Page 77 of The Wedding Favor

“Hey, hey, hold on.” Abe stopped once we got to the parking lot, his eyes concerned as he searched my face. Gently, he used his thumbs to wipe the tears from my cheeks. “Come here.”

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. My whole body melted. I rested my head on his shoulder and allowed myself this one small comfort. The anger and adrenaline were waning now, only to be replaced by hurt and frustration. I needed to get out of there before I lost it completely.

I sniffled and pulled away. “Thanks.”

“Let’s get you back to the hotel.” He took my hand and led me to his car. “So do I start calling you by your prison number now, or…”

“Too soon. Way too soon.”

TWENTY-NINE

“I loved New York but I missed the quiet of that little sleepy Texas town.”

—excerpt from the unpublished memoir,

Darling, I Must Say by Gloria Hayes

The lobby was eerily quiet when we got back to the hotel. Then again, it was a little after four in the morning. The combination of alcohol and exhaustion made me half-stumble my way to the elevator, leaning on Abe for support. Maybe I pressed my nose into his shirt and took a healthy whiff of the clean, spicy scent that always surrounded him. Abe, being a gentleman and all, pretended I wasn’t copping a smell.

“You okay there, slugger?” he asked.

I shrugged. “It’s been one of the worst days of my life. I’m fine.”

In the elevator, I pawed around in my purse for my room key card. My cowboy hat slid off my head and tumbled to the ground. I resisted the urge to crush it with my foot. But hypothetically, if I had, I’d wrap it up and give it to the happy couple as a wedding present.

Gosh, that sounded like an amazing idea.

Abe picked up the hat and set it on my head. “That smile of yours is a little creepy.”

I tried to wipe said smile from my face. “Sorry. I was daydreaming. It was a good one.”

The elevator dumped us onto our floor and I stumbled out. Abe put his hand low on my back and guided me to my room. His was right across from mine but still, it was nice that he was making sure I got back safely.

Such a gentleman.

“Thanks,” he said. “My mom will be happy to hear it.”

“Huh?”

“You said the inside thought out loud again.”

At the door, I went back to digging through my purse for the key card.

“It has to be in here,” I muttered and then, because it seemed the best solution to my problem, I dumped the contents of the purse out on the hallway floor and dropped to my knees to sort through it. In hindsight, not my finest idea. Chapstick, two pieces of chocolate, my wallet, three random receipts and, right there…

“Here it is.” I held it up in triumph. To celebrate, I grabbed a piece of the chocolate, unwrapped it, and stuffed it in my mouth.

“Let’s use our inside voice. It’s four thirty in the morning.” Abe knelt beside me and started to put everything back in my purse.

“Oh, sorry.” Still on my knees, I stuck the card in the reader. It worked on the first try—a Christmas miracle. I turned the handle and fell into the room on my back with a very unladylike umphf. Also, not one of my best ideas.

Momentarily stunned, I stared up at the ceiling for a long moment before I started to giggle. The giggle turned to laughter. I laughed and laughed, the hysterical kind that wasn’t about anything funny at all. At some point, the laughter turned into sobs.

“Iris,” Abe said, his voice ever-so soft. Like he was talking to a small, lost child. And in that moment, I kind of felt like one.

After he helped me sit up, he cradled my face and used his thumbs to wipe away my tears. I swallowed another fresh wave of emotion.

“Why are you so nice to me?” I asked.