The Weight Of Falling

1

“If he hurts you again, I will gut him like a trout and spill his insides on the ground.”

I sigh. Softly spoken threats like this are one of the reasons I’m painfully single at Brown Oaks’s wedding of the year.

“Keep your voice down,” I whisper to Sofia, one of my closest friends, who seems to think she’s auditioning for a role in a Tarantino movie.

“Why?” Sofia asks with a frown. “I want your moronic ex-boyfriend to hear me.”

Standing a few feet away, Bobby darts a nervous glance in Sofia’s direction, as though he’s picked up the scent of her animosity in the same way a prey animal senses danger.

“You’re obviously joking,” I say, raising my voice so Bobby will hopefully hear me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sofia shake her head and mouth in his direction, I’m not .

I watch as Bobby drains his glass and shuffles a few jittery steps away from us.

“What’s he doing here anyway?” Sofia asks, her nose stud sparkling under the lights. “Who invited him to the wedding?”

“Kate.” Swallowing, I shift my gaze away from Bobby’s handsome face and focus on Sofia. “He’s one of her suppliers and his parents are also good friends with Kate’s parents.”

“And you’re okay with The Empty Vessel being here?”

“Sofia,” I remind her softly, “his name is Bobby.”

She gives a dismissive flick of her hand. “Not my problem his parents named him wrong.”

In the face of my silence, she arches an eyebrow at me. “Well? How do you feel about his presence here?”

My formidable friend is like a bulldog when she’s in interrogation mode. I clear my throat. “I don’t mind.”

In truth, I do mind, but I don’t want to create a fuss.

And I don’t want Sofia even more protective than she already is.

But Bobby’s presence is a jolting reminder of our breakup and the loneliness that’s plagued me these past two months.

One thing I am grateful for, though, is that Bobby came to Gideon and Kate’s wedding alone.

“Kate checked with me to see if it was okay to invite him,” I add.

“And you said yes.”

Of course, I said yes, because I have great difficulty saying no to people. I’m working on it. Clearly, I have a way to go.

Evidently picking up on my discomfort, Sofia touches my arm in apology. “I know I can be too much at times. I’m just watching out for you.”

I nod and squeeze her hand. I’m touched by her protective nature, but a part of me secretly wishes she wouldn’t always assume I need protecting.

“Champagne?” A member of the hotel’s waitstaff materializes in front of us with a tray of champagne flutes.

His eyes widen when they land on Sofia, who looks mesmerizing in a navy silk dress that accentuates her curvy body.

Her smooth dark skin glows and her midnight-black hair is held back on one side by a diamond-studded hair clip.

“Yes, please.” Sofia slides two glasses off the tray and hands me one.

“Thank you.” I take a sip, hoping the alcohol will help ease my nerves.

“Gorgeous day for a wedding,” Sofia murmurs, staring out the window at the clear May sky.

“Kate and Gideon couldn’t have asked for better weather,” I say in agreement.

The beautiful and moving ceremony was held outside, the lilac-scented air soft and warm, tempered by a cool breeze.

Tears filled my eyes as I watched Kate walk down the aisle toward an emotional Gideon.

She looked stunning in a classic wedding dress.

I’d kept her makeup light and natural, applying only the faintest blush to her cheekbones.

Sofia had scooped Kate’s dark brown hair into an elegant updo and Tess had chosen a simple French manicure for her sister, perfect for the diamond ring Gideon couldn’t wait to slide onto her finger.

It felt like a full-circle moment for the four of us.

We’d helped Kate get ready for her very first date with Gideon, and now we were all helping her prepare for her wedding.

“There you two are.”

I turn at the sound of my friend’s voice.

Tess’s emerald green bridesmaid’s dress brings out the vivid green of her eyes, which are still a little red.

She’d been openly crying during the ceremony.

I knew that for years she’d worried about Kate, worried her sister would never find love after an abusive marriage.

But then Gideon moved to Brown Oaks into a house across the street from Kate, and we all watched in delight as he patiently broke down the walls she’d so carefully erected around her life and her heart.

“Are they still busy with wedding photos?” Sofia asks Tess.

“Yep.” Tess snags a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. “At least my part is over. Now it’s just pics of the bride and groom and flower girl.”

“Lisset must be in her element,” I say, smiling at the thought of Kate’s young daughter posing for photographs in the hotel’s beautiful gardens.

Tess’s eyes soften with affection. “That girl glows in front of a camera. She’s the exact opposite of Kate, who keeps trying to find ways to cut the photo session short.”

Sofia takes a sip of her champagne. “Didn’t Kate initially hint to Gideon that they should have a small, private ceremony?”

Tess grins. “Gideon nearly had a stroke when she suggested that. He’s determined to give her the best of everything.”

“He’s definitely outdone himself,” I murmur, my gaze sweeping the reception area of the hotel, where servers are offering champagne and canapés to wedding guests. It’s clear Gideon has spared no expense. The luxurious Brown Oaks Hotel exudes grandeur and romance.

Just then my skin prickles, like someone’s eyes are on me.

I turn and stare straight into a pair of bottomless dark eyes belonging to Joel Adams, the food photographer Kate works with.

His assessing gaze provokes an odd flutter in my chest. He’s a compelling figure as he leans against a pillar in a superbly tailored suit, his dark hair falling in sexy disarray around his face.

The light from the chandeliers highlights the strong, angular cut of his features in a way that has my fingers fluttering at my side, itching to sketch him.

I realize he’s still staring at me. And I’m staring back at him.

Something flashes across his face. With a tightening of his unsmiling mouth, Joel turns his gaze dismissively away from me.

Heat floods my cheeks. I take a hasty swallow of my champagne in an attempt to wash away the feeling of hurt that rises up.

“Joel Adams,” Sofia murmurs, following my line of sight, her ruby-red lips curving into a smile. “That man is fine. Remember when his hair was longer and he had it tied back with a leather cord?”

Tess sighs. “Kate told me some of the mothers at Lisset’s school went into mourning when Joel cut his hair.”

Sofia makes a humming sound in her throat. “With a face and body like that, I’m not surprised.”

“I always assumed photographers were wispy, artistic types,” Tess muses, winding a brown curl around her finger.

Sofia snorts. “There’s nothing wispy about that man. And that scar on his cheek? It definitely adds to his appeal.”

I’m listening intently, while also trying not to reveal how invested I am in this conversation.

I don’t know what it is about Joel that draws me in.

He’s so different from the clean-cut, polished air of Bobby, my last boyfriend.

Sofia’s right. There’s something rough and dangerous about Joel with his cool aloofness and dark eyes full of dark promises.

Sofia taps a red fingernail against her champagne glass. “Isn’t it weird that Kate invited Joel to her wedding?”

“Why?” I ask.

“Because Joel really liked her at one point. Liked her enough to ask her out on a date.”

Oh. I didn’t know that. For some reason, the revelation knocks me back like a blow.

“Kate didn’t go out with him though,” Tess reminds her.

“No, she didn’t,” Sofia agrees. “Still, wouldn’t Gideon find it awkward that Joel’s at the wedding?”

Tess shrugs. “Kate told me that when she and Gideon became serious, Joel invited Gideon out for a drink and cleared the air between them.”

“My admiration for the man increases,” Sofia murmurs.

Abruptly, Tess turns to face me with a quizzical frown. “Hey, didn’t Kate try to set you up with Joel?”

I freeze. “Did she?” I say vaguely. “I don’t remember.”

I will my face not to flush at the lie. Unfortunately, the memory is carved into my brain.

“I’m almost certain Kate said something about how she was sure you and Joel would hit it off,” Tess continues.

“Really?” I take another gulp of my champagne. Why won’t she let it go? And how is my glass suddenly empty?

“Tess is right,” Sofia interjects. “What happened?”

This conversation is quicksand territory. Trying for a casual shrug, I decide to give them a pared-down version of the truth. “I don’t know. I think Kate gave him my number, but he never messaged or called.”

“Oh.” Surprise laces Tess’s tone.

“I don’t think I’m his type,” I explain.

Both women eye me.

Sofia is the first to speak. “Kenzie, you’re everyone’s type,” she declares. “You’re kind and sweet and funny.”

“You’re also gorgeous,” Tess chimes in. “I’d kill for your blonde hair and blue eyes.”

“Please, both of you, stop,” I beg, embarrassment ripping through me.

Sofia looks over at Tess. They have a silent exchange I can’t decipher.

I’ve never told anyone about the time I dropped by the restaurant where Kate was working with Joel on a food styling gig.

I wanted to surprise her. Instead, I was the one surprised when I overheard Kate singing my praises to Joel and urging him to ask me out.

A shiver of humiliation rolls through me when I remember Joel telling Kate that he wasn’t interested because I wasn’t his type.

The sting of rejection was painful. Especially when I recall the emphatic way Joel said those words, with no hesitation whatsoever.

“Anyway, it’s probably a good thing he didn’t get in touch,” Sofia says, handing me a full glass of champagne, which I accept gratefully. “Rumor has it he’s a heartbreaker.”