“What?” Nicole said, annoyed.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Well she seems like a nice girl,” Marcie cooed.
“That’s one way of putting it,” her mother muttered.
Nicole couldn’t even focus. She hated that her jealousy had reared its ugly head again so quickly. She’d told herself that she wasn’t going to let things like this bother her. After all, Red had shown no interest in hiring Gia—he’d made it perfectly clear that he was fine with hiring Rick, and Nicole had been the one to push the girl back into the mix.
And now she was resenting Red for it, which made no sense.
“I hired her,” Nicole said. “She’s a nice young girl with an impeccable resume.”
“That’s not the only thing that’s impeccable about her,” Nicole’s mother quipped.
Marcie stifled a laugh. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I can’t help it. The girl has some serious assets. I’ll give her that.”
And now the two older women were cracking up, laughing so hard they were practically in tears.
Nicole sat on her couch in a state of shock at what her life had become.
***
The rest of the day, Nicole’s tension only grew.
Her mother and Marcie were long gone, and she was glad of that. Truth be told, they’d accomplished a lot in their time together. She’d picked a venue for both the ceremony and the reception (The Branford Mansion near the University of Connecticut), chosen what kind of flowers and tablecloths she wanted, and finally decided on a design for the invitations.
But by the time the wedding planner had left, Nicole was starting to second-guess her decision to hire Marcie. The woman was obnoxious, boisterous and overbearing. And she seemed to be a package deal with Nicole’s mother, which was perhaps the worst part of it all.
Nicole went and took a very long, hot bath and tried to soak away her tension.
She kept her cellphone on the edge of the bathtub and watched it with an eagle eye, hoping that Red might find just a moment or two of free time to call or text her and tell her he loved and missed her.
Nicole had begun thinking wistfully back to their time together in the cabin, when none of their worldly problems had interfered with their love. Now it seemed like the whole world was conspiring against them, keeping them further and further apart as their respective responsibilities increased.
Red was so busy with this new company and it was almost all he thought about or did, day and night. Of course she knew that was what it took to start a new business, but she at least hoped that he could spare a brief second to say he loved her.
And now this wedding was growing into something bigger than she’d really intended, but Nicole didn’t know how to stop it. She needed Red to really help her understand what people he truly wanted to have attend the wedding, and who he didn’t want or care either way about.
Stay calm, Nicole reminded herself, as she sat in the tub soaking until the skin on her hands and feet began to resemble prunes.
Stay calm. Tomorrow morning it will all get better. We’ll settle this ridiculous guest list once and for all and I can start to relax.
That night, Red came home so late from work that Nicole was already sleeping in the master bedroom. She’d fallen asleep with the TV on, watching bad reality shows about bitchy rich housewives. It had been the wrong choice of viewing material for the kind of mood she was in.
Red woke her up as he was settling into bed for the night.
“Hey,” she said, groggy from sleep. “What time is it?”
“Late,” he replied. “Go back to sleep, babe.” He slid under the covers and rubbed her back.
“I miss you. What were you doing so late?”
“Working on this pitch for Erikson Bikes. They could be a huge first client if we get it right.”
“Was Gia there?”
“She works at the company, honey. You’re not thinking straight—you’re half asleep.”
Nicole lifted her head and gave him an angry look. “I’m not half asleep. I know Gia works with you. But was she there until you left tonight?”
He sighed. “Yes.”
“Who else stayed?”
“I don’t know. Pretty much everyone.”
For some reason, Nicole was becoming convinced that it wasn’t just everyone staying late and working together, sharing little jokes and fleeting, flirtatious touches. It was just Red and Gia, and now he was lying because he knew she’d be angry with him if she knew.
“You could have at least called me, Red.”
“I’m sorry. I just got so caught up at work, babe.” He moved close to her and kissed her neck.
The warmth of his body and his affection soothed her a little bit. “You can still call me and just say you love me,” she whispered.
“I will, from now on. You know how much I need you and love you, though. Right?”
She nodded, snuggling close to him.