28. Winnie

winnie

. . .

Late Saturday morning, I went to the salon with my mom for a manicure, which she’d scheduled as a surprise for me.

At first, I balked at taking the time out of my day for a personal indulgence—I wanted to oversee the table setting on the patio at Cloverleigh Farms, make sure the tent was up, ensure heaters were there and working, check in with the chef, and go over my notes with her on the evening’s menu.

But my mother would hear none of it.

“Come on, it’s one hour. And you need to relax a little before your big night,” she scolded at the breakfast table. “Plus I took the morning off just to spend it with you, so you have to deal with me.”

I gave in eventually, and we headed into town around eleven. As my mom checked us in at the salon, I took a seat on a pink velvet couch and pulled out my phone to send a quick text to Ellie. Hey, my mom sprung some mother-daughter bonding time on me. Can you pick me up at 3:00 instead of 2:00?

A moment later I heard my name.

“Winnie’s here!”

I looked up in surprise and saw Hallie and Luna racing toward me. “Oh my goodness! Hi, girls!” Sticking my phone back into my bag, I rose to my feet as they barreled into me.

I laughed as they threw their arms around my waist. They were dressed casually in jeans and zip-up hoodies, but their hair was formally styled—Hallie’s usual straight locks cascaded past her shoulders in soft waves, and the front was twisted back and held in place with sprigs of baby’s breath. Luna’s curls were soft and shiny, and she wore a headband decorated with flowers.

“You two look beautiful,” I told them, admiring their tresses. “Is this for the wedding?”

“Yes. We’re flower girls,” Luna said excitedly.

“But this isn’t what we’re wearing.” Hallie gestured to their casual clothing. “Our dresses are at home.”

“Oooh, what do they look like?” I asked.

“They’re sparkly on top and swishy on the bottom,” said Luna, twirling in a circle.

I smiled. “What color?”

“The top part is gold and the bottom part is ivory.” Hallie pointed at her sister. “Hers is short and mine is longer. I wanted a long dress.”

“I bet they’re so pretty.” I touched her dark waves. “Your hair looks gorgeous.”

“What’s this?” My mother came over and smiled at the girls.

“Don’t they look pretty? It’s their mom’s wedding today.”

“That’s right!” Glancing around, my mom spotted a woman I assumed was Naomi in one of the chairs and waved. She smiled and waved back.

I smiled too, although my stomach felt funny knowing I was looking at Dex’s former wife. She was very pretty, with blond hair and fair skin, and I saw the resemblance to Luna right away.

Hallie tugged at my hand. “What are you doing here?”

Tearing my eyes from the bride, I looked down at the little girl. “Getting my nails done with my mom.”

“Where’s Piglet?” Luna asked. “Did she come with you?”

“No, Piglet doesn’t like to travel, so she’s back in Rhode Island. I have someone to watch her for me.”

“Does she like her new house now?”

I put out my hand and tilted it this way and that. “She’s still getting used to it. How’s Freddie Purrcury?”

“Good,” Hallie said. “Daddy says he’s rude but we love him.”

I laughed. “What does he do that’s rude?”

But just then, Naomi walked up. “Hello. You must be Winnie?”

“Yes.” Nervous, I offered a hand. “It’s nice to meet you. You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” She shook my hand with a cool, firm grip. “I’m Naomi. Nice to meet you too. The girls talk about you all the time.”

I smiled at them. “They’re such great girls.”

“How was your move?”

“Oh, you know. It was a move,” I said, wondering what else she knew about me. “But I like my new job and I’m settling in.”

“Good.” Her smile seemed genuine, and I returned it.

“You look gorgeous, Naomi,” my mother said. “I can’t wait to see pictures.”

“Thanks, Frannie.” Naomi smiled warmly at my mom. “How are you?”

“I’m wonderful this weekend since I have my Winifred home.” My mom put an arm around me and squeezed. “I’m not going to want to let her go again.”

“It’s hard being away from your kids.” She looked down at her daughters. “What do you say, girls? Should we head out?”

“Bye, girls,” I said, giving each of them a hug. “It was so good to see you.”

“Bye, Winnie. We’ll still see you tomorrow, right?” Hallie looked up at me imploringly. “Daddy said we will.”

I nodded, although the thought of facing Dex made my chest feel hollow. “Yes, I’ll see you in the morning.”

They filed out, and I waved through the glass as they passed in front of the salon. Then I put my hand on my stomach and took a breath.

“You okay?” my mom asked, concerned.

“I’m fine,” I said. “It’s just a big day, and my nerves are a little jittery.”

“It’s going to be great.” She put an arm around my shoulder as we walked back to the nail stations. “Have some faith.”

Later that night, Ellie and I sat at the bar at Cloverleigh Farms, toasting our success. The event we’d planned had sold out and gone off without a hitch. The guests had raved about everything from the setting to the food to the service, we’d sold a ton of wine at the end of the night, and both Henry DeSantis and Mr. Fournier, who’d been on the premises but stayed out of sight, were thoroughly impressed. As an added bonus, Ellie and I’d had a ball together—it had hardly felt like work.

“Cheers.” Ellie tapped her whiskey glass to mine. “Here’s to the first of hopefully many ventures together.”

“Definitely.” I drank with her. “That was so much fun.”

“I wish you didn’t live so far away,” she said with a pout.

“Me too.” I stared at the whiskey in my glass. “I love my new job, but... I don’t know. Something just doesn’t feel right. I don’t feel right in my skin.”

She sat up straighter and rubbed my back. “I’m sorry. That was selfish of me to say. Give yourself some time to get used to things there, Win. It’s only been a couple weeks, and you’re coming off a shitty breakup. I’m not sure you’d feel right in your skin anywhere, even here.”

“That’s true.” I took another sip. “Seeing him yesterday sucked.” I’d told Ellie all about my run-in with him on the porch. “I can’t imagine still living next door to him.”

She tipped her head onto my shoulder. “Yeah.”

I squeezed my eyes shut. “I don’t want to see him tomorrow.”

“I don’t blame you.”

“Can I cancel?”

Ellie sighed. “I don’t know. That would disappoint the kids, wouldn’t it?”

“Yeah. But I saw them this morning, right?” I shook my head. “And I just can’t face him and pretend my heart isn’t breaking.”

She sighed. “See? This is why love sucks. I don’t know why everyone thinks it’s so great.”

For once, I didn’t argue with her.

Just before Ellie and I left Cloverleigh Farms, I sent Dex a text.

Sorry to cancel on you, but I can’t make it tomorrow morning. I’ll email the girls. Take care.

I felt awful—like a coward—but told myself there was no other way.

Someone had to protect my heart.