16. Callie
CHAPTER 16
CALLIE
B efore she even sets her purse down, Mom pulls one of the completed wedding favors from the top of the small stack. “It needs more greenery. It looks cheap with only a couple of leaves.”
Sadie takes it from her and puts it back. “It looks fine.”
“It looks rustic. We’re going for elegant.”
“We’re going for let’s finally get these done instead of fussing over them for no good reason,” Sadie argues.
I look between them like I’m watching a tennis match, and I definitely know who I’m rooting for.
Sadie is the one who chose a packet of flower seeds as the favor idea, but Mom is the one who insisted the packet be made by hand, the labels be custom made, and the packets be closed with a wax seal over a small cluster of paper leaf sprigs. These are the fussiest packets of seeds that ever existed.
It’s our second weekend working on these, we’re running out of time, and they still don’t meet Mom’s standards.
“Keep going, Callie,” Sadie says. “They look perfect.”
Mom huffs out a frustrated sigh, heaves her bag onto a chair, and heads for Sadie’s kitchen.
My sister shakes her head as she presses wax down on another packet. As she starts on the next one, she says, “So, Mom tells me you’re dating someone.” Her tone is quiet and rightfully filled with skepticism, because Sadie knows I would always tell her before I’d tell our mom. She’s the only person in my life who knows most of the story about Rick.
I listen for Mom’s movements in the kitchen, and when I hear the refrigerator starting to dispense ice, I quickly whisper, “It’s a friend doing me a favor, but I messed up and told Mom I was dating someone. I know I shouldn’t lie, but I just wanted her to stop nagging me. Then she told me about Rick attending.”
Sadie’s face takes on a pained expression, her eyes full of sympathy. “I’m so sorry about Rick being there, but I felt helpless to do anything, especially since you don’t want anyone to know what happened.”
“I know.”
While Mom brews an iced coffee, Sadie quickly asks, “Who is this friend? Mom said his name is Max?”
I nod. “I met him recently. I didn’t have anyone else to ask.” Even though I tell Sadie almost everything, I’m going to wait until after the wedding to tell her Max is a twin. We’ll laugh about it then, but right now I don’t want to give her anything else to worry about, since Mom already does so much of that.
Sadie gives me an encouraging smile. “I look forward to meeting him.”
“Who are we talking about? Max?” Mom strides in and takes a seat across from us at the dining table before taking a sip of her drink.
When I don’t respond, Sadie gives her confirmation.
“How long have you been seeing him, Callie? I don’t know why you didn’t tell us about him sooner.”
I shoot Sadie a quick look before I say, “Things are fairly new between us. I didn’t want to talk about it too soon.”
“Things must be going well if you’re bringing him to the wedding.”
Gritting my teeth, I just nod. She acts like she wasn’t the one who insisted I bring a date or risk being a pariah.
“How did you meet?”
I keep my eyes on my work, fiddling with the little leaves, trying to keep them from tangling. “We met at my job. He came in to get dinner one evening, and he asked me out.”
Max suggested we keep as close to the truth as possible, and he originally proposed using the story of how I met Miles, at yoga, but Miles insisted we go with the sandwich shop instead. Yoga continues to be a sore subject for Miles, pun intended.
“Love at first sight. How romantic!”
Really? I shoot her a side eye while she inspects the favors. Mom sounds like she’s been reading romance books like Ana, minus the sex, I hope.
“What does he look like? Is he handsome?”
Sadie keeps her head down too, but I can see her smirking.
“He’s tall, brown hair.” In my head, I add several more descriptions, including irresistible smile (Max); riveting eyes (Miles); and muscles for days (both of them), but my mom and sister don’t need to hear all that.
With just the barest of information, Mom is still intrigued. “How tall is he?”
“I don’t know. Six-three, maybe?” Shit, maybe that’s something I should know about my fake boyfriend.
“Ooh, nice and tall. Taller than Rick, right?”
I grab my still half-full glass and head for the kitchen. “I’d rather not make any comparisons, Mom.”
“I think it will be best if we all ignore Rick the best we can at the wedding, and try to forget he and Callie were ever together,” Sadie is saying as I leave the room.
I still hear the murmur of their voices as I refill my water glass with shaky hands. This is a big mistake. I should have persisted in my desire to attend the wedding without a date, rather than subject Max and Miles to my mother’s scrutiny and all the potential drama with Rick.
Though they probably won’t care. Max is so easygoing, Miles is so detached, and Rick doesn’t mean anything to either of them. I need to learn that Rick shouldn’t mean anything to me either, not anymore.
After a long, refreshing drink, I let out a breath that I’ve probably been holding since my mom arrived. Maybe the two men are exactly what I need—not for anything long term, of course, but to get through the wedding, while possibly even having a little fun along the way, like Max said.
When I go back into the dining room, Mom is talking, and Sadie looks flustered, common behaviors for the two of them this past year.
“I hope I was right to go with the lavender dress. I just wonder if Mr. Hargrove would think the silver more appropriate for the ceremony.”
Sadie pulls a face that only I can see.
“I wonder if we’ll dance together. Seeing as we’re both single, I think it would be a lovely addition to the reception. I mean, he isn’t bringing a date, and neither am I.”
My irritation over the fact that it’s okay for her to attend the wedding solo fights with both my amusement and distaste at the thought of her planning to put the moves on Adam’s father.
Our mom hasn’t dated in all these years, as far as I know, so it’s odd to see her interested in someone. Sadie said Adam’s dad is attractive for an older man, but it probably doesn’t hurt that he’s wealthy. Still … Adam’s going to be her son-in-law. If Mom and Mr. Hargrove were to get married, Sadie and Adam would be step-siblings, and that reminds me of another smutty book Ana was reading recently.
“Do you think he’ll like the hairstyle I have planned?” Mom asks Sadie, who slaps a seed packet down on the pile with a bit too much force.
“I honestly have no idea. How would I possibly know that?”
Mom stiffens, surprised by Sadie’s outburst. “I don’t know. I just want everything to be up to his standards.”
It’s as though Mom is planning a party honoring Mr. Hargrove, and I want to remind her that the celebration is for Sadie and Adam, but I keep my mouth shut. It won’t be long, and this will all be over.