Out of Practice

by Carsen Taite

  She was halfway there, stopped at a light, when a news story on the radio blasted away all her other thoughts.

  Courthouse personnel estimate over a hundred women wearing bridal veils and carrying signs clogged security and put a standstill to court business for a couple of hours this morning. The women were part of the ongoing series of protests against the abrupt closing of Barclay’s Bridal, and according to a few who spoke with this reporter, they turned out in force today after watching the commercial for a new show named after the best-selling bridal magazine, Best Day Ever, and hosted by the Bride’s Best Friend, Roxanne Daly.

  Damn, damn, damn. Roxanne beat the steering wheel with her fists, pretending it was Stuart’s face, until the light changed. She stopped just in time to hear the reporter, who she now recognized as her friend Mary, finish the story.

  Judge Abel was scheduled to hear a motion from one of the owners who is trying to keep the stores open long enough to fulfill their existing obligations but canceled the hearing as the result of the protest. No word yet on a new hearing date. This is Mary Fielding, reporting live for KNOP.

  No sense going to the courthouse now. Besides, the last thing she needed was to be spotted in a sea of angry brides-to-be. Then Abby would never believe this mess wasn’t her fault. She pulled over long enough to send one last text, and then turned the car around and headed to Abby’s office.

  A few minutes later, she pushed through the doors to the lobby and breathlessly announced her name to the man behind the counter. “Roxanne Daly, here to see Abby Keane. Is she in?”

  The man’s eyebrows drew together at her question and he held up a hand in a clear stop signal. “Please be seated.”

  She considered rushing the inner doors, but decided he could probably take her, so she complied with his request and perched on the edge of one of the armchairs in the lobby and watched him pick up the phone and whisper to someone, hopefully Abby. She could barely hear him, but she did catch a few snippets. “BBF”… “No, she’s right here”… “In the lobby.”

  A moment later, the inner door burst open and Campbell and Grace came barreling over.

  “You’ve got some nerve coming here,” Grace said. “I can’t believe—”

  Campbell placed a hand on Grace’s arm. “What Grace means to say is, how about we talk about this somewhere more private?” She led the way to a stunning conference room and invited Roxanne to have a seat.

  “Actually, I was hoping to speak to Abby. Is she here?”

  “Yeah, about that,” Campbell said. “I think she may need a little time before she’s ready to talk.”

  “She’s pissed and she has every right to be,” Grace said. “What were you thinking? There’s a good chance she could’ve won the injunction today, which means all those women could’ve gotten the dresses they’re protesting about, but now Barclay’s may never reopen, which tells me you were all about ratings and didn’t really care about getting those women what they wanted.”

  “That’s not true. If I could just have a chance to explain…” At that moment, Abby appeared in the doorway, wearing a fierce scowl, and the words died on her lips. She was unsure any explanation would dissipate her anger, but she had to try. “Abby, I had no idea that commercial would air today, and I certainly didn’t know the producer was going to chop up the footage like he did. I was furious when I found out.” She flicked a glance at Grace and Campbell and risked a request. “Is there any chance we could have a moment alone to talk?”

  Abby’s expression softened for a second and she appeared to be considering her question, but then her face froze back into a frown. “You can say whatever you have to say in front of my friends. You know why? Because I trust them, implicitly. You, on the other hand? Not so much. Tommy lost his investor today. His online business is over before it could even get started, and it’s highly unlikely Barclay’s will reopen. All those brides who were protesting? They should’ve been protesting you because you sold them out for ratings. For crying out loud, it’s your show. If you’re not to blame, who is?”

  Hearing Grace say she’d betrayed everyone involved had been bad enough, but coming from Abby’s lips it was unbearable. Abby was right. It was her show and while she couldn’t have stopped Stuart from what he’d done, the responsibility lay with her for not refusing to completely back off the story in the first place. No one would care that she’d been trying to do the right thing by letting the public see a different perspective. Maybe she wasn’t cut out for showbiz. She certainly wasn’t cut out for hurting people she cared about, and she cared about Abby more than she wanted to admit, more than she’d ever cared about anyone else. Ever. The best thing she could do right now would be to walk away and hope that when Abby cooled down, she’d agree to hear the whole story and hopefully, forgive her.

  She stood. “You’re right. This was my fault. I could not be more sorry, not just for how it may affect your case, but because I would never intentionally hurt you. I hope that someday you can forgive me.”

  Roxanne waited a few beats, but her apology was met with telling silence, and she knew it was time to go. As she walked out the door of the law firm, she resisted the urge to look back. Abby had told her all along that what they had was only a fling. She should’ve known the end was coming because, after all, flings weren’t supposed to last.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Rox, that’s the third piece you’ve barely touched. It’s cake for crying out loud.”

  Roxanne looked up and grabbed her sister’s hand. “Are you seriously snapping your fingers at me?”

  “Yes,” Val said. “But only after you ignored my question three times. Also, you not enjoying cake is a serious sign that you might be ill. Are you ill?”

  “No, Val, I’m not ill,” Roxanne said.

  “I think you might be a little lovesick, and I know the last thing you probably want to do right now is help me plan my wedding. If you want a pass, you’ve got it.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  Roxanne turned toward the perky voice of Gia Ricci, owner of Top Tier Cakes. Roxanne had featured Top Tier on her blog a few months ago as an example of the trifecta of wedding cakes: unique designs, delicious flavor combinations, and reasonable prices. Ignoring the pointed look from Val, Roxanne replied, “Everything’s great, Gia, but I think you’re holding out on us. Don’t you have an Italian cream cake you usually save for your special customers?” She pointed at the samples on the table. “Are we not special enough for you?”

  Gia laughed. “I never bring it out first because when I used to, nobody would even try the other flavors. I wanted to let you at least sample what else we have to offer, but judging by the fact you’ve barely touched these, I guess my plan has been thwarted. I’ll be right back.”

  When Gia was out of the room, Roxanne said, “Brace yourself because this Italian cream cake is to die for.”

  “Is this how it’s going to be? We’re not going to talk about your big time bust up with a certain sexy lawyer?”

  “There’s nothing to talk about. We had a thing. It’s over. End of story.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Leave it alone, Val.”

  Val shook her head. “Nope. Can’t. I’m in full on romantic wedding mode. All I see everywhere I look are white doves and red roses and lace and silk.” She pushed the plate holding the lemon cake with raspberry into Roxanne’s space. “I like this one. What do you think?”

  Roxanne waved at the plate. “I’ve sampled these before. That one’s good.”

  Val slowly lifted the fork and made a show of swooning over a forkful of cake. After she licked her lips, she said, “The sister I know would fight me for a bite of this cake. You’re not yourself.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’m good. Let’s stay focused on all things wedding.”

  “My focus is fractured by your obvious attempts to avoid all discussion about what happened between you and Abby. Face it, sis, you’re not going to feel better until you qui
t acting like nothing is wrong and admit you fell for her.”

  Val was right about the falling for Abby part, but Roxanne was certain admitting it wasn’t going to make her feel better. Nothing was going to make her feel better short of a text or call from Abby to say she forgave her and wanted to try again, but that wasn’t going to happen. It had been almost a week, and the only news of Abby had been what Roxanne read in the paper about the court case. Tommy Barclay had lost the injunction against his siblings and the doors to Barclay’s stores remained closed. Abby had refused to give a comment for the story, but Roxanne imagined if she had said anything, she would’ve pointed to the clip about her interview with Tommy as a deciding factor in why her case had blown up, and Roxanne couldn’t really blame her for thinking that was true.

  Roxanne had picked up her phone to reach out to Abby over a dozen times over the past week, but every time she did, she remembered the combined look of hurt and fury on Abby’s face the last time she’d seen her. She’d held out hope Abby would come around, but with every day that passed, she began to fear Abby would never come around, and there was so much distance between them now, she wasn’t sure it could ever be bridged. She hadn’t wanted to speak her fear in case it would make it real, but she’d always been honest with Val. “It’s too late.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “It’s not bullshit. If I had everything to do over again, I never would’ve signed on to do the show, but at the very least, I should’ve told Stuart to shove it when I saw the commercial. I should’ve quit on the spot.” The litany of things she wished she’d done gathered steam and she kept going. “I should’ve immediately put out a statement—whatever I had to do to get Abby to listen to the truth, and to let everyone know that the commercial was an irresponsible ratings grab and that I would never be part of a sleazy exposé.”

  “Okay, so do all those things.”

  “It’s not that easy. I have a contract.”

  “Break it. It’s not like you don’t know a good lawyer.”

  Roxanne sighed. Val made it sound like walking out on her own TV show in violation of her contract was the most rational thing in the world.

  Is it any more rational to keep doing something that you know won’t make you happy? The sudden thought was followed quickly by another. You were happier being the BBF before this TV deal came along. And another. You were happy when you were with Abby.

  Roxanne let the idea of walking away from Best Day Ever simmer for a moment and found she enjoyed the anticipation of being free from the constraints of the job. “Okay. Say I quit and risk being sued for breaking my contract. That doesn’t get Abby back.”

  “Truth. You’re going to have to take an even bigger risk to win her over.”

  Gia burst through the doors from the kitchen holding two plates with larger than sample size slices of Italian cream cake. She set them on the table next to the other plates, and Roxanne noticed right away how all the other samples paled in comparison, and she realized that was how it was going to be for her from now on. She’d compare every woman she met to Abby Keane, and when everyone else came up short, she’d either wind up settling or spending the rest of her life alone.

  Val was right again, and Roxanne knew it. What she didn’t know was how she was going to win Abby back.

  * * *

  Abby sat in her office staring at her computer, but she might as well have been looking at static. The judge had declined to reschedule the hearing and instead had ruled on the paperwork they’d filed. Without the emotional appeal of Tommy being able to explain his vision in person, the long shot motion had been doomed, and when the news came yesterday that Judge Abel had ruled against them, Abby wasn’t surprised.

  In fact, she’d ceased to be surprised by just about anything after a hundred brides crashed her hearing, and her childhood friend and longtime client threatened to sue her. Roxanne’s betrayal was icing on her cake of failure.

  A sharp rap on her door interrupted her moping, but before she could tell whoever it was to go away, Campbell and Grace crashed their way in. “Hey, I’m working in here—”

  “You’re not working, you’re sulking,” Grace said. “Snap out of it for a minute, because there’s something you need to see.” She motioned to Campbell who set the iPad she’d brought on her desk and pointed to the screen which featured a video still of Roxanne facing the camera.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Just watch,” Campbell said. She tapped the play button and Roxanne came to life.

  I’ve been the Bride’s Best Friend for a few years now, and here’s what I’ve learned. Life throws curves at you, and no matter how prepared you are, sudden changes in circumstance can catch you completely off guard. Whether it’s the sudden closing of a bridal store, leaving you without the dress you agonized over for months or the hurricane that wipes out the beach where you planned to say your vows, every curveball leaves you with a choice. Are you going to lean in and adapt or are you going to fight the inevitable? You can do either, but I promise you, only one is a path to happiness, and the more you resist the opportunities life hands you, the more frustrated you will be.

  You loved that dress, but for real—if you’re truly in love, it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing. That beach seemed perfect, but its absence gives you the opportunity to find another, brighter, better venue for your special day. Live your best life by embracing the unexpected.

  And now for a confession. Two, actually. Confession one: I met a smart, beautiful woman in a place I didn’t expect at the most inopportune of times. I was working and she was playing. I’m not into flings and she wasn’t into anything more serious than a fun, vacation interlude, but for a few short days we both suspended our lives outside of paradise to share one of the most intimate, exciting connections I’ve ever experienced. When we got back home, we found out our lives were vastly different, and but for the suspension of time and space, we probably never would’ve met, let alone fallen in love.

  Abby punched the pause button and sank farther into her chair. “Are you okay?” Campbell asked, placing a hand on her forehead.

  “Does she have fever?” Grace stepped forward and placed her hand there as well. “You know the L word makes her queasy.”

  Abby pushed their hands away. She knew they were joking, but she did feel like she was falling apart, and her first instinct was to run, as fast and as far as possible. First thing though, she needed to convince her friends she was unfazed by Roxanne’s declaration or they’d never leave her alone. “I’m good.” She mustered a smile. “Totally.”

  “Excellent,” Campbell said. “Because there’s more.” Before Abby could stop her, she hit play and the video resumed streaming with a wistful looking Roxanne, mid-sentence.

  …I don’t know if she did, but a girl can hope, right?

  “Hold it,” Grace said. “I think we missed something. Can you back it up?” She pointed at Campbell, who pressed the back button to rewind the video.

  Sorry, I forgot this is my confession. I can’t speak for her, but I definitely fell in love. I don’t know if she did, but a girl can hope, right?

  “Boom,” Campbell said, slapping the table. “That’s a wrap.” She reached to turn off the video.

  “Wait.” Abby could hardly believe she’d spoken out loud, but now that she had, she knew she had to go all in. She waited until Campbell hit pause. “She said she had a second confession.”

  Campbell smiled “She did indeed. Let’s hear it.”

  The video started again, and Abby was riveted to the screen. Roxanne was made up for the camera, but Abby could sense her fatigue in her slightly hoarse voice and the loss of sheen in her eyes. Had she lost sleep too?

  Second confession. I made a mistake stepping out from behind the Bride’s Best Friend persona. The best friend should never eclipse the bride, never draw attention from all the special moments that lead up to and are part of her special day. The BBF’s role is to be a pillar of quiet strength, giving
when needed and stepping back when they’ve fulfilled their duties. Lately, I let the allure of a spot on TV distract me from the work I’ve grown to love, substituting drama for support. One day, if I’m lucky, I’ll be the bride. When that time comes, I’ll get the spotlight, but until then, I’m here for all of you, to champion your ideas, answer your questions, alleviate your stress, and advocate for your happiness.

  The commercial that aired last week for the upcoming premiere of Best Day Ever was a hatchet job, depicting conversations that didn’t happen, at least not the way they were depicted. Tommy Barclay was on a mission to reopen the stores and release the dresses to all the brides-to-be who’d ordered them, and his attorney, Abby Keane, was working hard to make that happen, but the careless ratings grab has killed their mission and my desire to work with Best Day Ever along with it. I handed in my resignation yesterday.

  Which leads me to my first blog post after my short-lived television career.

  Roxanne took a deep breath.

  Here we go. Life doesn’t happen to you; you make it happen. Remember my first confession? About falling in love? Here’s the deal. I let the woman I love get away without ever telling her how I feel. Actually, it was worse than that because, based on the way things went down between us, she believes I betrayed her trust, and rather than clear up that misconception, I simply walked away, hoping circumstances would sort themselves out. No more.