‘First these,’ she whispered.

‘Then pancakes.’ We made an enormous, misshapen giraffe and ate it anyway.

I did not check my phone until nearly noon.

PART 16

The days after the canceled wedding didn’t become easy simply because I’d made one right decision.

I had to call vendors, return gifts, contact our travel insurer, and tell people who had taken time off work that there would be no marriage to celebrate.