Save the Date

Chapter Sixteen

Sixteen

APPROXIMATELY ONE HOUR LATER, ONCE THE GIRLS HAD settled into their pajamas and designated screen time, Chris gathered the adult Moskowitzes around the ten-person Calacatta marble kitchen table. Emma and Jackie had unsuccessfully been trying to pry details from him, but he was insistent on not giving anything away before his “presentation.”

“Thank you all for joining me,” Chris said as he adjusted his laptop so everyone could see the screen.

“Are there going to be any snacks?” Alan asked.

“Officially, no,” Chris replied. “But feel free to help yourself to anything. I have some Wagyu Beef Jerky in the pantry that’ll blow your mind.”

Alan’s face lit up as he went to search for it.

“Can you tell us what’s going on already?” Jackie complained. “I have to get ready for bed soon.” Jackie notoriously went to bed around 9:00 p.m. It was probably why she looked so young and vibrant with only a minimal use of filler.

“Earlier today, I was on a Zoom meeting with some of my investment bankers and we were just shooting the shit, when Operation: Save My Date came up.”

“It came up like someone else mentioned it or you brought it up?” Emma asked. If her plan had somehow made it to the finance bros circle, this thing was way bigger than she’d thought.

Chris’s face mildly reddened. “I might have made a joke about it. But,” Chris quickly added, “one of the guys, Matt, actually seemed interested so I told him more about it and…” Chris paused to click a few buttons on his laptop until the photo of an extremely well-groomed man appeared. “He wants to be your husband.”

“Oh my god! That’s amazing!” Jackie shrieked.

They all leaned in to get a better look as Alan returned with a handful of premium jerky. The photo was clearly a corporate headshot, but Matt still managed to appear friendly and likable. He had closely cropped dark hair, a chin dimple and the kind of muscular frame that looked great in a suit. Emma felt strangely hopeful.

“He’s already agreed to marry Emma? Without even meeting her?” Debbie interjected, forever the unwanted voice of reason.

“I showed him some pictures first and he watched a couple of her videos. He wants to meet her first, but if it goes well, he’s on board.”

“An investment banker. Well done, honey.” Alan put his hand out for a fist bump, but Debbie lowered his arm before he and Emma could connect.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Maybe Emma won’t like him.”

“What’s not to like? He’s a nice, normal, successful guy who clearly wants to start a family,” Jackie argued.

“How do you know that? Have you met him?” Emma asked.

“No. But you can just tell.”

“I have more,” Chris added. He clicked another key and a photo of Matt wearing a jersey on a soccer field popped up. It looked like he was celebrating a goal.

“Where did you get all of these photos?” Emma asked, rather impressed.

“It was super easy. Just dragged and dropped some images off his socials.” Chris clicked again and an image of Matt holding a toddler at a children’s birthday party appeared. “Don’t worry, that’s his nephew. But he is looking to have kids in the next two to three years.”

“Is that in his Instagram bio?” Emma joked, only for Chris to take it seriously.

“No. After the Zoom we hopped on a call and went through some basics.”

Another click and an image of a tuxedoed Matt with a gorgeous blonde in a wedding dress filled the screen.

“Let me guess,” Emma ventured. “That’s his sister.”

“Nope. His wife.” Chris realized his mistake as everyone collectively gasped.

“I’m sorry but I draw the line at polygamy,” Debbie said defiantly, clearly assuming no one else did.

“Chris, why are you trying to set Emma up with a married man?” Jackie asked in disbelief. “What is wrong with you?”

“They’re getting divorced. It should be finalized by July, making it totally legal for you to get married in August.”

“See! And you all doubted him,” Alan proclaimed in support of the one steady man in his life.

“Do you know why they’re getting divorced?” Emma asked. She wasn’t sure what answer she was hoping for but preferably something that wouldn’t lead to lifelong damage.

“She cheated on him. But I told him Emma would never do anything like that because of her anxiety and stuff.”

“That’s true,” Jackie agreed. “You’d probably tell on yourself immediately. Probably while you were actively cheating.”

“My ‘anxiety and stuff’ is not the only reason I wouldn’t cheat. I also have a strong moral code.” She looked at her parents for backup.

“It’s true. Emma once accidentally walked out of a CVS with a stuffed animal we didn’t pay for and she cried out of guilt for over a week,” Alan shared. “Remember that, Deb?”

“Oh, yes. But I’d argue that was at least partially fueled by anxie—”

“Okay, I have an anxiety disorder. We know that.” Emma tried to parse through the rush of thoughts trying to clamor for attention in her brain. “Does everyone really think it’s a good idea for me to marry someone who will have only been divorced for one month?”

“Emma,” Jackie said as they locked eyes, “isn’t that a rather judgmental take from someone who is trying to bash down societal dating norms, or whatever?”

Once again, her sister was right.

***

Emma stood in the fluorescent lights of the Santa Monica Nordstrom dressing room and examined herself in the mirror. She fought the instinct to compare her thirty-something body with her twenty-something body. Logically, she knew Matt had already seen her online and approved, but she wasn’t used to dating men with six-packs. She ran her hands over one of the many formfitting dresses she’d tried on in the last half hour and thanked her sensory problems for making it impossible to wear shapewear. If she didn’t have an extreme aversion to anything super tight on her body, she would probably be shoving herself into all sorts of body-modifying contraptions right now, which would only lead to more insecurity. Having to always show her body as it actually was had helped her come to love it.

Most of the time. Growth was a process.

As Emma reached for a promising high-waisted-skirt–cropped-top combo, her phone rang. This time she was less shocked to see Will’s name on her screen.

“Hello, William,” Emma said with a mid-Atlantic accent. Now that they were no longer dating, she suddenly felt freer to say whatever came to mind. Funny how that worked.

Will immediately picked up on her energy and sent it right back. “Hello, Miss Moskowitz. I’m just following up on our email correspondence. Have you had a chance to peruse my offerings?”

The banter made her heart flutter a bit, which was not what she needed if they were about to embark on a professional endeavor together.

“Yes. I’ve just been taking some time to put together my thoughts and suggestions.”

In reality, Emma had been rather impressed by the pitch deck Will sent over. His concept of the show had been far more balanced than she’d expected. He planned to interview other relationship experts to weigh in, as well as couples who’d found success with arranged marriages. She’d been expecting skepticism, but it seemed like Will was genuinely curious if Operation: Save My Date was a viable idea. Only for someone like Emma though—not him.

“Great. I want this to be collaborative.”

“One question I have is if we are going to disclose how we met to our listeners.” Emma knew that bringing up their failed relationship was slightly masochistic considering she hadn’t wanted it to end. But she also didn’t want to turn into a research specimen. She needed to make sure he remembered their initial connection—both for her own sanity and for the project. She also thought it would be interesting to dive into why he was so averse to the idea of taking the leap with her despite their obvious chemistry. Unless Will had chemistry with everyone and she’d completely misread the entire situation.

“I’ve gone back and forth on that. Maybe we can meet up tomorrow and talk it out?”

“I can’t tomorrow. I have clients all day and a date at night.”

“Oh.” Will sounded surprised. And possibly a little thrown. “You’ve got a new target lined up already?”

Emma bristled at his word choice but didn’t want to ruin the opportunity to make him jealous. “My brother-in-law found him. They work together and I guess when he learned what I was doing, he jumped at the chance to meet me.”

Emma immediately cringed at her overexaggeration and not-so-humble brag. But talking to Will made her want to prove that he had let go of something good. She knew she’d need to get over his rejection for the podcast to work, but for right now she wanted to stick it to him a little.

“Sounds promising. Maybe we can meet this weekend to iron out the details and rehash how it went on mic. Sort of like a practice run, if you’re open to it?”

“Sure. But I gotta run. I’m half-naked in a fitting room and I have to find something to wear before my next session.”

“Don’t tease me, Moskowitz. It’s cruel,” Will said flirtatiously. “Have fun on your date.”

“I shall,” Emma replied, hoping that if she willed into existence, it would become true.

***

The restaurant almost felt too nice for a first date. It was a well-known Italian spot on Washington Boulevard that Emma had only been to once before for a high school friend’s birthday. She had spent the entire meal terrified that she would have to pay hundreds of dollars for her friend’s drinking problem, but after dessert the birthday girl had slapped down her parents’ credit card and Emma had let out a sigh of relief. She wondered if she would be expected to split this comically expensive meal with Matt, but sensed that tonight the patriarchy would work in her favor.

After a second round of shopping at Bloomingdale’s after work, Emma had found a classy navy dress that showed off her cleavage without overdoing it. It also fell below her knees, effectively hiding the brace she still had to wear. She waited at their reserved table feeling confident and even a little bit cocky. Until she saw Matt breeze past the door.

Saying Matt was better-looking in person was in line with saying social media might be problematic for teenage girls—it was too much of an understatement to effectively capture the truth. Even across a crowded room, Matt exuded Roman-statue-level beauty. He was like a walking advertisement for masculinity and tailor-made suits.

Who the hell would cheat on this? Emma wondered. His personality must be insufferable.

“Emma?” Matt asked tentatively as he approached the table. His voice was softer than she expected, and it made her want to skip ahead to their wedding day—or maybe their wedding night.

“Yes, hi. You must be Matt,” Emma replied as she tried to gracefully get up from the table despite her brace. He gestured for her not to bother and sat down. Their first skin-to-skin contact would have to wait.

“Sorry I’m a little late. Work is—” Matt seemed to catch himself midsentence “—not something I want to talk about on our first date.” He smiled and Emma wondered if his glistening white teeth were veneers or simply good genetics. Either way, they highlighted his excellent bone structure.

“I appreciate that. Because I have to confess, I have no idea what investment bankers actually do.”

Matt laughed and Emma felt herself relax a bit. She might not look like a Greek goddess, but she was good at conversation.

“It’s pretty boring.”

“Really?”

“No, I actually love it,” Matt admitted. “But I’m worried admitting that will make me sound like a tool.”

“Wow, I don’t think I’ve heard the word tool used in that context for at least a decade.”

“I never stopped using it. It’s too good.”

Emma nodded in agreement as they slipped into an easy back-and-forth. Matt shared he had grown up in Michigan but had gone to UCLA for college and decided to stay. He was the oldest of four kids and the only one, other than his rebellious youngest sister, to not already be a parent.

“How old’s your sister?”

“Twenty-six. But in Michigan years that’s nearing forty.”

“Oof. I guess all the billboards advertising egg freezing in LA aren’t so bad in comparison.”

“Yeah, people are definitely on a different timeline here. My ex, Kelly, was also from the Midwest and she was constantly getting shit from her family that we weren’t pregnant. Not that we hadn’t tried…”

Matt’s mind seemed to drift elsewhere, and Emma couldn’t ignore the strained look on his face. She wondered if their fertility struggles had contributed to Kelly’s infidelity. Infertility was a notorious couples killer. Its tentacles could find a way into every aspect of a relationship, causing once strong partnerships to tear at the seams.

“It must have been hard to hear people telling you to do something you were already trying so hard to do.”

“It was awful. We didn’t want to tell people we were trying because we weren’t sure what was going on. And it felt unfair to get everyone’s hopes up.”

“I get that,” Emma said gently. “But sometimes keeping things private makes it hard to get support because no one knows what’s actually going on.”

“That’s…a great point,” Matt said and for a moment Emma felt like she was in session. This often happened when having difficult conversations with the people in her life. It was a strange feeling because on the one hand, she was always happy to provide a new perspective that might bring some peace and healing. But on the other hand, she knew she wasn’t supposed to give someone she knew—or was getting to know—therapy over dinner.

“Do you guys still talk at all?” Emma asked.

“Me and Kelly? No, not really. Except through our lawyers. For a while she kept trying to get back together but I just can’t get past what happened.” Matt suddenly looked like he had revealed too much. “I’m not sure what Chris told you.”

“He mentioned there was some infidelity, but I don’t know any details. You don’t have to dive into it right now if you don’t want to,” Emma added even though her nosy nature was dying to know more.

“No, it’s okay.” Matt blinked a few times, the emotion around what happened clearly still raw for him. “Kel and I met back at my first job. She was only twenty-four, but already this badass office manager who everyone loved. I had gone right from undergrad to my MBA so even though I had an advanced degree I was just starting out as a lowly intern.”

“A classic start to a love story.”

“I guess it was.” Matt chuckled. “Everyone in the office had this massive crush on her so I assumed she was out of my league.”

Emma tried not to laugh at the idea that Matt—with his perfect face and charming personality—wasn’t in everyone’s league. His humility only made him more attractive.

“I never even attempted to flirt with her or anything. We just became friends. And then one night when we were both at the office working late, she asked me out. I couldn’t believe it.”

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure.”

“Have you never looked in a mirror?”

Matt blushed and laughed simultaneously. “Let’s just say I didn’t have designer suits or a personal trainer at twenty-five. I’d only had one serious girlfriend and she’d cheated on me while I was getting my MBA. I wasn’t exactly confident with girls—I mean, women.” Matt checked to see if Emma was offended. She wasn’t, but it was nice to know he cared about offending people. Plenty of people didn’t.

“That makes sense. And is maybe why what happened with Kelly is so hard to forgive.”

“Exactly! She knew my history and swore she’d never hurt me like that. Cut to six years later and I find a bunch of texts on her phone to some guy claiming it was a mistake and they can never do it again .” Matt was getting riled up at the memory and Emma noticed a vein starting to throb in his neck. “My entire life, my entire marriage, gone.” He snapped his fingers for effect.

Emma felt both camaraderie and sadness for the similarities in their experiences. “I also had one of those earth-shattering, completely destabilizing moments when my fiancé walked out. It’s like your entire conception of the world and how it works is flipped on its head.”

“Yes! I love that you get that. I mean, I’m sorry you had to go through—”

“It’s okay. I know what you mean. It’s like there’s a contingent of us who are living in an alternate reality of what our lives were supposed to be, but we’re still expected to get up and walk around as if this reality is fine too. Even though it’s not. At least not yet.”

Emma felt tears form in the corners of her eyes. Since meeting Will, she’d been able to push down her visceral longing for Ryan and what was supposed to be her future. She’d told herself that in time this new path would be just as good as the old one, but sitting here with Matt, she didn’t have the energy to toe the party line anymore. Even if she had been the one to come up with it.

Because the truth was, up until the night Ryan left, Emma had been living her happy ending. She’d gone home every day to someone she loved, trusted and felt lucky to be with. Sure, there’d been moments of disconnection and annoyance. Ryan had a habit of leaving his socks under the couch only for them to be discovered days later covered in dust. And he often didn’t verbally respond when Emma was rambling about something insignificant. But none of that outweighed the joy she got from being his partner. Ryan was the guy that had bought every type of apple in the grocery store so they could meticulously figure out her favorite one, something she’d never once thought to do for herself.

And now he was gone.

Matt reached across the table and took her hand. Surprised, Emma willed her body to relax as his strong, long fingers wrapped themselves around her short, clammy ones. “You know, all my buddies told me I was crazy to meet you. They think I should be out hooking up and letting loose for once. But I’m really glad I’m here. Even if everyone else thinks we’re nuts.”

Emma squeezed his hand, and stopped herself from calling out his harmful use of crazy and nuts . “I am too.”

After a delicious dinner and a return to less emotionally charged topics, Emma and Matt made their way outside. He had not only insisted on paying but offered to cover her valet fee, which was both extremely courteous and unnecessary. Spending ten dollars plus tip to find a compassionate (and rich) potential husband was a steal in Emma’s opinion.

As they waited for their cars to arrive, Matt shifted awkwardly from one foot to another. It was Emma’s first glimmer of the guy who assumed the office manager was out of his league. “I had a really nice time. You’re an amazing listener.”

“I do do it for a living,” Emma teased.

“I guess… I’m not totally sure how this all works.”

“I’m not either,” Emma admitted. “But maybe we can see each other again soon and try to figure it out?”

“I’d like that,” Matt replied, and it looked like he meant it.

Emma’s Honda CRV rolled up in front of them. “This is me.” She turned toward Matt for a hug but instead he leaned down and gave her the softest, sweetest kiss on the cheek.

Emma was thrown by how much she liked it.