Page 26 of Not Just Gal Pals

Hey Jenny! Long time, no see. How are you doing? Let me know if you feel like coming over one night this week. I miss you.

Frowning, I opened Instagram and searched for Jeremy’s profile, clicking on the latest photo of him and his fiancée, posted yesterday. They were kissing, and the caption read, How will I survive a week without this gorgeous human? Have fun in Hawaii, babe.

My stomach turned. What a jerk. Amanda was right, I really was terrible at ignoring red flags.

“How’s my wedding planner extraordinaire?” I jumped and turned to find Amanda standing a few feet from me, holding a tray with two takeout coffees from Novel Gossip.

“Hi! I wasn’t expecting you for another hour. How’s my favorite bride to be?” I grabbed the coffee with the J written on it. “Thank you!”

“The principal let me leave early, so I thought I’d see if there was anything I could help with. And I’m good. Nervous, but good.” Amanda smiled, brushing her hair behind her ear.

“I think everything’s under control. I’m just putting out the name cards as per your seating plan.” Usually, I’d tell Amanda all about Jeremy’s douchery, but complaining about men being dicks the night before she got married didn’t seem like the best move.

“This doesn’t look like my seating plan. Why is Blake sitting next to Evie?” Amanda raised an eyebrow.

I squinted at her. “I don’t know what you’re playing at, but it hasn’t slipped my attention that you sat me and Blake together tonight and tomorrow. You know things are strained between us. Blake already saw the wedding seating plan, so I can’t change that, but I would actually like to have a nice time tonight, so I took matters into my own hands.”

Amanda raised her eyebrows, a mischievous look on her face. “Oh, when did Blake see the wedding seating plan?”

Damn. I could feel my treacherous cheeks warm at Amanda’s words. “I ran into her at Novel Gossip on Sunday, and she had a quick look at it. Most of the changes I sent you were at her suggestion. For someone who seems so aloof, she’s surprisingly tuned in when it comes to Sapphire Springs’ gossip.”

A sly grin formed on her face. “Oh, is that right? That’s funny. When I was getting these coffees, George just happened to mention that you and Blake had a nice little excursion to Red Tractor Farm on Tuesday and that she helped you with the wedding favor bags. For someone you don’t like, you’re spending a lot of time with her. Is there anything you’d like to tell me?”

I glared at Amanda, silently cursing George, although I couldn’t help but wonder exactly what Blake had said to George about our joint activities. “Excuse me, do you want a wedding planner or not? Just because we’ve spent some time together to save our mutual friend’s wedding, and we both date women, doesn’t mean we’re into each other. Seriously. Shouldn’t you be getting ready for dinner or something?”

Amanda’s phone pinged, and she pulled it out of her pocket, frowning as she read the message. “Well, you’re in luck. Blake needs to make a house call tonight, so she’s sent her apologies for the dinner.”

An unexpected wave of disappointment washed over me. Despite moving her name card, I’d apparently still been looking forward to seeing her.

Amanda continued to stare at her phone, a wry smile on her face. “God, Blake is shocking with texts. She reminds me of my dad. Seriously, look at this.” Amanda shoved her phone in front of my face.

I took a step back and let my eyes adjust.

Would you like to grab brunch this Saturday at Novel Gossip? I was thinking maybe 11am? x A

OK.

Thanks again for planning the bachelorette party with Jenny. It was great!

Urgent house call. Can’t make dinner. Sorry.

Amanda shook her head. “I’m sure she probably feels terrible she won’t be able to come, but her text really does not give that vibe at all.”

I laughed loudly, far too pleased for my liking. Clearly, I shouldn’t take Blake’s abrupt messages too personally. She was just hopeless at texting.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

JENNY

I blinked away a tear as Amanda and Peter stood between two gnarled apple trees near the barn, exchanging their vows. The green-gold leaves of the apple trees were glowing in the afternoon sun, and behind them was a gorgeous red maple, its leaves blazing crimson.

They were looking at each other with such adoration my heart hurt with happiness. And also, if I was being honest, with a twinge of envy for what Amanda and Peter had together. I wanted that. So much. But with my dating track record, it felt completely unattainable.

I snuck a glance at Blake. She was two bridesmaids away from me, looking smoking hot in a shirt made of the same fabric as the other bridesmaids’ dresses and a blue tailored suit, watching Amanda and Peter with a faint smile on her face. I was glad Amanda had been totally fine with Blake wearing a suit. Some other brides might be less accommodating for their gender-nonconforming friends.

So far, the wedding was going smoothly. I’d sent a few updates to Miriam, letting her know things were under control. I’d never met her, but given how often we’d talked over the past few weeks, she was starting to feel like a friend. The only thing I was waiting on, and that was potentially not under control, was the cake. The lack of cake was the reason for the heavy, unsettled sensation in my stomach.

The baker from a nearby town had promised to deliver the cake over an hour ago, and he still wasn’t here. Before the ceremony started, I’d called him multiple times, left a voice message and sent a text, all of which had gone unanswered. When I wasn’t tearing up over Amanda and Peter exchanging vows or stealing glances at Blake, I’d been keeping an anxious eye out for him.