Dad moved away from the table. “Then stop talking like that.”
Claire got up, went outside, and her bedroom door slammed shut in the hallway. No one followed her. I sat there while my parents turned her warning into bitterness, into jealousy, and Claire, quite simply, into Claire.
The following evening was my bachelorette party. Balloons. Sparkling cocktails. Way too much pink. I was trying to savor my happiness when Claire arrived late, her hair still wet from the rain, dressed in her work clothes.
She found me near the bar. “Alice,” she said, sounding rushed, “cancel the wedding.”
I stared at her. “What did you just say?”
“Please. Cancel it.”
“For what?”
“I can’t explain it right now.”
I could feel all eyes turning towards us. “So you came here to ruin my evening, just for the fun of it?”
Claire grabbed my wrist. “Please, listen to me…”
