She changes the subject to the menu but I’m completely distracted. I had a hard time falling back to sleep after my dream, so I’m feeling a little on edge. In every dream I’ve had about my grandmother, she’s always told me to follow my heart. She had even written it in her journal. It obviously meant something to her, so I’ve adopted it as my own.
“Last question,” Georgie says, bringing me back to the present. “Have you decided who
you’re inviting to the wedding?”
Hmmm . . . maybe the sailor bridesmaid dress topic isn’t so bad after all. I would rather wear that frock (a word my grandmother would use) for a week straight than discuss my nonexistent wedding date.
“I’m not sure I’m going to bring a date at all.” I pause. “I figure I will be so busy helping you that I won’t have time to spend with anyone.”
She snickers. “Very funny. Between the ceremony and reception, it will be maybe three hours of the whole four days. You will have plenty of time to spend with . . .” Her mouth falls open and she puts her hand to it.
“This is about Trevor, isn’t it? You two are playing games again.”
I scowl. “No.”
“Liar,” she exclaims. “You should ask him to come. I think it will be good for you two to get away together. There’s nothing like a few days in the Caribbean to heat things up, if you know what I mean. Even though I don’t see how things could get any hotter between you two. One day it’s going to boil over, just you wait.”
I shake my head. “What if I meet a hot lifeguard onboard? For all we know, my soul mate might be on that ship.”
She laughs. “Hoping for history to repeat itself, huh?”
I shrug my shoulders, giving her a wicked smile.
So, I may have met a hot and sexy lifeguard from the UK on the last cruise we went on. We emailed off and on for a while but it kind of fizzled out after a few months.
“Anyway, I’ll let you know if I decide to bring a date, but as of right now, I’m planning on going solo,” I tell her.
“Okay, but you need to decide because we have less than two months.”
Two months? What?
“What are you talking about?”
She gives me a confused look. “I told you we moved the wedding up.”
I hold my hands up. “No. You told me you were getting married on a cruise ship. Nothing about moving the wedding date.”
“Oh,” she says absently. “Well, we figured it would be better to have it during the summer months being that it will be on the ship.”
Crap. Now I need to take more time off from work. It’s probably not the best time considering I haven’t been working.
“Is that okay?” she asks.
I nod slowly. “Yeah . . . it’s just that money has been an issue for me lately. Ever since the girls moved out I’m down one roommate, so my bills have increased.”
She shakes her head. “Don’t worry about the travel arrangements, Dr. Scott and I have that covered. You just need to show up in your fantastic sailor dress and leave the rest to me.”
The dress. Lovely.
~*~*~
I’m so excited when I see a calendar invite from Liv waiting for me in my messages and I’m completely intrigued. She labeled the invite “new project meeting.” Holy crap, my curiosity is definitely getting the best of me. So much that I’ve even considered asking Trevor to call Giselle and try to find out the scoop. I’m starting to wonder if I’m becoming desperate for change already. I made the move to New York because I felt like I needed to do something I’d always dreamed of. Now that it hasn’t exactly gone the way I was hoping, am I already moving on? I shouldn’t get ahead of myself because I have no idea what Liv wants to discuss with me. For all I know, it’s an invitation to a book club. And even if it is something major, I haven’t given New York a fair shot. Busy or not, I had a goal when I moved and I need pursue that in any way I can.
“Helloooo. We’re here.”
I smile to myself. My parents decided to come in a day early for Beatrice’s funeral, and I’m looking forward to spending this time with my family before heading back to the city.
I rush down the stairs to greet my parents. I stop three steps from the bottom and just absorb the site of my family together in one place again. My dad is wearing one of those Tommy Bahama shirts with a few buttons open showing off a gold necklace. He has Mark trapped in the corner, blabbing about some sailboat club they’ve joined. I didn’t even know my parents knew how to sail, and they don’t even have a sailboat. My mom is showing Cassie something on her ankle. Wait? Is that a tattoo?
“What the hell is that?” I shout louder than I intend to. All four of them stop talking and stare at me.
“There’s my baby,” Mom says proudly. “My New York City girl.”
She’s trying to change the subject by giving me a kiss on the forehead and asking if I cut my hair.
“Mom, you got a tattoo?” I shout.
She smiles excitedly. “Yes. All the girls in the club got them.”
What club is she talking about? She proudly shows me the sun tattoo on the outside of her ankle. Who is this woman? Ever since my parents decided to move they’ve acted like completely different people. Thankfully, they finally stopped getting those horrendous spray tans. Don’t get me wrong, I know spray tans can look amazing if they’re done the right way. My mom was going to a friend’s daughter for her tan, and honestly, she looked like she had rolled around in a pool of Cheetos.
“Isn’t it fab?” she asks.
I look at Cassie for some kind of help, and she’s obviously trying to keep from laughing.
“It looks great, Mom,” Cassie says.
“Yeah . . . very cool,” I add.
I have to admit I miss my family, even this crazy new version of my parents. When my parents sold their house and I threw my tantrum, I must have thought these family get-togethers were going to end. I guess this just proves that it doesn’t matter where we are as long as we’re together.
Mark prepares an awesome dinner. I think everyone is happy that Cassie didn’t cook tonight but no one says anything. My parents tell us all about their beach living and the sailing club they joined. I can’t get over how much they’ve both changed. I have to admit retirement really suits them.
“So, how is Beatrice’s family doing?” Mom asks, coming into my room after dinner. She sits on the edge of the bed. I put down my computer and hug my knees to my chest.
“They seem to be okay,” I tell her. “I haven’t seen Katherine since the hospital, but the service sounds like it’s going to be beautiful. Oh, and they’ve asked me to sing.”
She smiles. “I think Beatrice would be very happy about that and so would your grandmother.” She stops. “Which reminds me, I found something in the last of my mother’s papers.”
I sit up straight on my bed.
“What is it?”
She pulls a manila folder out of her bag and hands it to me. I open the folder slowly and pull out a few sheets of paper.
Oh wow. It’s sheet music. The first few pages are complete, and then it just stops on the third page. There aren’t any words, just the notes.
“Did she write this?” I ask excitedly.
She nods. “Yes, I had forgotten all about it when you were asking me those questions after finding that old journal. These were mixed up in her papers.”
I look over the sheets as if someone has given me a precious antique.
“Mom, would it be okay if I kept these?”
She opens her arms to hug me. “Why do you think I brought them?”
I hug her back tightly.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“So, you mentioned you hadn’t seen Katherine,” she asks nonchalantly. “What about Trevor?”
Damn. I was hoping she wouldn’t bring Trevor up. I have no doubt Cassie already got in her ear.
“He’s very upset as you can imagine he would be. They were extremely close.”
>
She nods. “Well, I’m sure you’re a great support to him during this time.”
I roll my eyes. “Mom, we’re just friends.”
She holds up her hands. “I know, honey. There’s no need to get defensive.”
Of course the more she says that, the more defensive I feel. A few minutes later, she gives me a kiss good night so she can join Cassie for night meditation, which I politely decline.
Chapter 9
I very rarely get stage fright. It’s only happened a few times, but for some reason when I wake up this morning, I feel sick to my stomach. Today is the day of the funeral, and I feel like I have a rock sitting in my throat. I don’t know how I’m going to make it through my song, or the service for that matter. My hands are shaking as I’m trying to prepare for my song and get ready at the same time. This is probably not the safest time to curl my hair.
“Maris?” Cassie calls, knocking on the door.
“Yeah. Come in.”
Cassie opens the door, looking so refreshed it looks as if she’s been at a spa retreat for days.
“Wow. You look relaxed,” I say, trying to hide my jealousy.
She gives me a gentle smile. “I keep telling you that you need to embrace yoga and meditation. It’s so cleansing for the body and the mind.”
I nod. “Well, it certainly works for you.”
She gives me a questioning look. “You okay? I hope you aren’t worried about your song. You will do fantastic, as always.”
I give her a grateful smile. “Thanks. It’s just an emotional day. I’m kind of wishing I hadn’t agreed to sing.”
Cassie is watching me and I can only imagine what she’s thinking.
“Oh, just come out and say it,” I snap.
Before she has a chance to respond, my mother interrupts our conversation. “What do you girls think of this outfit?”
We both stare at our mother who is dressed as if she were going to a cocktail party. She’s wearing a short (tight) black dress and she has her hair in an updo. She’s practically dripping in diamonds. Which makes me wonder, where did all those diamonds come from?
“Mom, you look . . . very nice.”
I look at Cassie and raise my eyebrows.
She tightens her lips.
“Mom, how about we tone down the makeup just a tad?” Cassie says softly.
Holy crap, I was so blinded by the diamonds that I didn’t even notice her makeup. Cassie has always had a better way of handling our mother than I do.
“What’s wrong with my makeup?”
I wait for Cassie to say something brilliant as always. I really don’t want to tell my mom that her face looks like 1982 threw up all over it.
“Come with me,” Cassie says, grabbing her hand. I have no doubt she wants to make sure her makeup is made with all-natural ingredients, and then she will help her tone it down. Either way I’m by myself again, so I have a few minutes to pull myself together. I can do this, I tell myself. I can do this for Beatrice.
~*~*~
When we arrive at the church, it feels like my heart is about to beat out of my chest. Thankfully, Cassie used her magic to make Mom tone down her makeup and take off a few pounds of diamonds. She’s still wearing her short black dress with a pair of stripper high heels, but as Cassie said, we had to pick our battles.
Katherine is at the door to greet us, and she pulls me in for a tight hug as soon as she sees me.
“I can’t wait to hear your song,” she wails. “I know Mother would be so happy.”
I smile and nod my head because I can’t speak. That rock is still sitting in my throat.
“I’m just really worried about Trevor,” she says sadly. “He’s not doing well at all. Would you talk to him, please?”
“Of course she will,” my mother chimes in. Ugh, I should have known.
“I really need to wait for Georgie,” I tell her. “I promised I’d meet her . . .”
“We will wait for her,” my mother interrupts. “She will be fine without you for a few minutes. Go check on Trevor.”
I hesitate, but both Katherine and my mother are staring at me. I nod, and then wander off trying not to show how annoyed I am. Even though I made that promise to Beatrice, I’m desperately trying to hold myself together without having to be an emotional support for someone else. I find Trevor pacing back and forth in a hallway on the side of the chapel. He stops pacing as soon as he sees me.
“Hey,” I say. “Um . . . your mom asked me to check on you.”
He doesn’t say anything as he walks toward me and pulls me into his arms. I must get caught up in the moment because I close my eyes as I take in the scent of his cologne. I can feel his muscular chest against my cheek.
When I finally come back to reality, we pull ourselves away from each other.
“Thanks for being here,” he whispers. “For everything, I know you’ve put your life on hold, and it means a lot to my family. And to me especially.”
I nod. “Well, Beatrice was special to us.”
He nods. “I know.”
He pushes a piece of my hair behind my ear, slowly running his finger down my cheek. We’ve somehow managed to move closer to each other.
“I guess I better get out there. I know my mother wants me to greet the guests. Can we finish this later?”
“Sure,” I say softly. I’m not sure what exactly he wants to finish, but I don’t have the energy to fight it.
He gently kisses me on the forehead before rushing off to join his mother. I put my hand to my forehead and close my eyes. I can still smell his cologne, and the scent is now lingering on my dress. Great, that’s not going to be distracting at all.
I stop off at the restroom to try to collect myself before going into the chapel. I glance at the time on my phone. The service is about to begin, so I hurry to join my family and Georgie.
I quickly sit down on the aisle and give Georgie a hug. I notice a funny look on her face. “What’s wrong with you?” I ask her. The organist begins playing the prelude music and everyone is starting to quiet down.
“Don’t get upset, it’s not a big deal,” Cassie whispers, leaning over Georgie.
What is she talking about?
“What?” I whisper loudly. A lady with a tacky hat in front of me turns around and gives me a dirty look. Really? She’s giving me a dirty look, but she’s wearing that stupid hat. Does she think she’s at a royal wedding?
“Didn’t you see her come in?” Georgie whispers.
“Who?” I mouth.
She points to the front and as soon as I see the back of her head I know who it is. It’s Giselle, and she’s sitting with Trevor. What the hell is up with that? Why is she sitting with Trevor and the family? Beatrice couldn’t stand her.
“I doubt it means anything,” Cassie whispers, leaning over Georgie again. I know she’s trying to reassure me. Georgie rolls her eyes. Cassie is much more patient than she is. I can’t believe this, less than five minutes ago we had an extremely intense moment with one another and now he’s sitting with his ex-girlfriend.
Just then I hear my name. Holy crap, I have to go up there and sing right now. I have to see them sitting together on the front row, right in front of me. And I really wish I could take off my dress because all I can smell is Trevor’s cologne. Of course, standing up there in my bra and underwear probably wouldn’t go over well either. Although, Beatrice would probably think it’s hilarious, and we’re here for her, right?
“Maris, go,” Cassie whispers. “It will be fine.”
I must have a look of sheer terror on my face because that’s definitely how I feel right this second.
Georgie pats me on the hand.
“You got this,” she says in her most supportive best friend tone.
I practically jump out of my seat and slowly make my way to the front of the chapel. I can do this because I’m a professional.
I give myself the quickest pep talk in history, and when I finally reach the front, I take one
look at Trevor. He smiles at me, but I don’t smile back.
I close my eyes, take a breath, and then I look at the pianist and nod my head. Without giving Trevor a second look, I begin to sing.
~*~*~
As soon as the service is over, people start coming up to me to thank me for my song. Katherine can barely stop crying, and she’s hugged me about eighty times. I plaster a permanent smile one my face as she introduces me to her many friends. Each time she introduces me, I smile and say thank you. Of course, I’m barely paying attention to them.
See You Later Broadway (Broadway Series Book 2) Page 5
