The Wedding Party (The Wedding Date, #3)(58)

She’d tried to stop thinking about the interview, ever since the day it happened. That afternoon and evening with Theo had been a little too soul baring for her taste, so she’d avoided him for a while afterward, too. But when he texted about his brother’s woman issues and how they were getting a free fancy meal out of the deal, everything seemed light and jokey again between the two of them. Thank goodness, especially since Alexa had taken her whole “delegate things to your wedding party!” to heart, and had assigned her and Theo to go together to check out some DJ.

“I texted you, didn’t I?” Maddie said to her mom as she rinsed out her coffee cup from that morning. “Things are okay, just busy. How are you? Anything fun going on at work? How are Kathryn and Michelle? Did you guys end up going out to dinner this weekend?”

Sometimes changing the subject away from herself worked to get her mom to move from the topic Maddie didn’t want to talk about.

“We did. It was fun. So, tell me about the interview at the station. What happened?”

And sometimes it didn’t.

Maddie turned off the water and dried her hands. She couldn’t avoid this conversation forever.

“I think they really liked me. But . . .” she sighed. “You know that part in makeover shows where they tell the person being made over everything wrong with them? I was really good at that. Too good. I didn’t like myself. I felt pretty bad afterward.”

Her mom sighed, too.

“So you were too much of a bitch, huh? I was afraid of that.”

Maddie laughed out loud.

“Thanks for putting it so bluntly, Mom!” Theo had been a lot more tactful, but she supposed he’d said more or less the same thing. “But yeah, that was exactly the problem. And I made the woman I was working with feel terrible, which I think probably makes for good TV. From the way the people with the station acted, I think they think so, too, but it wouldn’t make me sleep well at night.” She moved out of the kitchen and sat down on her couch. “I was afraid to tell you about this. I didn’t want you to . . .”

Her mom laughed.

“What, think less of you? Madeleine, please, I know you far too well for that. After all those times you asked me if I was really leaving the house like that?”

Maddie put her head in her hands.

“Oh God, I’ve always been this much of a bitch.”

Her mom’s voice softened.

“No, that’s not what I meant. You can take things too far sometimes, it’s true. But you’ve also always had a good heart, and you manage to correct yourself. The older you get, the faster you get at doing it.”

Maddie put her legs up on the couch and hugged her knees into her chest.

“I’m going to try—they called me the other day and said they want me to come back in for an official filmed mock episode. That’ll be in a few weeks.”

The filmed audition was going to be the same day as her dinner with Theo, and she kept going back and forth about whether or not to cancel dinner. On the one hand, she might just want to go home and crawl into a hole and not have to deal with Theo or anyone else after the audition. On the other hand, their texts about dinner had made things feel normal between the two of them again, and she didn’t want to ruin that.

“Are you nervous about the audition?” her mom asked.

Maddie stared into the kitchen at the glass of wine she’d left in there. Maybe this time she could actually move it with her mind. She closed her eyes and thought hard.

Nope.

“Oh, I’m definitely nervous, but I’m trying not to think too much about it for now. I need to forget about the cameras and try to remember who I am and why I wanted to do this in the first place. We’ll see if I manage to do that.” She sighed. “Who knows, maybe they only like Maddie the bitch. Most people do.”

Her mom clicked her tongue.

“You’re lovable any way you want to be. Anyone would be lucky to have you, and if they don’t realize that, you don’t want them anyway.”

Maddie wiped her eyes with the bottom of her shirt.

“I’m lucky to have you, you know.”

Her mom cleared her throat.

“Likewise. Now. How are the plans for Alexa’s wedding going? Have you found bridesmaids dresses? Is she ready to kill her mom yet?”

Maddie laughed.

“We did find bridesmaids dresses; Alexa and I found them just this weekend, actually. It helps that it’s just me and Olivia wearing them and we look good in the same colors. I know we’re all relieved that part is done. And no, Alexa doesn’t want to kill her mom yet but . . . we’ll see how the next two months go.”

“That sounds great,” her mom said. “I’m excited the wedding is so soon. I can’t wait to meet Theo, and see Olivia again and Alexa in her wedding dress. However, I hope you’re not too busy with this whole job interview and bridesmaid thing to help your mother find a dress for this wedding. I have no idea what I’m going to wear!”

Maddie laughed.

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’m on it.”





Chapter Fourteen




MADDIE PULLED A TISSUE OUT OF HER BLAZER POCKET AND WIPED her eyes after releasing Dominique from a hug.

“You look fantastic,” she said.