Lost Along the Way(3)

“I said I was sorry, Cara,” Jane said, getting tired of defending herself. She didn’t need to answer to anyone anymore. It was beginning to bother her that her friends somehow felt that she owed them an explanation for why she did what she did. It was her life; what did it matter to them whether they attended the ceremony?

“Okay. I just hope you know what you’re doing. Marriage is hard enough when you really know the person, and you guys have only been together a few months,” Cara added. “Trust me.”

“I know what I’m doing. And I’m done talking about this with you guys. You’ve made your objections known, and now you don’t need to wonder about why I didn’t tell you about it beforehand. The truth is, right now, your opinions don’t really matter much to me. And I’m having a hard time remembering why they ever did,” Jane snapped.

“Jane, don’t say that!” Meg said, obviously hurt by the tone of her voice. Meg had always been sensitive, and Jane immediately felt bad for sniping at her. “I just wish we got to see it. That’s all. Please tell me you at least have pictures.” Meg pushed a lock of her blond hair behind her ear. “Did anyone take any?”

“I’m sorry. I just didn’t see this coming. This is supposed to be a happy time for me. Why are you guys picking a fight with me over this?” She had known they’d be surprised when she told them she’d gotten married, but she’d drastically underestimated how hurt they’d be. In fact, they were more than just hurt. They were furious.

“We’re not,” Meg said. “Honestly, I’m really happy for you. Where’s the party tonight?”

“At the restaurant where we had our first date. Isn’t that cute? He planned the whole thing. It’s going to be small, but you guys have to come. It won’t be the same without you.”

“Of course we’ll be there,” Meg said, looking over at Cara, who was still trying to absorb the news and had been staring at the wall for the last few minutes. “Cara?”

“Of course,” she said, finally sighing and breaking into a smile. “Jane, you never cease to amaze me, you know that?”

“Isn’t that one of the things you love about me?”

“One of many,” she said, though Jane wasn’t entirely sure she meant it. “I hope you two will be very happy together.”

“I hope that he stops calling me Mary,” Meg joked.

“I think that can be arranged,” Jane said with a laugh.

“So do you have any pictures? Don’t make us ask again!” Cara asked.

“First, a toast. To the new Mrs. Douglas . . . ,” Meg trailed off. Jane and Cara looked at each other and quickly burst out laughing.

“Oh my God. We don’t know his last name,” Cara said, choking slightly on her champagne. “I mean it. I have no idea what his last name is. What’s your name now?”

“I can’t believe we have to ask, but yeah, I don’t know what his name is either!” Meg said. “I guess I won’t be getting you anything with a monogram.”

“It’s Logan!” Jane said. “Mrs. Douglas Logan.”

“It has a nice ring to it, actually,” Meg said.

“Thank you. I think so, too.” Jane pulled a few photos from her bag of her in her gorgeous cocktail dress and Doug in his navy suit and bright-green tie, and felt herself relax. She finally had everything she wanted. She had a wonderful new husband, lifelong friends, and a glass of champagne with a splash of orange juice.

Life was good.





two


December 2012

So let’s discuss invitations, then. I would like to take care of them this year, because in each of the last two years my name was misspelled and I would like to make sure it’s done correctly this time,” Christie said, more than a little annoyed by the accidental error.

“That’s fine by me,” Jane replied politely. She adjusted the large princess-cut diamond on her finger and hoped the other women didn’t notice that it needed to be steam cleaned. She’d have to add that to her list of things to do tomorrow, though she had no idea where she’d find the time. The holidays were creeping closer and she felt totally unprepared. She hadn’t even picked out the wine for the cocktail party she and Doug were hosting on Christmas Eve, and she hadn’t reminded her housekeeper to polish her good silver yet. The stress of it all was really starting to get to her. She realized that she probably should schedule a massage to help relieve some of the tension in her neck before it began to really hurt—yet another thing to add to the ever-growing to-do list. The holidays could be so stressful.

“Agreed,” Mindy said. “I felt so bad for you when I saw your name spelled with a Y on that invitation. You must have wanted to kill Gretchen. I mean, it’s completely ridiculous that she didn’t catch that.”

“There’s a reason she’s not on the board this year!” Christie laughed, knowing full well that getting kicked off the charity board had basically ruined Gretchen’s social standing for the holiday season, if not for the entire year. Jane made a mental note to never piss off Christie with an i-e. She had no interest in going to war with these women over a spelling error. They were ruthless.

“Well, it seems like everything is settled, then,” Jane said, pushing her espresso away from her. “This was a really lovely lunch, and I’m very happy with our decisions. I think we’re going to have a wonderful benefit.”