The Wedding Party (The Wedding Date, #3)(86)

“Hey!” Alexa answered her front door with a glazed look in her eyes, her hair falling out of the messy bun on the top of her head, and what looked like red nail polish on her cheek.

“Hey,” Maddie said, as she looked her friend up and down. “What was it you needed help with?”

Alexa pulled her inside and shut the door.

“Thank God you’re here.”

Maddie followed her to the living room, which had tiny pots of paint, ribbons, and other weird objects strewn all over the floor. Was that a bowl full of dirt?

“Have you taken up . . . crafting?”

Alexa plopped down on the floor and motioned for her to follow.

“The better question is, why didn’t I take up crafting years ago? I’m trying to make our fucking wedding favors, because my mom says we have to have wedding favors, and I’ve already had one million fights with my mom about this stupid wedding, and I couldn’t even deal with fighting her about this, so I said yes, of course we’re having favors, I’ve already taken care of that, so now I have to take care of the fucking favors!!!”

Maddie slowly pulled the bottle of wine out of her purse and got up to get some wineglasses.

“Okay, so what are we making?”

Alexa picked up a tiny glass container and scooped some dirt into it with a spoon.

“Mom showed me a long time ago this thing in Martha Stewart Weddings about people giving terrariums as wedding favors, and she said it was so cute and you know how much I love Martha and how I still think about that amazing shawl she wore when she got out of jail, but OH MY GOD, I wish the woman never existed right about now, because I bought little things to put the dirt and the plants in, but the plants all look stupid and I think they’re dying and you need to help me, Maddie.”

Maddie took the half-made terrarium out of Alexa’s hand and put the full wineglass in its place.

“First, drink some of that.”

Alexa took a gulp of wine and closed her eyes while she swallowed.

“Okay, that’s a little better. Now what?”

Maddie took out her phone.

“Now I order us pizza. Pepperoni and black olive?”

Alexa nodded.

“Even better. Now what?”

Maddie picked up one of the glass whatchamacallits.

“Now let’s make some fucking terrariums.”

They sat there for the next hour, drinking wine, scooping dirt into tiny bowls, and decorating the dirt with tiny plants.

“Thank you so much for coming to help me, Mads. How are you feeling about the whole job thing? I’m still furious at them for not hiring you.”

Maddie grinned. Nothing like a ride or die friend.

“Oh, my client Maya is, too. She called me yelling the day she found out. I thought she was going to quit her job. Instead, I just got her to promise to do a seminar for the series I’m planning with that women’s organization you hooked me up with. I’m going to do styling sessions for women there twice a month, and we’re going to pull in other local women to help out and do events and give them job search advice.”

Alexa narrowed her eyes.

“You know I’m in, too, right?”

Maddie laughed.

“Obviously. That wasn’t even a question.” She took a sip of wine. “But really, I’m doing okay. I’m proud of my audition, I gave them the best of me, and if that’s not what they wanted, I wouldn’t have been happy doing the show anyway. But I’m really glad I had the opportunity; it helped me realize one of the things that was missing in my life. And I’m excited for this new plan.”

Alexa got up and brought back another bottle of wine.

“I am, too. And I’m really proud of you.”

They smiled at each other as they clinked glasses.

Maddie picked up one of her completed terrariums and turned it around to look at it from all sides.

“Lex, I have to tell you something.” She paused and looked up at Alexa. “I think we’re going to get a very bad grade on this science project.”

Alexa giggled.

“This is like old times, isn’t it?”

Maddie looked at her best friend, the joyful smile on her face just the same as the one the first day they’d met, and she couldn’t stop tears from coming to her eyes.

“It is just like old times. Oh, Lex”—her voice caught—“I’m going to miss you.”

Alexa pushed aside all the plant life on the floor and plopped down next to Maddie.

“What do you mean, you’re going to miss me? I’m not going anywhere! I’m not getting married and moving to Married People Land! I’m still going to be Alexa Monroe, I’ll still be right here, I’ll still be your best friend, husband or no husband!”

Maddie tried to stop her tears from falling, but there was no stopping them now.

“I know, but still, it’ll be different! I’m so happy for you, and I even think Drew is almost worthy of you, but it’s like when we graduated from high school and I didn’t know if we would be the same people when we saw each other again. What if you’re a different person after you get married?”

Maddie shook her head and wiped her eyes with the bottom of her shirt.

“Sorry, you’re trying to do these damn favors and I’m sitting here crying all over you. I’m just weirdly emotional this week.”