me. Besides, I thought all brides preferred June anyway.”
“Don’t be flip about this. Okay? Tell me the truth, Luke. You don’t give a hang about getting married in June, and neither does Lianne. What happened to cause this?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s just not meant to be. Look, I’ve been having second thoughts lately. Okay? There I said it out loud. Lianne doesn’t seem happy. And neither am I. Everything I do seems to piss her off. I can’t say anything anymore that doesn’t cause a fight. I don’t want to live like that, and I don’t think she does either. To me, it makes more sense to push the date back if we aren’t getting along.”
“So this is how you’re calling off the wedding?”
“I guess. Yeah. I’m trying to talk Lando and Zeb into going fishing with me instead, taking some time off. Maybe the time Lianne and I spend away from each other will do us both some good. God knows it couldn’t hurt.”
“Did you tell her this tonight? Here? At Leia’s house? Why didn’t you wait until the two of you were alone?”
“Because that’s part of the problem. We’re never alone. And when we are, we argue. We fight over any little thing. We haven’t even had sex in six weeks. Instead of yelling at me, why don’t you storm into the house and yell at her? Ask her what’s going on in her world?”
“Good idea. I’ll do that,” Gemma said, brushing past him and back into the house. She marched past the kitchen and into the living room, plopped down on the sofa where Lianne sat, flipping through a magazine. “I’ve heard Luke’s side. Your turn. Talk to me.”
“What is there to talk about? The wedding’s off.”
“I’d say you’re taking the news pretty well. What’s wrong, Lianne? Are you having second thoughts, too?”
“Remember when we were worried that Zeb and Leia wouldn’t make it to the big day? Who knew it would be Luke and me who’d decide to call it quits? This weekend I’m moving back into Collette’s house. It’s where I plan to sleep tonight. Want to help me move my stuff this Saturday?”
“Sure.” Gemma noticed Lianne’s left hand was already bare. “Did you give him back the engagement ring already?”
“Of course. Why on earth would I keep it if we aren’t going through with it? And since he’d rather go fishing than get married, what was the point?”
“What happened, Lianne? I thought you guys were okay. Talk to me.”
“Look, I hate to ask, but would you mind driving me home now? I mean, Luke’s place, of course. I need to throw a few things together in a bag, just enough until I can pack up my other stuff. Right now, I just want to get out of there.”
“Are you sure this is what you want?”
Leia came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. “Luke just dropped the bombshell. I’m so sorry.”
“I’m the one who’s sorry, sorry to ruin your dinner, but I think I’m just going to head out. I don’t think I should stay.”
“Head out? Where?”
“I was just telling Gemma that I’ll spend the night over at Collette’s old house.”
Gemma looked over at Leia, her eyes filled with regret. “And I’m taking her back to Luke’s to get her stuff and pick up her car. I’ll be back to pick up Lando later.”
Leia put her arms around Lianne. “Don’t worry about it. I could make you a plate to go.”
“No, no need to go to that trouble,” Lianne said. “I’m not that hungry.”
After the women left, Leia got everyone else to the table. But her festive mood had evaporated. She aimed her disappointment straight at Luke. “What were you thinking, telling her here at my house, waiting until tonight? It’s like you planned to drop this on her for maximum effect.”
“I did not plan it. It just sort of popped out of my mouth. We were bickering about where to go on the honeymoon.”
“You wanted to go fishing?”
“Yeah. In Montana. What’s wrong with that? It’s better than some snobby, all-inclusive resort bumping elbows with people who would rather lay out by the pool. At least we’d be alone in Montana to work out our problems.”
At the end of the table, Zeb cleared his throat. “Are we going to do this all through dinner?”
“I hope not,” Luke muttered. “Because tension during a meal is the leading cause of indigestion.”
“Oh, shut up,” Leia chided. “You brought this on yourself. Who breaks