turquoise running shoes. My mind had been on nothing else but the wedding since I'd changed into my black workout pants and fitted warm-up jacket with the resort's logo on it.
The studio door opened and Joy stepped inside, smiling politely when she saw Mrs. Millbreck. She handed me a folder and opened it up to the first page. She pointed to the first heading marked Friday.
"Here is your itinerary," she said. "Tonight is the bridal shower and you have to be there."
"Listen, Joy, I don't know if this is such a good idea--"
"Do not spoil this for me," she interrupted, breaking her professional composure. She stopped herself when Martha casually glanced over her shoulder. "I promise I will . . . do your laundry for a month. I will give you a year's worth of spa vouchers. I will have your car detailed. Please , do this for me. Please. Please. Please."
"Fine," I replied quietly. "But after this, no more bringing up that time I went with you and your softball team to the ice caves."
Joy leaned in closer. "If I hadn't have grabbed your hand when you started to slip, you might have died."
"I know," I responded. "But you can't keep bringing that up every time you need a favor. We were teenagers."
"Okay." She exhaled. "My lips are sealed from now on."
"AndI want the spa vouchers."
She nodded in agreement.
" And ," I quickly added before she left the room, "No more digging through my closet when I'm out for a run."
"Anything else?" Joy asked with a forced smile on her face.
I could have asked for a whole lot more, but I shook my head. As Joy quietly left the fitness studio, I flipped through the pages of my weekend schedule. I instantly frowned when I realized that the actual wedding was on Sunday. No amount of favors or spa vouchers would keep me from having to watch Patrick take Lila's hand and say “I do.” Seeing him again, even for a few minutes, made me feel like I was still that chunky little girl who had knitted her own mittens to match her prom dress.
"What have you got there?" Martha asked. As soon as her five minutes were up, she bounced off her treadmill and immediately peered over my shoulder. "Oh my," she gasped. "Don't tell me that you're part of the wedding party?"
Taryn looked up from her yoga mat and stared at us.
"Not officially."
"Honey," Martha didn't hesitate as she snatched my itinerary and began looking through it. "This looks pretty official to me. Well, how about that? After all these years, our dear Patrick is putting one of his little childhood friends in his wedding. Oh, what a sweetheart."
"That's not exactly what happened," I said quietly.
"Oh, Essie," she said, sizing me up and down. "You shouldn't even be here right now. You have a million things to do. You need a gift for tonight, and a dress. You have a fitting this afternoon. You have a dress rehearsal tomorrow. This is so exciting!"
There were butterflies in the pit of my stomach, but it wasn't from the excitement. I was more nervous than ever to see Patrick again. Just thinking about the way he'd grabbed my hand made me wish I was too tall and too fat to wear that extra bridesmaid dress. I hadn’t known what to do or say when Patrick stood there watching me. He had a way of making me so nervous that the room around me started spinning.
"I guess." I gulped.
"You look like you could use some help. Do you even know what to bring to the bridal shower?"
"Not really." I shook my head. "My cousin had one the night before her wedding, but it was more of a wild girls' night than a fancy shower."
"You mean one of those parties with candy shaped like man parts?" Martha commented nonchalantly. I looked in Taryn's direction just in time to see her roll her eyes.
"I would rather not say."
"Of course, dear." Mrs. Millbreck winked before she marched to her first exercise on the squat machine. "You have a lot to think about, and I have a ladies' lunch to attend after this so let's get started, shall we?"
CHAPTER TWO
My dress
The studio door opened and Joy stepped inside, smiling politely when she saw Mrs. Millbreck. She handed me a folder and opened it up to the first page. She pointed to the first heading marked Friday.
"Here is your itinerary," she said. "Tonight is the bridal shower and you have to be there."
"Listen, Joy, I don't know if this is such a good idea--"
"Do not spoil this for me," she interrupted, breaking her professional composure. She stopped herself when Martha casually glanced over her shoulder. "I promise I will . . . do your laundry for a month. I will give you a year's worth of spa vouchers. I will have your car detailed. Please , do this for me. Please. Please. Please."
"Fine," I replied quietly. "But after this, no more bringing up that time I went with you and your softball team to the ice caves."
Joy leaned in closer. "If I hadn't have grabbed your hand when you started to slip, you might have died."
"I know," I responded. "But you can't keep bringing that up every time you need a favor. We were teenagers."
"Okay." She exhaled. "My lips are sealed from now on."
"AndI want the spa vouchers."
She nodded in agreement.
" And ," I quickly added before she left the room, "No more digging through my closet when I'm out for a run."
"Anything else?" Joy asked with a forced smile on her face.
I could have asked for a whole lot more, but I shook my head. As Joy quietly left the fitness studio, I flipped through the pages of my weekend schedule. I instantly frowned when I realized that the actual wedding was on Sunday. No amount of favors or spa vouchers would keep me from having to watch Patrick take Lila's hand and say “I do.” Seeing him again, even for a few minutes, made me feel like I was still that chunky little girl who had knitted her own mittens to match her prom dress.
"What have you got there?" Martha asked. As soon as her five minutes were up, she bounced off her treadmill and immediately peered over my shoulder. "Oh my," she gasped. "Don't tell me that you're part of the wedding party?"
Taryn looked up from her yoga mat and stared at us.
"Not officially."
"Honey," Martha didn't hesitate as she snatched my itinerary and began looking through it. "This looks pretty official to me. Well, how about that? After all these years, our dear Patrick is putting one of his little childhood friends in his wedding. Oh, what a sweetheart."
"That's not exactly what happened," I said quietly.
"Oh, Essie," she said, sizing me up and down. "You shouldn't even be here right now. You have a million things to do. You need a gift for tonight, and a dress. You have a fitting this afternoon. You have a dress rehearsal tomorrow. This is so exciting!"
There were butterflies in the pit of my stomach, but it wasn't from the excitement. I was more nervous than ever to see Patrick again. Just thinking about the way he'd grabbed my hand made me wish I was too tall and too fat to wear that extra bridesmaid dress. I hadn’t known what to do or say when Patrick stood there watching me. He had a way of making me so nervous that the room around me started spinning.
"I guess." I gulped.
"You look like you could use some help. Do you even know what to bring to the bridal shower?"
"Not really." I shook my head. "My cousin had one the night before her wedding, but it was more of a wild girls' night than a fancy shower."
"You mean one of those parties with candy shaped like man parts?" Martha commented nonchalantly. I looked in Taryn's direction just in time to see her roll her eyes.
"I would rather not say."
"Of course, dear." Mrs. Millbreck winked before she marched to her first exercise on the squat machine. "You have a lot to think about, and I have a ladies' lunch to attend after this so let's get started, shall we?"
CHAPTER TWO
My dress
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