Daughters Of The Bride(95)
Rachel knew her well enough to read between the lines. She remembered all the times she’d tried to comfort a devastated Courtney when her sister had come home from school, crying because the kids had called her stupid or retarded. She’d been so incredibly frustrated herself—unable to understand what was wrong. What must her sister have gone through?
“I know I hurt you,” Courtney continued. “I’m so sorry about that. I honestly never thought about it from anyone’s perspective but mine.”
Rachel stood and held open her arms. Courtney rushed to her and hung on so tight, Rachel could barely breathe. But that was okay. Better to have a sister than air.
“I’m sorry, too,” Rachel said. “But also happy and proud. Really proud. Look at you.”
Courtney drew back, her expression apprehensive. “What about being mad?”
“I’m still a little mad, but I’ll get over it.”
Courtney got a latte for herself, then rejoined Rachel at the table. They smiled at each other.
“Better,” Rachel admitted. “With everything going on, I’ve really missed you.”
As soon as she spoke, she wanted to call back the words. Courtney wasn’t the only one keeping secrets. Rachel had yet to share with anyone how her feelings for Greg confused her. She wasn’t sure if she should start now or not.
“What’s going on?” Courtney asked.
“Nothing. Everything.” Rachel looked at her coffee, then back at her sister. “I’m losing weight. Walking and eating better. That’s good. There are still times I would kill for a muffin, but even when I eat one, I tell myself it’s okay, as long as I get back to my program.”
“Good for you. I should eat better.” Courtney wrinkled her nose. “Or exercise.”
“Your job is exercise.”
“Kind of. But you’re on your feet, too.”
“Standing, not moving around. There’s a difference. Anyway, that’s part of it. I’m also having trouble with one of the baseball moms. She’s not showing up when she says. It’s frustrating.”
“Have you talked to her?”
Rachel laughed. “You mean in a mature, mother-to-mother kind of way, telling her why I’m upset that she’s not doing what she signed up to do?”
“I’m guessing that’s a no.”
“It is. I’ve tried, but she always has an excuse. So I hate her in my heart and glare at her. I’m starting to think I might have some serious passive-aggressive issues.”
“You think?”
“Hey! You’re still in trouble. You have to be nice.”
Courtney grinned. “I think you’re more aggressive than passive.”
“I hope so.”
“So what else is going on?”
“Just stuff. It’s summer. Josh has a million activities and either Greg or I have to take him there. Thank goodness he’s a social kid. He’s also hanging out with his friends a lot, so that’s good.”
She tried to speak as casually as she could so Courtney wouldn’t suspect that the real problem was her ex rather than her son.
“Greg’s helping?”
Rachel picked up her latte. “Uh-huh. He’s, um, coordinating his schedule to be around as much as possible, which is great for Josh. He needs his dad, especially as he gets older.”
Courtney’s blue eyes focused on Rachel’s face. “You two are getting along?”
“Sure. We always have.”
“Not after you first threw him out.” She hesitated. “What Greg did was horrible, but I always felt bad that you two couldn’t have worked it out. You were so good together. The way he would look at you when you weren’t paying attention...” She sighed. “I always envied that.”
Rachel had no idea what she meant and didn’t know how to ask. “We married young. He wasn’t ready to be a husband and father, and I wasn’t interested in giving him room and time to grow up. I’m not sure we weren’t doomed from the start.”
“That’s too bad. At least you’re getting along better now.”
Rachel thought about the other night, when Greg had shown up at her house to make sure she understood he wasn’t dating anyone else. They were divorced. Why should he care what she thought?
“We are,” she murmured, then glanced at her watch. “We need to get going. Sienna’s meeting us at the store. We have to make a decision today. Betty told me that all the dresses we’re considering are available in different stores around the country, so they’ll be here in time, but we don’t want to wait any longer.”