It didn't.
But at least I had something to do.
Three months after the accident, my assistant called me one afternoon.
Her voice sounded rushed.
“Meredith, I’m so sorry, but I can’t make it to the venue tonight.”
I closed my eyes.
I wanted to say no.
I wanted to tell her I wasn't ready.
Instead, I asked, “What happened?”
She explained that something had come up and the couple's wedding was too close to cancel. She begged me to step in.
I looked at the clock.
Then I looked around my apartment at the silence.
Finally, I said yes.
I told myself it was just another wedding.
Another job.
Another room to decorate.
Another day I needed to survive.
I had no idea I was walking into the strangest day of my life.
The Venue Felt Familiar
When I arrived, everything was already in motion.
Staff were carrying chairs.
The coordinator was checking the schedule.
Guests were arriving in small groups.
Music floated through the halls.
And everywhere I looked, there were flowers.
I set down my supplies and focused on the work.
That was the trick I had learned since Adrian's death.
Don't think.
Work.
Arrange.
Cut.
Tie.
Move.
Repeat.
I was placing flowers at one of the reception tables when something caught my attention.
A woman stood near the entrance.
She looked familiar.
At first, I couldn't place her.
Then my heart stopped.
It was Colleen.
Adrian's mother.
I stared at her.
For one irrational second, I thought maybe grief had finally broken something inside my mind.
Maybe I was hallucinating.
Maybe my brain had simply inserted her into the wrong place.
She was supposed to be mourning at home.
She wasn't supposed to be here.
And when she saw me, something in her face changed.