That was true. No one could make Connor laugh the way Autumn did. And whenever she’d gotten in trouble, which was often, his was the shoulder she’d cry on.
“Well, I did have a crush on him in the sixth grade, but then along came Larry Stanley. He gave me that mood ring for Christmas, and when it turned blue, he told me it was because I loved him.” Autumn grinned. “How can you argue with a mood ring?”
“Yeah, you loved him until the ring turned your finger green.” I grinned at her. “You threw it back at him.”
“Oh, right. I’d forgotten that. Well, how was I supposed to love a boy who made my finger turn green?”
We reminisced, laughed, and ate the goodies for another hour. It was like old times, but I reminded myself that it was temporary. Both Savannah and I would be leaving the day after Autumn’s wedding. That led me to thinking of Dylan and how much I was going to miss him.
“What about you, Jenn?” Savannah said. “Anyone special?”
I shrugged. “Kind of. I’ve been seeing Dylan Conrad, our new police chief.”
Autumn fanned her face. “And he’s hot, hot, hot.”
“But I’m leaving Sunday, and he was just someone to have fun with for a little while. Nothing special.” The lie was bitter on my tongue. Dylan Conrad was beyond special.
Autumn snorted. “Keep telling yourself that, Jenn.” She glanced at her watch. “Crap. We’re running out of time. We still have to do pedicures and our nails.”
Growing up, we’d had fun giving each other pedicures and manicures, so Autumn and I had decided we’d do that today with Savannah. We got our toes and nails filed and painted, laughed some more, and then I watched Savannah do Autumn’s makeup and hair.
She really was an expert at both things, and when she was finished with Autumn, she turned to me and raised a brow. “Yes, please,” I said.
Finally it was time to put on our dresses. Savannah and I helped Autumn into her gown. I blinked back tears at knowing our girl time was over. Savannah hadn’t opened up to us, and I couldn’t help thinking she was terribly unhappy.
“I think you’re the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen,” I said, taking Autumn’s hand. Putting my doubts aside, I prayed that my friend had found her happily ever after.
“You really are.” Savannah took Autumn’s other hand and then mine, forming a circle. “I know it doesn’t always seem like it lately, but I love both of you,” she said. “Please don’t give up on me.”
I squeezed her hand. “Never.”
“Never,” Autumn echoed.
The doorbell rang, letting us know the limos were here. Our time together was up, and after tonight we’d each be going our separate ways. As I blinked back tears, already missing my two best friends, I saw they also had tears in their eyes.
“Friends forever,” I said, pulling them both into a hug.
Savannah slipped her arm around my waist. “It doesn’t seem right that Natalie’s not here today.”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “I know.” But I was going to find her again, somewhere out there in the world.
42
~ Dylan ~
Tommy and Kim Paytonhad volunteered for traffic control for Brian and Autumn’s wedding. Personally I thought they saw it as another chance to show off their new uniforms. I sat in my car across the street from the church, observing the comings and goings. Okay, I was actually here to catch one last glimpse of Jenny.
I’d been invited to the wedding but had decided being near her wouldn’t be good for her travel plans. I didn’t trust myself to let her go. If I got anywhere near her, I’d lose my control and do something stupid like carry her home and tie her up until she missed her flight. Not something a cop should do.
Two limos pulled in, stopping in front of the church. Jenny and a tall woman with black hair emerged from the first one, wearing identical green dresses. The black-haired woman was gorgeous, but I only had eyes for Jenny Girl. Although she was lovely in her formal gown, her hair piled in a fancy do on top of her head, I preferred the girl who liked jeans and hats. A few steps before entering the church, she turned and scanned the parking lot. Was she looking for me?
Autumn and her parents got out of the second limo. I smiled at the vision in white daintily walking up the steps, knowing that under all that lace was a woman with an outrageous sense of humor. She and Brian were Jenny’s friends, though, so I doubted I’d be spending time with them in the future. That was too bad. I liked them both.
From the church, the wedding party and guests would travel in a caravan to the Blue Ridge Valley Country Club. Deciding I’d played stalker long enough, I started the engine. There was nothing for me here.
It had been almosttwo weeks since I’d last had a glimpse of Jenny as she’d walked into a church, looking so beautiful in a green dress that I was sure had matched her eyes. And now Christmas Eve had arrived, a day I dreaded.
Instead of getting drunk to forget Christine as I’d planned, I sat in my living room, void of any decorations, drinking a cup of coffee and thinking of Jenny. Even Daisy missed her, often sitting in front of the door, staring at it around the time Jenny would usually arrive. I knew exactly how she felt.
