Karma’s Kiss

Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

Songbirds are singing! Bells are ringing! Children everywhere are dancing because Sawyer and I are getting married today!

At this very moment, he’s waiting for me at the altar in the vineyard’s little chapel, haloed by light that pours in through the stained glass windows on either side of him. He’s so handsome I’m taken aback a bit. He’s everything a groom should be: impeccably dressed (he’s wearing dirty work clothes), smiling (he’s visibly fuming), and in love (if he could strangle me with his bare hands, he would).

“Now at this point in the ceremony, Michael will be standing where Sawyer is, your guests will be seated, and the officiant will step forward. Is everything still good to go with your friend Sergio?”

“Yes! He’s been ordained on some website. It’ll be totally hilarious when he puts on the black papal robes we got him. No one’s expecting our good mate to marry us!”

Queenie laughs. “Perfect. Sergio will invite everyone to stand as the chapel doors sweep open, and Amber will appear in the doorway taking everyone’s breath away. There’s your cue, Madison.”

Crawford stands off to the side, smiling a devious little smile. “ Dum dum dum-dum ,” he hums as I start the slow march toward Sawyer, pretending I’m carrying a bouquet in my hands.

“We’ll have your string quartet all set up, of course,” Queenie confirms, following me up the aisle with her iPad.

Sawyer shifts uncomfortably and scratches his jaw. It’s clear he wants to be anywhere but here. I can’t imagine how Crawford convinced him to do this for us. Well, it’s probably not for us . It’s for Queenie. Sawyer has no problem with my sweet mother.

“Amber, at the end of the aisle, your brother will hand you off to Michael. And here, Michael, I’d invite you to shake her brother’s hand or offer a hug. It’s a moment the photographer will want to capture.”

“Noted.”

“Then Amber, you’ll accept Michael’s hands as he extends them for you to take.”

Sawyer, playing Michael’s part, doesn’t move. He’s looking at the ground, ignoring us.

“You’ll accept Michael’s hands,” Queenie stresses again, and Sawyer clears his throat as a subtle protest before he plays along, reaching his hands out for mine.

Crawford whoops from the back of the chapel. The old man has yet to sit down. Bum knees? I think not.

The moment Sawyer’s hands wrap around mine, I feel it . That impossible-to-ignore zap that jolts your body, screaming soulmate status. People spend their whole lives searching for it. Did I get zapped by Matthew? No, and I feel guilty admitting that.

This is not good! NOT GOOD.

I’m sweating. Adrenaline courses through me like I’m about to take flight. Fortunately, Sawyer’s strong hands stay clasped around mine, holding me steady despite my nerves. Can he feel the tension between us or is his judgment too clouded by his newfound hatred of me?

I don’t hate him. Not at all. The bitterness I’ve felt in the last two days has apparently burned off because now, all of a sudden, I wish we were standing on this altar all alone. I wish I could force him to hear me out. I wish I could edge slightly closer to him and—

“And now Amber and Michael, you’ll stare adoringly into each other’s eyes”—Queenie doesn’t have to pause here because Sawyer and I are already demonstrating this—“and then Michael, you’ll whisper something sweet and reassuring to your bride-to-be…”

Sawyer frowns, his eyebrows pinching together in consternation. His eyes drift down over my face, resting on my mouth for a moment before he looks away, saying nothing at all.

“And Madison—err, Amber ,” Queenie corrects, “you’ll blush sweetly and everyone will eat it up.”

No problem there. My cheeks are already scorching.

“At this point, your officiant will take over, leading you both through the ceremony. Toward the end, you two will share your vows and exchange rings…”

Queenie continues, and this rehearsal is starting to feel like background noise. All I can focus on is the firm grip of Sawyer’s hands, his angry expression.

“ Please ,” I mouth.

I swear his eyes soften.

“—and then that leads to the best part!” Queenie goes on. “‘You may now kiss the bride’ and an introduction of the newly married couple.”

“Well? What are you waiting for? Let’s have a kiss!” Amber shouts.

WHAT?!

I panic before she laughs, tacking on, “ Only kidding! They’re just such a handsome pair! Couldn’t resist.”

Sawyer yanks his hands back and shakes them out, but he’s still looking at me, glaring more like.

“Are we done?” I ask, annoyed that my voice sounds so wobbly and unsure.

“Yes, let’s just have Sawyer walk you down the aisle so Amber and Michael can get a feel for the pacing. This is another iconic moment the photographer will want to capture. All the guests will be clapping with excitement, and you two will be beaming with joy.”

“They’re not beaming,” Michael notes jokingly.

He’s right. A smile is too much for me at the moment.

“About midway down the aisle, I would ask that you pause, Michael, and give Amber a little dip or another kiss. The photo will be stunning with your guests all around you.”

Sawyer does not dip me or kiss me. He practically drags me down the aisle, shooting a menacing glare over at Crawford before we break free through the doors. Then he shakes me off him.

“Tell Queenie she owes me,” he spits, already walking away.

“Queenie doesn’t owe you jack shit!”

Oh, the curse feels good. I wish I could keep more coming, but when Sawyer whirls around and faces me, I gulp and clam up. His eyes are so fiercely angry I want to cower.

“Get out of here, Madison. Wedding planning or not, I don’t want to see you on my vineyard ever again.”

“ Your vineyard? God, you’re so arrogant! You know what?” I point a finger at him. “Kendra was right to want to teach you a lesson.”

He rears back. “Kendra? Henke? ”

He looks blown away by the name, like he’s forgotten she even existed.

“Yes, Kendra Henke! Don’t you remember the girl you used to date in high school ?!”

“ DATE? ” He laughs caustically. “You’re kidding me.”

I jab my finger into his chest. “That girl was obsessed with you and you knew it . You took advantage of it!”

Deep down, I don’t believe any of this anymore, haven’t for a while, but he’s got me so worked up that it feels good to fling baseless accusations at him. After all, he’s charged and sentenced me for crimes I didn’t really commit. I might as well do the same.

“You were always the golden boy, Sawyer. Getting any girl you wanted.” I sound utterly disgusted by it.

His jaw rolls with anger, but I don’t stop.

“When I came back to town and you made it clear you were interested in me, Kendra saw it as the perfect opportunity to give you a taste of your own medicine. You came on to me so strong and I’d just about had enough of men in general after Matthew, so Kendra suggested I accept your date and break your heart the way you’ve broken so many hearts before me.”

I see his good opinion of me dying a swift death—the residual warmth draining from his eyes—and yet I can’t stop. It feels too good to get the truth off my chest.

“And yeah, like an idiot, I went through with it against my better judgment!” I explode, flinging my arms out, really letting it all go. “God, it was such a stupid plan. There was no real end goal. I guess you were supposed to fall for me and then I’d ghost you or something, but you just couldn’t do what I needed you to do.” I narrow my eyes accusingly. “You kept pushing and pushing and pushing , and making it impossible to stay away from you. At The Black Door, I called off Kendra’s half-baked plan. I wanted nothing to do with it, but it was too late. Your little Charlotte heard me on the phone with Kendra and ran straight to you. I can only imagine what she said and how she said it, painting me as the villain. Well I don’t care, Sawyer.” I slow down here, enunciating every word. “There you go. All of it. ”

I heave a deep cleansing sigh and start to walk away, but not before I turn back one more time. “And by the way, I’ll happily stay away from your vineyard! For all of eternity, in fact! Tell Queenie I’m walking home!”

I make it about a mile away with the hot Texas sun scorching me from above before I’m so overheated I peel off the side of the road and take a seat in the shade beneath a giant oak tree. I’m hoping to be rescued by Queenie, but a squirrel finds me first, eyeing me suspiciously with its beady little eyes.

“What?”

The squirrel cocks its head to the left.

“I’m kinda busy sulking here, leave me alone.”

It skitters up the oak tree and accidentally—or more likely, on purpose— pelts me with an acorn from above. I rub the spot on my head and glower up at it. It’s probably Sawyer’s squirrel. He’s trained it to torment me.

Gravel kicks up on the road and an old beat-up red truck slows to a stop in front of me.

Crawford reaches over the seat to roll down the window, smiling at me from behind the wheel. “Want a ride?”

I cross my arms. “Does your grandson know you’re here being nice to me?”

“Well he’s the one who told me to come pick you up…”

“Where’s Queenie?” I ask suspiciously as I get to my feet and swipe the dirt from my backside.

“Finishing up that rehearsal you walked out on. We could all hear you and Sawyer, by the way. Not like you two were trying to keep your voices down.”

“ Great. ” I yank open the door and slide onto the weathered seat, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Don’t fret. I’m glad y’all were shouting, that way I could hear properly. The whole thing sounded real interesting and Sawyer’s all worked up, but I guess not enough that he wasn’t worried about you out here all on your own.”

I keep my gaze focused out the window. “I don’t care about Sawyer.”

“All righty. Message received loud and clear. Why don’t I put on some music for us?”

He barely touches the volume dial before I launch in, “For the record, I didn’t do anything wrong. Not really. I might have told Kendra I was going through with her plan, but I didn’t ever actually do anything to Sawyer. I wanted to go on dates with him and I really liked him. Or so I thought.” I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter anymore. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Again he reaches for the volume dial, but he’s not fast enough.

“It’s just what is he doing with Charlotte? Is he really going to pursue something with her? Because they aren’t a good match if you ask me. What do you think?”

“I—”

“Never mind, don’t answer that. What am I doing still worrying about Sawyer? He kicked me off the vineyard, you know.”

“I heard.”

“And I swore I’d never go back. How am I supposed to help Queenie with that wedding next weekend? And all the other weddings thereafter?”

Crawford hums like this is a real problem. “You could maybe try to talk to him and smooth things over? I think you’re both owed an apology.”

A laugh bursts out of me. “Oh ho, no way . Sawyer’s not getting an apology out of me.”

“All right, so then it’s a proper fight you’re after. Good. I thought I saw some fire in you the first day we met.”

I peer over at him curiously. His profile looks so much like Sawyer’s. He has the same deep-set dimples even when he’s not really smiling. But something’s off. “Why are you being nice to me? Aren’t you on Sawyer’s side?”

“Of course.” He nods. “I love my grandson, which is why I’m here right now, driving you home. Smoothing troubled waters.”

“Can’t smooth these waters,” I insist.

He chuckles under his breath like he knows something I don’t.

I don’t bother asking him what it is. Frankly, I don’t care to hear it.