Chapter 2 - The Groom's Mother and the Missing Bride
The reception venue was a sprawling estate surrounded by manicured gardens and sweeping stone verandas. I spent hours unloading crates of hydrangeas, eucalyptus, and white peonies, arranging centerpieces on mahogany tables and pinning corsages onto velvet trays. My hands were steady, but my mind was numb, moving through the motions like a ghost.
Then, as I walked toward the main entrance to check on the floral arches, a familiar figure caught my eye near the grand double doors.
Colleen.
My breath hitched. I almost dropped my clipboard and ran across the marble foyer to hug her. It had been weeks since we last spoke, and seeing her brought a fresh wave of bittersweet sympathy. But before I could call out her name, she turned her head.
Our eyes locked.
Her face drained of color in an instant. Her eyes widened with absolute terror, and without a single word of greeting, she spun around on her heel and practically fled down a side hallway, disappearing into the shadows of the estate.
I froze, my instincts screaming that something was deeply wrong. Colleen was grieving, yes, but why would she run from me like I was a monster? Driven by a mixture of shock and unease, I dropped my clipboard onto a nearby console table and followed her down the corridor.
“Colleen?” I called out, rounding the corner.
She stopped dead in her tracks, her shoulders stiffening. Slowly, she turned back to face me, her breathing ragged.
“Meredith?” she whispered, her voice tight and defensive.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, stepping closer.
She looked around nervously, wringing her hands together. “I could ask you the same thing, Meredith. What are you doing in this building?”
“I’m working,” I said, holding up my floral design badge. “I’m the florist for today’s wedding.”
“Here?” she breathed, horror flashing across her eyes.
Before she could invent an excuse, a harried wedding coordinator rushed around the corner, clipboard in hand. “Mrs. Parker! We’ve been looking everywhere for you! The groom needs his mother right now for the pre-ceremony photos.”
I stared at Colleen. For a split second, my sleep-deprived brain tried to rationalize it. Adrian had an older brother, Julian. Of course. This must be Julian’s wedding. Julian and I had always gotten along well, though we had drifted apart after the funeral. Maybe they hadn't invited me because they thought it would be too painful for me to attend a wedding so soon after Adrian’s death. I tried to swallow the hurt and forgive the oversight.
Then I looked down at Colleen’s wrist. Resting neatly against her sleeve was a corsage of white orchids and silver ribbon.
May you like
I had made it myself less than an hour ago. It was specifically labeled for The Groom’s Mother.
Colleen caught me staring at the corsage, panicked, and quickly followed the coordinator away without uttering another syllable. I stood alone in the hallway, my heart pounding against my ribs, telling myself I was just being paranoid. But paranoia doesn't make your hands shake.
