“What did I say?” Abby asked with a stunned look.
“Nothing. I just…I didn’t have a late night with Josh. Not last night, not last week, not for the last two weeks. He’s avoiding my calls and canceled our last two dates. Even when we’re together, it’s like he’s not there. I know he’s busy at work but…I think he’s planning to break up with me.”
Abby’s jaw sagged and Melissa saw shock and something else, something furtive, shift across Abby’s expression.
“That can’t be true. It just…can’t be.”
She wanted to believe that, too. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. Forget it. You’ve worked so hard to make this night perfect and I don’t want to ruin it.”
Abby shook her head. “You need to put that wacky idea out of your head right now. Josh is crazy about you. It’s clear to anybody who has ever seen the two of you together for five seconds. He couldn’t possibly be thinking of breaking things off.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” she lied. Too much evidence pointed otherwise. Worst of all was the casual kiss good-night the past few times she’d seen him, instead of one of their deep, emotional, soul-sharing kisses that made her toes curl.
“I’m serious, Missy. Trust me on this. I’m absolutely positive he’s not planning to break up with you. Not Josh. He loves you. In fact…”
She stopped, biting her lip, and furiously turned back to the chicken.
“In fact what?”
Abby’s features were evasive. “In fact, would he be out right now with Greg buying the wine and champagne for tonight if he didn’t want to have anything to do with the Morgan family?”
Out of the corner of her gaze, Melissa saw that amazingly decorated dining room again, the magical setting her sister had worked so hard to create for their parents who loved each other dearly. She refused to ruin this night for Abby and the rest of her family. For now, she would focus on the celebration and forget the tiny cracks in her heart.
She pasted on a smile and grabbed the napkins, with their rings formed out of entwined grapevine hearts. “You’re right. I’m being silly. I’m sure everything will be just fine. Anyway, tonight is for Mom and Dad. That’s the important thing.”
Abby gave her a searching look and Melissa couldn’t help thinking that even with the worry lines on her forehead, Abby seemed to glow tonight.
“It is about them, isn’t it?” Abby murmured. Though Melissa’s arms were full, her sister reached around the plates and cutlery to give her a hug. “Trust me, baby sister. Everything will be just fine.”
Melissa dearly wanted to believe her and as she returned to the dining room, she did her very best to ignore the ache of fear that something infinitely dear was slipping away.
* * *
“Hello? Are you still in there?”
His friend Greg’s words jerked Josh out of his daze and he glanced up. “Yeah. Sorry. Did you say something?”
“Only about three times. I’ve been asking your opinion about the champagne and all I’m getting in return is a blank stare. You’re a million miles away, man, which is not really helping out much here.”
This just might be the most important day of his life. Who could blame a guy if he couldn’t seem to string two thoughts together?
“Sorry. I’ve got a lot of things on my mind.”
“And champagne is obviously not one of those things.”
He made a face. “It rarely is. I’m afraid I’m more of a Sam Adams kind of guy.”
“I hear you. Why do you think I asked you to come along and help me pick out the wine and champagne for tonight?”
He had wondered that himself. “Because my car has a bigger trunk?”
Greg laughed, which eased Josh’s nerves a little. He had to admit, he had liked the guy since he met him a year ago when he first started dating Melissa. Josh was married to Melissa’s sister, Abby, and if things worked out the way he hoped, they would be brothers-in-law in the not-so-distant future.
“It’s only the six of us for dinner,” Greg reminded him. “I’m not exactly buying cases here. So what do you think?”
He turned back to the racks of bottles. “No idea. Which one is more expensive?”
Greg picked one up with a fancy label that certainly looked pricey.