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No one discussed the Carmichael wedding at Soiree, which was interesting because it was shaping up to be quite the social event if you listened to gossip, and weddings were practically all they talked about. Yet Megan’s coworkers were kind enough to spare her the chatter and even seemed to shield her from errant calls from vendors who were confused about who was now handling the affair, after their initial partnership with the bride and groom.

The wedding was in four days.

Megan knew because she was counting every last one of them, with dread coursing through her veins as they slowly approached Saturday at six p.m. when Allison Hale would walk down the aisle to become Mrs. Brent Carmichael. Shortly after, Megan would no doubt see a splash of photos on social media from mutual friends and read about the nuptials in the society column with a heart full of regret and despair. While she ached for Allison, she had no intention of undoing what Ally so clearly wanted. She was just sad to see she had been right about that all along.

“I talked to Kelsey, and I don’t understand.” Her mother was already fussing at her through the phone, and they’d barely said hello.

“I told her not to call you.”

“She better call me the second she’s worried about you. Why didn’t you tell me you broke up with Allison?”

She pinched the bridge of her nose. “It just didn’t come up.”

“Well, that’s not quite true. I know when my child is lying to me. Don’t try it.”

Megan sighed, acquiescing. “It wasn’t going to end well. She was still tied up with her ex-fiancé, and now they’re back on.”

“Because you sent her back.”

“No.” A pause. “Maybe. Honestly, I don’t know, Mama. I’m not in her head.”

“Well, I didn’t have to be in yours to know that you were in love, and it was so nice to finally see.”

A long pause. “You saw that?”

“Clear as day. Your father and I were simply struck by it. Never seen you so happy, so enamored in our lives, and now you ran away.”

“I don’t know that I would call it that. Self-protection maybe?”

“Chickening out maybe. This is like that time you trained for months for the dance team tryouts in high school and then didn’t even show up the day of because you were certain you wouldn’t make it.”

“I probably wouldn’t have.”

“Well, now we’ll never know. Is that how you want this thing with Allison to play out? You never knowing if things could have gone differently if you had shown up for tryouts?”

She chuckled sardonically. “Oh, if only it was that simple.”

“It is that simple.” Her mother’s voice came through the phone louder and with frustration. “You say what’s in your heart, and then you wait for them to talk back. How hard is that?” Her mom was not speaking into the phone when she added, “I swear, this child of yours…”

“Don’t bring Dad into this.”

“Well, I’m here, too,” she heard him call. “You’re on speakerphone. Aunt Brenda is also here. She’s visiting for beach time.”

“I brought extra sunscreen this time,” she heard Brenda call from somewhere in the background.

“That’s great, Aunt Brenda.” She winced. “You’re all there talking about my love life. Wonderful.”

“Well, someone has to talk about it,” her mother fussed. “You’re pretty tight-lipped. Did I mention that I didn’t raise you to run away?”

“You probably did.”

“I can say it again louder.”

“No need.” She had been blessed with a mother with lots of feelings and opinions, but sometimes they made for true obstacles to getting the support she needed. “It’s just been a really confusing and difficult time.”

“Then let me help. You go to her and you say your piece.”

A long pause as she considered this. “And if she tells me to get the hell away from her?”