Everything Is Fine: The Thing About Love, #2

By Halo Roberts

Everything is not fine. Not even close. I need a wedding date. In two weeks. My life is nuts, I am inconveniently single...oh and also temporarily homeless. I accidentally started my house on fire.. Shut up, it was an accident. But maybe it opened up an interesting possibility...hello kind sir, can I play with your hose?

Gawd I'm an idiot...unless it works.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Halo Roberts
• Release date: Jan 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9781953204042

Halo Roberts

Halo Roberts is a writer of steamy rom-coms, lover of coffee and dark beer, and spoiler of two fat cats affectionately known as the Bitchy Betas. She's living happily ever after in Iowa with her very own hunky farm boy, and a small herd of stubborn mules that look a lot like children.

Book preview

Halo Roberts

Everything Is Fine

Copyright © 2022 by Halo Roberts

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

First edition

ISBN: 978-1-953204-04-2

This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

Find out more at reedsy.com

For my inner circle at WLVA many moons ago, thanks for inspiring the characters and drama that can only be found in a high school.

You know what fine stands for, don’t you? Freaked out, insecure, neurotic and emotional.

-The Italian Job, 2003

Contents

I. EVERYTHING IS FINE

1. Oh No

2. Afternoon Tea

3. When Life Hands You Lemons

4. Save the Date

5. Time to be Bold

6. The Ladies Man

7. Only Moving Forward

8. A Rocky Beginning

9. Dropping the Bomb

10. Plus One or None

11. A Surprise

12. A Stumble Down Memory Lane

13. A U-turn

14. Say the Right Thing

15. A White Rabbit Moment

16. I Hate That Guy

17. Pick a Flavor

18. A Blessing of Sorts

19. An End of Sorts

About the Author

Also by Halo Roberts

I

Everything Is Fine

A very special thanks to Diane Major for detailing the sequence of events leading to Enzo and Diana reuniting at a backyard barbecue…sort of. Cheers to finding humor in those everyday mistakes, you made me laugh, lady, and I thank you and your daughter for the real life inspiration.

One

Oh No

Chapter Separator

Diana

Mom, you have to talk to Aunt Karen, Julia has lost her damn mind! I hear my voice getting weirdly shrieky and try to calm down.

Honey, it’s not such a big deal, my mother’s soothing tone rolls through the phone, "and it’s her wedding, you just need to relax, go with the flow."

"I’m getting tired of that being the excuse for everything." I wail, knowing that I sound childish but unable to stop myself, I don’t even want to be in this wedding, stupid cousins and their stupid giant wedding parties. She only asked me to even out the numbers because her idiot fiance couldn’t narrow down his list of frat brothers. Who has THIRTEEN bridesmaids? No one.

That’s just the way it’s going to be, Diana. My mom pauses and then, as if she’s trying to sneak the idea in, adds quickly, maybe there’s still something there?

How could there be? I say flatly, exasperated because this is exactly what I wanted to avoid when I found out about the wedding lineup. We haven’t spoken a single word in eight months, and if Julia thinks she’s going to force the issue, she needs to think aga-

Fine. My mother cuts me off sharply. You’ll wear the dress, you’ll smile, you’ll be happy. In a more mollifying tone she continues, Everything is fine.

Yeah, fine, I grumble and we turn to more neutral territory, chatting for a few more minutes before hanging up. Sitting back down at my tiny kitchen table, I stare at my laptop, re-reading the email from Julia. Along with a lengthy list of instructions covering hair, nails, shoes and all the other little details associated with the big day, Julia included all the pairings to walk down the aisle.

I had no idea Julia’s fiance was a friend of Greg’s. No. Idea. But there our names are, side-by-side. Me and my ex. This is going to suck ass. Adding insult to injury, Julia put that little winking emoji by our names, making sure everyone in the wedding party knows she’s hoping to get us back together.

Okay, I’m being a baby and I need to shake this off. I’m a grownup and I will prove it by walking down that aisle with my hand on Greg’s arm and a smile on my face. Everything is fine.

Closing my laptop, I stand up and wander into the kitchen. Sunlight streams in through a window over the sink and I refill my mug, leaning against the counter as I think back.

Greg and I dated during college. He was fun, good looking, and friends with everybody. He’s still all of those things, to be honest. We were inseparable and his favorite joke was that he could hear our mothers’ hearts racing with glee every time they saw us together, picturing the beautiful grandbabies.

And then? We broke up just before graduation. It hurt really fucking bad, too. The last time I spoke to him was Christmas, one of those mundane things where we both happened to be at the mall and ran into each other before I could hide. He was still hurt, I was still feeling guilty, the conversation was awkward, but mercifully, short.

Pushing away from the counter with a sigh, I slug back a too-hot gulp of coffee and leave the mug on the counter, heading back to my bedroom to get dressed. Julia’s having her third,