“So don’t see him. But take the wedding. Make the money. Pay off your apartment and claim that as your prize. They’re getting married, and that sucks. But Elly, you can gain from this travesty, and you SHOULD. Haven’t you earned that much?”
Elly leaned back against the bench, agitated but thoughtful. “I never considered actually doing the wedding. Wouldn’t that be saying that it was okay? That I was lying down and taking it?”
Keith stood up and started pacing. “No, it wouldn’t. It would be saying that you are doing fine without them. It would be saying that you have overcome your past. Elly, you drastically underestimate your own strength.”
She was touched by Keith’s fierce belief in her. “Thank you Keith. That means a lot to me.”
Keith growled at her. “I’m not trying to make you feel good. I’m trying to talk some sense into you.”
Elly paused, a witty retort sharp on her tongue. It started to fade when she realized that Keith was making sense. It killed her to do it, but why shouldn’t she profit from Aaron’s infidelity in some little way? He might be a bastard, but she was a professional. And she was good at her job. She was the best florist in Clayton, for crying out loud. Maybe even in all of St. Louis. She could design circles around those other stuffy designers, all puffed up with perfume and flower dye. But still, there was no possible way.
“Keith, I…I just can’t. I don’t have it in me.”
Keith was circling around Elly, making her quite dizzy. “Have you thought about the repercussions for NOT taking this wedding?”
Elly’s combative mood faltered. She hadn’t considered the consequences. All she had to do was picture Lucia in a wedding dress, and she was thrown into a flurry of illogical emotion. Yes, there would be consequences. Sunny was a very prominent member of the St. Louis social hierarchy, with connections to many socialite charities and hospital boards. Elly imagined that once she abruptly dropped her daughter’s wedding, Sunny would speak ill of her to all her friends and acquaintances. Elly might lose some business, but wasn’t it worth it? Wasn’t it?
Sensing Elly’s inner conflict, Keith sat down beside her on the bench. He hesitantly put his hand on her shoulder. “Elly. Tell me this, how much more of your life are you going to let him control?”
It was the right question. For the next two hours, in the secret park, Keith and Elly discussed every possibility until her hands were damp and stiff, her skin swelling with moisture. She cried, she ranted and Keith took it all in. The sun dipped behind the horizon, and the weather went from pleasantly chilly to a damp cold. They walked back in silence, Keith holding Cadbury’s leash and Elly staring off into the distance, deep in thought, her hands shoved into her green sweater pockets. They arrived in front of Elly’s shop.
“Would you like to come up for apple pie?”
Keith declined politely. “No, it seems like you need to time to evaluate things. You know, consider it, think it through…maybe eat some cheese...”
Elly nodded, taking Cadbury’s leash from him. “Keith, I don’t know how to thank you. You are possibly the best listener I’ve ever met.”
Keith waved his hand at her, obviously embarrassed. “Don’t worry about it. Give what I said some thought.”
“I will. I promise. Goodnight.”
Keith looked into her eyes. “Goodnight Eleanor.”
Elly felt a small thrill rush through her body. Aside from Sunny, only her mother called her Eleanor. Hearing it warmed her heart and brought tears to her eyes.
After putting Cadbury into her bed, Elly sat in the dark, staring out at the street below. Her answering machine showed that Isaac had called three times, but she didn’t have the energy to talk to him. Instead, she sipped mulled apple cider with rum and stared out the window. Even though she knew she should be thinking only about Aaron and the wedding, she wasn’t. She was thinking of her mother. She was up at one in the morning when the first raindrop fell, the thunder rattling her windows, and at four am when the downpour ceased. At six am, exhausted, she climbed into her bed, said a quick prayer, and dialed Anthony’s voicemail.
“We need to have an emergency meeting tomorrow morning,” Elly paused, rubbing her bloodshot eyes. “No, scratch that, tomorrow afternoon. Bring Snarky Teenager with you.” She paused. “We’re doing the wedding.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY
Elly looked into the mirror above her small fireplace. Her blond curls were pinned up against her head, and her tortoiseshell glasses reflected the light. She hooked small snowflake earrings into her ears and dashed on some tinted lip-gloss. Her dark jeans hung loosely around her hips, and her pale pink button down shirt clung tightly to her bra.