When Stars Collide (Second Chance Romance #2) - Sara Furlong-Burr Page 0,141
Fran?aise wasn’t delightful, because it was. However, every time I took a bite, my stomach would send a not-so-subtle reminder to me about my present situation with Peter. Just the thought of that situation was enough to make my stomach turn. Well, that and a combination of the tequila and schnapps from Violet. Still far from inebriated, I estimated that I was probably a half a mini bottle away from not caring anymore, which told me I needed to stop drinking, because it was Elle’s day and I needed to care.
During dinner, I took the opportunity to see how Peter was doing—maybe he was just as distressed as I was, his food untouched as he contemplated why he was giving me the cold shoulder.
Yeah, no such luck.
Halfway through dinner, Peter’s plate sat polished clean while he laughed it up with Luke like old times. I never wanted to stab someone with a salad fork more in my life.
“Here,” I pushed my plate to Elle, “you’re eating for two and I’m not.”
“Don’t you like it?” Her concern over the suitability of her dinner selection was so insistent I couldn’t help but laugh.
“It’s not your food, it’s me. Trust me, it’s all kinds of delectable and amazing, Mrs. Hutchins.”
Elle smiled at the mention of her new title. “That has a nice ring to it.”
“I’m still partial to Sloan, but Hutchins will work, I guess.”
“What’s wrong? You’ve been really … off.” Elle followed my gaze to Peter. “Oh, yeah.”
“You noticed it, then?”
She nodded. “He’s been pretty much avoiding you. Yeah, I noticed. I was going to say something to him, but then I remembered how Monroe processes grief. He’s hurting now. You need to give him time.”
“He wouldn’t be hurting if he would just let me talk to him.”
Elle eyed me questioningly. She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by an announcement from the DJ booth.
“With the conclusion of dinner, it’s time for the maid of honor and the best man to give the speeches they’ve prepared for Luke and Elle.”
“Oh shit,” Elle muttered, all color draining from her face.
“First up is the maid of honor, Mena Stasdaz … Straszaski … Straszask?”
“Close enough,” I answered him, standing up and accepting the microphone from the hands of the assistant he sent scurrying over to our table. I cleared my throat, digging up the speech I’d mentally prepared months ago. The last thing I’d wanted to do was write anything down on a piece of paper and read aloud from it. It was important to me to have everything I said right now sound organic and natural, because that’s how my friendship with Elle had always been—organic and natural.
I cleared my throat and proceeded.
“I can’t see Elle’s face, but I’d be willing to bet Daffodil’s entire cache of secret booze that she looks pretty terrified right now.” I reached down and patted Elle on the shoulder. “It’s okay, it will all be over soon. But don’t worry, I’m sure the same won’t be said about your marriage.” From out of the corner of my eye, I could see Elle squirm as Luke chuckled. “I mean, in all fairness, she knew what she was getting herself into when she asked me to do this.” Elle nodded with her elbows on the table, her hands covering her face. “Seriously, though, you guys better get this right, because I’m not doing this again. My feet hurt too much from these shoes.
“All right, enough with the hazing. On to the sappy stuff that brought us all here today.
“When I first met Elle, we were but lowly college students from two entirely different backgrounds, yet she and I were oddly also very much alike. Elle was insecure, afraid, and alone. I, too, was all those things. Except, where Elle chose to convey her feelings, I chose to bury mine deep down inside, expressing them through an occasional cringe-worthy—as Elle calls them—comment, or not at all. You know, like every other emotionally stable human being does. Still, despite the opposite way we chose to deal with our shortcomings, we hit it off right away, becoming fast friends—mainly because we had no other choice because, you know, we kind of had to live together.
“Over time, Elle and I got to know each other, and the stranger I had to shack up with in college became something much more to me. She became the sister I always wanted—aside from my own sister, of course, but that’s a completely different