remembered the pain and anguish she felt after her mother was gone. Instead of her father filling that void for her, he seemed to distance himself more with every day that passed. Soon he stopped talking about her mother altogether, almost as if she’d never existed. And now Kari wondered: Would he be the man he was today if she had lived?
There was no way to know.
Kari did know one thing, though. Somehow she knew that no matter what she’d done today, her mother would have forgiven her.
If only her father would do the same.
She decided to text Greg back, just something short so at least nobody would think she’d disappeared for good. I’m fine , she told him. Don’t worry. I’ll be in touch.
Please come home , he texted back. I love you.
Kari didn’t know if that was true or not. She only knew she felt strangely nonemotional when she looked at his words. It was as if she’d already detached from him and she was talking to a stranger.
She tossed her phone aside, only to pick it up again. After a moment she decided it might be wise to tell somebody where she was. Not Greg. Not her father.
That left Jill.
She clicked on her friend’s number, and after a moment, Jill came on the line.
“Kari!” she said. “I’ve been worried to death about you!”
“You don’t have to worry. I’m fine.”
“Where the hell are you?”
“If I tell you, you can’t tell anyone else.”
“But Greg—”
“No! Especially not Greg. Or my father. Please, Jill. You have to promise me.”
“No way. You need to come home. You need to—”
“Jill… please .”
Jill sighed. “Okay. I promise.”
“I’m in a town called Rainbow Valley. It’s not far from Austin.”
“Wait a minute. I’m looking you up on Google Maps…oh, my God! You drove that far?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s late. Where are you staying?”
“At a place called Animal House.”
“Huh?”
“It’s a bed-and-breakfast.”
“What kind of name is that for a bed-and-breakfast?”
“A strange one. But it’s a really cute place. We’re always looking for a fun hotel for a girls’ weekend, so maybe we could—”
“Kari! Will you focus? When are you coming home?”
Kari paused. “I don’t know.”
“Greg is worried sick. You have to come home and get married.”
“Jill. Please try to understand. Greg doesn’t love me. And I don’t love him, either. It was wrong from the beginning.”
“No. You should see him. He’s frantic.”
“What did my father say?” Kari asked.
Jill was silent for a moment. “He’s worried about you, too.”
Kari squeezed her eyes closed as guilt crept in again. She’d embarrassed him in front of a church full of his friends, golf buddies, and business associates, and he held grudges like nobody else. Pretty soon Kari would have to face that music, but the last thing she wanted to do in the next few days was start up the band.
“I can’t believe this,” Jill said. “I just can’t believe you ran away from your own wedding. No. Wait a minute. Yes, I can. You’re the person who once dragged me to Cancún for the weekend with an hour’s notice. So why should this surprise me?”
“I know,” Kari said. “I know. It’s weird. But I couldn’t think of anything else to do. If I had stayed, I would have ended up married.”
“You should be married! Greg is perfect for you!”
No. She knew she’d done the right thing. Just because Greg seemed so perfect to Jill didn’t mean he was perfect for her . It had just taken Kari a long time to figure that out.
“Jill? Do you know he makes notes on his phone to remember to clip his toenails once a week?”
“So he’s hygienic. What’s wrong with that?”
“His idea of a good time is to organize the apps on his iPhone.”
“Is that really a problem?”
“He reads the Wall Street Journal while he’s going to the bathroom, Jill. Are you listening to me? Does that sound like a man I’d be compatible with?”
“What can I say?
There was no way to know.
Kari did know one thing, though. Somehow she knew that no matter what she’d done today, her mother would have forgiven her.
If only her father would do the same.
She decided to text Greg back, just something short so at least nobody would think she’d disappeared for good. I’m fine , she told him. Don’t worry. I’ll be in touch.
Please come home , he texted back. I love you.
Kari didn’t know if that was true or not. She only knew she felt strangely nonemotional when she looked at his words. It was as if she’d already detached from him and she was talking to a stranger.
She tossed her phone aside, only to pick it up again. After a moment she decided it might be wise to tell somebody where she was. Not Greg. Not her father.
That left Jill.
She clicked on her friend’s number, and after a moment, Jill came on the line.
“Kari!” she said. “I’ve been worried to death about you!”
“You don’t have to worry. I’m fine.”
“Where the hell are you?”
“If I tell you, you can’t tell anyone else.”
“But Greg—”
“No! Especially not Greg. Or my father. Please, Jill. You have to promise me.”
“No way. You need to come home. You need to—”
“Jill… please .”
Jill sighed. “Okay. I promise.”
“I’m in a town called Rainbow Valley. It’s not far from Austin.”
“Wait a minute. I’m looking you up on Google Maps…oh, my God! You drove that far?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s late. Where are you staying?”
“At a place called Animal House.”
“Huh?”
“It’s a bed-and-breakfast.”
“What kind of name is that for a bed-and-breakfast?”
“A strange one. But it’s a really cute place. We’re always looking for a fun hotel for a girls’ weekend, so maybe we could—”
“Kari! Will you focus? When are you coming home?”
Kari paused. “I don’t know.”
“Greg is worried sick. You have to come home and get married.”
“Jill. Please try to understand. Greg doesn’t love me. And I don’t love him, either. It was wrong from the beginning.”
“No. You should see him. He’s frantic.”
“What did my father say?” Kari asked.
Jill was silent for a moment. “He’s worried about you, too.”
Kari squeezed her eyes closed as guilt crept in again. She’d embarrassed him in front of a church full of his friends, golf buddies, and business associates, and he held grudges like nobody else. Pretty soon Kari would have to face that music, but the last thing she wanted to do in the next few days was start up the band.
“I can’t believe this,” Jill said. “I just can’t believe you ran away from your own wedding. No. Wait a minute. Yes, I can. You’re the person who once dragged me to Cancún for the weekend with an hour’s notice. So why should this surprise me?”
“I know,” Kari said. “I know. It’s weird. But I couldn’t think of anything else to do. If I had stayed, I would have ended up married.”
“You should be married! Greg is perfect for you!”
No. She knew she’d done the right thing. Just because Greg seemed so perfect to Jill didn’t mean he was perfect for her . It had just taken Kari a long time to figure that out.
“Jill? Do you know he makes notes on his phone to remember to clip his toenails once a week?”
“So he’s hygienic. What’s wrong with that?”
“His idea of a good time is to organize the apps on his iPhone.”
“Is that really a problem?”
“He reads the Wall Street Journal while he’s going to the bathroom, Jill. Are you listening to me? Does that sound like a man I’d be compatible with?”
“What can I say?
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