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This was just what she needed. Not only was she hounded by her mother and dogged by her maid of honor responsibilities, but now she'd have Andy's scoundrel of a brother to manage, too. She could practically already hear him, teasing her about things going bump in the night and offering her cherry pie whenever they were in the kitchen together.
Suddenly, two weeks sounded so much longer than it had before.
"Okay, well, if you need me, you know where to find me." Matt strolled from the room, and when the door was safely closed behind him, Shay flopped onto the bed and stared up at her friend.
"Well," she said after a pause. "I guess our plans have changed."
"Yeah, I guess so." Andy scratched her head, her mouth quirking to the side.
Shay sat up straight, panic suddenly seizing her heart. "What?"
"What what?" Andy asked.
"We've been friends for how many years and you think I don't know that look?" Shay asked.
"Okay, okay. Well, I was going to wait to ask you this..."—Andy leaned back against the wall—"but, um, I sort of kind of need a favor from you."
"How big a favor?"
"Not colossal. But not, you know, tiny. A medium favor. A favor like—"
"Will you just get on with it?" Shay cut in.
"I was training my assistant before we left, but I don't think she's ready to handle all the high profile clients, so I'm wondering if you could handle the details while I'm on my honeymoon?"
"So... you want me to cover Logan's case? The press coverage for the wedding?"
"No, no, that's all handled. It's actually..." Andy's mouth quirked to the side again, and suddenly realization pooled in Shay's stomach like a noxious poison, dripping down and then spreading out to burn her insides.
"No," she said. "Not him."
"Come on. Matt isn't that bad. I'll ask him to be on his best behavior."
"Rabid raccoons have better best behavior," Shay shot back.
"Okay, okay, I know. But... please?" Andy batted her eyelashes. "As a wedding gift?"
"What's in it for me?"
"I'll go with you as your date to your mom's next wed-ding," Andy sing-songed.
"And you pay for the gift," Shay said.
"Deal."
"Deal." But as soon as the word was out of her mouth, Shay knew she was going to regret it.
* * *
Stagnating improvement.
The words burned through his mind, projected onto the table in front of him, spilled out of the mouths of the people around him instead of their actual words.
Stagnating.
It had been a damn year and the best his physical therapist could say was that?
Matt blinked down at the steak in front of him and tried to clear his head, if only for his sister’s sake. She didn’t need to be burdened with his lack of improvement—especially not now, right before her wedding. Still, this would affect her company.
