“Because of the guest list.”
“Because Claire told me she doesn’t want me at the wedding, and I was offering to pay for the venue as a wedding gift. A gift to someone who has excluded me from the event didn’t make sense to me.”
Owen was quiet for a moment. “When you say she told you that…”
“She called me ten days ago and told me it would be better for everyone if I wasn’t at the ceremony. She called it a vibe thing. She said I have a certain energy.”
Another pause. “And you haven’t been in touch since then, except for the text about the venue.”
“She hasn’t answered my calls.”
“Okay.” He exhaled. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“If Claire apologized and invited you back — genuinely, not just because of the money — would you reconsider the payment?”
I thought about it honestly. “If Claire and I could have a real conversation and she genuinely wanted me there, then yes, I’d reconsider. But an invitation offered just to get the funding reinstated isn’t what I want. I don’t want to buy my way into my sister’s wedding.”
Owen said he understood. He thanked me for being straightforward with him. He said he needed to talk to Claire.
“Owen,” I said, before he got off. “I’m glad she has you. I mean that.”
He said thanks. He sounded tired.
## The History Claire Wasn’t Saying
I have to be honest about something, which is that the Christmas centerpiece comment was not the only thing I had done that contributed to where we ended up.