And with that, the guilt returned.
Anna wanted to throttle Skylar for lying to his wonderful family and for making her an accomplice. Maybe they were a littletoointo his business, but they loved him. They just wanted him to be happy. What was wrong with that? Skylar didn’t appreciate his family like he should. She was tempted to share her story with him and make him think twice about how he took them for granted.
“Do you know when the wedding will be?” Joann asked. “Sky told me you haven’t set a date yet, but you must have a seasonal preference. A month you’d like to get married?”
Anna remembered Skylar’s advice. Stay as close to the truth as possible; think before answering, and keep the answers short.
“Skylar and I both have limited time right now. Our caseload is overwhelming.” Anna forced a smile. “But I am a sucker for a June wedding if we can work that out. If not this coming year, then maybe the next. We’re not in a hurry.”
“I like the sound of June,” Joann said while drying a serving bowl. “Would you like a church wedding? An outside one? Small? Large? Formal? Casual?”
Anna took a deep breath and focused on washing the platter in her hands. How could she answer questions about a wedding that would never happen? She’d never been the kind of girl that daydreamed about getting married.
“Well...” She handed the platter to Joann and began to scrub a pot while scrambling for answers. Once again she went over Skylar’s advice. Keep it simple. Stick as close to the truth as possible. “Skylar and I have been so busy since the proposal, we haven’t had much time to talk about it. I want his input.”
“My son will tell you to pick what you want. I guarantee he won’t be any help when it comes to wedding planning.” Joann smiled, and a new light made her eyes sparkle. “Hey, maybe Becca and I can give you a hand. She had a nice wedding out here in the garden about six years ago. That’s always an option if you aren’t set on a church or something larger than we can handle.”
Changing the subject to something safer, Anna asked, “Where is Becca’s husband? No one has mentioned him, and I was afraid to ask in case they were divorced.”
Joann patted her on the back. “They’re fine, honey. Sweet of you to be concerned. Chuck is in the military, and he’s overseas right now.”
They shared some small talk while finishing. Nothing of major importance. Anna was finally able to relax. She enjoyed spending time with Skylar’s mom and his sister. In fact, she felt happier than she had in years. It would be so easy to forget she wasn’t really engaged.