Chapter One
My shoes slapped across the pavement as I unsuccessfully tried dodging the puddles at my feet and made a sad attempt at covering my head with my purse. Ahead, the door to the cafe opened as a gawky young man walked out opening a giant black umbrella in front of me. Skidding to a stop, I waited for him to leave the doorway and slid inside. The mumbled apology was lost in the downpour as the door shut behind me. A sickly sweet smell hit my nose, causing me to pause a moment. Before I had a chance to look around for the source of the smell, a hand was pulling me into a booth.
“You are soaked, my girl.” Mel laughed handing me a stack of napkins.
Gaia was grinning up from her seat as I dabbed my face dry. “It’s raining.” Was all I could think to respond.
“No shit.” Mel said as she sat down beside me.
The familiar sound of the coffee shop started to relax me. The cafe was full of people typing away on laptops and couples huddled deep in conversation, everyone it seemed, had found a haven away from the storm. The rain hit the windows in a steady thrum and I couldn’t help but feel calm take over as my heart slowly stopped hammering from the run to get inside.
I looked out the window as I tried to wring out as much water from my hair as I could. Outside, I watched as the man with a large black umbrella boarded a bus across the street. He was hard to make out through the downpour but his pale skin seemed to glow against the bleak afternoon. Our eyes met for a second and then he was gone through the doors.
“Char... Hello....” Gaia’s hand suddenly waved in in front of me breaking the strange trance I had been in. She pushed a hot cup of coffee into my icy fingers and I was immediately grateful for the warmth.
“Sorry, the rain really came out of nowhere, huh?” I smiled finally focusing my attention on my two friends.
“Yeah, we barely made it inside before it started. I was worried we’d have to cancel” Gaia said as she followed my gaze and watching the bus drive away. I watched her brow furrow slightly before I finally spoke up. “So, where are we going today?”
Mel, who’d been texting furiously on her phone looked up with a grin. “Today is the day.” she said excitedly. “There’s a new shop that just opened and I am 100% positive that you’re going to find the dream dress you’ve been searching for.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help but be intrigued. After all, Mel was usually right about these things. We’d been friends since we were babies and she knew me better than I knew myself sometimes. “I haven’t heard anything about a new shop.” I said taking a sip of my coffee. It was black and bitter which suited the gloom outside perfectly.
Mel’s smile widened. “It’s not open to the public yet. We’re going to be the first ones there.”
I could tell she was excited. My wedding planning had been almost as much fun for her as it had been for me. “Your enthusiasm has made this process a million times easier for me.” I said trying to match her energy.
“Yeah, you’d never guess it was Char getting married and not you, Mel.” Gaia quipped. Mel glared at her, then turned to me pouting. “I just want to make sure you have the best celebration possible.” I laughed and wrapped my arm around her. “I appreciate everything.” I assured her.
“Hey, looks like it’s clearing up. We should go before it gets any later.” Gaia said gesturing outside. It had stopped raining and small rays of sunlight were peaking through the clouds. Grabbing my to-go cup, I followed Mel and Gaia out into the chill air. I smiled looking at my two friends bickering in front of me and thanked the Goddess for their friendship.
“Let’s go slowpoke,” Mel called over her shoulder. I jogged up and looped my arm in hers as we walked out toward the edge of our small town, hoping it didn’t start raining again.
