Chapter Thirteen
4 days to Maggie’s wedding...
Maggie spotted Rose the second she walked into the café Tuesday morning. Maggie had arrived early and bought herself a double chocolate muffin and two of Rose’s favorite honey almond shortbread squares. Rose loved those thick, gooey, crumbly cookies.
“You are a goddess.” Rose picked up her caramel latte and tapped it to Maggie’s vanilla latte cup. “Cheers.”
Maggie smiled at her best friend even though she wasn’t in a great mood today. Worried. Frustrated. Cranky. Yes to all of those things.
And it was all Marc’s fault with a heaping side of help from that stupid bachelor party.
Marc was supposed to return to town Sunday, but here it was Tuesday and he still hadn’t come back. He’d skipped out on dinner with her family on Sunday night after her aunt had flown in early to meet him. He left her and Rose to take care of calling all the vendors yesterday to be sure they were ready todeliver for the Saturday wedding and reception. And now he’d texted her to tell her he wasn’t coming back until tomorrow.
Not that he really needed to be here for anything, but she thought spending the week before the wedding with him was important. Plus, he left her doing all the work.
She was so happy for Rose and Gray. She wanted Marc to be happy about it, too. Her fantasy—that they’d hang out together as couples—could be coming true, except her groom-to-be was missing. And, when he did talk to her, he was perpetually irritated.
“I wish my ornery fiancé thought I was a goddess, too.” Maggie sipped her latte and frowned.
“Uh-oh. That came out of nowhere. What’s wrong?”
“He and Gray were supposed to come back Sunday. Now they’re not coming back until tomorrow.”
Rose’s eyes went wide. “What? Gray didn’t say anything about that to me.”
Maggie tapped her nail on her phone on the table. “I just got a text from Marc. A text. I haven’t spoken to him since Sunday when I called to check on him after the bachelor party. And he texts me, even though I’ve left him several messages asking him to call me back.” She shrugged, but on the inside she was really mad and a little scared because the closer they got to their wedding day, the more distance she felt growing between them.
“Truthfully, I have no idea what’s really going on with him. Ever since we came here for the wedding, something has been off. I don’t know if he’s having second thoughts, or what.” Sheheld up her hands and let them fall back onto the table. “On Sunday, I teased him about partying too hard and being too hungover to come back to me. I said one little comment about him running off with a stripper and he got really mad. He said if I didn’t trust him and I was so insecure about him going to a strip club and about one comment he made about you, then maybe I didn’t really love him and was looking for excuses to get out of marrying him.”
Rose gasped. “What? That makes no sense. He had to know you were kidding about the strippers.”
“I thought he would, but... And maybe it has more to do with me telling him I didn’t think it was cool that he sent those pictures of Gray.” The annoyance rang clear in Maggie’s voice. “He said Gray got on his case, too, and he didn’t need us ganging up on him and maybe we should be more like you and just blow it off because it didn’t mean anything.”
That unsettled Rose. “Um... I don’t know what to say to that. You and I both agreed that them going to a strip club was no big deal, but the pictures seemed like Marc was trying to get Gray in trouble with me. I didn’t like him trying to mess things up with me and Gray, especially since it’s so new.”
“Exactly what I said to Marc, which only made him angrier.” She shook her head again. “He’s never talked to me that way.”
“Are you sure this doesn’t have something to do with his dad?”
Maggie sat up straighter. “What do you mean?”
“From what Gray told me, he and his dad have a strainedrelationship right now. Marc was really mad on Sunday when Gray asked Marc’s dad to stop by and check on Marc.”
“I don’t see what the big deal is about that.”
“Gray didn’t get it, either. Maybe you should call Marc and just ask him.”
“I’ve left him three messages.”
Rose reached over and covered her hand. “It’s worth trying again, right?”
Maggie picked up her phone and swiped the screen for Marc’s number. To her surprise, he answered right away.
“Hey, sweetheart, I was just about to call you and tell you how sorry I am for acting like a jerk. I had no reason to be upset with you when I was really mad at Gray and my dad for making a big deal out of nothing when I drank too much. I paid for it with a raging hangover and pushing you away when all I want is to be with you.”
Maggie’s heart melted. “Then come and be with me,” she said, forgiving him.
“I wish I could, but my car is still there at the hotel and since I told Gray I wasn’t going back until tomorrow, he’s at work taking care of some stuff that needed his attention. I’m sorry, baby, I miss you like crazy.”