Her smile brightened. “I also booked a florist. She’s local. My cousin Kerry recommended her.”
“Okay, that’s good too,” James replied, committed to the conversation.
“We need to decide on the menu. The caterer sent some samples for us to choose from. I have an idea of what I want, but I needed your input too.”
“Okay. What are they?” he asked.
Rory rattled off the items from each menu idea from the top of her head.
“I think either menus one or three could work for our guests,” James supplied. “But, as long as I get to call you my wife at the end of this, it doesn’t matter to me what is served— it could be Kraft Dinner for all I care. I just want to marry you.”
Rory’s heart skipped a beat at his declaration, and her grip around the phone tightened. “I’m planning to stay in Oak Harbor for Thanksgiving,” she informed him, her voice low and hesitant.
“Oh…I thought…okay.”
Her stomach knotted at the obvious disappointment in his tone. “What are your plans for the weekend?” She brought her knees up to her chest to rest her chin on top of them.
“I’m attending a function with Mom and Dad…a gala,” he informed her. “It’s a fundraiser for advancements in cancer research. If you ask me, it’s just an excuse for all the rich folks to get together and flaunt their wealth, but mom already paid for my seat, so I have no choice but to attend.”
Her face fell. After his revelation that he missed her, she thought he would have at least tried to come and see her or even would have begged her to come home. Instead, as busy as he claimed to be, he had time to attend events with his parents. Even if they paid for his seat, she thought he could have still declined the invite. It felt like he had time for everyone and everything else but her. A chill coursed through her that had nothing to do with the coldness of her room.
“Are you still there?” James asked after a minute of silence.
“I am,” she breathed out.
“Are you all right?”
“Mmhmm,” she responded, the pitch of her voice sharply rising at the end.
“Are you sure?” he pressed.
“I am,” she reaffirmed. “Have a good time at the gala,” she continued to say, moving the conversation away from her.
“Thanks…I’ll try,” he spoke with uncertainty.
Rory felt wetness on her face. Reaching up to touch the spot, she realized that silent tears had been flowing.Why couldn’t James realize that she was miserable?Why couldn’t he pick up that she wanted him to come for her?Gripping the edge of the comforter, she tugged it upward and bent her head to allow the fabric to run across her cheeks, wiping at the evidence of her melancholy.Why couldn’t he fight for her like she was expecting him to?
“Is your mom okay? She called two days ago…”
“Mom called you?” Rory’s brows raised in surprise. “What did she say?”
“She asked me if something was wrong between us,” he revealed.
“What?” she nearly screeched.
“Yeah. She said she was worried about us. Did you say anything to her?”
“I didn’t.” Rory sighed, lowering her head to her lap again.
“Your mom isn’t a fool, Rory.”
She moved her head back and forth where it lay, agreeing with his statement even though he couldn’t see her. It was a fact; Andrea wasn’t easily fooled. She was very smart and observant. Rory just couldn’t believe that she went behind her back to call James to ask about their relationship.
“I know she isn’t,” came her muffled reply. Raising her head to look across the room, she continued. “I just didn’t expect her to do this.”
“She’s worried about you, Rory… about us.”
Her eyes fluttered shut in thought.
