Chapter 11

North

I can tell the moment Candy gets in the car that she’s not herself. She seems pissed off and quiet, and I know something's wrong.

"Take me back to my place," she says when she closes the door.

Her voice is flat and cold. Not the bright, cheery person I've come to know over the last few days. I reach out and take her hand in mine. She lets me hold it, but she doesn't look at me.

"What's wrong?"

"Why did you insist I go tonight? Did you honestly think they'd welcome me with open arms?" she asks, the irritation clear in her voice.

"They weren't nice?" I quickly realize it’s the stupidest question I could have asked.

"I don't remember a time when I've been treated so badly," she says as we pull into her driveway.

She wastes no time getting out and storming through her front door.

I sit there dumbfounded for a few seconds before I go after her. This is not the outcome I expected tonight. I thought we would have fun and funny stories about the bachelor and bachelorette parties. I reach her door and knock, thinking we'll talk this out.

"Go away. We'll talk about this tomorrow," she calls through the door.

And because I’ll give her anything she wants, I turn and head back to my car, even though each step I take feels wrong.

I don't sleep well. I keep thinking about what could’ve happened to upset my girl so much. I never expected her and Vikki to be best friends, but I thought she would at least have been civil to her last night.

I'm nervous as hell when I show up at her house this afternoon because we're supposed to be heading to the lake house for the reception and family dinner before the wedding.

When I get there, Candy is loading a suitcase into the back of her car. I pull in hesitantly and get out, unsure how this will go.

"I'm taking my car so I can leave if they behave like they did last night," Candy says, her voice cool and distant.

"Of course. Listen, I told my mom I wasn't happy with how they treated you, and she promised she'd handle it." After tossing and turning last night, I needed to do something.

"Great," she says, but I can hear the frustration in her voice. She looks at me like she has something else to say but decides against it. "Let's go. I'll follow you there."

She climbs into her car without another word. I need to find a way to fix this.

It's not a long drive to the lake house where the wedding is being held, and we’re all staying tonight. With everything going on with Candy and me, it seems like a horrible time to be stuck in a house with my family.

We try to paste on a fake smile as we walk inside. When Jake sees us, he offers a big smile and nods in greeting. Vikki shoots Candy an evil glare.

Candy notices, and the smile falls from her face instantly. My mom steps over to them and says something that makes Vikki unhappy. Jake offers an apologetic smile.

My mother rushes over to our side. "Candy! North! We’re so happy you're here. And I'm sorry about Vikki. I've said something to her, and she should be on her best behavior."

Before Mom gets a chance to say anymore, she's pulled away with a question from one of the staff.

"Yeah, because I'm sure that will end well," Candy mumbles before fixing the fake smile on her face again.