The Paris Match

Kate Clayborn
52 pages1-hour read
Fiction
Novel
Adult
Published in 2026

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

Layla is a physician who travels to Paris for the destination wedding of her former sister-in-law. Divorced from Jamie for two years, she attends the wedding out of obligation to his family and intends to maintain a polite facade. The trip causes her significant anxiety, as she must return to the city where she honeymooned and face a family she has largely avoided. She struggles with a pattern of prioritizing the comfort of others over her own emotional needs.

Key Relationships

Ex-wife of Jamie MacKenzie

Former Sister-in-Law of Emily MacKenzie

Romantic Interest of Griffin Testa

Former Daughter-in-Law of Robert MacKenzie

Former Daughter-in-Law of Manon MacKenzie

Friend of Cara

Doctor to Willa

Griffin is Michael's best man and a wealthy inventor who designs building materials. He lives with extensive burn scars, chronic neuropathic pain, and contractures that limit his mobility. To manage his condition, he maintains a reclusive lifestyle in upstate New York and heavily dreads the travel required for the wedding. His blunt honesty and isolated habits stand in direct contrast to Layla's accommodating nature.

Key Relationships

Best Friend of Michael Plackett

Romantic Interest of Layla Bailey

Object of Resentment for Fitz Plackett

Object of Resentment for Paula Plackett

Opponent of Jamie MacKenzie

Friend of Sara Beth

Supporting Characters

Emily is the earnest bride-to-be whose destination wedding brings the characters to Paris. She maintains a deep sisterly bond with Layla and insists on her presence despite the awkwardness of the divorce. Overwhelmed by the pressure of her upcoming marriage and her fiancé's impending move to Germany, she leans heavily on Layla for emotional support as she begins to experience severe doubts.

Key Relationships

Fiancée of Michael Plackett

Former Sister-in-Law of Layla Bailey

Sister of Jamie MacKenzie

Daughter of Robert MacKenzie

Daughter of Manon MacKenzie

Best Friend of Rosie

Niece of Céline

Michael is the groom preparing to marry Emily. He shares a close, codependent bond with his best friend Griffin, a relationship forged in the aftermath of a shared trauma. Desperate for a fresh start with his future wife, he avoids addressing his parents' open hostility toward Griffin and keeps painful elements of his past hidden to maintain harmony.

Key Relationships

Fiancé of Emily MacKenzie

Best Friend of Griffin Testa

Son of Fitz Plackett

Son of Paula Plackett

Connected to Sara Beth

Jamie is Layla's ex-husband and Emily's brother. He maintains a polite exterior and insists on treating Layla as family, a behavior that forces her to hide her true feelings. His presence at the wedding events alongside his new girlfriend creates significant tension as he struggles to accept the boundaries of his dissolved marriage.

Key Relationships

Ex-husband of Layla Bailey

Boyfriend of Samantha

Brother of Emily MacKenzie

Son of Robert MacKenzie

Son of Manon MacKenzie

Rival of Griffin Testa

Rosie is Emily's bold and expressive maid of honor. She serves as a fiercely loyal friend who provides unfiltered commentary on the tense atmosphere of the wedding week, frequently cutting through the pretense of the other guests.

Key Relationships

Best Friend of Emily MacKenzie

Acquaintance of Layla Bailey

Samantha is Jamie's new girlfriend who accompanies him to the destination wedding in Paris. She frequently experiences sudden illness during the wedding events, inadvertently contributing to the escalating chaos and tension among the guests.

Key Relationships

Girlfriend of Jamie MacKenzie

Robert is Jamie and Emily's father. He loves his family but exerts subtle pressure on everyone to conform to an idealized family narrative, openly insisting during a toast that Layla remains part of their family despite her divorce from his son.

Key Relationships

Husband of Manon MacKenzie

Father of Jamie MacKenzie

Father of Emily MacKenzie

Former Father-in-Law of Layla Bailey

Manon is the mother of Jamie and Emily. She contributes to the stressful environment by making intrusive suggestions designed to accommodate her son at the expense of others, heavily investing in the family's romanticized connection to Paris.

Key Relationships

Wife of Robert MacKenzie

Mother of Jamie MacKenzie

Mother of Emily MacKenzie

Former Mother-in-Law of Layla Bailey

Fitz is Michael's rigid and judgmental father. He harbors unresolved hostility toward Griffin due to a past tragedy, frequently criticizing his son's best friend and creating a palpable chill within the wedding party.

Key Relationships

Husband of Paula Plackett

Antagonist of Griffin Testa

Paula is Michael's mother. She acts as a passive figure who deflects her husband's harshness rather than confronting it, often blaming Griffin for her son's bad moods in order to smooth over family tension.

Key Relationships

Wife of Fitz Plackett

Critic of Griffin Testa

Sara Beth is a figure from Michael and Griffin's past. Her tragic death in a house fire years ago left profound emotional and physical scars on the survivors, and the unspoken grief surrounding her continues to haunt the families involved.

Key Relationships

Friend of Griffin Testa

Cara is a fellow medical professional and Layla's close friend back in Boston. She provides Layla with support and a sense of distance from the intense dynamics of the Paris wedding.

Key Relationships

Friend of Layla Bailey

Willa is a fifteen-year-old passenger who faints on the flight to Paris, prompting Layla to step in and offer medical assistance.

Key Relationships

Patient of Layla Bailey

Céline is Emily's aunt, a member of the extended MacKenzie family who attends the wedding events and casually discusses the family's shared history.

Key Relationships