Wedding For One: Wedding For One / Tattoo For Two. Dawn Atkins

you love Nathan.”

      “I do.” It hurt to say that. “But I’m only seventeen. I haven’t even graduated.”

      “Abso-flippin’-lutely!” Nikki said, pure relief in her voice. “I mean, I was on your side, if marriage was your gig, but, hell, you’ve got your whole life ahead of you.”

      “Exactly. What was I thinking? Too Twilight Zone.”

      “What happened to change your mind?”

      Mariah told her friend the sad tale of the false pregnancy and the pity proposal. As she talked, an ache began to spread from her chest to every part of her body. An ache that came from losing Nathan and all that she’d believed he felt about her. The zapped wedding fantasy was nothing compared to that.

      She felt herself slipping into self-pity, so she grasped at indignation. “He probably thought it was like a duty, now that he’s working for my dad. You know, manage the factory, marry the kooky daughter. God. It’s so humiliating.”

      “At least you found out before you said I do,” Nikki said, patting her knee through the cloud of satin and netting. “Now you can put it behind you.”

      “Right. Behind me.” But it felt like it was all around her—a big ball of agony she couldn’t escape. She knew breaking it off was best—a quick, sharp pain, a bit of bruising, and then the healing would happen. But right now, it hurt like hell.

      They drove in silence for a bit. Since Copper Corners only had five streetlights, they were soon speeding along the highway. Mariah surveyed the passing desert landscape—tall, crazy-armed saguaro, clumps of cholla and prickly pear in bloom, chaparral bushes and mesquite trees. They were headed north toward Phoenix on a wide-open highway. Wide open. Like her life had suddenly become. The thought made her feel empty and scared.

      As if she’d read her mind, Nikki pressed the brakes, whipped the car into a doughnut, fishtailed in the shoulder gravel and jerked to stop, turned toward the town. “What now?”

      “I don’t want to go back there and face that,” Mariah said fiercely.

      “I don’t blame you. I don’t want to go back, either, and all I have to face is telling my parents I don’t have enough credits to graduate next semester.”

      The best friends sat in glum silence for a few seconds, the cicada hum filling the air, buzzing along with their brains, which were busy sifting options.

      Finally, Nikki spoke, her words coming slowly, excitement building as she talked. “I know what we should do….”

      “What?” Mariah said, hope rising. Nikki had the best ideas.

      “Let’s blow this pop stand.”

      “What?”

      “Let’s leave. Move to Phoenix. I was going anyway, this summer, unless my parents kicked me out early for ruining their image.” Nikki had her own problems, with her father the principal and her mother a teacher at the high school, and both the biggest worrywarts on the planet. Yet one more bond Mariah and Nikki shared—disappointed parents.

      “So let’s leave now,” Nikki concluded.

      “Now?”

      “There is life beyond Copper Corners, Arizona. You want to mix cactus jelly in your dad’s factory all your life?”

      “Absolutely not.”

      “We can stay with my cousin in Phoenix. She can get us jobs at the restaurant where she works. We’ll save our money and get an apartment together. We can do our art, theater, all that—just experience what life has to offer—keep it real.”

      “What about school?”

      “Real life will be our school. If you want to get constipated about it, we’ll get GEDs.”

      “Wow.” The idea had possibilities. She’d be away from Copper Corners, where she didn’t fit in, away from her mother who couldn’t help interfering with her every breath, and, most of all, away from Nathan and his mercy marriage.

      Maybe it was time to declare her independence. Like in the books. The young rebel makes her way in the world….

      Besides, right now she’d do anything to escape the humiliation of going back to town to face the looks—exasperation and worry from her parents, pity from the people in town, and, worst of all, relief from Nathan at being off the hook.

      “Okay,” she said. “Let’s do it.” What did she have to lose?

      “Killer! We’ll pack bags and take off.”

      Mariah, of course, already had her bags packed—for a honeymoon trip to Hawaii. Her heart throbbed at the thought. She’d been dying to see Hawaii. Even more, she’d been dying to tantalize Nathan with a black lace peignoir she’d picked out for their first time of going all the way.

      Forget it. She and Nikki would start a new life in the big city. This was the right thing for her. This tiny town grayed all her colors, clipped her wings. She looked into her friend’s fierce, brave eyes and wondered why there weren’t more girl buddy movies. Of course there’d been Thelma and Louise, but they’d died, for Pete’s sake.

      “No looking back.” Mariah held out her hand, her elbow bent, in ready position for their rebel-girls-forever handshake.

      “No looking back,” Nikki echoed. The girls clasped hands, slid to a fingertip grip, twisted palms, then kissed the air beside each other’s cheeks.

      Mariah’s heart began to race. Her future was wide open now. She could be anything she wanted. How exciting! She tried to stick with that feeling, and ignore the way she throbbed with pain over losing Nathan, like one giant, all-body toothache.

      They raced back the way they’d come, stopping first at Nikki’s so she could throw clothes in a bag. It took only a sec to get Mariah’s stuff, since she was already packed. She tossed out her wad of sexy lingerie, piled in more clothes and shoes, and they were off.

      As they drove through town, Nikki caught sight of the church. Dozens of her parents’ friends were waiting inside in hushed anticipation for the wedding to start. Nathan was probably standing at the altar waiting for his pregnant bride to waddle down the aisle. Mariah’s heart clutched. She grabbed her friend’s arm.

      “Stop here. I want to look in for a second.” She just wanted to see Nathan’s face once more. Beyond her humiliation was a deep sadness. She would miss him so much—even if he only felt sorry for her.

      They stopped on the hill overlooking the church. Mariah scanned the parking lot. Where was Nathan’s gold Volvo? She hitched up her voluminous skirt and hurried down the hill, her satin heels sinking into the soft soil. Reaching the building, she saw through a side window that her mother was talking to the assembled group. To her amazement, she saw there was no groom.

      Nathan was not there. She couldn’t believe it. Responsible, mature Nathan Goodman had skated on his own wedding? God. She took a backward step. She still couldn’t believe it. He’d lost his nerve probably. Realized what a flake she was and hightailed it out of there. The coward. The jerk. The ass.

      Anger flooded her. Good. Anger was better than sadness or heartache. She owed Nathan nothing. Not one thing. Except maybe hate mail from her apartment when she got one. As she ran back up the hill, one shoe snagged in the ground and she just left it there, like Cinderella, without a prince who cared to find her.

      “COULD YOU PLEASE step on it, sir,” Nathan asked the ancient gentleman who’d been the first driver to stop for his frantic wave. “I’m…late…for…my…wedding.” He spoke each word distinctly. It was his bad luck to get the one guy who not only drove like he was on a tractor, but who was nearly deaf.

      Damn. Nathan looked at his watch. At this rate he’d be half an hour late. He knew he shouldn’t have let his college buddies talk him into a bachelor party in Tucson last night. They’d plied him with drinks and exotic