She Stole The Bride

14

Sydney's POV

I tried to shake the uneasy feeling that seemed to cripple me. Sitting under a bungalow, overlooking the dark, night sky, tears poured from my eyes. Footsteps approached me and I assumed that it was a stranger, unfortunately for me, it was the last person who I wanted to see.

"Can I sit?" Jackie asked.

I didn't regard her, instead I stood and tried to walk away. She reached for my arm to stop me. "Jackie, I can't right now."

"What's wrong?" Her voice was unusually soft. "Look, I'm sorry about what I said before."

"It's fine. It's whatever." I tried to escape from her grasp, but she held onto me. "Jackie!"

"Please sit," she insisted. I was hesitant to continue the conversation. But I also had no energy to fight with her.

"Fine." When she released my arm, I felt my body tremble. "I'm leaving first thing tomorrow. So you'll get exactly what you want."

Jackie didn't seem relieved. "I think it's for the best," she said.

"Me too."

"Sydney, I've always liked you."

"You have a weird way of showing it." I couldn't tell if she was being sympathetic or not. After what happened earlier, I knew that I deserved no sympathy. Not from her. Not from Daniel. Not even from my daughter.

"I know," she said.

"I have to pack. Take care of Miley while I'm gone?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry that this is hard for you. I truly am."

Tears began to fill my eyes. But I wouldn't let her see me vulnerable. Standing, she didn't try to stop me. I found myself at the hotel's bar, drowning my sorrows and hunger on martinis.

"Sydney? Sydney Gallagher?" I looked beside me and saw an older woman. She sat two stools down with a glass of wine in her grasp.

"Yeah?"

"Of course it's you!" She stood and walked over to the stool beside mine. "It's crazy to see you after all this time."

Her voice was familiar. She had a very distinct tone, one that's hard to forget. "Miss Clint? Wow, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, can't I vacation too?" She pulled me into an embrace. "It's good to see you, kid. How have you been?"

"Usually good. This trip is a special scenario."

"Not liking Maui? What's not to like? Beautiful culture, isn't it?"

I nodded. "The island isn't the problem."

"Oh, I see. Trouble in paradise?" I tried to acknowledge her humor. But my aching heart wouldn't let me. "It's been a crazy trip for me. Little Amy's getting married."

My eyes rose to hers. I hadn't thought about her daughter in years. "How is she? All grown up, I assume."

"My girl's very grown now. You two were inseparable as kids. Always thought that you'd be her maid of honor. How things are different, huh?"

A different wave of tension began to consume me. Then, as though I'd been living in a bubble, a wild thought found its way to the tip of my tongue. "Amelia. That's—"

"I still remember when she hated it. Now, it's the only thing that she goes by."

I gripped my glass nervously, as the pieces found their groove. "She's getting married," I mumbled.

"Yes. Tomorrow, actually. You know, I think she'd love for you to come. Why don't you?" Miss Clint seemed excited. But my feelings about it was far from it.

Amelia Clint. Amy Clint. How didn't I recognize her? How didn't she recognize me?

"I actually, um, have to—it was nice to see you Miss Clint, but I need to go."

"Sydney, wait." She tried to reach for my arm, but my body moved faster than my brain could process my realization.