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It’s Dece late Way late So late, I don’t even stop to retrieve the bag of Skittles that tuh the Departures terazines and e that’s picked today of all days to bust a wheel
“Sorry, buddies,” I huff underof candy trampled under the feet of five hundred other last-minute holiday travelers “Can’t stop! It’s every sucker for himself”
I slow to a jog as I reach the board Atlanta … Atlanta … I let out a groan as I see the gate flash up Forty-two As in, forty-tays forin the next ten minutes flat
My phone buzzes as I take off down the hallway I shift my purse to my other arm and pick up in time to hear my best friend, Juliet, wail, “Where are you?”
“I’round of super-slow tourists with their backpacks hiked up high “Hello!” I glare at theet the hell out of
“Lacey, Lacey?” Juliet is still wailing “You said you’d be here already, and the yard is a ’s a disaster!”
Another voice co annoyed “I’d be finished sewing if you didn’t keep changing your mind about the lace”
“I didn’t change er Or do you think I should leave it? I don’t know anyain “You see? I can’t do this without you”
“Since when did you turn into such a Bridezilla?” I catch“Man, I should’ve run cross-country in college Or, you knoalked up to our apart the elevator”
“Elevator?” Juliet interrupts “Lacey, what are you talking about? This is oing to have, and I need it to be perfect!”
“Relax,” I order her I stopfor a moment, and step back out of the flow of traffic into an alcove I’ve no idea why Juliet has lost her mind, but it’s my job as her BFF and e she’s clambered up on
“Everything will be fine,” I tell her in a soothing voice “I’ll be there in a few hours, we’ll have a crazy bachelorette night, and tomorroe’ll set up the yard like a winter frosted wonderland Brit will be done with the dress, just like she says I pro to be perfect”
Juliet catches her breath “Promise?” she asks in a hopeful voice
“I promise, babe” I smile “Like a picture postcard White ribbons and baby’s breath and all the lace you need If I could order you up a gentle dusting of snoould”
“Don’t say that!” Juliet yelps “A blizzard reck my hair!”
I laugh “Chill, Jules Go work out some of this stress on your hunk of a fiancé, OK? You’re probably driving hi”
“He went to go hang out with Garrett and Hunter,” Juliet sounds sheepish “Said to call when I stopped acting like a crazy person”
“There you go” I laugh again at the thought of stoic, silent Eo find hiet there Everything’s going to be fine”
“OK,” Juliet sighs, but she sounds calmer already “Love you”
“Love you too” I hang up, sending a silent prayer to the Gods of Winter Weddings that everything I’ve promised does actually come true
This weekend was supposed to be a slice of (vanilla raspberry frosted) cake, and up until this , it was An intimate, small-town ceremony in Beachwood Bay: just Emerson, Juliet, and their closest friends and faan Siht I could afford back froet me over on the East Coast with barely any tiht down to the (sexy yet flattering) brides, but I know, about a et there And with Juliet in this state, nothing can go wrong
I check the tiain Six minutes Oh crap!
I lurch out of the alcove at full-speed—and barrel straight into so past
“Oof!” The breath is knocked clean out of me, and I stu ar me back to my feet
“Lacey?”
I blink, staring up into a very familiar pair of brown eyes: the color of dark caramel, thickly-lashed, and full of surprise, but just as devastating as they ever were
“Daniel,” I gulp, feeling ht red Of course, of all the ti and scatter-brained and have trashy tabloidout of my purse “Umm, hey! How are you! I haven’t seen you since …” I stop, the words dying in my throat as I remember what happened over the summer, when Juliet brutally dumped Daniel for the love of her life, Emerson