35. Cait
After wiping tears from her eyes, Cait hugged Josh and Effie, whose wedding had been picture-perfect.
Certainly, her cousin and his new bride could convince even the most jaded soul that true love existed.
Not her, of course. Love wasn’t in her future.
She waved to her aunt Beatrice, who stood next to Charlotte at the end of the row of chairs.
Her aunt must have said something funny, because the other woman tipped her head back and laughed, all while never taking her eyes from her uncle Henry.
Henry faced Cait, and instead of the grin he’d worn all day, his mouth curved down into a frown.
She wondered what was wrong, and then saw he was on his phone.
Worried, she started toward him, but as she drew near, his harsh tone halted her.
“I told you not to call me anymore. It’s not my problem you were not invited.
” Who the hell was he talking to? Who wasn’t invited?
His voice heavy, Henry said, “Then maybe you shouldn’t have left him.
” Cait’s jaw dropped. Was Josh’s mom on the phone?
Her uncle shook his head, swiped at his phone screen, and turned to speak to a woman around Cait’s age.
A stranger, Cait had noticed her arrival at the wedding, on the arm of a dark-haired man who’d been impossible to miss.
Not only was he dressed like a lumberjack, but his physique suggested he was someone with the capability of actually throwing logs around all day.
“Hey,” Ruth said, rounding the corner of the gazebo. “What’s up?”
“Do you know who Uncle Henry is talking to?”
“Oh, yeah, that’s Lana. I haven’t met her yet officially, but Tess pointed her out to me.
” That was Lana? Cait thought scornfully.
Figured. No wonder her brother had been a babbling mess for the past two years.
Blessed with not only wavy, honey-blonde hair, “Lana” wore a vintage-style sapphire-blue dress that hugged every ridiculous curve.
Curves that Cait had never had the fortune of developing.
Average described Cait’s body. Well, average pretty much described everything about Cait.
The hair of her brother’s dream woman cascaded down her back, in a way she was sure drove him mad, and Cait could see her eyes were a rare shade of dark blue.
“Stunning, isn’t she? No wonder your brother tied himself up in knots over her.
She’s also a genius, according to Tess.” Of course, she was.
Why stop at being beautiful when she could also be brainy?
“Do you know she graduated college when she was something like nineteen? And she was done with med school by the time she was—”
“No offense, but I’m not interested in her right now.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” Ruth sniffed. “You were the one who asked me who she was.”
“What I need to know now, Ruth,” Cait said with exaggerated calm, “is if you know where my brother is? I haven’t seen him since he brought the marriage certificate back from my car.
” Which he wouldn’t have needed to do had Cait not forgotten it there, but she’d been too focused on making sure the wedding went off without a hitch.
When she’d agreed to perform the ceremony, she hadn’t realized the job included being the ringmaster as well.
“Didn’t you see his pants when he came back? Had a big old grass stain on them because he slipped by your car, so he went home to change.”
“Well, it’s almost time for us to take pictures with Effie and Josh! How long does it take to change a pair of freaking pants?”
Ruth shrugged. “Pretty boy like that? Probably’ll take him at least half an hour, because you know it won’t just be the pants.
Even though he’s gorgeous, I’m sure he’s making himself even prettier, which means he’ll spritz on more cologne, dab some product in his hair to make it do that thing where just part of it hangs down his forehead.
Plus, with Lana here, you know he’ll want to look extra hot.
” Lana, who’d brought a date to the wedding.
No wonder her brother hadn’t returned yet. Probably nursing his broken heart.
“Who are you guys talking about?” Glancing to her left, she smiled at Ruth’s sister, Tess, who had announced to everyone last night that she and Sam were expecting twins later in the year. To say the woman was glowing would be an understatement.
“Tessie! We’re talking about Liam.”
“He’s not back yet from changing? Probably making himself extra hot for Lana.”
Ruth snapped her fingers. “That’s what I said!”
“Poor thing. She’s been a bundle of nerves since she got here.
You know, when I first knew her, back when Josh and I were together, I never would’ve imagined her being Liam’s type.
You know how obsessed Josh used to be about his career?
Well, Lana was even worse. I don’t think she had much of a life outside of being a surgeon.
But now that we’ve gotten close, I can say that they’re perfect for each other. ”
Surprised, Cait asked, “What do you mean? How have you gotten close with her?”
Ruth answered for her sister, “She lives with Tess and Sam. Well, not with them. They are her landlords.”
Tess laughed, “Our house in Brooklyn has a separate apartment on the top floor. Lana has been renting it since last year.” Her expression became serious.
“She’s devastated about what happened with Liam and came to work things out with him.
Judging from the way I saw him staring at her during the wedding, no doubt that they’ll be back together by the end of the night,” Tess predicted.
“But what about her date?” Why were Tess and Ruth ignoring the fact that Lana had brought a date, knowing she would see Liam?
Tess shook her head. “Date? No, that’s her brother, Montgomery,” Tess corrected. “Not bad on the eyes, is he, Cait?” Whatever, Cait thought. She’d always preferred white-collar men, the kind who wore suits to work and stayed buttoned up all day.
“Oh, the photographer is hailing me. I wonder if they’re ready for more pictures.” Ruth strolled over to the gazebo.
“Cait, sweetie,” her mother called to her from the aisle of chairs. “Where is your brother?”
“I haven’t heard from him.” Why was it Liam could take his sweet time, but Cait ended up being responsible for him?
“Can you please call him? I want him here when it’s time for family photos.” Begrudgingly, she did as her mother asked. As usual.
Text to Liam
Are you on your way back yet?
Grumbling, she stomped across the park, nearly colliding with another strange woman she’d noticed at the wedding, only this one was younger than Cait.
She seemed familiar in some way; maybe it was her hair, the color of sunshine, or her eyes, sky-blue, but when Cait asked her brother, he hadn’t known her either. “Can I help you?”
“No, I…I’m looking for Henry?”
“Uncle Henry?” Bewildered why the younger woman would be asking after Henry, a protective streak for her uncle flared. “Does he know you?”
“No, but I…I need to talk to him.”
Cait spotted him by the gazebo now, with his arms around Charlotte.
“He’s over there, but can I—” she looked back to find the woman gone.
Glancing back to the gazebo, she saw Lana talking to Tess and Sam.
As she watched, Sam and Lana walked to the street, got into a vehicle, and drove off together.
Well, that was strange. Where would Tess’s husband be driving with Liam’s mystery woman?
Cait got a text from the restaurant then, letting her know everything was on track for the reception to start as soon as the wedding party got there, so she forwarded it to her uncle. Still no word from her brother. Maybe Uncle Henry had seen him? No harm in asking.
Text to Henry
Everything looks good at the restaurant! Our family photos scheduled to start in 5 minutes.
Have you seen my brother?
Sighing in frustration, she texted Liam again as she made her way to her car.
Text to Liam
Where the hell are you?
She flung her car door open and tossed her phone into her bag, not expecting a response.
Her phone hit a pack of cigarettes at the bottom.
She hadn’t smoked one in two weeks, her longest streak yet, and she should throw them away, but keeping them nearby brought her comfort.
Her phone pinged. Oh, god this wasn’t what she wanted, she thought.
Text from Boyd
Hey, angel face.
You never told me if I should meet you for the wedding dance?
Absolutely not. Puffing out her cheeks, she exhaled heartily.
Boyd, another link in her chain of poor decisions.
When she’d first returned to South Dakota, she had stayed with her grandma and grandpa in Clover Lake, where Boyd had relentlessly pursued her; he was hard to avoid, since he managed the town’s only grocery store.
One night last year, while she was house-sitting, he asked her out.
Flattered by his attention, they ended up dirty dancing in some seedy biker bar on the outskirts of Clover Lake.
She’d been so lonely that his touch had been welcome.
Very welcome. However, the next morning, when she’d woken up next to him, she’d felt only remorse.
She had confided in Effie, who then relayed a story about her terrible date with Boyd, lecturing her on the necessity of keeping away from him.
Effie had apparently been wiser and less desperate than Cait, because every now and then, when Cait couldn’t face another long night of emptiness, she turned to Boyd.
Though he was attractive enough, he was no Prince Charming, too often an asshole, and had an ex-wife with a jealous streak.