The Wedding - By Nicholas Sparks Page 0,26

quickly went on.

“I told him about the wedding,” I said.

“Was he excited?”

“Very.” I nodded. “He told me he’s looking forward to being there.”

Jane brought her hands together. “I’m bringing Anna by tomorrow. She didn’t have a chance to see him last week, and I know she’s going to want to tell him about it.” She smiled appreciatively. “And by the way, thanks for going out to see him today. I know how much he enjoys that.”

“You know I like to spend time with him, too.”

“I know. But thank you anyway.”

The meat was ready, and I added the rest of the ingredients: marsala wine, lemon juice, mushrooms, beef broth, minced shallot, diced green onions. I added another dab of butter for good measure, rewarding myself for the twenty pounds I’d lost in the last year.

“Have you talked to Joseph or Leslie yet?” I asked.

For a moment, Jane watched me as I stirred. Then, after retrieving a spoon from the drawer, she dipped the tip into the sauce and tasted it. “This is good,” she commented, raising her eyebrows.

“You sound surprised.”

“No, I’m really not. You’re actually quite the chef these days. At least compared to where you started.”

“What? You didn’t always love my cooking?”

She brought a finger to her chin. “Let’s just say burned mashed potatoes and crunchy gravy are an acquired taste.”

I smiled, knowing what she said was true. My first few experiences in the kitchen had been less than an earth-shattering success.

Jane took another taste before setting the spoon on the counter.

“Wilson? About the wedding . . . ,” she began.

I glanced at her. “Yes?”

“You do know it’s going to be expensive to get a ticket for Joseph at the last minute, right?”

“Yes,” I said.

“And the photographer isn’t cheap, even if there was a cancellation.”

I nodded. “I figured that.”

“And the cake is kind of pricey, too. For a cake, I mean.”

“No problem. It’s for a lot of people, right?”

She looked at me curiously, clearly stumped by my answers. “Well . . . I just wanted to warn you in advance so you won’t get upset.”

“How could I get upset?”

“Oh, you know. Sometimes you get upset when things start getting expensive.”

“I do?”

Jane cocked a brow. “Don’t bother pretending. Don’t you remember how you were with all the renovations? Or when the heat pump kept breaking? You even shine your own shoes. . . .”

I raised my hands in playful surrender. “Okay, you made your point,” I said. “But don’t worry. This is different.” I looked up, knowing I had her attention. “Even if we spend everything we have, it’ll still be worth it.”

She almost choked on her wine and stared at me. Then, after a long moment, she took a sudden step forward and poked my arm with her finger.

“What’s that for?” I asked.

“Just checking to see if you’re really my husband, or if you’ve been replaced by one of the pod-people.”

“Pod-people?”

“Yeah. Invasion of the Body Snatchers. You remember the movie, right?”

“Of course. But it’s really me,” I said.

“Thank goodness,” she said, feigning relief. Then, wonder of wonders, she winked at me. “But I still wanted to warn you.”

I smiled, feeling as if my heart had just been inflated. How long had it been, I wondered, since we’d laughed and joked in the kitchen like this? Months? Years, even? Even though I realized that it might be only temporary, it nonetheless stoked the small flame of hope I had begun to nurture in secret.

The first date that Jane and I went on didn’t go exactly as I’d planned.

I’d made reservations at Harper’s, which was regarded as the best restaurant in town. Also the most expensive. I had enough money to cover the cost of dinner, but I knew I would have to budget the rest of the month to pay my other bills. I’d also planned something special for afterward.

I picked her up in front of her dormitory at Meredith, and the drive to the restaurant took only a few minutes. Our conversation was typical of first dates and simply skimmed the surface of things. We spoke about school and how chilly it was, and I noted that it was a good thing we both brought jackets. I also remember mentioning that I thought her sweater was lovely, and she mentioned that she’d purchased it the day before. Though I wondered if she had done this in anticipation of our date, I knew enough not to ask her directly.

Owing to holiday shoppers, it was difficult to find a space near the