Page 68 of Take Me to the Wedding

I managed to grab it and hold it along with my right crutch, and fortunately, Mrs. VG didn’t protest.

Mrs. VG appeared to be pondering something. “If you move in together, I’ll let you both out of your leases early.”

“We’re not dating,” Sam said, quicker than her next breath. “But thanks.”

I leaned a little closer to Sam and shot her a sweet smile. “That’s not what the justice of the peace said, honey.”

A one-eyed glare is a scary thing. Sam’s response was to leave me there to figure out how to butt-crawl up the stairs. “Thanks for getting the package,” I said to our landlady. “You have a good evening now.”

Sam didn’t say a thing until we were upstairs, across from each of our apartments in the middle of the hallway. “Why would she be so eager to let us out of our leases?” she asked, digging in her purse for her key.

“Because then she can raise the rent for a new tenant. Wanna move in together?” I moved my brows in a nefarious fashion that made her laugh.

“Watch that cast,” a voice called up the stairs. “I don’t want that heavy thing scratching up my floors. You hear that, Doctor?”

“Yes, Ma’am,” I called.

Sam got her door open. “I don’t know how you can be so pleasant,” she said in a quiet voice.

I shrugged. “Oh come on, Missy. You managed it even though she’s a lot nicer to me than to you.”

I got the tiniest smile. Maybe. “With my teeth gritted and cursing under my breath. The fact that there’s no cheaper rent anywhere keeps me here. What’s your reason?”

“It’s all about the charm for me. Charming old building, charming landlord.” She rolled her eyes. “Okay, seriously, we’re ten minutes from work. And I’m basically a cheapskate.” The truth was that I was saving for a little house. Preferably in Oak Bluff.

“Charming place for a charming guy,” she said with a shrug.

“I love it when you give me compliments,” I said as I followed her through the door. I knew I was pushing her patience. But I needed to make sure that she was okay before I left.

She spun around quickly and pointed to my door. “Um, in case you forgot, you live over there. Across the hall.”

“Don’t you want company?”

She tossed up her hands. “I look like a giant red puffer fish. Every body part is itching. And I’m super cranky, in case you haven’t noticed.”

“Yeah, I know.” I turned up my mouth in the slightest smile—any more and she might’ve tossed me out the door. “Let’s open the package.” I balanced on my good leg, moving my crutches to one hand.

She shot me an expression that told me she just wanted to be left by herself to maybe crawl into the bathroom trap door and die alone. But, of course, I wasn’t going to allow that.

“Later, okay? I just want to?—”

I shook the mailer bag so that the pills rattled.

Placing it on the kitchen counter, I unzipped the cardboard zipper. Three bottles of pills, a tube of steroid ointment, calamine lotion, and some packets of oatmeal bath tumbled out.

“You had my medicine delivered.” Sam teared up. Well, in the eye that opened all the way anyway. She sorted through the contents. “Prednisone. Anti-itch pills—two kinds.”

“One makes you sleepy, which might be great for tonight. But the other kind won’t.” I paused. “Oh, you already know that. I forgot you went to med school too.”

She ignored that quip, still perusing the items. “Calamine. Oatmeal bath. You shouldn’t have bought all that extra?—”

I held out the bag. “There’s one last thing.”

Frowning, she dove back in. I watched her face, imagining her fingers closing in on the small rectangular object, rounded on top.

She pulled out a giant Snickers bar and then really started bawling. “How did you know I love Snickers?”

“Mia told me. She feels really bad for you, by the way.” I pulled her in for a hug—one-armed, but hey, the best I could do. Not thinking, just acting on impulse. Sort of like what she did trying to save me from death. In doing so, one of my crutches crashed to the floor. Of course we got the broomstick for that. But that didn’t stop me from holding her as tightly as I could with my one arm until I felt her slowly relax. I knew I should let go, but she was soft and warm, and her skin smelled nice, a subtle scent that I was coming to learn was uniquely hers, a mix of soap and something lemony. “This has been a really long day,” I said in a low voice, barely daring to move.

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