Save the Date(27)

“Does he need help with his bags?” J.J. asked, hurrying in behind her.

“Um, no,” I said, realizing I should have texted Linnie right away to tell her Mike wasn’t going to be coming home with me. Normally, I would have, but it was like just seeing Jesse Foster had wiped all rational thought from my brain. I took a breath. “Mike’s not staying here,” I said, figuring it was best to do it fast, like ripping off a Band-Aid.

“Of course he is,” J.J. said. “Linnie said he’s coming to the wedding.”

“He is. But he’s staying at Jesse Foster’s. He—um—told me to drive him there.” There was silence in the kitchen, so much that I could hear the ticking of the crooked silver wall clock. “But he said he’d be at the rehearsal dinner.” The second I said it, I wondered if I’d just drawn attention to the fact that he wasn’t going to be at the Pearce. I wished Danny were here, helping me navigate this.

“Hey.” I looked over to see Rodney standing in the doorway of the kitchen. “Everything okay?”

“Mike’s not staying here,” Linnie said to him quietly, and behind his glasses, Rodney’s eyebrows flew up.

“Oh,” he said. “Um . . .”

“Did your aunt get settled in okay?” my mother asked, with what seemed like a lot of effort to change her focus.

“She’s great,” Rodney said. “Just resting after her trip.”

“Your aunt?” I asked.

“My aunt Liz,” Rodney explained. “She’s staying in the blue guest room. I picked her up at the train station.”

“Did Michael explain why he didn’t come home, Charlie?” my dad asked, his voice low.

“Um, not really.” I glanced at J.J. and saw he looked the way I felt. We all hated it when our dad got serious and quiet like this—somehow, it was much worse than if he’d just yelled.

“Well, we’ll see about that,” my dad said, taking a step toward me and holding out his hand. “Give me your keys.”

“What?” I asked, even as I took them out of my bag. “Why?”

“Because my car is blocked in and I need to leave.”

“Where are you going?” Linnie asked, exchanging a glance with J.J.

“I’m going to get Michael,” my dad said, his voice clipped. He held out his hand again, and I hesitated, looking at my mom, who shook her head at me.

“I’m not sure that’s going to work, Dad,” J.J. said.

“He can’t—he can’t just drop in for the wedding like he’s an out-of-town guest,” my dad said, his voice rising. “He’s not an acquaintance or a third cousin. He can be a part of this family or not, but he can’t—”

“Jeff,” my mom said, taking a step closer to him. “He came back. I mean . . .” Her voice shook slightly. “He’s here. Maybe we should let that be enough.” My dad hesitated, his hand still outstretched toward me. “Please,” my mom said, more quietly, and after a moment, my dad lowered his hand.

“Nobody actually thought he was going to come to the wedding,” I pointed out.

“I did,” Linnie said quietly, but I kept talking over her.

“So is it really that big a deal he’s not staying at the house? We shouldn’t let this affect the weekend. It’s still going to be great. We have the event at the Pearce today, and Danny’s coming soon. . . .” Nobody looked particularly convinced, and I tried to think fast. I was not about to let Mike ruin this weekend—especially if he wasn’t even here to do it. “I mean, it’s not like we even have room for him here.”

“What about my room?” J.J. asked.

“Your room is also Danny’s room. And I think Danny might want to stay there.”

“I just meant he could put a sleeping bag on the floor or something. Who’s in Mike’s room?”

“Bridesmaids,” Linnie and I said together. It was admittedly going to be a tight fit with three of them, but Linnie had decided that it was much better than having them wandering around the Inn. When all Linnie’s friends were together, noise complaints and property destruction inevitably followed.

“Well, I just hope your brother knows,” my dad said, shaking his head, “that we expect him to be a part of this family. And he can’t just—”

The kitchen door swung open again, causing the alarm system to issue a single, brief beep, and Will stuck his head in the room. “Jeffrey,” he started. He must have taken in everyone else’s expressions because then he said, “Uh—is everything okay?”

“It’s fine,” my dad said briskly. “Did you need something?”

“Just wanted you to okay the final placement,” Will said, gesturing to the backyard. “Linnie said you were particular about a few plantings. . . .”

“She’s right about that,” my dad said. “I’ll be right out.” Will nodded and went back to the yard, closing the door behind him. My dad sighed and looked at my sister. “You realize this is my last chance to win the garden competition at this house?”

“You realize this is my only time getting married?”

“Well,” J.J. said, clearing his throat. “I mean, statistically, that’s probably not true.”