Miller took his time letting his gaze sweep over my face—a pause at my cheekbones, a study of my lips, a quiet consideration of my eyes. “No, but thank you.”
In a nearby field two horses turned their stroll into a run, and I thought that was how my pulse felt. Under Miller’s appraisal, standing so close, my heartbeat kicked it into high gear, and my cheeks went hot. “I suppose you’ll skip out on the wedding and catch up on some sleep, huh?”
“I’ll be at the wedding.” Miller’s tired eyes were heavy on mine. “I never turn down an opportunity to eat one of Frannie’s cakes.”
I still carried a quiver of angry arrows, and though I was ready to shoot a handful in his direction, now didn’t seem to be the time. “I guess I’ll see you there.”
“I guess you will.” He wasn’t so tired that fire didn’t flare in his gaze. “You and your Internet Boyfriend.”
“Kamrnn is not my boyfriend, but yes. And let me know if you need us to save you a seat.”
“Save two.” Miller’s work boots kicked up dust as he stepped away. “I’m going to need a seat for my own plus-one.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“What do you mean you’re not coming, Kamrnn?” I yelled to my latest text. Panicked and clutching my phone, I stood in front of the Sugar Creek Community Church as the sun hovered low, as if the golden orb wanted to hang around and witness my humiliation, just as everyone else surely would. I’d been waiting for Kamrnn for almost twenty minutes, sweat cruising down my barely existent cleavage and my hair wilting in the oppressive evening humidity. I would face Ned alone—dateless and looking like a melted Medusa.
I read Kamrnn’s instant response, full of typos and GIFs. If my emoji translation was right, the text said:It’s not you, it’s me. I need to work on myself. But I wasn’t sure what some of his symbolism meant, and with all the tacos and sad faces, it was possible he’d also sent me his dinner order.
If anyone could respect a need for personal inventory, it was me. But couldn’t Kamrnn’s self-work start tomorrow?
“Oh, for the love of consonants and self-actualized jerks.” I chucked my phone into my clutch and struggled to close the latch.
“Problem?” Rosie had ridden with me and was now heir to the title of “Hattie’s Plus-One.”
“No need to pick out wedding china for Kamrnn and me.” I wiped sweat from my forehead, wondering when September would chase away the humidity. “We were done before we even got started.”
“I’m sorry.” She chewed on a pinkie nail, her voice distracted. “Surely you didn’t already have feelings for him.”
“Just a feeling of wanting a date by my side tonight.” I took in Rosie’s tense features and instantly felt chagrined. “Oh, Rosie, I’m sorry. This wedding must be hard for you too.” Here I was mourning the loss of a date I didn’t even know, and Rosie was surely thinking of her sweet fiancé. “I know you’re missing Chase.”
“It’s…a lot. Chase should be here with me.” She sniffed back tears. “And weddings, you know? I should be preparing for mine. I’m going to watch Jasmine walk down the aisle and know my chance is gone.”
“No, it’s not.” I clutched her hand and willed happiness and hope back into her body. “I’m so sorry. I wish I could make the pain go away.”
“Well, you can’t.” She patted my damp back and worked up a small smile. “But it helps to know you’re miserable too.” Then she gave me a swat on the tush before dabbing at her eyes. “Come on. Let’s go in there and get this over with.”
I felt awful. When one of my sisters hurt, I hurt. “We don’t have to stay long.”
She nodded resolutely. “We watch the ceremony, we get our cake, and we go.”
“Maybe we take two pieces?”
“We totally deserve it.”
Dang right. We deserved the whole top tier. “Miller is going to gloat so big when he hears he was right.”
“What will I be gloating about?”
No.
No, no, no. I knew that deep voice. It haunted my dreams.
I pivoted on my heel, slowly turning as dread pooled in my stomach. “Miller.”
He stood there, looking dashing in blue dress pants, a white shirt, and a tie that probably cost more than my car. His smile could block the sun, force the earth to spin the other direction, and cause the oceans to run dry. It was that stunningly gorgeous. And currently, that radiantly obnoxious.
And on his arm?
