Forever Your Girl Read online

  “There’s my girl.” My grandmother Maxine sashays into the yard, her golden highlights a thing of perfection, her skin smooth and flawless, and her nails a glossy fuchsia. I look like I’ve been traveling all day by way of camel, while she always looks as if she’s just stepped from the spa. “Kisses all around!” Her husband, Sam, trails behind her.

  I laugh as I kiss her silky cheek, inhaling the light air of her floral perfume. “Hello, Granny.”

  She swats my hand at that, then her frozen eyebrows attempt a frown. “What’s wrong?” she whispers.

  I love Charlie, but no one gets me like my Mad Maxine. “Nothing. Just excited to be the grand marshal of the Fourth of July parade.”

  “I hear that sarcasm,” Maxine snips. “But you’re our local celebrity.”

  “I’m hardly famous.”

  “Did you or did you not get invited to the Tony Awards and present with Daveed Diggs?”

  “She did.” Charlie grins. “She’ll be hosting it in no time.”

  “We have a bit of news,” Charlie says as we stand next to Millie’s rose bushes like yard gnomes. “We’ve updated the wedding date. Again.”

  Everyone turns to me, and I put on my best smile. “Yep. We mean it this time.” Or I do. We’ve had two dates rescheduled, and each time the fault has been mine. The theater is a demanding mistress.

  “Don’t keep us in suspense,” Maxine says. “When are you two finally going to make it legal?”

  Charlie reels me into his side and kisses the top of my head. “The last Saturday in January. Assuming the In Between Community Church is available.”

  “We’ll make sure it is,” James says.

  “That’s not much time to plan.” Millie guides us inside, past the living room and into the kitchen, and we follow her like little ducks.

  “Not much time to plan what?” Amy Scott stands at the stove as a kettle cries.

  Amy’s story is as complicated as my wedding date finalization. She’s the Scotts’ only biological child, and after high school, she bought a first-class ticket to crazy town where the in-flight snacks were opioids, and the beverage cart served nothing but Coke and Crown. She flew those not-so-friendly skies for over a decade before checking into a treatment center in the wilds of Montana. Two years later she left, a new person, and is now on staff at James’s church helping families in the throes of addiction.

  “Katie and Charlie have set a new date.” Millie opens the fridge and pulls out a pitcher of lemonade that I know is freshly squeezed for our arrival. “Isn’t that wonderful?”

  Amy pours hot water into a chipped In Between High School mug, and the steam curls around her brown head. “Perhaps third time’s the charm?”

  My smile wobbles as I accept a glass from Millie. “Something like that.” Did I mention that Amy and I had a less than auspicious meet-cute when I first became a foster kid in the Scotts’ home? Neither one of us has forgotten it, and though we avoid the issue, we’ve also never hugged it out and became besties. She currently lives in the small apartment in the back yard the Scotts built for her a handful of years ago. I probably won’t be making too many visits back there to see her.

  “It’s hard to plan when success comes at you nonstop.” Maxine gives me a comforting wink. “Something I know all about. Have I mentioned I’m running for mayor of In Between ?”

  The lemonade tastes tart on my tongue. “What?”

  “Don’t get her started on her platform,” Sam says. “You’ll never get her to quit yapping.”

  Maxine ignores her husband. “Yeah, the previous gal was a total crook and got forced out, and now we have an interim mayor. The town decides the first week of September in an emergency election, and I don’t want to brag.”

  I return to my drink. “Sure, you do.”

  “The informal polls show me in a huge lead.”

  James slips on his apron, a sure sign he’s about to get serious with the food. “Yeah, informal as in Maxine asks everyone at the Burger Barn who they’re voting for.”

  “Don’t forget my sweetie Sam polls the senior center.” Maxine gestures toward the door where the sun begins its descent. “Now, James, fire up that grill for the steaks. We’ve got a wedding to finally plan.”

  Hours later, as the crescent moon levitates above the back deck and the stars blink and twinkle, I stand outside, ignoring the mosquitos and every violent bite they take.

  “Okay, sweet pea, spill it.” Turning, I find Maxine standing behind me. She holds two steaming mugs of coffee and hands me the one that’s been diluted with cream, just like I prefer.

  “Spill what?”

  “Tell me whatever’s going on in that red head of yours.”

  “Nothing.” Holding the mug with both hands, I let the warmth seep into my skin. “What else could be on my mind but wedding plans and giddy happiness?”

  Maxine takes a slurp of her coffee, then narrows her eyes, zeroing in on me like an eagle ready to swoop in on its prey. “Either you talk or I’m going in there and telling James and Millie about the time you got a tattoo in college.”

  “That tattoo is long gone.”

  She toasts me with her drink that I know contains more sugar than the candy bar she’s probably hiding somewhere on her person. “As is the boyfriend whose name was temporarily on your shoulder. But wouldn’t they still love to know all about it?”

  I huff out a breath, then collapse into a blue Adirondack chair. “You wouldn’t understand.”

  “I’ve been married twice. Try me.”

  “Charlie is so…Charlie.”

  “Was there someone else you wanted him to be? Because you know my sister Sylvie in Arkansas is ex-CIA. If you want him turned into someone else, she could make this happen. For a price.”

  “No.”

  Maxine’s still pondering the possibilities. “Maybe a Chris Hemsworth face? Though I’m not sure Charlie has the jawline to pull it off.”

  “I meant, he’s so normal, so grounded and solid.”

  “And you’ll have to live with that?” She rests her hand against her brow like a geriatric Scarlett O’Hara. “What a burden you’ll bear.”

  “I mean, we’re so very different. I’m an actress. I work insane hours that are barely conducive to a life.”

  She leans toward me with a conspiratorial whisper. “I’m pretty sure Charlie’s aware of this.”

  “But he’s on the fast-track in the corporate world. He sees himself running a Disney or Google one day. I’m not cut out to be an executive’s wife. I don’t schmooze. I don’t like cocktail parties. I loathe small talk and have nothing in common with the wives and girlfriends of his co-workers.”

  “So, then hang out with the menfolk. It’s one of my favorite hobbies.”

  “That whole world isn’t for me.” But here’s the real issue. “What if one day Charlie realizes I’m not what he needs?”

  Maxine settles herself in the chair beside me and leans into me. She could not be more in my space if she used my left nostril to draw air. “Is that what you’ve been waiting for?”

  “I don’t know how to be a wife. How do I know if I’m ready?”

  “Hon, no one’s ready. It’s like senior citizen mud wrestling. You don’t wait until you’re ready. You just tighten your bikini top and jump in.”

  Ugh. “When have you ever—”

  “Stay on topic. We’re talking about you and your insecurities. Sweet pea, do you love Charlie?”

  “Yes. Very much.”

  “And he adores you. What else do you need to know?”

  “I—”

  “You don’t have to have everything figured out. You’re an engaged woman. And you’re going to marry a boy you’ve probably loved since tenth grade. If that isn’t a fairy tale romance, I don’t know what is. Sweetie, if I had even an inkling that Charlie wasn’t the right hot dude for you, I’d happily be plotting a way to break you kids up. But I’m not. Because I believe in you two. And minus my ordering sushi at Gus’s Getch
er Gas last night, my instincts are pretty spot on.”

  I want to believe her. I want to hope I don’t marry Charlie, and five years later he wakes up and realizes he got it all wrong. “This is scary stuff. I didn’t expect that.”

  “Is that why you’ve postponed the wedding twice?”

  I don’t want to think about that right now. “Work got in the way.”

  “Hmph.” She ponders her black coffee. “Big life changes often are scary. But babe, they’re sure worth it.”

  I know Maxine’s right. I’m not sure why my head and heart can’t get in alignment. “There is one thing I’m absolutely certain of.”

  “What’s that, toots?”

  “I want you to be my matron of honor.”

  Maxine covers her gasp with a well-manicured hand. “Me?” Her eyes pool with tears. “Are you sure?”

  “You’re my best friend. There’s no one else I’d want by my side.”

  “Or to clothesline you when you attempt to escape down the aisle?”

  “That too.”

  She pats her arm. “My biceps and I stand ready.”

  One wedding detail finalized. “I think this is finally happening.”

  “And that’s a good thing.” Her bracelets clank as she tweaks my chin. “For the bachelorette party, do you want the guy jumping from the cake to be naked or on fire?”

  “Neither.”

  “This isn’t Bachelorette Party: Amish Edition.”

  I smile, but a dark thought squeezes my conscience and begs to be shared. “I’ve been praying for God to give me confirmation that marrying Charlie is truly the right thing to do.”

  She blinks at the topic change. “Asking for signs?”

  “Yes.”

  “Here’s you a sign,” Maxine says. “Your darling grandmother says it’s the right thing to do.”

  “Did God tell you that?”

  “Jesus and I are like this.” She holds up two crossed fingers.

  Just as I’m about to tell her about my missing engagement ring, my phone buzzes from its place on the picnic table. Walking to it, I read the screen. “It’s my agent. I should take this.”

  “Okie dokie.” Maxine shoots me some sassy pistol fingers. “I’ll be inside calling guys for your bachelorette party. Do you mind seventy-year olds? Leroy Sykes is very fit.”

  I wave her away and answer my phone. “Hi, Mary.”

  “Katie, have I got news for you.”

  I glance down at my hand, where an engagement ring should be. “I guess I have a little news myself.”

  Chapter Three

  “Hold your news.” My agent smacks her ever-present nicotine gum in my ear. “I guarantee mine’s better. Are you sitting down?”

  I settle back into my chair, watching Millie’s potted herbs dance in the breeze. “Yes.”

  “Well, get to your feet because… you got a part!”

  “That’s great.”

  “Great?”

  I review the handful of plays I’d auditioned for in the last month, many of them lead and supporting roles. “Let me guess, Rizzo in that revival of Grease?”

  “Not even close, babe. Are you ready for this?”

  My heart returns to that frantic gallop, and despite the humidity, my skin pebbles with a chill. “Tell me.”

  “Katie, you got the part.”

  “No.”

  “I’m talking to the next Amelia Earhart, star of the next Broadway smash Amelia Takes Off. Girl, this thing is going to be huge.”

  “Mary, that’s impossible.”

  “You’re the star! Do you have any idea who you beat out for the role?” She lists off a handful of familiar names, a few of whom I now call friends.

  “Are you sure?” I’d auditioned on a whim—a lark. The role was too big, too famous. It was meant for some Hollywood A-lister or a recognized Broadway star.

  “The director loved you. She said you had an it quality she hasn’t seen in years. Says she adored you in The Widow.”

  Shock sings through my blood. “Thank you. This is amazing.”

  “Block out your schedule for the next two years.”

  “Two years?”

  “Didn’t I tell you? She’s already got this thing majorly financed. That’s how big of a sure bet this production is. Rumor is, Elton John is one of the backers.”

  Two years of consistency, of steady work. “So, a little update for you—my fiancé and I set a wedding date tonight.”

  “Is that so?” My agent cackles in my ear. “Better get married fast. In two months, you report for duty. You won’t have more than a day off for ages.”

  “But—”

  “Either get married now or do it in a couple of years.”

  I repeat her words in horror. “Get married now?”

  “I don’t care which, but starting September 4, you’re nobody’s lady but the theater’s.”

  “Katie’s getting married now!” I hear from inside the house.

  I spin around, only to find Maxine lurking behind the screen door, her face stretched in a wild grin. She jumps up and down, clapping her hands in jubilant glee. “My Katie’s getting married now.”

  Numb, I end the call with my agent and step back into the house.

  Charlie stands by the kitchen sink, holding a plate and wearing a ridiculous grin. “I don’t think folks in the next town heard, Maxine. Care to repeat it?”

  “Katie was on the phone with her agent.” Maxine addresses the room as if unwinding a grand story. “Not that I was eavesdropping, but I heard Katie say she got a part.”

  “I was outside,” I remind my favorite snoop. “With the door shut.”

  “Privacy is overrated.” Maxine returns to her update. “Then I heard her very loud agent say Katie got her dream role.”

  At that, I can’t help but smile. “I got the lead in a new play. On Broadway.”

  “Katie, that’s wonderful.” Millie sets down a steaming pan of peach cobbler, then wraps me in a hug. What follows next is a huge squeal fest. Everyone piles on me, and together we jump up and down, shouting and laughing. “My girl’s going big time!”

  Soon I’ve been squeezed and congratulated by everyone. Everyone except my fiancé. “Charlie?”

  Charlie grabs my faces and kisses me like we’re the only two in the room. “I’m so proud of you, Katie. When does it start?”

  My heart makes a slow sink toward the floor. “In two months.”

  His hands fall away and tuck behind his back. “What?”

  “I start in two months.”

  Maxine pops her head between us. “That agent said Katie would be working nonstop for the next year few years. So, you know what that means, don’t you?”

  I can hardly breathe. “That you back up, so I’m not staring at your chin hairs?”

  She takes a step in reverse. “It means you guys gotta get married right away.”

  Is the air thinning in this room? There seems to be a distinct lack of oxygen available. “That’s not what that means.”

  “That’s exactly what your agent said—you need to do it pronto, or you won’t have a chance for ages.” Maxine skips to the stove and dishes out a serving of cobbler for herself. It’s large enough to feed the entire family. “Sounds like you kids need to speed up these nuptials.”

  My pulse escalates at the very idea. Is this what cardiac arrest feels like? A coronary? “I don’t think—”

  “When will your next break be?” Charlie asks. I can tell from the way his head’s angled and his brows slant that he’s really giving this serious thought.

  “I…I don’t get one. I mean, sure, I could ask off for a few days later in the season, but that’s not what the new kid with the lead role needs to do.”

  James retrieves some spoons from a drawer. “I know a preacher who’s available.”

  “What about a destination wedding?” Maxine pulls her phone from her pocket, clicks and swipes, then produces a scenic photo. “Helen Chang’s granddaughter got married
in Scotland this past February. It’s very windy there.” She pulls up another picture and chuckles. “Helen had a total skirt alert. Caught a swift gale off the loch, and everyone saw her bloomers.”

  “Are you talking about Emily Chang?” Millie pulls the lid on a carton of vanilla ice cream. “Sweet first-grade teacher, who goes to our church?”

  “That’s the one.” Maxine shows us a photo of Emily in her wedding dress, a halo of flowers around her head.

  “She’s already filed for divorce.”

  My stomach sinks at this definite lack of happily ever after. “How about we discuss this later? Charlie and I have only had minutes to absorb my news.”

  “I think a destination wedding sounds great,” Charlie says. “How about next month?”

  What? No, too soon! Too soon, people. “Or we could wait until the show’s run a while—maybe a year?” I smile reassuringly. “People in the military do things like this all the time—lengthy waits due to work. Same with astronauts. Can’t get married when you’re on Mars for a year, eh?” I hear the irrational edge to my voice and try to take it down a notch. “What’s our rush?”

  “Because we’ve already rescheduled a few times. And because we want to be married.” Charlie reaches for my hand. “I’m ready. Aren’t you?”

  “Sure she is,” Maxine shouts. “She’s been ready to be Mrs. Benson for longer than I’ve been president of the In Between Justin Timberlake fan club.”

  Sam leans toward Amy. “That would be a ridiculously long time.”

  Maxine takes a giant bite of cobbler, and her cheeks fill like a squirrel’s. “I know a divine travel agent.”

  “A destination wedding would be a cheaper option.” James catches his wife’s glare. “Not that you need to worry about that. But the church is booked through the fall.”

  “I’ll pay for your wedding party to attend,” Maxine offers. “And a big celebration when you return. It’ll be my gift.”

  “Kind of hard to turn that down, isn’t it?” Charlie leans down and kisses my cheek, his gray eyes intense on mine. “What do you say? Want to get married next month?”

  My eyes take in the room, and I nearly melt at all the expectant gazes trained right on me.