“Didn’t bode well for your old matchmaking scheme,” Caroline chimed. She must have realized it was poor timing for one of her dry side comments because she met Haley’s gaze and winced.
Trina and Amy missed that exchange as they grinned at each other across the table.
“Wow, the plan,” Trina said, shaking her head. “We haven’t talked about that in years.”
“Matched sets!” The two mothers exclaimed the words in unison, and with equally precise timing, the three Scott sisters and the lone Warren brother groaned.
Haley rolled her eyes. She should have known that even on a day like today the two moms would reminisce about their silly idea to arrange marriages among their six children. Their plan had been a running family joke, but it was far less funny today.
“It was worth a try, anyway,” Amy said. “Since your mother and I were pregnant together for at least a few months three different times, and she had the girls while I had the boys, we figured we might have a shot for at least one proper matchup.”
“God made it easy by giving us even pairs,” Trina supplied. “Two oldest, two middle and two youngest.”
“I sure messed that up then, didn’t I?”
This wasn’t the first sardonic comment Matthew had made tonight, but this time he didn’t get a laugh. Jenna cleared her throat, while the others took renewed interest in their food. Even living in Michigan, Haley had heard all about Matthew’s brief marriage to his college girlfriend who deserted him and their infant daughter.
“Messed up what, Daddy?”
“Just a game,” he assured her. “Now eat your peas.”
Amy tugged one of her granddaughter’s braids. “Sure, it was just a game.” She looked farther down the table to her son. “But two moms could dream, couldn’t they?”
“Moms never stop dreaming,” Trina said. The meaningful look she gave first to Matthew and then Caroline left no doubt that she hadn’t given up on their matchmaking plan, especially where those two were concerned. Caroline’s cheeks were pink as she concentrated too intently on her roast beef.
Haley had a strange impulse to raise her hand and announce, “Hey, this is supposed to be about me.” If their mothers were going to start matchmaking again, at least they could have waited for another day. Not the day of her broken engagement.
Anyway, if they only knew. She’d never told them then, and she certainly didn’t plan to now, but at one time, one of the Scott sisters had longed for a matchup with a certain Warren brother. At the memory of her crush from long ago, Haley coughed into her napkin. Her cheeks burned. She felt fourteen again, the embarrassing images repeating in her mind like a love story performed in a Three Stooges episode.
“You okay?” Matthew asked when her gaze darted his way again. His eyebrows were drawn together above the frames of his glasses.
She nodded. The others studied her with the same concern they’d focused on her most of the night. If they’d known what she’d been thinking about just then, they really would have been worried. She had no business ruminating on an adolescent crush when the real love of her life had deserted her only hours before. It just went to show how muddled her thoughts had become tonight.
“Is anyone ready for dessert?” Matthew asked, breaking the silence.
Elizabeth shot a hand into the air. “I am. I am.” She leaned in and announced in a stage whisper, “Do you want some, Miss Haley? Grammy said it’s chocolate cake.”
Of course, it would be cake. Even before opening her own bakery, Amy Warren had made all the scrumptious desserts for their gatherings. The only difference now was she brought them home in a box. Amy hurried into the kitchen, with Elizabeth trailing behind her to help and probably sample the frosting.
Haley’s mother stood and started stacking dishes. “If all this had happened one day later, we would have had an even bigger dessert. Amy’s staff would have already started on the cake, so we could have split a three-tier wedding cake seven ways.”
“I would have taken that challenge,” Matthew said. “Imagine that, a baker’s son who still loves wedding cake.”
Haley cleared her throat to get their attention. “Sure glad my sad story is a punch line for everyone.” She frowned first at her mother and then at Matthew. “Why didn’t you just keep tiptoeing around the subject? You were doing a good job of it.”
“Because you need to talk about the wedding,” Trina insisted. “It’ll be easier to heal if you do.”
“I don’t want to talk about it, Mom.” Not here. Not in front of these people.
Matthew spread his hands wide. “Then you don’t have to talk about it, at least not until you’re ready.”
Trina blew out a frustrated breath, but she nodded. “Fine. When you’re ready.”
Amy picked that moment to return with the cake, her assistant following closely behind. “Now everyone had better take a piece, or I’ll be offended.”
Despite the warning, Jenna attempted to decline but ended up with a big piece in front of her anyway. Soon appreciative murmurs filled the room.
Haley studied the people around her as they ate. How many times had they gathered around a table just like this one, sharing food and their lives? These people were like her extended family. They’d been there for her during the trials of her childhood, and they were there for her now, waiting to talk about her life-changing day until she was ready. Maybe she could talk about it after all.
“Boy, it’s a good thing there’s not going to be a wedding.” Haley waited until all those surprised faces turned her way before she continued. “After this dinner, I never would have fit in my wedding gown.”
“You’re not getting married?” Elizabeth asked.
Matthew sent a wary look his daughter’s way. Of course, no one had thought to tell Elizabeth.
“No, sweetie,” Haley said. “We canceled the wedding.”
“But why?”
Haley shrugged, uncertain how to explain to a child what she didn’t know for sure herself. “My fiancé decided he didn’t want to marry me.”
Elizabeth sat straighter in her seat and crossed her arms. “He was mean not to marry someone nice like you.”
They all laughed at the child’s summation of the situation, except Haley, who managed a smile. She wasn’t ready to join in the laughter, but she didn’t feel the need to sob on the floor, either. It was a start.
With the taboo subject of the canceled ceremony now on the table, the women began dividing up their assignments for the next day. Jenna would meet with the florist who had to cancel a whole order of white roses, while Haley took on the bridal storeowner and Caroline faced off with the caterer, dealing with cancellation policies. Haley’s mother had volunteered for the task of phoning all the guests.
Caroline looked up from the notebook she’d pulled
