The Dysfunctional Test (28 page)

Camryn looked out over the yard, picturing what it would look like tonight after dinner. “When it gets dark, and the music starts to play, people will dance right over there, holding hands and spinning like in a fairy tale. On the tables there will be beautiful flowers and soft-lit candles. But up in the trees, that’s where the real romance is. All you’ll see are thousands of little white lights, twinkling like stars watching down on Auntie Heather and Uncle Justin. Won’t that be pretty?”

When she looked away from Emily and over at Bernice, tears were clinging to the woman’s lashes. “Well said, Camryn. That’s exactly what I was going for. Looks like I’m not the only romantic one around here.”

Strange thing was, Camryn had never been romantic. Until recently, she had always been about logic and necessity. Romance was silly. An illusion created to cater unrealistic versions of true love. The explanation she’d just given Emily was so out of character she almost gasped.

Swallowing, she looked at Emily. “Why don’t you go run around for a little bit? Once you get your hair done and get dressed, you won’t be able to play for a while.”

Emily nodded and took off toward the trees, arms wide open like an airplane. Making a hard right, she piloted herself behind the stage and spun in circles.

“Did I say something wrong?” Bernice asked.

To soothe Bernice, Camryn smiled. Her stomach felt like an avalanche. “No. I’m just not acting like myself this week, that’s all. I think I’m out of my element here.”

Bernice nodded, watching Emily play. “You know, acting differently from your usual behavior doesn’t mean you’re still not you, Camryn. It just means you’re letting out a different side. Everyone has another side. To restrict that would restrict your full potential.”

Camryn looked at Bernice, chest suddenly tight. No one had ever talked like this to her before, had explained something so simple in a way even Camryn couldn’t feel guilty or abnormal. Perhaps Bernice was right. Maybe she just didn’t allow herself to think or act on this side of her personality, having always been the grounded member of her family.

Her family needed grounding.

“I think,” Bernice went on to say, “you and Troy make a lovely couple.” She turned fully to face her, a smile in her eyes that didn’t reach her mouth. “Not just lovely outside, but inside too. You balance each other, bring out the best qualities in the other. I believe those are the couples who last, the ones who don’t have everything in common. It keeps the relationship from growing stale, don’t you think?”

Camryn opened her mouth, but shut it again. Could this be why she felt so differently about Troy than she had any other man? Not just because they had a connection through friendship, through childhood, but because together they completed each other?

Another romantic idiocy. But one that almost made sense. Except Bernice didn’t know this was all a lie, and if she did, then she wouldn’t be saying this now. Truth be told, whatever this thing was between her and Troy, it wasn’t love. It could never be love. He’d grow tired of her and want someone fun. She’d grow frustrated with him and want someone stable.

Poor Bernice was just trying to be nice, so Camryn bit back the tears and smiled. “Thank you. That was nice of you to say.”

Several cars pulled in the driveway. Camryn watched as Gregory, the man who’d highlighted and cut her hair in the boutique, emerged from the first car. She sighed and looked for Emily, finding her near one of the tables.

“Emily, we have to go in now.” Without argument her niece bounded over and clasped her hand. “If you need help, Bernice, just ask. I don’t need to be in there all day.”

Camryn walked Emily to the library and opened the door. Before she could step inside, Katie rushed out.

“I need to talk to you!”

“Okay,” she said, worried there was something wrong with the wedding. She directed Emily inside the library, waiting back as the hairdressers and manicurists filed in, then closed the door.

Katie pulled her to the hallway outside the room. “I got drunk last night.
Really
drunk.”

Understatement of the century. Camryn smiled. “Yes, you did.”

“I don’t remember a lot.” Katie’s eyes widened. “This morning…”

Camryn was wondering if anything had happened between Katie and John after she and Troy set them up. “What about this morning?” she prompted.

Katie ran her hands through her blonde curls, disrupting them into chaos. “Look, for a couple months now I’ve been having feelings for John. More like a crush. You know, just wondering and all. But this morning we woke up together. In the same bed.”

“I see,” Camryn said, using every reserve she had not to laugh. “What happened?”

“That’s just it! I don’t know. I thought maybe you could help. You drove us to the hotel. That’s the last thing I remember.”

This wasn’t what Camryn had in mind. Her stomach started to churn with guilt. “We dropped you off and came back here.”

Katie sighed. “We were dressed. So nothing happened, I guess. Except when we woke up…”

Hmm. “And?”

Katie’s glance shifted from her feet to Camryn’s eyes. Her lip quivered. “I never thought he’d see me that way, as more than a friend. I always thought he liked you. You two are both…”

“Tight-asses.”

Her eyes widened again. “No, that’s not what I meant. You’re just very reserved, very…”

“Tight-assed. That’s the word you used for me last night.”

“Oh, God! I didn’t, did I? Cam, I’m sorry…”

Camryn shook her head and laughed. “No worries, Katie. I
am
a tight-ass. Now, what’s got you so upset?”

Katie’s gaze fixated on the wall behind Camryn. “When I woke up, there he was. Lying next to me on the bed, staring at me. Before I could even wonder how we got there, he leaned over and kissed me.”

So her plan had worked, and she’d been right about Katie liking John. Her guilt eased. So what was the problem?

Katie’s eyes filled with tears. “It was earth shattering, Cam. I’m in deep. I mean, real bad. This could kill our friendship.”

Camryn knew the feeling. But advice on love and relationships was not her expertise. “You should talk to Heather about this. I’m not the right person…”

“You know how I feel. You and Troy, it’s the same thing. What do I do?”

Camryn swallowed. “Katie, I just don’t know. I don’t know what I’m doing either.” Katie’s face deflated, so Camryn struggled to find a way to help. “How does John feel?”

Katie shrugged. “When he pulled away after the kiss, he apologized and went to shower.”

“I see.” Camryn glanced down the hall toward the direction of the media room. She’d go check on the guys and see if she could find anything out. This was her fault. She should’ve known better than to meddle with romance. Camryn was more the stepsister than Cinderella. “Okay, stay calm. You’ll have a chance to talk to him after the ceremony. Nothing will get solved until then. It’ll be okay.”

Katie nodded and wiped her eyes. “Is it worth it?” she whispered. “Taking the chance with a friend? Even if you know it’s all wrong but it feels right.”

She wasn’t in love with Troy any more than he was in love with her. What they had was a whirlwind brought on by circumstance and the moment. He did make her feel different. Special. And she did care for him so much it was starting to hurt. In the long run, love or not, this fling between her and Troy would pulverize her. But was it worth it? After all was said and done? She wanted to say no. All the pain that would come later was not worth the few moments of bliss. But that would be a lie.

“Yes, it’s worth it.” Camryn sucked in a breath. “Head back inside. I’ll be back in a couple minutes.”

“Where are you going?”

Camryn turned. “To play Fairy Godmother.”

She walked down the hall, through the kitchen and to the opposite side of the house. She knocked once on the media room door and entered. Justin and Fisher were sitting in recliners, pounding their thumbs against a video game controller in a racecar battle. The others were cheering them on from behind. In the far corner, John was staring at the TV alone, looking like he wasn’t seeing anything at all.

As she walked over to him, he glanced up. “Something wrong?”

She smiled, shaking her head. Nothing wrong at all. Poor John was just as freaked out as Katie. Had the same despondent expression.
Guess sometimes things are meant to be
.

She leaned over, taking his hand and whispered in his ear. “She feels the same way about you. Ask her to dance later. Tell her how you feel.”

His hand fisted in hers. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” After kissing his cheek, she straightened.

She turned to leave. Troy was watching her from across the room. She smiled and nodded, hoping he understood that together they did something good last night.

Troy fiddled with the bowtie for his tux, trying to figure out what in the hell Cam meant by that look on her face earlier. Had she taken his advice and asked John out? Because that’s not exactly what he meant when he said fall in love. In the optimistic, stupid part of his brain, he’d hoped she chose him. Hoped she’d fallen in love with him.

Growling, he stripped the tie from his collar.

John walked over and took it from him. Without a word, he fixed the tie and nodded.

Troy looked in the mirror. “Thanks.” John grinned and sobered, then grinned again. Whatever he and Cam talked about had the man happy. “Why are you grinning like an idiot?”

Okay, not exactly smooth, Troy.

John shook his head. “Let’s just say I’m saving a dance for your woman if this all works out tonight.”

Troy turned. “What did she do?”

“I thought I made a huge mistake.” John looked at him and realized Troy wasn’t following along. “Katie and I woke up in bed together this morning. I kissed her.” He laughed. “I don’t know what came over me. I just… I thought I wrecked everything. But then Camryn told me I hadn’t. She told me to ask Katie to dance later and tell her how I feel.”

“Camryn said that?
My Cam
?” Well, damn.

Justin came over and smacked his shoulder. “Time to go, man.”

Troy nodded, following the guys out of the room and through the front door. They veered around the house and into the side yard.

There were at least two hundred people sitting in chairs on either side of the aisle. The priest waited on the platform, wiping his face with a handkerchief. A truckload of white roses decorated the area around him and the arch above.

At least he didn’t have to stand through a two hour Orthodox wedding like Fisher and Anna’s.

“Last chance,” Fisher warned Justin. “No one will blame you if you take off.”

Justin laughed. “Not on your life.”

When the eight-chair orchestra began to play “Canon in D”, John and Cade lined up to escort Nana, Mom and Justin’s parents down the aisle to the first row. Justin followed to stand next to the priest without so much as a tremor.

Troy looked over his shoulder, seeing Anna with Emily, followed by Cam, coming out the patio doors. His heart stopped mid-beat.

The lavender dress fit her like a glove, the perfect color against the cream of her skin. Her hair was wrapped in curls behind her head, exposing her cherubic face and huge eyes. She’d done her makeup differently. Something to make her eyes even bigger, her mouth a cherry red.

“Wow.”

She looked down at herself. “Thanks, I think.”

“Thinking is overrated. And, God, Cam… You look beautiful.”

For once, for one splendid second, she didn’t question the compliment. She just smiled and said, “Thanks.”

She handed Anna her bouquet of purple foxglove and white lilies and squatted to address Emily. “Remember, wait for me and Uncle Troy to get down the aisle before you start. Drop the flower petals as you walk down.”

The music changed to “Clair de lune”, Fisher and Anna’s cue to start. Once they were at the altar, Troy led Camryn, counting in his head slowly so Nana couldn’t yell at him later for rushing. At the altar, they turned and took their places, watching Emily. She took two steps and dropped the basket of petals, then proceeded to walk toward them.

The guests laughed, causing Emily to stop and look around. Camryn looked at Anna, who shook her head and walked to Emily.

“But Auntie Cam said to drop the petals!”

The guests laughed again. Anna took Emily’s hand and straightened, her smile embarrassed. She picked up the basket and sprinkled the petals with Emily until they finally reached the altar.

And then Heather walked out with her dad. The guests stood and gasped at her beauty, her dress, the mounds of white roses in her bouquet. A picture flawless enough for a magazine cover. Justin looked like he wanted to weep.

But after a fleeting glance, all Troy saw was Camryn. The sunlight through her cinnamon hair, the late-day sun across her skin, the smile which never left her face in happiness for Heather. He wished she could see herself the way he did.

She glanced at him once after Katie did the first reading, doing a double take when she saw him watching her. Her eyes darted to the couple, silently telling him to pay attention. He didn’t need to. He’d rather watch her. Subtly, he shook his head. Her lips pursed, eyes narrowing, before she tuned back into the ceremony.