Clumsy in Love (Green Valley Falls #1)

CHAPTER ONE

“Huh.” Holly Bennett buried her hands in the folds of her white satin dress and gripped tight. She took a deep breath. Brides had to deal with crises all the time. This one just happened to be a doozy. One that left her in a real pickle.

“Huh?” Alex, Holly’s maid of honor, said. “There’s a park full of people waiting on you, and that’s all you got?”

“So far, yeah,” Holly said. “Give me a second.”

“Faith, are you sure you heard the message right?” Tess said. Faith had been the one to burst in with the nuptial-busting announcement.

“I may be ditsy, but I know how to hear ,” Faith said, rolling her eyes. “Rick’s best man caught me as I was coming in. Told me Rick chickened out and left. Asked me to pass along the message.”

“Is it too soon to talk crap about him?” Tess said. “’Cause that guy was never good enough for you.”

“Holly loved him. That’s what matters,” Juliet said. “You okay, Bennett?”

Holly stood frozen in place, glancing from friend to friend. Five tall—well, four tall and one short—beautiful, wonderful women who’d subconsciously circled around her. Just like the millions of times they’d huddled during basketball games. They wore matching Arctic blue dresses. A large bridal party, but she couldn’t leave any of them out.

“Alex?” Holly whispered. Alex was the most take-charge, get-things-done of the bunch. And her best friend. She’d know what to do.

“On it,” Alex said without hesitation. “I’ll go verify this is real. And if it is, I’ll make the announcement. Do you want me to send everyone home? Or let them eat cake?”

Holly huffed out a laugh. “Everything’s paid for. No sense letting the food go to waste.”

“Okay,” Alex said. “You guys stay with her. We’ll make a plan to set Rick’s house on fire later.” She slapped Holly on the butt and left.

Holly plopped down onto the small sofa, the news finally sinking in. Panic started up her throat. I’m being left at the altar? I’m being left at the altar! What in the actual hell? Rick was one of the most stable people she knew. That was one of the main reasons she wanted to marry him.

Spontaneity was her MO. Doing impulsive things without thinking through the consequences was what she did. He was supposed to be the rock. The reliable one. The planner. His extemporaneous departure could only mean one thing. The idea of marrying her was so terrifying, so repulsive, that rather than go through with it—or at least call it off properly—he simply panicked and fled. Ouch.

“Hey, girl,” Maddie said, sitting next to her and grabbing her hand. “We got you. We’ll get through this. Just like everything else we’ve ever faced.”

A tear escaped, and Holly swiped at it, irritated. Crying was for sissies, and Holly was no sissy. Maddie was right. The six of them had been through tougher times. They would manage this too. Together.

“You flew home just for this,” Holly said. “I’m so sorry.”

Maddie waved her off. “I needed a break. California can be exhausting, and I haven’t been home in ages. Whether you get hitched or not, I’m glad to see you all.”

“And Faith. Your mom went to all this trouble.” Holly circled a hand around the room. They had sequestered in the backroom of Faith’s mother’s bookstore. Mrs. Sullivan had cleared out piles of books and boxes of inventory and decorated it to be a bridal suite. Page Turners was directly across from the town square park, where Holly was supposed to be getting married in ten minutes.

“Don’t you worry about that,” Faith said. “You know my mom loves this stuff.”

Holly nodded. That was true. Mrs. Sullivan was a sucker for love.

“Hey,” Tess jumped in. “How ’bout we stay in here and have our own party? If I know Alex, she won’t come back empty-handed.”

As if on cue, Alex returned, holding two open bottles of champagne in one hand and a stack of plastic cups in the other. “I can get more later,” she said, taking a swig straight from the bottle before passing it to Tess. The bottle made its way quickly around the circle.

“So, it’s true? Rick’s really gone?” Juliet asked.

“Yeah,” Alex said. “Pretty chickenshit move if you ask me. Doesn’t even have the cojones to tell you to your face?”

“He hates confrontation,” Holly said. So did she, but she’d never leave someone hanging like this.

“He’s a wimp,” Tess said. Holly didn’t disagree.

“So I guess we’re not waiting on the crap talk?” Juliet said. “Holly was just about to marry the guy.”

“You just hate talking smack about people,” Maddie said. “You’re too nice, Juliet.”

“You make it sound like that’s a bad thing,” Juliet said.

“No,” Tess said. “It’s just that sometimes, ya gotta tell it like it is.”

“I should have said something sooner,” Faith said. “But your horoscope did mention someone would let you down today.”

“It’s not like he’s the first person to walk away from me,” Holly said. “My parents already broke the ice on disappointing me that way. You guys are the only ones I can count on.” This was her team, and they would do anything for her.

“You got that right,” Alex said, taking another swig from the champagne bottle.

There was a tap at the door, and Tess rose to answer it. Holly heard a familiar male voice and went to Tess’s side.

“Coach,” Holly said, hugging the man in the doorway.

“You doin’ okay, darlin’?”

Coach Reed had been their high school basketball coach. The one to lead them to a state championship title. Something unheard of in such a small town. Because he was also Maddie and Juliet’s dad, Holly had spent a lot of time with him off the court too. He was like a second father to all of them.

“I’m fine,” Holly said. Coach Reed was who she’d asked to walk her down the aisle since her own dad was otherwise occupied. Serving a five-year prison sentence for fraud and tax evasion. “I’m sorry about everything.”

“Don’t be,” Coach said. “And don’t worry about the party. We’ll handle it. Mrs. Reed spoke with the caterers. They’ll get the food prepped ASAP and open up the buffet soon.”

“Thank you,” Holly said.

Coach plowed a hand through his hair. “This is a little awkward, but people are asking if they should just take their gifts home.”

Holly barked out a laugh. “Yes, of course. It will save me from dealing with that hassle.” Opening presents just to return them seemed like a real waste of time.

“All right. Well, Mrs. Reed says she’ll be by in a while with some food. Can’t let my girls starve.”

“Thanks, Coach.” Holly shut the door behind him.

“Side note,” Alex said. “While I was out, I heard Rick cornered the ring bearer and has already reclaimed the ring.”

“Talk about tacky,” Faith said.

“Isn’t it supposed to be the bride’s discretion on whether to give it back?” Maddie asked.

“It’s fine,” Holly said. “I don’t want it.” She looked down at her bare ring finger. In the last six months, she’d grown accustomed to its lightweight presence. Losing the ring was fine, but losing Rick would take some getting used to. They’d been best friends. She’d come to count on him. Although, judging from his spineless desertion, perhaps he wasn’t the most reliable in a tense situation.

“Guess it’s a good thing your mom didn’t fly out,” Faith said.

“I still can’t believe she didn’t,” Alex said. “That makes me so mad.”

After Holly’s father’s arrest and conviction, her mom had promptly divorced him, packed up, and moved cross country. Green Valley Falls was too small to exist anonymously, and she was too embarrassed to stay.

“Said she couldn’t handle the dirty looks,” Holly said. “And that showing her face would cause an uproar and detract from my special day.”

“Excuse.” Maddie fake coughed the word into her hand.

“Probably,” Holly admitted. “I can’t blame her though. I wasn’t even here when it all went down, and half the town still hates me.”

“Only the stupid half,” Alex muttered.

“Either way, it must have been pretty bad for my mom.”

There was another knock at the door, and Faith answered it. Mrs. Reed and Mrs. Walker—Tess’s mom—stood with arms full of food.

“Thought you might like sustenance,” Mrs. Reed said, entering and placing small trays of food on the coffee table.

“Thanks, Mom,” Juliet said. “Holly is always hungry.”

“Ha. Ha,” Holly said, pulling off the foil to reveal chicken Alfredo in one tray and lasagna in another. The tomato-y, cheesy smell hit hard, and her mouth watered. “Hand me a bloody fork. Now.”

Juliet laughed. “See.”

Mrs. Walker unloaded her arms too, setting down plates, napkins, a basket of rolls, and two bottles of wine. “Sorry, there’s no ice cream, dear,” she said to Holly with a sympathetic smile.

After the moms left, Holly and her friends quickly changed their clothes and dug in.

“Did you see how your mom looked at me?” Holly asked Tess around a mouthful of pasta. “I’m gonna get that from everyone in town. The poor Bennett girl abandoned at the altar. No one wants her. What a loser.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Alex said. “Rick’s the one losing.”

“Agreed,” Maddie said. “And the whole town knows it.”

“It’ll blow over in no time,” Faith consoled.

“Can I say something?” Juliet said.

“Since when does anyone ask permission to talk?” Alex said, splitting a roll and dipping half in her sauce.

Juliet still paused before continuing, then turned to Holly. “It’s just…you don’t seem that upset.”

Holly took a deep breath and sighed. In the five minutes she’d had to process the news, she found she wasn’t terribly devastated. Maybe she was still in shock, but maybe Rick had seen something she’d been in denial about.

“Honestly?” Holly said.

Five sets of eyebrows lifted, all saying, “Duh.”

“I was two minutes away from crawling out the window and bolting too. I thought it was just cold feet. Pre-wedding jitters, you know? But now, I have to admit, Rick might have saved me from making a huge mistake.”

“But you guys were so perfect together,” Juliet said.

“Maybe,” Holly said. “I’ll have to overthink it before I know for sure.” There were a lot of feelings to unpack, but that was something she’d do later. And alone.

“I think you were perfect on paper ,” Alex said. “You have the same job, same hobbies, stuff like that. But when you get down to it. Was there a spark? Passion? I’d-gouge-my-eyes-out-rather-than-lose-you vibes?”

They’d been around Rick enough to know that Alex had a point. He was a good friend and coworker, but their relationship had been missing something .

“What am I going to say to him? I have to work with him every day,” Holly lamented.

“I tried to warn you…” Faith said. “You’re a Gemini. He’s a Pisces. It was doomed from the start.”

“Not now, Faith,” Juliet said.

“Right.” Faith saluted and made a zipping motion across her lips. “Another time.”

“It’s fine,” Holly said, waving a hand and dripping red sauce on her leg. “Oh, come on, Bennett.”

“I see you haven’t gotten any more graceful since I’ve been away.” Maddie laughed.

“It was only a matter of time,” Alex said, handing Holly a napkin.

“Good thing you took your dress off,” Juliet said.

“Thank goodness for that.” Holly’s wedding gown lay in a heap by the door. “That’s five hundred dollars that’ll never see the light of day.”

“We should’ve stuck to basketball,” Tess said. “Cuz we’re oh for three on marriages.”

“Tess!” Maddie gasped, casting a glance at her younger sister. Juliet had married her high school sweetheart right after graduation, but he died in a car accident before they even turned twenty. “You’re cut off. No more wine for you.”

“It’s okay, Maddie,” Juliet said, holding up a hand. “Teddy died four years ago. We can talk about him.”

“A widow is respectable,” Tess said. “I’m a twenty-five-year-old divorcée.”

“Does a year-long marriage even count?” Faith asked.

“At least Tess made it to the altar!” Holly said.

“Maddie, text your mom and have her bring cake,” Alex said.

“And more wine,” Faith added. “White this time.”

“I’m gonna peek outside,” Holly said.

All five friends tagged along. The bookstore was closed, but still, they tiptoed out of the backroom to the front of the store and tried to hide while peeking out the big window.

Across the street, the town square gazebo, laden in white gauze and laced with flowers, sat empty. Someone had rolled up the gold rug that was supposed to have served as “the aisle.” The white folding chairs, originally lined to face the gazebo, had been rearranged into clusters under the trees. The wind carried faint wisps of music the DJ played. A few people even danced.

Since she and Rick were paying for the wedding themselves, Holly had tried to cut costs and keep the guest list to a minimum. But in a small town, it was hard to exclude anyone without hurting feelings. So even though half the town remained mad about what her dad had done, attendance still topped a hundred. The only two that hadn’t shown? Her parents.

News would spread, and by tomorrow—if not later tonight—all of Green Valley Falls would know what had happened.

“Guess the show must go on,” Alex said.

“Oh.” Faith clapped. “And here comes Mrs. Reed with the cake.”

Maddie and Juliet greeted their mom at the door and relieved her of her load—a tray of cake carried with both hands, a plastic bag of plates and forks hanging off one arm, and a bottle of wine in each pocket.

“Anything else, just ask,” she said. “Everything’s fine out here.”

They hauled it all back to the storage room and indulged. They ate. They drank. They laughed. Now that Maddie lived in California, it had been months since they’d all been together. Her friends since grade school. The best friends a girl could ever have.

“What are you going to do about the honeymoon?” Faith asked.

Holly froze. “I forgot about that. I was so excited to go.”

“Go anyway,” Maddie said. “Don’t need no man to take you.”

Holly thought about it. Rick had wanted to hike up into the backcountry and camp, but as a park ranger, Holly got enough nature at work. Since she was a kid, she’d dreamed of visiting New York City and had convinced Rick to honeymoon there.

Other than college in Durham—which wasn’t much bigger than this town—she’d never been away from Green Valley Falls. She was desperate to spread her wings. See the world. At the very least, get out of New Hampshire.

“Hm. I did book everything,” she said. “The hotel’s in my name, and the flights are nonrefundable.”

She warmed to the notion. Or maybe that was the glow of the alcohol. Either way, the idea of a solo trip grew on her by the second.

“Do it,” Faith said. “The car will be here at nine. Give us a hot minute to wipe off the ‘Just Married’ paint, and you’re good to go.”

“Your bag’s already packed,” Alex agreed.

“And you already have the time off,” Maddie said.

“No reason not to,” Tess added. “You’ve wanted to see NYC since we were kids. Now’s your chance.”

“You don’t think Rick would go, do you?” Juliet asked.

“Doubt it,” Holly said. “He didn’t want to go in the first place. I had to beg him to get him on board.”

“It’s settled then,” Faith said.

It was only three days. Late June started the park’s busy season, and that’s all she was allowed to take. How much trouble could she possibly get into in that short a time?

“Sightseeing in New York City sounds a lot better than dealing with the fallout here,” Holly said, shrugging. “Sure. Why not?”

At nine o’clock, Alex and Tess left to shut down the reception, thank everyone for coming, and shoo them all home. At nine-thirty, her friends walked her to the waiting town car.

“Maybe you’ll meet someone in New York,” Faith said.

“No way,” Holly said. “I am done with men. Done, you hear me?”

“But your horoscope also said, ‘Try something new.’ Maybe it meant some one new.” Faith winked.

“Absolutely not,” Holly said. “And stay away from me with your horoscope mumbo jumbo. I don’t need any more bad luck.”

Holly hugged her friends goodbye and rode in silence to the hotel in Portsmouth where she and Rick were supposed to spend their first night as man and wife. She spent the entire hour and a half wondering what had gone wrong.

Was it something she did? Said? Was? Why ask her to marry him only to bug out? The only way to get real answers was to talk to Rick, which was not happening anytime soon. She was hurt, but also kind of pissed. He couldn’t have walked away a week before the wedding? Two days? An hour? Surely, waiting until the last possible second to bail meant something. But what?

She checked into the honeymoon suite. Alone. When the clerk looked over her shoulder, clearly looking for a groom, she told him her new husband was parking the car. And maybe he was. Back in Green Valley Falls.

As tired as she was, it still took her a while to fall asleep. Hurt, anger, confusion, and embarrassment all whirled around her head, making it hard to calm down. It was only when she switched focus to the adventure ahead that she finally conked out.