Begin Again

Chapter 26

The next eight months went by in slow motion. Claire was so wrapped up in planning her wedding with two hundred people, daddy gave her carte blanche on the budget, that she didn't stop one moment to realize that Brandon and I never spoke a word to each other.

In fact we got so good at avoiding each other that whenever he came into a room I left and vice versa. Sarah and John noticed but apart from her knowing the truth about it all John and everyone else were in the dark and I preferred to keep it like that.

As July finally drew near Claire was bouncing off the walls driving me and Sarah crazy. Sarah tried planning the bachelors only to be informed by Claire she had already planned everything we just needed to show up.

Basically if it wasn't for our titles and her having to approve the dresses we were wearing you wouldn't know that we were part of the wedding party. We just got dragged everywhere to see what she had already planned and done.

Her wedding colors were a navy blue and bright pink and me and Sarah would be wearing navy blue dresses of our choosing as long as she approved along with the groomsmen who also had to wear navy ties and Brandon was to wear no tie.

His parents were set to arrive a week before the wedding and then stay a week longer after the wedding to help John move him and Claire into their new two bedroom house on the coast.

Daddy gave it to them as an early wedding present. She was already picking out greens and yellows for the second bedroom for when the baby arrives because they don't want to know beforehand if it was going to be a boy or a girl, they wanted it to be a surprised.

Threw it all Sarah just kept giving me pity stares and I had to go see the dentist about a million times already in order for him to fix my teeth as I kept grinding them down trying not say something snarky or sarcastic every time she mentioned there happily ever after and how the teacher Brandon asked to be his second groomsman is my date and really nice and we would work so well together.

But ever though I wanted to kill Claire every waking moment she went on about her wedding it nearly killed me when she stepped out of the dressing room at the designer she had making her gown.

I nearly burst out in tears when I saw her. She and her mother did and Sarah dabbed at her eyes the entire time. She was gorgeous in the dress. It was Claire all the way from head to toe. She looked like a winter princess.

Seeing her in that dress just made everything final so the day my visa came through I put in for a transfer and bought my flight ticket. I would be leaving for Paris first thing in the morning after the wedding.

And two days after I arrive in Paris I star working at the Prince De Galles Hotel. It is one of the Luxury Collection Hotels in the Starwood group. I was sad that I couldn't return to Ireland but I was also very lucky that Starwood allowed me to relocate for a second time in less than two years and I still got to keep my manager position.

They even gave me my own apartment close to the hotel as part of my package. So I smiled, thanked them immensely and through being there for Claire with the wedding arrangements I started to pack up my life.

***

The day of the wedding finally arrived. I didn't stay over at the venue with them as I was afraid I would murder Claire in her sleep. Instead I made sure I had to work the Friday evening shift and promised to be at the venue at eight o'clock sharp to be there for the hair and makeup and everything else that is expected of a bridesmaid.

Zipping up my sweat shirt I pulled out my navy blue dress I wore the day I asked Brandon not to marry Claire, sticking it into the dress bag and zipping it close I made sure I had my shocking pink heels and the clip Claire wanted me to wear.

Putting the letter I wrote Brandon in my bag I looked around the bare apartment. They came the previous Monday to pack my stuff and ship it to Paris. So when I arrived there on Monday everything would be there ready and waiting. I had slept on a borrowed blow up mattress that I would be dropping at the hotel on my way to the wedding.

All that was left was my one bag I would be taking on the plane and then my clothes for the wedding and the sweats I am wearing at the moment. I asked my mom to help with the sale of the apartment so she will be coming down a few weeks after the wedding to make arrangements with the agents.

No one at the hotel knew I was leaving except for the GM. We had a long discussion about who should step in and after some time he agreed with me that Claire would be the best for the job and Sarah will take the assistant front office manager position.

Sarah will find out about the promotion when she came back to work on the Monday and Claire will be in formed after she returned back from her honeymoon. I had left two letters for them with the GM and made him promise not to tell anyone where I am.

Taking one last look around the apartment I said a silent goodbye to another part of my life. Closing the door behind me I locked it for the last time. Dropping the keys in the envelope addressed to my mom and sealed it.

Taking out the letter for Brandon I gave it one last kiss and pushed it under the door. On my way out of the building I dropped the letter for my mom in the mail box hoping that I would reach her still with the keys inside.