The massive red brick building with imposing white columns dared me to step closer, reminding me of how I didn’t belong. I thought about running, but that was my mother’s thing, not mine. I eyed my outlet mall dress. I loved it, and I looked good in it. But it wouldn’t live up to the expectations of a rich, designer-clad family like the Dumonts.

Avery angled in the passenger seat to face me. “You look beautiful, and you deserve to be here. You’re as good as anyone else in that place. No, better.”

I waited for her usual sarcasm, but Avery only fussed with my hair for a second then got out of the car. With a hard shove on the door of my 1987 Honda Accord, I snagged my keys, my purse, and my strength to deal with Cathy Mitchell West, Mrs. Dumont, and the entire Eagles Landing Country Club that would insist on meeting and judging me.

I walked through the parking lot, trying not to make eye contact with the valets. “Told you not to park,” Avery whispered into my ear. “And stop shaking.”

“I’m not. And those valets cost twenty dollars plus tip.”

She laughed. “You’re trembling like a sunbather on top of the Rocky Mountains in January.”

Avery meant well, but nothing could calm my nerves. Two employees opened the front doors and we entered the large atrium. After all these years of dating Ashton, I was finally entering the club for dinner. To eat, not to serve. I’d only worked at the club for a few months before I was let go after our first date. I’d never said anything, but I suspected his mother had made a call. I’d come with him for lunch a few times, but never in the evening with the lights twinkling and china clinking, and never with his family.

I stepped inside the atrium. Before I could take it all in, a woman exiting a restroom clapped her hands together, drawing my attention. It looked like Aunt Cathy, yet nothing like her. It had been eight years, could she have changed that much? No cat sweatshirts, grey hair, or round body.

She flung her arms around me with the same rib-crushing hug I remembered. “My dear sweet niece. How are you? I’m so happy for you. I hope it’s okay that I came. Zoey called to tell me all the news.” She released me and a handsome older man walked over from the restaurant entrance. “This is my husband, Devon West,” Aunt Cathy said, gesturing to him. “He drove me down, so I didn’t have to make the trip alone.”

The man had a distinguished look, thin, runner frame, and tall.

My mouth opened and shut, then opened and shut again, but I still couldn’t find the words. It had been eight years, seven Christmas cards, three forced phone calls between in-person meetings.

Cathy brushed my hair from my forehead and analyzed my face. “You must be exhausted after such a long day. Zoey told me that you went to the bakery at four this morning, and then you had to fill in for her at some audition thingy after that. How will you ever stay awake through dinner?”

“It sounds like Zoey has had plenty of time to fill you in. Too bad she didn’t have time to help.” I grinned. My mind skimmed the surface from the funeral of Uncle Sam, skipped over the unanswered letters I wrote, and plopped into the pool of sorrow the night my mother told me Aunt Cathy didn’t want me to go stay with her over the summer. That was eight summers ago.

Avery nudged into my side. “Sorry. My dear sister is hangry. She needs some sustenance.”

Devon offered his arm to Cathy and his hand to shake ours. “Pleasure to meet you both.”

Avery took his hand with enthusiasm. “Nice to meet you, too. Zoey told me that you remarried. It looks like he’s good for you.”

“Ah, yes, the weight loss. That was for me, but the smile on my face is from him.” Cathy snuggled into his side. “Well, we shouldn’t keep the Dumonts waiting.”

“If you want to skip this, I understand,” I said, still searching for a way out of this. Country folk and country club members mixed about as well as oil and gasoline.

Cathy cleared her throat then forced a small smile. “I drove all this way to meet the man who stole your heart, so I think I’ll stay. Zoey tells me how much you love Ashton. Of course, I’d like to hear from you occasionally, too.”

Devon tugged Cathy away and, to my shock, she shut her mouth without so much as another jab. That man had secret powers, Cathy-shut-your-mouth powers, which I didn’t think existed. As they walked away Cathy looked back at us, “Well, are you coming or not? It’s your party.”

I shook my head and took a long breath, trying to steady the crazy emotions that tornadoed through me. I told myself it would be okay, though. The minute I saw Ashton, the second he held my hand, I could handle anything.

Zoey waited inside the door near the host station, wearing a new dress she probably made herself. The green offset her hair and her light eyes. “It’s about time. You’re late,” she whispered. “You know Mrs. Dumont thrives on punctuality.”

I glanced at my watch. Great, not the way to start things off.

Zoey hurried us to a large round table in the back of the room where a few people were already seated. I searched in vain for the only face I wanted to focus on, Ashton’s.

Avery caught my anxiety and held tight to me. “If you can handle raising me, you can do this.”

I squeezed her hand back. “I’ve got this.”

Cathy and Devon took the lead by starting the introductions. “Hi, there. I’m Cathy West. It’s a pleasure to finally meet y’all. I’ve heard such wonderful things. Thank you so much for welcomin’ our sweet Sadie into your family.”

“You must be the aunt from small town USA. Isn’t that how you put it, Sadie?” Mrs. Dumont asked. I cringed, not realizing the woman would ever repeat my words back at me at such a time. This woman was a self-proclaimed queen of diplomacy.

“Yes, and proud of it,” Cathy said, turning her southern accent up a thousand notches. “We are a simple but lovin’ kind of people.”

I wanted to laugh, but I also wanted to impress. For now, impress won. So I just nudged her smiled.

Devon launched his hand out to Mr. Dumont. “It’s a pleasure. Thank you for having us. Should we take our seats?”

The man obviously had more knowledge of worldly ways than Cathy, and at the moment, I appreciated them. Too bad he hadn’t been around when Mother ran out on us. Maybe then Cathy would’ve helped us out. I tasted the sting of bitterness I thought I’d let go of years ago, but the acid of neglect still bubbled in my stomach.

Swallowing it back down, I asked, “Where’s Ashton?” Devon pulled out a seat for me and I gratefully took it, afraid my shaking knees would soon give me away.

“He had a call from that large firm in Alpharetta. It looks like he’ll be starting there right after the wedding.”

I glanced at Avery. How could he do this to me? I said in silent sister speak. She squeezed my hand under the table, reminding me there was probably more to the story than the saboteur Mrs. Dumont was willing to share.

“Oh, I’m sorry. You didn’t know?” Mrs. Dumont swirled some red wine around in a crystal glass. “Well, I’m sure he meant to surprise you. Since he’ll be providing for you both, I assume you’ll support him in his decisions.”

“Is that how your marriage works? It must be great not to have to worry about all those pesky decisions.” I kept my tone light, fun, but really—I wanted to shrink under the table, to crawl into the tiny hole my heel was digging into the burgundy and gold carpet.

Cathy cleared her throat. “I hear Sadie’ll be participating in the bake-off at the fair again this year. They contacted me about judging. Apparently, they recalled my years of judging with Sadie, and they are short on judges this year.” Cathy smiled at one of the many memories we shared from my childhood of the two of us judging all the other bakers. “I hope she’ll open her own bakery.”

Mrs. Dumont took the napkin from her lap and dabbed at the corners of her mouth despite the fact she hadn’t eaten anything. “Yes, well, I hardly think she’ll have time for that. She needs to stay home and support Ashton as soon as the wedding is over.”

“Oh, he can’t have that much laundry.” I tried to insert some fun, and some hope. I mean his suits were definitely dry cleaned. But Cathy apparently had claws and I didn’t need defending. I just needed to survive.

“Why would she do that?” Cathy asked. “She’s a baker. One of the best I’ve ever tasted. She’s actually better than me, if I’m being honest. If she wants to continue baking, she should.” Her voice carried like a moose mating call throughout the dining room. Everyone stopped mid-bite and turned to stare.

Embarrassed, I quickly leaned forward. “Well, of course I’ll support him. My aunt doesn’t know how these things work. He’ll support me, I’ll support him, we’ll be a-leaning-on-each-other marriage.” My attempt at humor fell as flat as a pancake without baking soda.

Avery shot me a glance. I hadn’t meant to belittle Cathy in front of everyone like that. Yet, the words had slipped out before I could stop them. And my sass wasn’t saving me.

Zoey lifted a glass of water. “To the soon-to-be married couple. May they always support each other in life.”

Mr. Dumont raised his glass. “Here. Here.”

Everyone around the table lifted their glasses and I swallowed a gulp of liquid humility. I wanted to say something to soothe things over, but I wasn’t sure what to say.

“Tell me, what are your aspirations once you marry my grandson?” Grandma Dumont asked while clinking her huge multi-diamond ring against her wine glass. I had a feeling she was still bitter about me turning down the fifty-thousand-dollar family heirloom engagement ring she’d given Ashton when he proposed.

“Ashton has been encouraging me to go back to school. I’m working on college applications now,” I said, hoping to avoid any more future questions until Ashton arrived.

Cathy opened her napkin and laid it in her lap. “The food smells delicious.”

I wanted to thank her for throwing a lifeline, but instead I just took another sip of red wine.

“Don’t you think you need to concentrate on being a corporate wife? I mean, will you have time to attend school between coordinating fundraisers and corporate parties and caring for Ashton?” Mrs. Dumont asked.

“I’m sure Ashton and Sadie will figure out what works best for them,” Cathy said in a motherly tone.

I didn’t like it. She didn’t have a right to stick up for me now. “I can do it all. Bring that bacon home, fry it, even kill the pig if I have too…” My suddenly mousy voice was not living up to my attitude. “Not a problem.”

Cathy shook her head, and Grandma Dumont pounced on the opportunity. “You disagree, Mrs. West? You think she should ignore her husband and stay focused on her own selfish desires? The girl is nearly twenty-six. Certainly if she had intended on going to college, she would have already.”

“She was busy raising her sisters,” Cathy quipped before Devon touched her shoulder and his magic soothed her into silence. Dang, that was some gift.

Zoey lifted a basket of sliced French bread and held it up to Mrs. Dumont. “This bread is amazing. Not as amazing as Sadie’s, but it’s good. Here. Try some.”

Mrs. Dumont held up her hand. “I don’t eat gluten,” she said with a sneer, then turned her scowl to me. “Is this what I should expect? An absentee daughter-in-law who is trying to make up for lost time? I can already see how things will turn out, my Ashton paying your way out of pity because your mother ran out on you and you had to raise your sisters. I just hope he doesn’t end up with any regrets.”

“That’s enough,” Mr. Dumont scolded, but with little success. I saw it in her eyes. She’d succeeded in humiliating me in front of everyone when Ashton wasn’t around to defend me.

The realization struck me and I froze. What was I getting myself into? I’d always been fine on my own. I’d never needed anyone to defend me before.

I glanced at the door, willing Ashton to enter, but there was no sign of him. “We raised each other.” I eyed my two sisters, the ones who had sacrificed as much as I had to keep the three of us together. We’d all been through so much. No one could understand the gifts we were given as a reward for the suffering. “We know how to handle ourselves, Mrs. Dumont.”

“And they did a great job,” Cathy added.

As much as I liked having allies, I didn’t like her defending me as if she was family. Family didn’t ignore each other when they were in need, but I didn’t want to add fuel to the already flambéed situation.

Thankfully, the waiter arrived and took our orders. I was careful to make sure I ordered things I knew were easy to eat with little mess. The last thing I needed was to have a Pretty Woman escargot moment.

The instant the waiter left, Grandma Dumont leaned forward and eyed Cathy. I saw the trouble brewing beneath her fierce gaze, but I wasn’t fast enough to stop her. “Mrs. West, what do you think of Sadie’s engagement ring?”

Avery lifted my hand so Cathy could see it, while I wanted to scream to Cathy not to fall for the set up.

“Oooh, it’s beautiful.” Cathy held my fingers and eyed the still too-extravagant diamond. “Ashton has great taste.”

“Yes, my grandson, Ashton Dumont the third, has excellent taste in regards to some things, but apparently, our family ring wasn’t good enough for her.”

“Oh no.” I yanked my hand down under the table. It’s not as if their heirloom ring was so big it blinded me when I looked at it. It was more that I wanted to make my own memories with Ashton, not take in theirs—which they had a wonderful way of making me feel like the unwilling recipient of charity. “It is stunning, perfect, but I didn’t want to take a chance of having something happen to it. To be honest, I would’ve been happy to have a simple wedding ring with no diamond. I’m marrying your grandson, not his possessions.”

“Except his new car,” Avery whispered.

I kicked her under the table.

“No, you’d rather take his possessions in another way,” Mrs. Dumont said under her breath.

My insides churned so fast I thought the wine would erupt before my temper did. “Mrs. Dumont, I do not, and have never, wanted your family’s money.” I turned on Grandma Dumont. “That’s why I wouldn’t accept that ring. I’m a small-town baker who kneads dough all day. I’m not fancy, but I am proud. I’m also—“

“Clumsy,” Avery whispered.

“Clumsy—I also have a tendency to lose things, so I don’t want to take the chance of losing such a valuable family heirloom. I’m aware that I’m not what you imagined for Ashton, I don’t come from money. But I’m not hungry for it either. I love him. He has class, the kind of class that doesn’t make other people feel small.”

“Lord knows you’re not small,” Avery said.

She was one comment away from a terrible wine spilling accident, but I was on a roll. “I’m trying to be the person you all want me to be, but I’m not. And may never be. I love family, and my home, and I’m proud of my two sisters and I have never regretted helping raise them. But honestly, they helped me, too. We work hard and we keep our obligations.” And that was all the self-justifying I’d ever do for her. Someday Ashton and I might have kids, and if she ever wanted to see them…oh Lord, I better not say that. I put a hand to my mouth to contain my urge.

“Is that what this marriage is to you?” Mrs. Dumont sneered. “An obligation?”

“No.” I pointed at the Dumonts. Goodness but this woman could wear out a saint. “But you sure are.” My voice rose, but I couldn’t stop myself. “I’ve never met anyone so arrogant, so demanding, so…”

I realized that Mrs. Dumont was looking—right past me.

I swallowed hard, regretting my words instantly. Avery clutched my shoulder, and I looked up to find Ashton. He stood in the center of the restaurant, h attention, like the diners surrounding him, riveted on me. I knew he would pay the price for my temper tantrum. I’d hurt him. I’d damaged his and his family’s reputation by causing a scene in front of their peers.

I faced Mrs. Dumont and saw her smug smile. She’d played me like a country fiddle at a jamboree.