The fact was that she had to stay as far from Garrett Lowry as possible. She only had to make it through the week. Then he’d be gone, and everything would go back to normal.
But her heart wanted more. Then the faces of her clients filled her head—women who had crawled into her office, shards of their former selves, all because they had given too much of themselves away in the name of love.
Blair had lived through the pain of a broken heart once, and once was enough.
No, she’d thought long and hard about marrying Neil. It made perfect sense, so there was no point in reconsidering now.
Finally, Megan sighed. “Blair, talk to us.”
“About what?”
Megan opened her mouth, but Libby interrupted before she could say anything. “Girl talk. When was the last time we had a good chat?”
“Are you insane?” Blair nearly shouted. “There are a dozen women out there who never cared much for me in high school. They would just love to find every little flaw I have and shove it in my face. Then there’s Neil’s family, who wouldn’t know fun if it bit them in the ass. We can’t leave those wild hyenas with your mother so we can chat.”
Megan grinned. “I left a family dinner before my wedding to run off with Josh. You can afford to give your friends a few minutes. Besides, Gram can entertain them until we go back out there.”
“Blair, you’re overwhelmed, and it’s okay. It’s your party, so you can cry if you want to,” Libby teased.
“I don’t cry!” Blair pointed a finger in her face. “And I don’t need any help! I can do it myself!”
“Of course you can, Blair,” Megan said softly. “No one is questioning that. But you’ve got a lot on your plate right now with all the fuss about the ring, not to mention your job hinging on the wedding.” She gave Blair a sad look. “And Garrett.” When Blair opened her mouth to ask her how she knew about her job, Megan gave her a weak smile. “Libby told me. You should have called me.”
Blair shook her head, irritated by the tears burning behind her eyes. “I can handle it.” But there was no force behind the words.
“We know you can,” Libby said quietly.
“What do you want me to say?” she asked defensively.
There was a knock at the back door. “Megan?” Knickers called through the door. “Is everything okay in there? I thought I heard shouting.”
“We’re all excited over this cake!” Libby said.
“Oh . . . okay. Are you coming out soon?”
“Yes,” Blair said, heading for the door.
“Not yet!” Megan yelled, blocking the door. “We’re still working on the cake.”
“Well, okay . . .”
They heard her clomp off and Libby hopped onto a barstool. “The sooner we get our answer, the sooner we’ll let you out of here. Why don’t you start with what’s going on between you and Garrett?”
Blair’s preservation instinct sprang into action before she even realized what she was doing. “You want do to the sharing thing? How about we start with what’s going on with you and Noah?”
Her friend folded her hands on the table and rolled her eyes. “Fine, if you want to start with me, we will, but you have to agree to answer our questions too.”
Blair put her hands on her hips. “Fine.” She figured she’d badger Libby with enough questions to exasperate her into giving up her witch-hunt. “Now tell us about Noah.”
“Quit trying to make something out of it that’s not there. We’re just friends.”
“A friend who spends the night?” Megan asked.
“He sleeps on the sofa,” Libby protested good-naturedly. “That’s not the topic of discussion. And don’t help her deflect, Megan.”
“Why not?” Blair asked, leaning against the bar counter. “I thought we were having girl talk.”
Megan shot a glance out the back windows, her brow wrinkling with worry. Despite all her posturing, Megan would soon cave to the societal demand to appease her mother and her guests. Blair crossed her arms, feeling a bit evil. Better to feel evil and in control than on the verge of a panic attack.
Suddenly she realized how much the three of them had changed. Once they’d known everything about each other. It made sense that their friendship had changed—they all had their own lives, their own careers—but both Megan and Libby had found close relationships with other people. Blair had been stuck in the same place for years: alone.
The thought of being alone forever was suddenly terrifying, but then she reminded herself she wouldn’t be alone. She’d have Neil. Why didn’t that make her feel better?
Libby groaned. “I don’t expect you two to understand, which is why I haven’t told you much about it. I knew you’d react exactly this way.” She shrugged. “We’re friends, end of story. Other than this week, we haven’t seen each other since last month when he was here for business.”
“And Mitch is good with this?” Blair asked, intentionally sounding judgmental.
Libby gave them a tight smile. “Mitch trusts me, while you two obviously don’t.” Strangely enough, she didn’t sound offended. It was more as if she were stating a fact. Then she turned her attention on Blair. “But it’s easier to focus on my relationships than your own, isn’t it?”
Blair lifted her chin. “There’s nothing to discuss, and there is no plural ‘relationships.’ Just the one.”