evening ahead. She’d spent the last couple of days working this whole scenario out in her head, and it went something like this: frustrated daughter of repeat bride attends wedding of mother with popular wedding blogger in tow to have an opportunity to dish about all the things wrong with the current nuptials. Because daughter was working on a case about bridal wear that her date happened to be embroiled in as well, expenses related to attendance might qualify as a tax write-off, but at a minimum the field trip might help her un
derstand the irrational anger of her client’s “victims.”

  Not likely. If her mother could throw together a ceremony and reception in less than a week, then these whiny brides had no room to speak about losing only one aspect of their “big day,” with plenty of advance notice about the road ahead.

  She knocked and waited, trying to quell her nerves and second-guesses about having invited Roxanne to attend. What had she been thinking? It was bad enough that she felt compelled to go, but dragging a date?

  This wasn’t a date. It was a friends-with-benefits outing to discuss wedding stuff so she could get some perspective about the case she was working. And since her mother had invited Campbell and Grace to the wedding too, she figured she could count on a roundtable discussion about legal matters over the post-ceremony drinks. She only hoped that husband number four was springing for an open bar.

  She looked back up at the door, and then checked the time. What was taking so long? Had Roxanne bailed on her? She reached up to knock again, but the door flew open and Roxanne stood in the doorway looking disconcerted and devastatingly beautiful in a skin-hugging aubergine dress. Abby gulped for breath. “Wow. Just wow. You look amazing, but you also look like you want to run away. Did you change your mind about going?”

  “No, but I have a problem.” Roxanne grabbed her arm and tugged her into the house. She pointed at her neck. “The zipper’s stuck and therefore so am I. It won’t go up or down, and I can’t show up at a wedding with my dress half open.”

  Abby stepped around her so she could get a better view of the difficulty. “I see. That is a problem. Mind if I give it a try?”

  Roxanne grimaced. “If it breaks you’re going to have to cut me out of this dress and I don’t own it and I fear it’s worth like a million dollars because it’s one of a kind I borrowed from the fashion closet at Best Day Ever.”

  Abby laughed. “Are you confessing that you stole this dress? Because I’m not that kind of lawyer, although I might have an in with the prosecutor who’s running for district attorney.”

  Roxanne reached back and started to fiddle with the zipper. “Stole is a strong word, but I do need to return it in one piece, and preferably without anyone knowing.” She sighed. “Seriously, I think it might be a lost cause.”

  “Hold still.” Abby play-swiped at her hand. “I have mad wardrobe skills. Let me work.” She carefully tugged at the zipper and gently eased it loose. “Are we going for zip up or down because I know which way I would vote.” She leaned in close and left a trail of light kisses along Roxanne’s neck.

  Roxanne turned into Abby’s embrace. “How about up now and down later? I don’t want to be the one responsible for you no-showing at your mother’s…”

  “You were going to say ‘special day’ weren’t you?” She laughed. “I guess a person can have a bunch of special days. It’s not like they mean anything anymore.” She reached behind Roxanne and zipped up her dress. “You’re all set.”

  Roxanne’s expression was hard to read, but Abby thought she detected a trace of disappointment. “I’m sorry we can’t skip, but I promise I’ll work my zipper magic in the right direction when we’re done.”

  It took a moment, but Roxanne nodded. “Sounds perfect.”

  The tone was off, and Abby wasn’t sure what had changed between them, but if they didn’t leave now they would be late, so she filed it away to discuss later. Or not. If things went her way, this wedding would be over quickly and they’d be back here, sans zippers and conversation, to have a consummation of their own.

  Abby had the top up on her car, but it was perfect convertible weather. If only they weren’t headed to an occasion where bird’s nest hair would be frowned on. How much more fun would they be having if they were on their way to the lake or Barton Springs or Marble Falls or one of the many other cool destinations nearby, zooming along the highway with the top down? She started to ask Roxanne if she’d be interested in taking a day trip with her next weekend but stopped short. Having Roxanne accompany her to the wedding as kind of a wingwoman was one thing, but a road trip was an entirely different circumstance. It was a step beyond dating, and she wasn’t ready to commit to that.

  Or was she? She’d seen more of Roxanne than any other woman she’d slept with. Ever. And despite their professional differences and outlook on relationships, she enjoyed spending time with her, enjoyed her company. What did it matter if they both had different ideas about where relationships should end up? They were at the beginning, not the end. The end could take care of itself when it happened. For now, she wanted to live in the moment and enjoy the ride.

  She reached over and squeezed Roxanne’s hand. “I appreciate this.”

  “This?”

  “Attending other people’s weddings probably isn’t the most fun you could have on a date.”

  “Oh, so this is a date? I thought it was a business meeting.”

  Abby was certain she heard a trace of a tease in Roxanne’s voice, but was there an edge of truth as well? “I suppose it can be if that’s what you want. My law partners are going to be there.”

  Roxanne grinned. “I’m kidding. Let’s make a deal and agree not to talk about your case or my show. We’ll act like we’re still in PV and nothing intervened to change the fact we enjoy each other’s company and that I find you wildly attractive.”

  “You do?”

  Roxanne placed a hand over her heart. “Truth. Now let’s go find the fun side of this wedding. I know you don’t care for weddings, but I promise you there’s always a fun side.”

  “I’m always up for finding the fun side.” She pointed to a big sign on the side of the road, Moonlight Ranch. “I don’t see any buildings, but I guess this is it.”

  “Moonlight is a beautiful venue,” Roxanne said. “Simple and rustic, yet full of charm.”

  Rustic and simple were two words Abby would never have associated with her mother, but she was certain she’d read the email invite correctly. Abby drove down the gravel road, pulled into the parking lot, and parked in one of the few paved spaces she could find. She got out and met Roxanne on the other side of the car. She looked up at the large barn, lit with twinkling lights. “This is not at all what I expected.”

  “Surprises can be nice.”

  Abby smiled. “True. And for the record, I find you wildly attractive too.” She punctuated her remark with a kiss, taking a moment to savor the sweet taste of Roxanne’s lips and the heady way the touch made her feel. Everything about Roxanne was more than she’d bargained for, more than she thought she wanted, but for once in her life, her natural instinct to flee wasn’t rearing its protective head, and she was content to let things be. No, she was more than content. She was happy and she liked it. So happy, it took her a moment to register someone was calling her name.

  “Hey, Abby, are you kissing the woman who’s trying to take down our client?”

  Abby froze at the sound of Grace’s voice, and she felt Roxanne pull away. She instantly registered and regretted the lost contact, but it was probably for the best since Grace, and Campbell, and Wynne were all walking toward them. “Look, the gang’s all here.”

  “Your mom isn’t one to take no for an answer,” Campbell called out. “Although, I think this was a ruse for her to finally meet Wynne.”

  “You could be right,” Abby said, “But it could also be a ruse to fill seats on the bride’s side. Mom doesn’t like it when the groom has more guests. Trust me, it’s happened and it’s not pretty.”

  “Be nice,” Grace said. “It’s your mom’s—”

  Abby held up a hand. “Please, please don’t say it.”

  “Special day,” Grace said with an evil grin. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” She reached a hand toward Roxanne. “Sorry Abby is being so rude. I’m Grace, and this is Campbell Clark and Wynne Garrity.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Roxanne said. “And by the way, I’m only on the side of all things wedding.” She raised her hands. “No agenda here.”

&n
bsp; Grace gave her a long, appraising look. “I will keep that in mind and reserve judgment. For now.”

  Campbell edged her away. “Down, Grace. Roxanne, it’s great to meet you. I’ve been following your blog for a while now. I like how you offer practical advice for brides, and not a bunch of extravagant ideas.”

  “I guess you do,” Grace said with a knowing grin.

  “You know?” Abby asked.

  “Once we told you,” Campbell said, “it was impossible to keep it a secret any longer.” She turned toward Roxanne. “Wynne and I are engaged. It’s brand new.”

  “Congratulations.”

  “Careful,” Abby said. “She’s going to start asking for advice.”

  “I’ll buy her a drink first,” Campbell said. “Don’t worry, Roxanne, I’ll wait until the reception to bother you with my questions.”

  “Where there will probably be an open bar,” Abby teased her. “As much as I hate to say this, we should probably get inside or we’re going to miss the solemn occasion of my mother making her fourth trip down the aisle.” She barely resisted the urge to take Roxanne’s hand as they walked toward the big barn, unsure where the impulse had come from in the first place. Weddings did funny things to people. Campbell was more cheerful than usual, and even prickly Grace was laughing and joking with Roxanne. But she kept a level head. Weddings lasted a day, and in that one day, romance ruled, and everyone was happy, but nothing about it was real. In a week or two when all the cake and flowers and champagne were gone and the honeymoon was over, her mother and what’s his name would be back to their real lives without champagne toasts and dancing and receiving lines. It would just be the two of them, spending day after day together, and just like the others, their happily ever after wouldn’t last.

  She glanced back in time to catch Roxanne looking at Campbell and Wynne who were huddled together, smiling and sharing whispered conversation, and some of her sour mood abated. She wanted her friends to be happy, and if they felt like they needed a special day of their own to make it work, then who was she to be a killjoy?