17. Chapter 17
Chapter 17
T he rehearsal dinner was in a private room at a seafood restaurant next to the water that was famous for its lobster rolls. The long side of the room was glass, a big row of windows that opened up to the ocean, so even if they couldn’t see the water, they could smell it and hear it and feel the breeze from it. A few strands of twinkling string lights hung along the top of the window frames, giving the room a cozy, magical feel.
Jane was still feeling a little dizzy from the rehearsal. She hadn’t had a chance to talk to Haley yet. Normally she would analyze the whole situation with her to arrive at a conclusion—yes, Bree definitely likes Tommy. This time, she felt like she knew the conclusion. She just needed someone else besides her to know. The analysis would be everything else around it.
She stood in the back of the room with Luke. “You did great at the rehearsal,” he said to her.
“I did great at walking?” she said, smiling over at him. “Thanks.”
He smiled back at her. “You know what I mean.”
“I know,” she said, giving him a grateful look. “Thank you.” She glanced around to make sure no one was listening to them. “Hey, did you notice anything weird with Bree at the rehearsal?”
“Anything weird?” he repeated. “I don’t think so.”
“She didn’t say anything?”
The curiosity on his face deepened. “Nothing out of the ordinary. Why?”
“I …” She shook her head. “It’s probably nothing.”
He looked like he knew it was not nothing, but he let it go. “Okay,” he said. “You want to sit down?”
They took their seats at one of the tables. Haley and Blake were at a table with their parents, and Jane and Luke were at the table next to them with the rest of the wedding party. Jane’s parents were behind them, at a table with some other family members.
Jane snuck a look at Tommy and Bree. Tommy was telling a story and Bree was laughing at what he was saying. It wasn’t anything that hadn’t happened a hundred times in the years they’d known each other. Several hundred. Maybe a thousand. But that was the thing about the ordinary parts of life, wasn’t it? They were sign posts pointing to the extraordinary parts. Maybe that’s part of the reason she likes him , Jane thought.
Blake’s dad started things off with a toast thanking everyone for being there. He told a quick story about Blake when he was little, and then Blake’s mom joined him and talked about when they all knew for sure Haley was the perfect fit for him. They gave a few words of advice to the couple—say thank you often, and if you’re tired and irritated with each other just go to sleep !—and ended with Blake’s dad extending his warm wishes for joy, laughter, compromise and many years of happiness for the bride and groom.
Haley was sitting with her chin in her hand, Blake’s arm draped over the back of her chair behind her, taking it all in. Everything felt right about the moment. It felt happy, and it felt hopeful.
Jane turned to Luke, who went to look at her at the same time. “It’s such a nice night,” she said.
The breeze from the water flipped up the ends of her hair, and he tucked them back behind her shoulder. “Really nice,” he said.
They did a fun thing after that, where Blake’s mom went around with a basket full of buttons and made everyone pick one. They had Haley and Blake’s name across the top, and a preferred lobster roll style on the bottom: Team Butter, Team Mayo and Team Both. She had a rustic chalkboard over in the corner, where she was going to keep a tally and see which side ultimately preferred which option.
Haley—Team Butter—turned the button over in her hand. “I feel like we’re running for president and vice president of the lobster roll society or something,” she said to Blake.
“I’m guessing I’m not the president,” he laughed.
Tommy rifled through the basket, looking for Team Mayo. “Both?” he said, holding up a Team Both button before flipping it back in the basket. “Who does both?”
“I do,” called over someone from another table—an uncle, maybe.
“Which one are you?” Jane asked Luke.
“Butter,” he said. “Of course.”
Jane beamed. “Of course ,” she said. She had strong feelings about this. In her mind, the answer was always butter. There was no other answer.
The wait staff brought out lobster rolls according to preference, and the room broke out into noisy conversation and laughter as they ate. Once they were finished eating, people started getting up and moving around the room to continue to chat.
Haley pulled up a chair next to where Jane was sitting. “How’s it going?” she said. “I love that dress on you so much. It really is so cute.”
“ Your dress is cute,” Jane said. Haley was wearing a white, knee-length dress that flared out at the bottom with slight bell sleeves. It looked good on her—fun and appropriately almost-bridal.
Blake came up next to her then. “My fiancée always looks cute,” he said, and Jane shook her head at him affectionately.
Haley wasn’t listening, though. Something caught her eye, and she nudged Jane to look. “What?” Jane said, glancing around.
“What is that?” Haley said under her breath.
“Where?” Jane said, still confused.
Haley spoke louder this time and directed her question across the table. “Hey, Ashley,” she said. “What’s that?”
“What’s what?” Ashley said, her hands in her lap.
“What’s on your hand?”
“What’s on what hand?” She picked up her right hand and waved it around. “Nothing.”
Haley elbowed Blake, a little forcefully, tagging him into the conversation. “Hey, Blake, ask your sister what’s on her hand.”
Blake, who normally tried to stay out of such things, knew Haley meant business enough for him to ask. “Hey, Ash, what’s on your hand?”
She shook her head. “Just … nothing. Let’s talk about it later.”
“Ashley,” Haley said. Jane leaned forward, her forehead resting on her hand. Here we go , she thought.
“Here,” Ashley said, thrusting her hand and the sparkling diamond adorning her left ring finger into the middle of the table. “Are you happy?”
“Am I HAPPY?” Haley exclaimed. “You’re engaged? When did THAT happen?”
Maddie, in the middle of a conversation at the other end of the table, whipped her head around. She took in the scene in front of her, and her face fell. “You’re engaged?” she cried.
“We are,” Ashley said, a little defensively but also decisively. She gave Cody a lovey smile, then put her hands back under the table. “Okay? So can we talk about the rest later?”
Maddie looked at Ian, crestfallen. “You said we would be engaged next. You said for sure we would be engaged next, for sure before Ashley.”
Ian, normally very even-keeled, was taken aback. “Who knew Ashley was going to get engaged two minutes after she met this guy?”
“Hey,” Cody said.
“It has not been two minutes!” Ashley cried, forgetting her hands under the table as she threw them in the air. “Ugh, Ian, you are so rude.”
“ He’s rude?” Maddie said, turning on her. “ You’re the one showing up engaged at our brother’s wedding.”
“Okay, first of all, it is not his wedding. His wedding is tomorrow,” she said. “Second of all, it wasn’t like I announced it or anything. I turned my ring around so it wouldn’t show, but I mean, I need to get it sized, it’s not my fault it flipped around. Third, what am I supposed to do, not wear my own engagement ring?”
How many numbers are we going up to ? Jane thought.
“ Fourth of all,” Ashley said, like she could hear Jane’s thoughts, “I kept it a secret during the entire rehearsal, which was not easy to do.”
“Wow, a whole forty-five minutes, huh?” Haley said.
“I turned my ring around, Haley,” Ashley said, emphasizing each word.
Haley held up her palms. “Oh. Well, then.”
Ashley shifted her attention to Maddie. “You talked about getting engaged before me?”
“Is that really so crazy?” Maddie said, starting to cry.
It was Ashley’s turn to be taken aback. “I just didn’t know,” she said.
Haley was incredulous as she looked at Jane. The parents and other family members, who had been deep in their own conversations, were starting to look up and notice that something was going on. Jane caught her mom’s eye and gave her a quick back-and-forth headshake: Not good.
She felt Luke’s hand on her back, along her shoulder blade, like a support she could lean against if she needed it. I’m the maid of honor , she thought. The official fire put-out-er . “Okay,” she said, pulling herself together. “Haley, come with me to the restroom for a second, okay?”
“Good idea,” Blake said.
Haley gave him an exasperated look. “You can handle things here, Blake,” Jane said, in a tone that said you better handle things here, Blake.
Ashley jumped up. “I want to talk to you outside for a second,” she said to Haley.
Jane shot Luke a look for support. “Not right now, Ashley.”
“Ten seconds,” Ashley said.
“Nine,” Haley said. She turned to Jane. “I’ll meet you in there.”
“I’m coming to get her in thirty seconds,” Jane said to Ashley, doing her best to sound authoritative and in charge.
Ashley gave her a dirty look, although Jane thought she was actually doing Ashley a favor—not to mention, giving her a generous twenty-second buffer—under the circumstances.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Jane said to Luke, probably unnecessarily.
He gave her arm a quick squeeze. “Good luck,” he said.