She puffed her cheeks and let out a long sigh. “The last six weeks or so have been tough. He’s been kind of distracted, short-tempered. ‘Erratic’ is maybe a better word.”

“Erratic?”

“I mean, more than usual, you know?” She smiled with little cheer. “I thought it was the wedding. You know, we’re throwing all of this together fast. It’s stressful and busy. My mom and my sister are helping. Blake’s family isn’t coming down until tomorrow. But, you know, his unhappiness seems deeper than the wedding. And it started before we were engaged. He seems more on edge. Sometimes it’s like he’s electrified, and if you touch him, you get a shock. I guess I’m the one getting shocked. I feel awful about what I think sometimes.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

She took in a deep breath. “I wish he’d have a drink. Just one. A small one.” She held her thumb and index finger an inch apart. “Something to soothe him. Or maybe some weed. I thought about buying some from a student teacher at work. Do those thoughts make me a horrible person? Am I an asshole for saying that?”

“Not at all. He’s certainly more fun when he drinks.”

“What were you and Blake supposed to meet about tonight?”

I scrambled to come up with a believable answer. “I think we were just going to get coffee or something like that. No beer, you know.”

“And he stood you up?”

“Maybe I got my wires crossed.”

“He’s not home. I can tell you that. This late at night, and he’s not home. It happens sometimes because he’s working late, but so close to the wedding? I moved most of my stuff in here, but we want to buy a house. We’re going to do that soon. My parents are going to give us a down payment as a wedding present. We want to buy something south of town, something that’s new construction.”

“Did you try calling him?” I asked.

“No. I don’t want to be that kind of fiancée, the one who checks in all the time. Maybe that’s the last thing he needs right now. But you know how this has gone in the past. How he gets scared. He freaks out about being committed forever. How do you deal with someone like that? In the past, I might have pushed, but then I feel like I’m driving him away. So I’m trying to be laid-back and chill, but maybe he doesn’t need that. I feel stuck in the middle.”

“I understand. It’s like feeding a skittish animal.”