Chapter 13 #2
“I’ll catch up with you later,” Reid says quietly, then he turns on his black dress shoes and walks off.
I watch him as he goes and my heart picks up its pace when he looks back at me over his shoulder after just five steps.
When he catches me watching him, a brilliant smile graces his lips, that dimple popping in his cheek.
A manicured hand waves in front of my face, breaking the sight. “Earth to Jane,” Kate says.
I expel a breath, trying to convince myself not to swat her hand away today of all days. “Do you need help with something, Kate?”
She tosses her blonde waves over her shoulder and stands taller.
“I just wanted to see what you said you’d been working so hard on all weekend.
” She steps closer to the table, covered with a blush pink table cloth and trays upon trays of treats.
I watch as she surveys the desserts with a disdainful look on her face and I feel my face fall, my heart shatter.
Her eyes bounce to each dessert, and when not a single word passes her lips, I start to get nervous.
I made all her favorites. I took great care to decorate them to perfection.
To set them up to her incredibly specific vision on trays she demanded Reid deliver to me.
I paid for each ingredient out of my already minuscule pockets.
And now she’s standing here, hands on her hips, looking both unimpressed and angry, and I could cry. I actually think I might.
“Jane, where are the gluten-free cookies?”
I balk at her. “The what?”
She turns to me, an annoyed expression pulling her features tight on her face. “The cookies that don’t contain gluten.”
“I didn’t make any. Who here can’t eat gluten?”
“Uh, me?”
I shake my head, trying to process her words to no avail. My voice is embarrassingly shrill when I ask, “What? Since when?”
“Since, like, two weeks ago. Jessica and I are doing it to lose some weight for the wedding.”
“That’s something you should’ve told us before we made all this food.”
“Well, I was still able to eat dinner.”
“What could you possibly have eaten here for dinner?”
She shrugs. “Reid had a salad bar.”
And now I’m staring at her out of sheer rage on Reid’s behalf. Because I know he worked just as hard on his food as I did on mine. Honestly, he might’ve worked harder, planned more, prepared longer since it is his job. And out of the hours and hours he spent working, she only ate a salad?
I gape at her. “That’s it? That’s all you ate out of all the food that he prepared.”
“Well, yeah, that’s the only thing that didn’t have any gluten.”
The words are targeted, sharp, and completely unlike her.
I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and bite down, trying to tamp down all the retorts on my tongue.
My eyes snag on Jessica a few feet away, a vindictive smile on her lips as she watches the encounter.
Then it all clicks. She put Kate up to this on purpose to knock me down a peg. And I have no clue why.
But I’m not going to fight with Kate about it right now, especially if it’s one of Jessica’s stupid plots to control a narrative that’s not her own.
So instead, I let out a breath and face my sister again, trying to remain as calm as I possibly can. “That’s something you should’ve conveyed to us before we spent all this time and money preparing the entire freaking menu, Kate.”
“I’m pretty sure that I did.”
I swear I’m seeing red at this point. I raise a hand and pinch the bridge of my nose, squeezing my eyes shut. “No, you definitely didn’t because we would’ve accommodated that.”
“Oh, so now it’s my fault that you were the one who ruined my shower?”
“Ruined? Do you think this whole thing is ruined because you didn’t tell me that you’re suddenly not eating gluten out of some crazy diet pushed onto you by a so-called friend?”
“I had to eat a salad, and now I can’t even have the dessert at my own bridal shower, so yes I do consider it ruined,” she says, completely ignoring the jab about Jessica. Kate pauses to look around the room. “And where is the champagne tower?”
Now I’m clenching my teeth, curling my fingers into fists to keep myself from lashing out at her. “The what?
She throws her head back and groans like I’m the most annoying creature she’s ever interacted with. “The champagne tower.”
“Yeah, I heard you. I was just giving you a chance to correct yourself, because there’s no way you would’ve expected us to read your mind and know you wanted a champagne tower for this.”
“Well, I had one at my engagement party, so I don’t think that was such a far-fetched idea to expect it here too.”
I clench my jaw, desperately trying to figure out where this new side of Kate came from, and if I really want to call her out on it today of all days.
It’s her day, I remind myself. Call her out next week, but just leave it be for now.
“I am not a mind reader, Kate. I didn’t know that was an expectation.”
Plus, it could’ve been an expectation communicated to literally anyone else in the bridal party.
Kate tilts her head back to look at the ceiling. I swear I see tears glistening in her eyes and I’m not sure if she’s actually going to cry right now or if she’s putting on her stage tears for this. “I’m not asking you to be a mind reader, Jane. I’m asking you to know what your baby sister wants.”
“Maybe you should ask your twin sister,” I finally snap. “Aren’t you two supposed to be mind readers? She’s your maid of honor anyways. Shouldn’t she have done anything to help here?”
“Lydia was helpful. Who do you think went with me to pick out the perfect dress and shoes? And she bought me this necklace. And she dropped off a dress for you.”
“Wow, helpful Lydia. Taking you shopping and buying you a piece of jewelry to make up for the fact that she didn’t do anything today.
I planned the date, the venue, the menu, the decorations, the games.
” I flick up a finger for each item, revealing an open palm.
I lift my other hand and continue. “I set everything up. I made all the reservations.”
“And it was so close to perfect.” She gestures to the table.
I let out a sarcastic laugh, using my open hand to rub at my forehead. “I worked really hard to make this a special day for you and it feels like nothing was good enough.”
She sighs and grabs a glass of champagne from a passing waiter.
That, at least, we thought of. Not a tower of champagne, but we still planned to have people serve it to her directly.
But, as always, it’s not enough. “Just do better next time. Like the bachelorette party! You can make it up to me then.”
She touches my shoulder in a gesture I’m sure is supposed to be a consolation, but instead it feels condescending. Kate’s eyes flick up over my shoulder and a smile touches her lips. She lifts her hand off my shoulder to wave at whoever it is. “Okay, well, thanks for trying I guess. I gotta go.”
And with that she walks off, a replica of my favorite heels clicking with each step. I stare down at the hours of hard work, a pit forming in my stomach. All that time spent for her to not even touch anything.
I suck in a breath to keep the anger at bay. Then another when I feel the lump starting to form in my throat. And one more when the tears start burning in my eyes. I look around the room, at all I planned and prepared and worked for, just to be told it’s disappointing.
I work so hard to make my family happy for reactions like this, and it’s really starting to get to me.
I watch as Kate immediately sidles up to Lydia, talking animatedly as she points to everything.
Lydia pulls her twin in for a hug. Jason appears and consoles her.
Jessica comes running across the room to join the group hug, and it’s another punch to my chest.
I find Elise and Charlie across the room, smiling as they talk to my parents. And here I stand, alone and close to tears. As usual.
I need to get out of here. Immediately. They won’t miss my absence anyway. I did what I needed to do today. Apparently not well, but still. The allegedly mediocre job is done.
Downing the rest of my champagne, I deposit the glass and grab my purse and slip out of the room, leaving my family to enjoy the rest of the party I planned without me.