Chapter 16
L USH GREENERY COVERED THE ceiling of Gallow Green, giving the illusion of being outside the city under a canopy of trees in a forest. Clusters of pink and white flowers bloomed from each corner and dangled toward the floor.
The air smelled sweet, like pine needles, masking the scent of soot that normally permeated the air this side of Manhattan.
“Oh my God ,” Morgan said when she arrived, her long eyelashes fluttering in awe as she admired the space. “This place is stunning.”
Avery beamed, smoothing down her off-the-shoulder sage green dress she’d gotten on sale at Anthropologie.
Planning Morgan’s bridal shower lunch with Gabriela had been a lot of fun.
Gabriela was footing the bill and therefore led on most of the planning, but she gave Avery tasks that made her feel like she had a big role, too.
First, Avery put together a guest list that didn’t include Noah, which was incredibly satisfying and reminded her how much less stressful this event would be compared to the engagement party.
Then she spent hours researching evites that matched the restaurant’s ambiance and floral arrangements for all the tables.
Gabriela also enlisted Avery to find a cool restaurant to cater from that Morgan’s friends would love, with Gabriela bringing trays of arroz con gandules, tostones, and pernil for family.
Now Avery stood near the front entrance directing guests to the hors d’oeuvres and the poster board with “Morgan’s Bridal Shower” written in swirly pink script on which they could sign.
Guests mingled, signed the poster board, and helped themselves to gold-rimmed flutes of champagne stacked in a tower.
Avery allowed herself only one glass to keep her head clear.
She vowed, somewhat desperately, to stay optimistic that today would go smoothly, wiping the engagement party from her memory.
“Eat some, Avery,” Gabriela urged, nodding at her homemade spread of food. “Before it gets cold. You must be ravenous.”
Avery realized she was indeed starving after spending all morning setting up and gratefully made herself a plate. Just as she started eating and went to compliment Gabriela on how tender the pernil was, she heard a voice.
“The avocado toast looks soggy.”
Blair’s whisper was too loud, like it was meant to be overheard. Avery turned around. Blair and Emma were standing behind her in line at the main buffet, inspecting the selection of avocado toast, roasted chicken with vegetables, and Caesar salad.
“Welcome, guys!” Avery said brightly, refusing to let anyone to piss her off. “Help yourselves to whatever.”
“Hey, girl!” Blair gestured toward the buffet. “This spread looks delish . Where’d you cater the food from?”
“The Silver Spoons Dining Room. It’s that New American place on the Upper West Side.” Avery kept her voice within a normal human pitch range, even though Blair did not.
“I’ve heard of them. Didn’t the city close them down for unsanitary conditions? I read somewhere that they gave, like, thirty people norovirus when a cook didn’t wash his hands after handling raw fish.”
All the reviews Avery had read for this restaurant online were positive. Blair had to be lying. But she would not allow Blair to make her feel inadequate anymore, and especially not today.
“Well, luckily there’s no fish from them, so we’ll be okay,” Avery said. “And they were plenty open today, so—”
“Any food can be contaminated with norovirus, though.” Blair waved her hand. “I’m sure it’ll be fine!”
Avery peered at the long picnic table next to the buffet, where Morgan was happily chewing on a piece of her exceptionally sturdy, virus-free avocado toast. Avery flashed Blair a joyless smile as she loaded her plate with food and hustled away to sit next to Morgan, who was in the middle of talking to her Grandma Peggy.
Avery had met Morgan’s grandmother Margaret, affectionately called Peggy, a couple of times, once in college and again during a visit to Morgan’s house in Rhode Island, but Avery wasn’t sure if she remembered who she was.
Anyone, though, would be better conversation than Blair.
“Oh, Grandma Peggy!” Morgan said when she spotted Avery. “You remember Avery, right? You haven’t seen her since before your knee surgery.”
Avery took Grandma Peggy’s wrinkled hand. “So nice to see you again. We’re glad the doctor cleared you for travel.”
Grandma Peggy smiled, revealing an impressive set of bright white dentures. Her pearl earrings gleamed under the overhead lighting. “Oh darling , nothing that bonehead doctor said was going to stop me today. I was watching my granddaughter get married whether he liked it or not.”
Grandma Peggy lifted her half-empty glass of champagne in salute and snapped her fingers to the beat of the music playing from the speakers, the sleeves of her houndstooth lady jacket falling to expose her bony wrists. Avery leaned in close to Morgan’s ear.
“She knows this is just the shower, right?”
“I … think? My dad did tell her,” Morgan whispered. “By the way, you’re doing a great job today. Everything looks gorgeous, and you picked a great restaurant. How are you doing right now, being around Blair and Emma?”
No doubt Morgan was thinking about the engagement party, fearing a repeat. But Avery refused to let that happen. “I’m doing great,” Avery said. “Blair had some shit to say about the buffet but whatever, I’m ignoring it.”
“Good, good.” Morgan gave an encouraging smile. “I know this has been tough on you, but I’m really proud of you.” She paused, fixed her gaze right onto Avery and leaned forward a little. “But you’d tell me if there was something else going on, right?”
Avery’s heart nearly screeched to a stop. “What do you mean?”
Morgan bit into a piece of her roasted chicken, taking her time chewing and swallowing it, like she was thinking.
“Well, I know you’re still upset about the breakup.
And that you feel guilty about what you did.
But after our conversation at Ofrenda, I just …
want to make sure nothing else happened. ”
Avery glanced over her shoulder, for some reason. As though Noah had materialized and prompted Morgan’s questions. “What else would have happened?”
Morgan put up her hands. “I don’t know, Avery. I’m just putting it out there. Because sometimes you seem really upset. Like it’s particularly difficult for you to move on. Or something.”
“Yeah, because my whole life changed. I lost everything. And everyone. You were there.”
Morgan held Avery’s stare for a few curious beats.
Avery didn’t mean to sound so defensive.
She just wasn’t sure why Morgan was doing this right now, or what gave Morgan the impression that Avery was hiding something.
Avery thought she’d been doing a decent job hiding her feelings about Noah lately, actually.
Did her face give something away at Ofrenda when Morgan showed her those Instagram pictures of Noah and Blair?
“You’re right,” Morgan finally said with a sigh. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’m thinking. I’m just checking in, that’s all.”
Avery softened. “Don’t worry about me. Let’s focus on you today.”
And then—thankfully—they did.
As the party wound down and guests began to leave, Avery helped Morgan load her gifts into large shopping bags to make them easier to travel home with.
She’d just started dismounting the poster board when Blair stormed out from the bathroom, making Avery jump in surprise. She’d thought Blair had left.
“I have incredible news,” Blair said to Morgan. “I just got off the phone with Noah. He said we can use his new mountain house!”
Morgan’s jaw dropped. A disbelieving smile slowly made its way across her face. “Are you joking?”
“Nope! We’re going to Colorado, baby!”
Morgan jumped up and down and grabbed Blair in a tight hug. Blair usually did her best to stay composed but this news must have been big, because even she started yelping with reckless abandon along with Morgan.
Avery narrowed her eyes. “What are you guys talking about?”
Morgan grabbed Avery’s shoulders. “Noah’s letting us use his stunning new mountain house in Colorado for a joint bachelor and bachelorette party!” Morgan inhaled deeply through her nose and exhaled dramatically out her mouth. “I can smell the fresh, unpolluted oxygen already.”
A layer of sweat coated Avery’s entire body. She had to spend a whole weekend with Noah? In his house ?
“Wait, we’re not doing separate parties?” she asked. “We’re doing them together?”
“Yes!” Morgan squealed. “Sorry, I thought I’d told you. I like the idea of combining. It’ll be fun!”
Blair swiped through photos on her phone, showing Morgan and Avery a massive stone mansion set high on a mountain and overlooking a twinkling lake.
Thick stone beams stood in front of the house, and underneath the beams was a long, winding entryway that led to mahogany stained glass double doors.
It was the exact kind of relaxing, scenic getaway in the middle of nature that Morgan would love.
Gallow Green was a dumpster in comparison.
“Isn’t it gorgeous?” Blair swooned. “Noah bought it after Meow Monthly hit two million monthly subscribers. The company really took off after they added dog and hamster care packages. Gosh, if I’d known Randall guys were capable of this, I wouldn’t have dropped out of my Business of Econ class freshman year … ”
“Hold on, Morgan.” Avery’s chest was tightening. Fast. She barely had enough air to choke out the words. “Isn’t … isn’t the bachelorette party supposed to be a girls-only thing? Your last chance to … to celebrate being single with your girlfriends?”
“I guess ,” Morgan said, but it was clear she did not agree. “But I can’t pass up on this. Look at this house!” She waved toward Blair’s phone. “It’s paradise.”
Avery swallowed nervously. “But … but I already started brainstorming some stuff. I … I even found some bachelorette shirts. I found an adorable set with a white shirt that says ‘I said yes!’ for you and black ones that say ‘We said party!’ for us. They’re …
they’re super cute.” Avery felt small and stupid, like she was grasping for arguments she knew would not be persuasive. But she was desperate.
“Why don’t you bring those shirts to Colorado?
We’ll wear them there!” Morgan insisted.
“Look, I know you’re not into the outdoors, but this house is everything I’ve ever wanted in a weekend getaway.
” Morgan was trying to speak calmly but failing; her energy was too high, her joy too unrestrained.
She pointed at the photos on Blair’s phone again.
“Those mountains! Those wildflowers! Please? Be excited, for me?”
Avery scanned Morgan’s face, wide-open and panting.
A whole weekend. In Noah’s house. Where Avery wouldn’t be able to escape him no matter how hard she tried: His style would be reflected in the interior design choices; his favorite food and drinks would be stocked in the fridge; the scent of his laundry detergent would be embedded in the sheets she’d sleep on and the towels she’d dry her naked body with after a shower.
He would be everywhere, reflecting and refracting back at her around every corner like a scary hall of mirrors.
“Of course I’m excited,” she said, her smile so brittle it nearly crumbled.
There was nothing else to say.