push the SUV the remaining twenty miles to the cabin.
“What do you mean we’re breaking down? We’re in the middle of nowhere! There could be bears outside!”
“Bears?”
“Or murderers!”
I eased off the highway. “Maybe they’ll kill the bears.”
“Haha. You’re always so funny. Well I’ll be the one laughing when you’re skinned alive first!”
“Jesus, Lindsey. You’re a friendly drunk, but you’re a monster with a hangover.”
“Don’t start, Rapunzel. This is your fault.”
“How can you be mad at me?”
“I’m mad because every single time you have some responsibility for the wedding, we end up with indigo invitations or no flowers or broken down on the side of the road!” Lindsey kicked her bridesmaids to free herself from the mass of purses, luggage, and bottles. She crawled into the passenger seat and grimaced as her skirt hiked up to just under her bra. “Save the apologies for the cabin. I don’t want to hear them now.”
“Good, cause I wasn’t giving you any!”
“Don’t make me call Mom.”
“Go on. Call her.” I bluffed. “We’re in our twenties. Even she’ll tell you to grow up.”
“You grow up.”
Lindsey stole my water and chugged it. She made a face, grabbed for the car door, and barely opened it in time to throw up.
The splash against the asphalt twisted my stomach.
And I had done so well battling the morning sickness tonight. The baby didn’t like his or her aunt tossing her bouquet.
I opened my door and threw up too.
“Oh you little faker.” Lindsey ripped her cell from her pocket. “I can’t believe you’re so desperate for attention you’d fake vomiting.”
I reached for my water. Lindsey stole it and drank the rest.
“Who are you calling?” I asked.
“Bryce.” She pointed the phone at me. “I’m getting us out of here. Someone has to be responsible.”
“I’m not trying to start a fight—”
Lindsey thrust a finger in my face to silence me as Bryce answered the call. She put him on speaker-phone and called his name until he groggily awoke from a dead-sleep.
“Yeah, sugarplum?” He grumbled. “What time is—”
“I need help. Dad’s worthless SUV broke down. Of course he didn’t check to make sure it’d get us to the cabin. I can’t believe he’s so careless.”
I bristled. “He let us borrow it, Linds. And he loaned it to us with a full tank.”
“I don’t see Dad out here, pushing the car for us.” Lindsey grunted. “No wonder Mom left him.”
The irritation swelled inside me. Baby or no baby, I’d walk home if she was going to be that ugly.
“You have no right to talk about Dad like that,” I said.
“Oh, I forgot.” Lindsey rolled her eyes at her bridesmaids. “Mandy takes Dad’s side.”
“I’m not on anyone’s side!”
Bryce’s connection crackled. “Angelkiss, where are you—”
Lindsey ignored him. “You are too on a side. You’ve always believed Dad over Mom.”
“What’s there to believe? They hate each other!”
“For good reason.”
“No. There’s no reason. I don’t know why we’re supposed to be happy they separated.”
Tears welled in my eyes. Great. Now I was crying over my parents’ divorce like I was a ten year old latchkey kid caught in a custody battle.
Lindsey groaned. “Oh, Mandy, grow up. Dad’s worthless and Mom kicked him out. Just be glad the holidays will be less insane.” She flicked her phone. “Bryce, we’re on the highway somewhere. Drive until you find us.”
He preemptively apologized. “But, tootsie, I’m not at home…”
“What?”
“I told you. You were going to the cabin, so I went with Rick to—”
“That lecture? In Ironfield?”
“He wanted company, and since he’s still hung up on Jada—”
“You’re leaving me stranded?”
“Call AAA.”
“I have a better idea. What if I just get eaten by bears?”
“There aren’t any bears near the cabin—”
I sighed. “Don’t bother, Bryce. Lindsey thinks we’re gonna get Texas Chainsawed up here because every serial killer in a hundred-mile radius wants to ruin the wedding.”
Lindsey sneered. “You are such a little brat.”
Bryce cleared his throat. “Look, I’ll call Nate.”
My stomach dropped.
Lindsey sighed. “Fine.”
“No!” I didn’t mean to shout. “We’ll be fine. Don’t call Nate.”
“I am not going to sit here alone for some skeevy tow-truck driver,” Lindsey said. “It’s dangerous. We’re too pretty to get trafficked, and I am not above trading one of you—” She pointed to the blitzed bridesmaids. “—So I can escape and get married.”
“Really, we’ll be fine without Nate.”
My sister took the phone off speaker. “We’re like twenty minutes from the exit. Tell him to hurry.”
She ended the call. I said nothing.
“What?” Lindsey crossed her arms. “What? Just say it.”
“We could have handled it ourselves.”
She glanced at the bridesmaids.