I stuck out my lower lip, slightly disappointed she hadn’t answered my question. But, truly, I didn’t want her to leave. “Please? I promise I’ll behave. You were the one who started it this time.”
“Fine,” she huffed, taking a seat next to me. We were silent for a few moments, and I watched her out of the corner of my eye.
“Did you know?” she finally asked, and I knew exactly what she was referring to. She wanted to know if I’d made the connection before—that her best friend was marrying my best friend.
“No.” I shook my head. “At least, not at first.”
“When did you figure it out?”
“Honestly?” I rubbed my hand over my chin. “Not until recently. I mentioned to Alexis that I’d hired you—she’d included your business card in some of my closing materials. And Preston told me how close the two of you are.”
“And you didn’t tell me?” She smacked me on the arm.
I chuckled, rubbing my arm as I feigned injury. “I knew you’d figure it out soon enough.”
She narrowed her eyes at me, and I flashed her a charming smile. She rolled her eyes but then relaxed.
“How long have you known Preston?” she asked.
“A long time. We’d always been good friends, but watching him go through cancer really cemented our bond.”
I was surprised I’d admitted that to her, but I found her easy to talk to. And the more time we spent together, the more I found myself wanting to open up to her.
She nodded. “Stuff like that really tests a relationship.”
“It sounds like you speak from personal experience.” I wasn’t trying to pry, but I was curious.
“My mom. She had breast cancer.”
“Had?” I asked, hoping that meant she was in remission, like Preston. I couldn’t even imagine the alternative, didn’t want to.
“She passed away my freshman year of college. Though, ironically, it wasn’t the cancer that killed her.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so I didn’t. I got the feeling Lauren didn’t share this with many people, and I was afraid if I spoke, I’d spook her.
“After years of treatments, she was finally in remission. She was finally able to do things for herself, like drive.”
I nodded, understanding how illness could strip away someone’s independence. It didn’t matter how old or young you were, cancer didn’t just strike your insides; it attacked your relationships, your finances, your basic ability to care for yourself. I remembered watching Preston as he struggled to eat because he was so weak. I remembered how his dad had to help him go to the bathroom.
Lauren took a deep, shuddering breath. “She was in a car accident and died on the scene.” She let it all out in one breath, as if she’d been holding it in. I wondered for how long. It seemed like a burden she’d been carrying.
I placed my hand over hers. “I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you.” I was surprised her eyes were dry. I got the sense she’d been close to her mom, though it had been many years since her passing.
I reveled in the contact, but it was short-lived. She slid her hand out from under mine so she could take a sip of her drink. I missed the warmth of her touch, but I tried to respect her need for distance.
“It’s hard to imagine my parents as blissed-out happy on their wedding day as Alexis and Preston.”
“Your parents are still together, though, right?” she asked.
I nodded, though sometimes I wondered why. They certainly weren’t in it for love. My mother could’ve had her pick of men, and my father had been rising in the political ranks when they met. They shared the same interests, the same social circle, the same goals. But it was an arrangement, nothing more.
I stood, not wishing to dwell on my parents. Not when I finally had a moment alone with the most beautiful woman in the room.
I extended my hand. “Dance with me.”
She grinned, standing and bypassing my hand. “Think you can keep up?” she threw over her shoulder.
