“Someone definitely heard,” said April, coming up behind me and sliding onto the stool to my left. She picked up one of the wine glasses. “God, I need this. Not only was I dealing with a bridezilla tonight, but my baby sisters are all having sex and I’m not.”
“I’m not either,” I assured her, picking up a glass for myself.
Chloe lifted her glass and tapped it to Frannie’s. “Cheers,” she whispered.
“No, let’s toast to all of us,” Frannie insisted.
“I was gonna get there,” said Chloe indignantly as she sat down across from me. She raised her glass higher. “To the Sawyer sisters!”
“To the Sawyer sisters!” we chorused.
“I feel bad Sylvia’s not here,” said Frannie after taking a sip.
“That just means we’ll have to do this again after she arrives.” April swirled the ruby liquid in her glass. “Lord knows I’m always up for wine.”
She said it with a goofy smile, but something in her eyes made me wonder if she was unhappy beneath the cheerful façade. Maybe Chloe’s engagement and Frannie’s wedding were taking a psychological toll on her too. I’d made up my mind to focus on their happiness and be one hundred percent glad they’d found their soul mates—right under their noses—but I still envied them.
Stop it, said my conscience. This is not about you.
I sat up taller. “Okay, you guys. I’ve heard only the basics, and now I want all the juicy proposal details. Don’t leave anything out. Go.”
For the next hour, Frannie and Chloe told their engagement stories as we polished off the first bottle of wine and then a second. I heard all about how Mack got down on one knee and popped the question while they were in front of Chateau d’Ussé, the French castle that had inspired Sleeping Beauty and that Frannie had always dreamed about visiting.
“God, I love that story.” April sighed. “I’d love to visit that part of France.”
“So go,” I told her.
“I can’t. The wedding schedule here is bananas. We’re completely booked up next spring and summer already.”
“There’s no one who can fill in for you?” Chloe asked. “Why don’t we find someone? Really, you could use the help, even if it’s just part time.”
April took another sip of wine. “I might be too much of a control freak. And what if we couldn’t find someone who’s good enough? Or what if we hire her and I book a trip and she doesn’t work out?”
“We can at least try, right?” Frannie asked.
“I agree,” I said.
April looked at me in surprise. “The workaholic agrees I should take a vacation?”
“Yes.” I spun my wine glass around by the stem, feeling heat in my face. “I do. Being a workaholic is no fun, and I’m going to get better about it. In fact, that’s why I came home early.”
Frannie put a hand over my wrist. “I’m so glad you did.”
I smiled at her, then looked at April. “If I can take a vacation, you can.”
“I guess,” April said, although she didn’t look convinced.
“Jeez, have a little faith.” Chloe nudged her on the shoulder. “I know a lot of people. Give me some time to reach out.”
“Okay, okay.” April held up her hands in surrender. “Let’s not talk about me anymore. Tell Meg about your engagement.”
From there, Chloe told the story of Oliver’s proposal on the barn roof, the same roof they’d jumped off when they were eleven, resulting in one broken leg (Chloe), one broken collarbone (Oliver), and years of getting each other back. But their chemistry had always been fierce and insuppressible. She’d once told me the sex was as volatile as their fights used to be, and I believed her.
Brooks and I never fought.
Suddenly everyone was staring at me, and I realized I’d said it out loud. “Oh, sorry. That probably sounded totally random. But I was just thinking about how different certain relationships are, from start to finish.”
“I don’t want to pry if it’s painful, but I am curious.” April tilted her head. “What happened with Brooks? Mom mentioned you guys broke it off.”
I tipped up the last of my wine and Frannie moved her glass toward me. It was still half-full. “Here. You can have mine. I have to drive home tonight.”
“Thanks.” I stared at it as I went on. “There’s not much to tell, really. I’m sitting here listening to you two talk about these amazing, romantic, heart-pounding moments and realizing that Brooks and I were actually really boring.”