Page 2 of Only Be Mine

Outside, I looked up and down the deserted street. “Where’s your car?”

“Jim dropped me off. His car’s still in the shop.”

I dug around in my purse until I found my keys. I used the key fob to unlock the doors of my brand new Lexus SUV and pushed my hair out of my face. “In that case… You hungry?”

“Starving.”

I laughed, “Then let’s get out of here.”

Moe’s Café was the greatest restaurant I’d ever been to. It smelled like grease, coffee, and nostalgia. Trevor hated the place. He said it looked “unclean,” which was dramatic even for him, but it was still my favorite. A new neon sign blinked Eat at Moe’s above the door. I missed the old wooden one, but the world moved on whether you wanted it to or not.

Inside, teal booths lined the walls and a vintage jukebox played quietly in the corner, the whisper of Ellie Goulding singing “Love Me Like You Do.” Amy and I took a booth near the back. As soon as I sat, she gave me a look - one of those gentle, probing, mother-hen looks she’d perfected since her daughter Grace was born.

“What?” I asked.

“What’s going on with you?”

I raised my arm into the air, choosing to wave down a waitress rather than answering. Last night’s hangover still pressed behind my temples - Amy’s fault, mostly - and I needed food before this conversation turned into an interrogation.

The waitress stopped at our table, pen ready.

“Cheeseburger, fries, and a strawberry milkshake,” I said quickly.

“Sure thing,” the waitress looked to Amy, who handed her menu back without opening it.

“Just a salad.”

“You got it. Anything else?”

Amy shook her head, but before the waitress could walk away, I stopped her. “Just a second.” I leaned across the table, “You can’t have just a salad. Come on, I’m buying.”

She gave me a look with pursed lips that clearly said “no.”

I sighed. “And a chicken sandwich for her. Light mayo.”

Amy glared at me across the table. “I have to fit into my dress tomorrow. So do you.”

“It’ll fit,” I muttered.

She crossed her arms, eyebrows lifted.

Here we go.

“What’s going on with you, Cate? You’re acting like you don’t even care about all this, about your wedding.”

The worst part was that she wasn’t wrong. I cared; I just didn’t know how to hold onto the joy without it slipping through my fingers.

“Shh!” I hissed. “Don’t say that so loud.”

“Why not? You think people can’t tell?”

My stomach tightened. I stared down at my hands, at the little half-moon dents where my nails had dug into my palms earlier at Mr. Woo’s.

After a long beat, I whispered, “Do you think Trevor knows?”

Amy’s expression softened. “He asked Jim if anything was wrong. Jim asked me. I said it was stress. Just some pre-wedding jitters.” She paused. “But it’s not, is it?”

I swallowed. “Remember John?”