Once the music preparations had at last been sorted out, Batty took the responsibility of telling Skye and Dušek what they were, leaving a very relieved Jeffrey to instead speak to Rosalind. That was one good part about Batty knowing the truth. She made sure to take the jobs that Jeffrey would find the most difficult to swallow.

Maybe he should have told her sooner.

He found Rosalind and Tommy at the Greek pavilion, where the ceremony would take place. They were decorating it with flowers, and arguing about it.

"No, I told you. Wrap it counterclockwise," Rosalind said as Tommy spun a flowery vine around a pillar in the opposite direction.

"It looks the same," he complained.

"It doesn't look the same at all. Fix it, please," said Rosalind. "Do you ever listen to me?"

"Do you ever let the little things go?" Tommy muttered, though he did rewrap the vine for her.

"Hey now," said Jeffrey, coming up behind them. "You can't start fighting already."

"Oh, hi Jeffrey," said Rosalind. She turned and pulled off her gardening gloves, a necessary defense against the vines' spiny thorns. "This isn't fighting."

"Rosy's a little stressed," said Tommy. He took his own gloves off so he could affectionately pinch her cheek.

She batted his hand away. "Tommy isn't stressed enough."

"Isn't that a good thing?" said Jeffrey.

"You'd think, right?" said Tommy.

"Men!" Rosalind huffed. "No. It means you're careless, and if you're careless, then something will absolutely go wrong."

Tommy kissed her temple. "Maybe I don't care if something goes wrong. Maybe I think that as long as we're married at the end of it, then the wedding is perfect. You didn't consider that, did you, babe?"

"I did, actually." Rosalind swatted his shoulder. "That's what worries me."

Jeffrey laughed. "The flowers look great, Rosalind."

"Of course they do. He fixed them."

Tommy grinned. "I can't do anything right on the first try."

"I like to give out second chances," said Rosalind. "You're lucky."

Tommy pulled her into his chest, quick enough to make her stumble. He caught her easily and snaked his arms around her stomach. "I am." He kissed the crook of her neck until she squirmed. "I'm a very lucky guy."

Jeffrey thought so. All he wanted was what they had together. Apparently, that was a lot to ask for. It was impossible to be bitter about it while he watched them, though. They were easy, perfect for each other. It gave him a reason to smile.

"We've got the music all figured out," he said. "I thought you might want to hear about it."

"Oh, surprise us," said Rosalind. She reached behind her to scratch through Tommy's hair while he carried on dropping kisses to her shoulder. "I trust you."

Tommy stopped his kissing. "Wait, what? You don't trust me for anything."

"No, I don't," said Rosalind.

"That's not fair."

"No, it's not."

Tommy rolled his eyes and wriggled his fingers over Rosalind's stomach until she shrieked. She slapped at his hands but remained trapped in his hold.

Tommy said, "My advice, Jeffrey – don't ever get married."

"What?" Rosalind twisted around in Tommy's arms, staring up at his face with a teasing grin. "What, Thomas?"

"Hm?" he said, very innocently.

"What was that you said?" Rosalind grabbed his face so that he had to look at her. "Your advice?"

"I said Jeffrey should get married as soon as possible."

"I thought so."

Tommy kissed her, before letting her out of his arms.

Jeffrey could have happily been a third wheel with them for the rest of the day. They were so happy. It was a much needed contrast to how low he'd been feeling lately. Weddings were supposed to be about love and bliss – for the guests as much as the bride and groom. He might not be able to find the joy in Skye's future with Dušek, but he could in Rosalind's with Tommy.

Rosalind's phone dinged. She glanced at it and kissed Tommy's cheek in farewell.

"Keep my reluctant fiancé company, Jeffrey," she said. "I am needed at the carriage house."

The carriage house now served as Jane's fashion studio. There, she had sewn every bridesmaid dress and wedding gown. With the wedding the day after next, it would have been wise of her to have them completed by now, but Jane had always been a procrastinator. Some finishing touches still needed to be made.

"Enthusiastic fiancé!" Tommy called after her.

Rosalind turned to shout back, "I wouldn't let you be anything else!"

With that, she was gone. Tommy put his gloves back on to return to the decorating. There were still several stone pillars in need of flowery embellishment. Jeffrey helped a little, without gloves (there were no extras), and he avoided all thorns, but his caution made him a much slower decorator than Tommy.

"Are you nervous at all?" he asked.

Tommy extracted another vine from a wheelbarrow full of flowers. He nodded, and his face slowly broke into a smile. "I'm terrified."

"I bet," said Jeffrey.

"We didn't write vows." Tommy fastened the end of the vine to the top of the pillar. "That's a secret for you. Don't tell."

Jeffrey secured his vine, but he stopped assisting after that. Tommy was much better at it anyway.

"You're going with the traditional ones?" That surprised him.

"Nope. Winging it – Rosalind's idea. She said we've been together long enough that we should be able to come up with them on the spot. She thinks they'll be really honest that way."

"That's cute." Jeffrey leaned against one of the pillars, careful not to smash any flowers. "A little risky, though, for someone so stressed about everything being perfect."

"Why do you think I'm terrified?" said Tommy. "But I do have an idea about what I'll say. I've thought about it a lot."

"Want to practice?" Jeffrey offered.

"That's cheating. I think Rosy would kill me – and no spoilers anyhow. You'll hear when she does."

Tommy strung up the last of the flowers, then sat on the steps and tossed his gloves to the side.

"It's cool Rosalind wants to share her wedding with Skye," said Jeffrey, sitting too. He thought that if he casually discussed Skye's marriage, as he did Rosalind's, he could get in some practice pretending it didn't kill him. "I don't think many sisters would be willing."

"It is pretty special, huh?" said Tommy.

"They're a special family."

Tommy smiled at the tape marking out the small aisle.

"I'm lucky they're letting me into it."

"You've always been a Penderwick," said Jeffrey.

"This feels different."

It was different – a difference that Jeffrey longed to experience for himself. To be an Honorary Penderwick was a great privilege, but not as great as it would be to be the person standing with Skye at the altar.

Jeffrey needed someone to smack him upside the head. Maybe he'd ask Batty to later. All this feeling sorry for himself was seriously getting old.

Even so, he couldn't help his next question. Fully aware that it was a lousy idea, he asked, "You know Dušek pretty well, right?"

"Enough, yeah."

"Do you like him?"

Stupid. The question was stupid. Jeffrey already knew the answer – everyone was such a fan of Dušek – but he had to ask. Just in case.

Tommy chuckled. "I heard he was a bit of a dick to you."

"You could say that."

"Well, if you're worried about Skye, don't be," said Tommy. "Dušek's a good guy."

"Okay," said Jeffrey, disheartened and unproud of it. Skye deserved to be with a good guy. He would feel happy for her eventually, as soon as he figured out how to stop feeling unhappy for himself.

"I'm not worried. I'm sure he's great," he said. "He just surprised me, acting like that. I can't figure it out."

Tommy was quiet while he considered the matter. He rubbed his hand across his jaw, and finally said, "Want to know what I think?"

"Please."

"He got a little jealous."

Jeffrey leaned back. He hadn't considered that. Maybe he should have, but he was certain that he'd hidden all of his feelings and discomfort and his own jealousy. Dušek couldn't possibly have picked up on it that fast. No way. He had been so careful. Sure, Batty had sized him up correctly, but Batty was Batty.

And Dušek hadn't even given Jeffrey the chance to slip up. He'd been on him from the get go. Either he was impressively discerning, or he was just paranoid about Skye's male friend. Jeffrey really, really needed it to be paranoia. It was a good sign that Dušek hadn't told Skye he was jealous, right? That meant he thought his jealousy was unfounded?

It better mean that. If Dušek was onto him, then he was done for. It wouldn't be long before Skye knew as well, and that would wreck everything Jeffrey had worked so hard to protect.

"Jealous?" He attempted a casual, innocent laugh. "He has no reason to be."

"I know." Tommy nodded in agreement, which made Jeffrey feel a little better. At least Tommy wasn't suspicious of him, if Dušek was. "But if I'm right, and he is, I can't really blame him."

"Why?" Jeffrey had to try hard to keep defensiveness at bay.

"You and Skye are really close."

"Not like we used to be."

Some of that was a result of the difference and distance between their two lives, but a lot was his doing. When Skye had started to date Dušek, Jeffrey gradually stepped away. He had called less and less, until they became the sort of friends who didn't talk much outside of birthdays and holidays. Before she had arrived at Arundel earlier in the week, it had been a full four years since they had last seen each other. Skye's schedule was packed with work and graduate school, and though Jeffrey could have made the time to visit her in California, he never had. That choice had been necessary for the sake of his sanity. Space from her had helped for a while. He'd fallen for other women, been in several relationships (some even rather long), but always, without fail, Skye would call him, and he'd get roped right back in. He had never had true freedom from his feelings for her, only the illusion of it.

"Yeah, but the rest of the Penderwicks – they talk about you constantly," said Tommy. "Not just you, but you and Skye. He's heard about you for years, and it's always stuff like 'remember when Skye and Jeffrey did this', or 'one time Skye and Jeffrey did that'. Those stories go back so far, and there's one for everything. At one point, I think Jane even said that when we were all kids, she used to think the two of you would get married."

Jeffrey had thought that too when he was young. He'd certainly wondered, dreamed about it a few times. He still did, when he couldn't prevent it. He always shut down such fantasies (and others) as soon as he caught himself, but they snuck back up again and again.

"They're just stories," said Jeffrey. "They don't mean anything."

Tommy raised his hands. "You don't have to convince me. All I'm saying is if Rosalind had a friend like that, I'd probably be jealous too."

Jeffrey laughed. "You are that friend."

"I know I am."

"Yeah, okay. Maybe I see your point."

"He'll come around," said Tommy. "As soon as he figures out you're no threat."

"When do you think that'll be?"

"I don't know, after the wedding?" Tommy grinned and jostled Jeffrey's shoulder. "Maybe he's afraid you'll speak up during the ceremony and wreck the whole thing."

"I think Skye would knock me out if I did that," said Jeffrey with a grin that was only partly forced. His thoughts had wandered that direction in the past, just theoretically (he'd never actually consider it), but he never got far into that daydream. There was no world, even a dream world, in which Skye would be fine with him sabotaging her wedding.

"She sure would," said Tommy. His hand remained on Jeffrey's shoulder, so he gave it a squeeze. "Don't lose sleep over Dušek, alright? He's probably just as terrified as I am."

Jeffrey smiled, because he felt that he should.

"As for the rest of us, we think he's crazy," said Tommy. "Especially because, even if you did want Skye, you're too good of a guy to swoop now."

Jeffrey laughed off his spike of panic. Tommy was kidding, trying to lighten the mood. He had no idea.

And, he was correct. Jeffrey wouldn't swoop. He'd fail if he tried, but say that wasn't true. He still wouldn't. There was no honor in wrecking what was supposed to be the best day of someone's life.

"Right. Even if," he said. He tapped his fingertips together and stared at the lines of tape. There wouldn't be that many benches; it was a small wedding. A few friends, close family. It was intimate and casual – nothing like any of his mother's weddings had been. Aside from those, Jeffrey had always liked weddings. He needed to focus on that now, forget about everything else. He could make the most of his favorite type of ceremony. Speaking with Dušek would be a good start.

"I should probably talk to him, huh? What do I say?" he asked. The thought of tracking down Skye's fiancé for a one-on-one conversation made him queasy.

"Well, definitely don't say that he shouldn't be jealous," said Tommy, looking amused.

"I know," said Jeffrey, less amused. "I could just act like I want to get to know him. I do, if that helps anything."

That was a half-truth. The full truth was that Jeffrey was conflicted. He didn't want to get to know Dušek at all, just out of spite, but he figured it would be harder to resent Dušek if he ended up liking him. He had no reason not to try – save his wallowing, and while that was easy to do, it was time for him to stop. Enough was enough, if he cared to maintain any dignity at all.

"Yeah, do that," said Tommy. "Maybe ask about the wedding. Get him talking about Skye. How they met, or something? I'm sure that would make him feel better."

Make Dušek feel better, maybe. Jeffrey would want to drown himself in the lily pond.

Fucking perfect.