Catch My Breath. Lynn Montagano
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my gosh. Alastair is nothing like Nathan. He has manners. I’m willing to bet he’d treat you like a princess.”
“It started like this with Nathan, too. Remember? He was all charming and fun, then wham! I couldn’t even make eye contact with another guy if he was in the same room.” I swallowed hard. “He broke me. I didn’t see it coming, but it happened. When I realized it, I was in too deep and…”
I stared at the floor, annoyed. Even now, he still had control over me. Bastard.
“Give Alastair the benefit of the doubt,” Stephanie said softly.
“We’ll see what happens next weekend at the cocktail party. Why is it you two were discussing him?” Stephanie and Darren engaged in more gossip-based conversations than anyone else on the planet. It was an obsession with them.
“Because you won’t. And because Darren knows him. He also overhears stuff from the girls in the office. They’re all enamored with him. Remember that blonde from the benefit? Sarah? Apparently, she’s been trying to get in Alastair’s pants for years.”
Jealousy cut through me like a hot blade. I had zero right to feel this way. He wasn’t mine or anything but the thought of him even flirting with another woman made my skin crawl. I slumped into my seat, looking out the window. I still had to reconcile what happened yesterday. Now that I was away from his magnetic sphere, I could think rationally. I shouldn’t have succumbed so readily to his seductive charms.
I stared out as green field after green field sped by alongside the train. I needed to quiet my mind and stop obsessing over this. My sister was getting married in a few days. That’s where my focus ought to be.
When we finally arrived in Gretna Green, we were greeted by a very excited bride-to-be. Seeing my little sister was always a treat. I missed her terribly.
“Did you guys have fun exploring Glasgow this weekend?” Dayna asked as we piled into the cab.
“Your sister did,” Stephanie volunteered. I glared at her.
Dayna fixed a curious stare on me. “What does she mean, Lia?”
“Nothing,” I said firmly. My sister’s eyes widened, but she didn’t press the issue.
“By the way, mom is on the rampage. She’s not real big on the wedding planner they have on staff at the castle. When I left to meet you guys, they were arguing over how the napkins should be folded.”
I burst out laughing. “If I ever get married, I’m eloping.”
“You will not.” She playfully chided me. “Any imperfections that mom notices at my wedding will get totally micromanaged for yours.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I snorted. The cab came to a rolling stop in front of Auchen Castle. Despite the gloomy gray skies, it was like entering a fairytale. When we walked in to the main foyer, I immediately saw our mother talking with the wedding planner.
“My girls,” Lillian Meyers exclaimed, hugging both of us. “Excuse me for a second.” She strutted back to a short, stout woman holding cloth napkins.
“Celeste, we can’t have these folded like that. People won’t be able to see the silverware.”
Dayna and I exchanged amused glances. Our mother was in her element. She loved planning a huge event. Spouting off orders to people was her other great love.
“Ah, the yin and the yang are here.” Our dad hugged us and grinned. He’d nicknamed us that when we were kids.
“Dad, are you going to call us that forever?” Dayna scrunched up her nose.
“Yes, blondie, I am.” He ruffled her hair, eliciting a squeal of displeasure from my sister.
“Joe, stop teasing her,” my mother scolded.
Living in Florida kept me away from my family for most of the year. Dayna only saw us at Christmas, so it was rare that the entire Meyers clan was in one place at the same time. Being scattered around the world seemed to work for us though.
* * *
The days and hours flew by as the wedding grew closer and closer. Guests arrived on Wednesday, and by Thursday there was a palpable excitement in the air. I was arranging the seating cards in alphabetical order, lost in thought.
“How’s work going Lia? Is it too stressful?”
I looked up from the letter Ks and smiled at my mom.
“It’s good. Television people are television people.”
“Too bad we can’t see the program at home. It’s no fun bragging about your big shot producer daughter with nothing to show for it.”
I could practically taste the sourness in her voice. She loved to brag about me and Dayna to her circle of friends. The ladies she chose to spend her time with all had doctors, lawyers and business magnates as offspring. We were the lone creative types. With Dayna writing for a food magazine in London, my mother never failed to remind me how much easier it was to show the women back home her articles, than explain my broadcasts.
“It’s regular, local news. No more intriguing than what you watch in Darien. Google the station. We stream the news live every night.”
Her aquamarine eyes narrowed at the mention of watching something online. She looked just like an older version of my sister when she did that.
“I know you don’t like watching TV online, but it’s all the rage. If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll put something together and send it to you guys. I’m sure Dad would like to see it too.”
“Your father would love it,” she beamed. “How have you been doing since breaking up with Nathan?”
It only took her four days to ask, I thought, trying to smooth out my annoyance at the mere mention of his name. “Fine.”
“Lia, you’re trembling,” she said softly. “It’s okay to still be upset.”
I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails left little half moons in my palms. Anger boiled through my veins.
“I’m not upset,” I glowered, snatching another name card. “He’s not someone I want to talk about at the wedding, if you don’t mind.”
Thankfully, my dad chose that exact moment to interrupt our conversation. “Hey, kiddo,” he smiled at me. “Mind if I steal your mom for a bit?”
Salvation. He always knew when to diffuse a tense situation between me and my mother. He draped an arm around her shoulder and led her toward the hall. I finished with the cards and spent the rest of the night curled up in my castle hotel room.
* * *
A frigid wind swept through the courtyard on Friday afternoon. It rustled the trees and sent leaves swirling. We crowded close together by a fountain, dresses fluttering about and well-sprayed hair-dos fighting against the breeze. Dayna's sparkling cathedral veil slapped me in the face just as the photographer snapped a picture.
"Stay still ladies. Don't move….and smile," he directed.
I huddled in close to my sister, trying valiantly to keep a happy, relaxed smile plastered on my frozen face. Why she had to pick Scotland in April to get married mystified me. Castle staff members brought out a few platters of food for us to snack on, but it was difficult shoving bacon wrapped scallops in one's mouth while attempting a pretty smile at the same time.
The photographer dismissed the bridesmaids and groomsmen, but kept Dayna and her new husband, Andrew, for some couples shots. I trotted over to a plate lined with delicate rolls of raspberry and brie wrapped in filo pastry.
"Aren't those tasty?" my mother asked as she popped one in her mouth as well.
I managed a semi-enthusiastic nod while reaching for another roll.
"Your father and I