It had been a rainy day. The glowing sun had decided to say goodbye and let the chilly wind wipe out the last bit of summer warmth. The leaves had gradually turned to red, brown, or yellow, scattered along the cobblestone pavement leading to a café at the corner of the street. The place I was about to meet Bridget.

I hadn't seen her for almost five years, not that I missed her, but since Lea told me Blake's big sister had something to discuss with me regarding Lea's wedding, I had no choice but to agree to it. Knowing her, it would be quick, straight to the point, and probably painful. Well, I could live with it. This was about Lea and her big day, less about me.

The venue was too fancy to call a café. To me, it looked more like a restaurant; a luncheon restaurant. The building was glass architecture which allowed people on the street to see what was going on inside the restaurant. On the other hand, with a thoroughly designed garden that surrounded the building, it gave a natural outdoor experience to customers while they enjoyed their meal. With its excellent climate control system, the temperature inside the restaurant would never be too hot during the summer, or too cold during winter. As I said, a fancy café.

It wasn't hard to spot Bridget since her crimson attire stood out among the gloomy garment colors people were wearing at the moment. They said that we tended to pick the color that was reflecting our mood at a time, and I believed it was right. Who would be in the mood to wear something bright and daring in this foul weather? Except for Bridget, of course.

She still looked exactly the same as when I saw her last. Her petite body was rather rigid in her tight red dress, making her head look rather oversized with that wavy brown hair reaching almost at her waist level. The make-up on her face was thoroughly done as always which sometimes made me believe she was born with make-up on.

The woman was burying her face in the pink notebook in her hands, but when I stopped at her table, she looked up, and a tiny smile rose on the corner of her plump lips.

"Bridget, hi. I'm so sorry for being late. The traffic was stupid and I took the wrong turn."

"Hi, Jenny. No, it's okay," she said, standing up and giving me quick, awkward pecks on the cheeks. "How are you? It's been a while."

"I'm great. And how are you?" I greeted her back as I settled into the chair across from her.

She shrugged while putting her hands on the armrest. "Can't complain. My business has been growing well, I'm now married to John —you met him briefly, and the kids are now big and getting more rebellious." She chuckled. "Well, teenagers."

"Congratulations on your wedding," I said, smiling politely.

"Thank you." She waved at a waiter before shifting her gaze back to me. Despite her non-existent resemblance with Blake, there was an intense vibe that they shared as siblings. It was probably the way they were brought up, and it left them two choices: being a likable human being or being the person people despised. Sadly, they both fell into the latter option.

When the waiter came to our table, I only ordered coffee and a small cake. "I had lunch, but I would never say no to cakes and coffee." I didn't lie but was not entirely truthful. I had brunch at 10 p.m and I could eat a plate of nachos right now, but this meeting was supposed to be fast.

"Alright," Bridget said, taking her pink notebook from the table. "I'm glad that you agreed to come here. As you may have heard, I'm taking over the wedding planner job and the small parties around the wedding week."

"Right. A lot of parties," I mumbled as I crossed one leg over the other.

"Well, a few, but I'll need to make sure the guests will stay entertained during their stays." Bridget brushed her brown bangs backward, allowing her diamond earring to blink against the golden light above us. "But the reason I asked you to come is for the surprise bachelor party."

"Okay? What about it?"

"You see you're the only person who has known Lea the longest time. I did ask Gary about what she likes or what she doesn't like, but the person who knows how she was and her journey until the moment she met Gary is you." She picked a pen from a golden case on the table, next to her almost empty teacup. "I want to bring Lea to relive the moment when she was still a teenager and having her youth dreams about her future, and then slap her back to what she has become now."

I nodded at the idea. As much as I disliked the woman who brought up the idea, this was not a bad plan at all. "That sounds like a terrific idea, but how are you going to make it work? Using a video or photos of her childhood during the party?"

"No," she replied, her eyes twinkling as brightly as her diamond earrings, "I want her to relive it. We could make a trip to her school buildings, or to places where you guys often hung out. You know, those crazy places with unforgettable memories."

"Not memories related to the boys he fooled around, I hope."

"I would be pretty open with that. It's in the past. Look, she has Gary now. What's more to ask from a man?" Bridget smirked. "He's a handsome young man and comes from a wealthy and powerful family. Girls are dying to be in her position because their story is like a Cinderella tale! Lea must be very grateful."

I was close to adding that those points weren't what drew Lea to Gary, but the waiter came back with his tray. I nodded and thanked him instead.

"So..." Bridget stared at me expectantly. "Would you be able to come up with ideas about the places and maybe some important moments she had during her youth?"

"I guess so, but I will need a few days to gather all the ideas. I believe I still have some photos and mementos from the past that are probably useful for this. Give me a week. I need to ask my mom to open the boxes I keep in her storage room. There should be something for the bachelor party."

"Excellent! But I also want to ask, though." She bit her lower lip. "Is it okay for you that I'm doing this?"

I tilted my head, confused by her question. "Doing...what?"

"This. I mean trying to work together for Lea's party but well, given your situation with my brother, I just want to make sure you're fine with this."

I raised an eyebrow. Bridget was trying to care? That was new. "Of course. Why would I not be fine with it? It's for Lea. It has nothing to do with him."

"Of course, yeah." She nodded. "Just to make it clear from the beginning, my brother will help out with the setup for the bachelor party, too. So, basically, you will see more of him later."

"No problem."

"Great!" She clapped her hands. "I will hear from you in a week? I want it to be something like schools, or places you used to hang out–"

"I got it. I have something in mind but it will be better to just give you more things to consider."

"Good. This is my business card, and you can send me an email, or call me if you find it easier." She handed me a name card in gold and pink, her eyes fixating on me. "One more thing. Maybe you will hear it sooner or later, but Blake is coming home. He is taking over our father's company."

From the way she stared at my reaction, it must've been an interesting show for her. She knew damn well that this was a sensitive topic for me, yet she broke the news with satisfaction on her face. This bitch.

"I know," I replied while trying not to give her what she wanted. I briefly checked her business card and casually said, "We met."

"Oh."

"Briefly."

"I didn't know that." She closed her notebook but her eyes never left my face. "I hope it went well."

My stupid, yellow, wet sundress I wore in that company gathering popped up in my head. "Of course."

"I'm glad." Bridget pressed a palm against her chest, faking her relief. "It's been a while. Things have changed now. Blake has started dating again and I hope you're moving on too with someone else."

It's not your goddamn business. "Yeah, I am."

Bridget raised her eyebrows with interest. "Excellent. I hope I get to see the lucky guy at the wedding."

"I will need to check on his schedule first for that."

"You should, you should." She nodded again. "It would be grand to see all of us gather as one big family. I'll make sure Kendall is coming, too."

"Kendall?"

"Blake's girlfriend, but she's a friend of mine too."

Great. "Alright." I took a few gulps of my coffee while frowning at my pie, losing my appetite all of a sudden. It was sad to leave it untouched, but the hell would I sit here any longer.

While I was deciding what to do with my poor pie, a thunder rumbled from the sky. It wasn't hard but enough to warn me that the rain would pour again soon. I glanced at the dark clouds that were hanging low and cleared my throat. "I should probably go now. I parked my car a bit further away."

"Oh, why?"

"I took the wrong turn, and going back would take me to this place longer than just walking. So I left my car in the parking lot by the park." I reached out to my leather shoulder bag and retracted my wallet.

"Please, I invited you here," Bridget said quickly, waving her credit card at me. "I'm also leaving. I need to be somewhere else soon."

"Okay. Thank you." I stood up and slung my bag strap over my shoulder. "I'll email you once I compile all the ideas. It's good meeting you again, Bridget." I was about to walk over to her to give her a quick goodbye hug when the rattling sound echoed from the restaurant's glass walls. The cascading rain hit them like angry arrows coming from the sky. "Crap," I mumbled.

"Uh, oh. That's a little bit unfortunate."

I sighed, feeling stupid because I didn't think of bringing my umbrella with me. But with this kind of rain, I would be soaking wet by the time I reached my car anyway. "I guess I will just wait by the entrance lobby. It's quite windy. I hope it ends as fast as it came." I leaned over to give her a cheek kiss.

If she wasn't Bridget freaking Andrew, or whatever her husband's last name is now, I would be staying at the table, eating my pie while chit-chatting with her. But at the moment, standing by the lobby and waiting for the rain to stop until I rotted was way more tempting. Maybe I would just run under the brutal rain if I could have a plastic bag to wrap in my gadget. I should be able to ask someone by the receptionist desk in the lobby.

"Oumph!" It took me a few seconds to realize that I had just hit someone who was walking to the lobby, almost losing my balance if the person didn't hold my arms. "I'm sorry, I di–"

"Jennifer."

That deep voice. I froze, but my eyes slowly trailed up and were met with a pair of ocean-blue irises. "Blake."

He seemed to get over this surprise bump faster than I did, and he let go of my arms as if my skin had burned his hands. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Me, too. Actually, I came to meet your sister."

"Huh?"

"Finally, you're here!" Bridget chirped as she strode from behind me, her high heels clicking against the granite floor. "I almost believed you bailed on me."

"Of course not," he said in a flat tone. "I didn't know you met up with Jennifer."

Bridget waved her hand with a dismissal gesture. "It's for Gary's wedding. I'm preparing a surprise party for his bride, and I thought Jenny could help out with some sources."

Blake looked back and forth at her sister and me, slightly frowning. "I see."

Bridget grinned at me. "My lift is here. Oh." She averted her eyes at his brother. "We should probably give her a lift. She parked a few blocks from here. We will pass it when we leave this area anyway."

If Blake disliked the idea, he didn't show it, but he certainly wasn't excited either. "Sure."

"It's alright," I said quickly. "The rain should stop soon. I'll wait here. It's no big deal."

"It won't stop anytime soon. I checked the forecast," Blake replied.

"See? Please, Jenny, we insist." Bridget smiled but it looked more like a smirk. A daring smirk that reminded me of a high school bully. If she thought being in the car with them frightened me, then she would see how wrong she was.

I smiled and shrugged. "Alright then. Thank you." I would survive the ride. We would reach the parking lot before I knew it.

She clapped her hands in excitement but my stomach churned for some reason. Bridget never acted this enthusiastic at the chance of Blake and me being in the same space.

"Kendal is waiting in your car, right?" she asked as we walked to the restaurant's porch.

"Yeah," he replied in a low tone but to me, it was harder than a cracking thunder from above. "Wait here, I'll bring my car closer."