by Cindi Madsen
New medication probably meant more money. Talking about it would only stress out Mama more, though, so Dani asked, “How are you doing?”
Mama never complained about herself. She said she was hanging in there, talked a little bit about work, and asked how she was. Dani probably should’ve mentioned she was visiting Wes, but Mama would want to know what was going on, and she had this way of prying information out of her. Not to mention the fact that Mama always asked about Wes in that way that made it clear she wouldn’t mind having him for a son-in-law. So they made a few more minutes of small talk and then said their good-byes and I-love-yous.
Stifling a yawn, Dani grabbed the bag of potato chips Wes had left on the coffee table and dug in. She punched on the television and sank onto the couch. After a little while, she closed her eyes, thinking she’d just take a rest, so she’d be up for some more fun with Wes when he got home.
It was good to have time to think over everything rationally. They were friends who had a blast together, their relationship blissfully uncomplicated. If there were anything more between them, she would’ve at least felt a little something with that kiss today. In fact, her sudden attraction to him seemed silly now. And with it under control, she could just relax and enjoy hanging with her best friend.
She didn’t want to think about the fact that a good best friend would tell Wes that the girl he was still in love with loved him back.
…
Wes opened the door to his apartment, eager to kick back with Dani, maybe watch a movie or play some video games. She was on the couch, curled into a ball. Her laptop was open on the coffee table, but the screen was black, so he assumed it’d been a while since she’d typed anything.
“Dani?”
She didn’t lift her head. He tossed his keys off to the side. So much for asking her about his haircut. He was sure he hadn’t gone as short as Audrey would’ve preferred, but he’d lost several inches. Without his face shaved, he looked especially odd, like his face and hair no longer matched.
I can’t believe she can fall asleep like that. She’s going to have a killer kink in her neck and back if she stays like this all night.
He decided he’d better move her to the bed. It seemed kind of weird to pick her up, but he knew better than to try to wake her. Not only would she sleep through it, she often swung her arms and kicked when anyone tried to interrupt her sleep. She claimed she had no memory of it the next morning, but he wondered if it weren’t just a good excuse to beat up on him a bit without consequences.
Wes moved the bag of potato chips next to Dani off to the side and scooped her up. A tiny moan escaped her lips and his throat went dry. He readjusted his hold on her. She felt smaller than he expected in his arms, her skin was so soft, and she wasn’t kidding about having stuff to make her smell girlie. He wasn’t sure if it were her shampoo or her perfume, but he wanted to bury his head in her neck and take in the subtle sweet scent. He laid her in his bed and she immediately rolled onto her side, tucking a hand under her face.
Wes sat down on the edge of the mattress. She looked so peaceful. Not that she usually didn’t, but she’d always struck him as someone who could hold her own. Whereas his sisters and Sophie cried often, he’d only seen Dani kind of cry once. He’d heard the hint of it in her voice when she’d told Wes that Steve had dumped her, but there was no flood of tears or sobs.
But when it came down to helping people, she was the first to volunteer. And if someone was hurting, she knew just what to say to make him or her feel better. He realized he was already sad about her having to go back home, his chest aching at the thought, even though they still had a full day together tomorrow. They wouldn’t really have the day, though, he thought. It would be filled with wedding stuff.
He ran his gaze up the length of her. He’d always known she was beautiful, but it struck him now stronger than ever, even stronger than the night he’d kissed her back in college. It was why he’d kissed her. But it had nearly ruined their friendship.
That was why he definitely shouldn’t be thinking about running his fingers along her curves now. His breath grew shallow.
You just haven’t been with anyone in a long time. She’s here and she’s fun and amazing.
And sexy.
He pushed himself off the bed, needing to put distance between them before he did something stupid. As he left the room, he cast one last glance over his shoulder at her.
In his bed.
He gulped. He could feel the pulse at the base of his neck steadily picking up speed.
Don’t even think about it. She’s not an option.
So he took one more moment to acknowledge that, yes, she was sexy, and there was something inside of him whispering that maybe things would be different if he really kissed her. But she was his best friend, and even if she didn’t freak out about him wanting more, they lived in different places. Lived different lives.
Lives that didn’t involve him curling up next to her in bed and kissing every inch of her like he wanted to.
Chapter Eight
Dani woke up disoriented. She blinked against the bright stripe of sunlight coming through the window, then glanced at the alarm clock on the side table. When had night come and gone, and why didn’t she remember any of it?
Fuzzy details from yesterday slowly came back to her. Helping set up for the wedding and messing around with Wes until they got in trouble. The work call with Mr. Halifax. Lying down on Wes’s couch… And that was it. She must’ve fallen asleep. Which sucked. She hadn’t wanted to waste the little bit of time she had left with Wes by sleeping.
How did she get here, though?
She vaguely recalled the sensation of being carried. Wes must’ve brought me in here. She wondered why he hadn’t just left her on the couch and taken the bed. She kicked off the covers and got up. As she padded down the hall, she pulled her tangled hair into a ponytail. “Wes?”
He wasn’t on the couch. She noticed a sheet of paper and keys on the coffee table.
Had to help out with some last-minute wedding stuff and didn’t want to wake you. Left you my car so you can take your time. Go ahead and enjoy your morning off, hang in the city or whatever, and then you can meet me at the house later.
Wes
She wondered why he wouldn’t want her help with the wedding errands. Maybe he needed space. Normally, she could understand that—she certainly smothered easily, though not when it came to spending time with Wes.
What if he finds out Sophie still loves him while they’re getting ready for the wedding? Even though she’d planned on telling him, the thought of them together made her stomach knot. She had to remind herself again that she didn’t want Wes, not like that.
Right?
But now she was remembering things she hadn’t taken into account yesterday when she’d been drifting off to sleep. Like how, yes, his whiskers were scratchy, but there had been a tiny thrill that shot through her every time he’d brushed them against her skin. And the way he’d looked at her after the water fight…
That’s just because he’s a guy and I had a whole lot of cleavage on display. Of course, that hadn’t stopped her heart from skipping a couple of beats. It was doing it now, too. She put her hand over her chest, as if that would stop it.
Crap. I thought I’d gotten rid of this odd crush-thing yesterday. Why wasn’t her brain listening to all the reasons she and Wes were better off as friends and nothing more?
She sighed. It was going to be a long day, especially with all the extra craziness and emotions of the wedding. So maybe she would take the morning to go to her favorite places in Charlotte—who knew when she’d get another chance.
Another depressing thought.
For months she’d told herself Arkansas was her home now. It was where she worked. Where her apartment and all her earthly possessions were. But it was funny how Wes’s place suddenly felt more like home than her own place did. Even though his cleaning had slipped over the last few days and it looked
more like she’d first expected it to, with clothes hanging on the furniture and empty Coke cans left all around. Or maybe it wasn’t so much his place as it was him.
Her chest tightened. I have a feeling it’s going to be hard to go back to my normal life after this.
…
Wes sat across from Mom, eating the breakfast she’d whipped up and sipping coffee.
“You look so handsome,” Mom said, pushing the plate of bacon toward him. “What did Dani say about the new look? She like it?”
Wes ran his hand across his smooth cheek. After a couple months of not shaving, his face felt naked and exposed. “She hasn’t seen it yet.”
Confusion flickered across Mom’s features.
“She was asleep when I got in last night,” he said. “Think she had some work emergency and with all the traveling and everything…”
“Well, she’s a dear girl. I see why you like her so much.”
Yeah, he saw why he liked her so much, too. Now he needed to stop. It was like last night he’d gotten this idea that he and Dani were perfect for each other, and he couldn’t shake it, no matter how much he told himself it would never end well. They worked because they didn’t have drama or all the fights that came with romantic relationships. Everything he kept telling himself didn’t stop this nagging What if it worked thought from coming up again and again, though.
Kissing her in college had been a disaster—or the aftereffects had been, anyway. Honestly, he only remembered snippets from that night. He’d been drunk and thinking she was hot and he’d decided to try it just once. Then she left and things were weird and he felt like an idiot for weeks afterward.
“Wes?”
He looked up from his food. “She’s amazing.”
“So when is she moving here?” Mom frowned. “You’re not leaving, are you? You just got all settled into your new job, and I don’t want you living so far away.”
“Not sure.” Wes stood to refill his coffee. “We haven’t really talked about it.”
“Haven’t talked about it? Wes, those are things you need to discuss right away. Dani said you were getting married at the museum, so I thought that meant she wanted to be here in North Carolina. What was it she said she did? Something in marketing?”
Mom was reminding him of all the reasons he couldn’t cross the line. Because if he did and she left for Arkansas, she might never come back. The awkwardness would stretch across several states, and without face-to-face time together, he’d lose her for good. That thought made his insides turn cold and hard.
He gave Mom a side-hug. “Let’s just worry about one wedding at a time, okay?”
…
Dani turned onto the busy downtown streets, squinting at the road signs. She hadn’t been here in years, and Wes had been doing the driving back then.
She needed to go somewhere to think but still have something else to focus on if her thoughts got too overwhelming. Even now, she was noticing how Wes’s car smelled like him, and then she was thinking about his clear blue eyes and the image of him in a towel, all those muscles on display. This couldn’t be healthy.
The street came up sooner than expected and she made a quick turn that made the tires squeal. Wes would’ve been proud—if it weren’t his car.
She pulled into the parking garage of the place where she and Wes were supposed to get married. In theory, obviously. After all the craziness of yesterday, she was starting to think eloping was the way to go. No bird-named colors or centerpieces that took hours to arrange and place just so.
Of course, there was a chance her fiancé was currently in the process of getting back together with his ex-fiancée, which could really put a damper on wedding plans, big ceremony or Vegas chapel. How was she ever going to be okay with that? What if Wes and Sophie got re-engaged? Could she really go to their wedding and not stand up and object? Her insides clenched more with each thought, until tension stretched tight across her neck and shoulders.
She shoved out of the car and walked toward the museum’s entrance, telling herself she could do it if being married to Sophie made Wes happy.
Yes, she could do it, but it would break her heart, knowing he was legally someone else’s, till death do they part.
Dani blinked. She would not cry over a hypothetical situation—that was just stupid.
The scent of old meeting new filled the air of the museum: part cleaner, part items from long before she was born. Her muscles relaxed and everything inside her calmed. No more stressing over what was or wasn’t happening with Wes. This time was about her. Who she was. Who she wanted to be. What she wanted.
She paid and then wandered from exhibit to exhibit, taking her time to peruse the plaques, even the ones she’d read years before. Steve wasn’t one for museums—his eyes went blank whenever she started going on about what she thought were perfectly interesting historical facts. Her passion had always been early America and post–Civil War America. The country had gone through so many changes in such a short amount of time.
And freedom was at the heart of it all. Her skin tingled with that thought. It was what good stories were based on, and it’d happened right here in her home country, hundreds of years ago.
Even though she was trying to be all “I’m discovering myself and fine on my own,” she missed having Wes along. He never rushed her, and they could talk on and on about history, mixing speculation with fact and occasionally debating minor discrepancies.
She walked down the recreated main street with the African American barbershop and stopped in front of the Good Samaritan Hospital Chapel, one of the first African-American hospitals in the South. Even though the place was eventually torn down and replaced by a big- ass football stadium, someone had saved the wood, pews, stained glass, and other objects. The museum reassembled it here.
Dani walked to the front and studied the wood with the word holy in it three times, separated by crosses. An elderly couple came over, holding hands, their simple golden bands contrasting against their dark skin. As she moved across the room, she noticed the way they smiled at each other; how even though the man limped, he kept hold of his wife, looking at her like she was the only thing that mattered in the world.
The intimacy between them made her feel like she was intruding on a private moment, yet she couldn’t look away. She smiled when the woman caught her eye. And then she found herself walking toward them for reasons she didn’t completely understand.
“Hi,” she said. “You two just look so happy, I… Well, I don’t know, really. Just wanted to say keep on doing whatever you’re doing.” The words sounded stupid, and she wanted to rewind time and hang back instead of disturbing them.
But then the woman’s eyes found hers. “We met here. Well, when the place wasn’t here. This is where we fell in love…”
An hour later, Dani hesitated in front of the exit of the museum, not wanting to leave, even though she needed to get ready for the wedding. She glanced at the people at the information desk, tempted to ask them about their wedding ceremony options and how far in advance they were booked. After hearing Mr. and Mrs. Clark’s love story, she really did want to get married here, so close to where they’d met and where the world was progressing, people slowly changing their minds about segregation.
Would it be weird to pick a date in about two years and just hope that I’ll find someone by then?
One thing was for sure: she was done bobbing through life, having it happen to her more than making it happen.
I’m taking control. First step: promotion. Then she could focus on the rest of her life. Put herself out there, meet some friends, possibly even a guy. At least start trying.
No more being scared of moving on.
Chapter Nine
All the setting up had been done. Audrey had even come out with her hair in curlers and approved everything—including his freshly shaven face and shorter hair. Now he was just killing time, waiting for Dani to show.
Wes’s brother-in-law-to-be came out
side. “The bridesmaids kicked me out so I don’t accidentally see my bride and jinx the whole wedding,” Matthew said. “Man, I love your sister and all, but I’ll be glad when the wedding’s over. Don’t get scared when Dani goes nutso over decorations—it’s normal and then they change back. Or so I’ve heard. Fingers crossed,” he added, raising his own fingers.
“Dani won’t be like that,” Wes said.
Matthew raised his eyebrows, his skepticism clear.
Wes figured there wasn’t any point in arguing. Some guests started to show up, and he sat down, tapping his fingers on his thighs, anxious for Dani to hurry and get there.
What if she decided she doesn’t want to keep up this fake engagement anymore? If Audrey thought his announcing he was getting married again created too much drama, he didn’t want to think about how mad she’d be at Dani being a no-show. Or at his family learning the truth.
He stood, now worried she might’ve gotten into a wreck or something.
What if she’s on her way to the hospital right now?
He ran a hand through his hair. He needed to calm down.
It would really help if his pulse wasn’t thumping through his head and his tie wasn’t choking him, and he hadn’t worn these shoes in forever and now he was remembering why.
He pulled out his phone. No messages. Twenty minutes until the ceremony started. He should probably be inside, asking Mom if she needed any last-minute help, but he remained rooted to the spot, watching the guests arrive. Waiting for Dani to arrive.
“You okay?”
Wes turned back. Jill was dressed in the jade bridesmaid dress—not green, as he’d been told again and again—with a big white flower in her hair.
“Yeah. Fine. How’s Audrey?”
“Alternatively giddy and weepy.”
Wes glanced back toward the entrance. Then did a double take.
Dani had threatened to kill him. This must be the way she planned to do it.