Page 34 of Love's a Script
“To celebrate,” the manager said loudly, “tonight we will have a special dinner. Bring your appetite and wear your best.”
Ruben turned to Mary and nearly said, “Toasts will be made with glasses of pickle juice,” but the dismissive words evaporated in the face of the blissful smile Mary wore.
“We’re going home!” she said, and something in Ruben’s chest lurched.
With the end of the hotel quarantine imminent, Mary let herself think about the moment she’d feel wind on her skin again, when she could plod through the snowdrifts and crack the thin frozen top layer. She spent most of the afternoon seated on the lounge chair in the corner, preparing to return to work, her apartment, and routine. She made a grocery list, reconnected to her team’s communication platform, drafted emails, and booked the first shuttle out the next morning.
On the other side of the room, Ruben also worked intently. His hands flew across the keys of his laptop as he talked on the phone tucked between his ear and shoulder. She got distracted watching his movements. From the way he mindlessly twirled his pen across his fingers to how he balanced on the back legs of his chair, stretching his arms overhead and revealing a sliver of his taunt abdomen under his T-shirt.
“Am I being too loud?” he asked when he caught her looking at him.
“You’re not. It’s fine,” she said, smiling through the embarrassment. She turned back to the work on her lap and vowed not to raise her head again. The strategy worked, except she also dozed off right there in the chair.
When she woke up, daylight had gone, her neck was stiff, and Ruben was standing before her, handsome in a button-down shirt, jeans, and Converse.
“Sorry to wake you,” he said softly.
She lifted a self-conscious hand to her face. “What time is it?”
“We have an hour before dinner.”
She reeled to straighten and checked her phone, confirming she’d slept all afternoon. “I’ll be quick,” she said and retreated to the bathroom where she freshened up, ran a heating tool through her hair, and struggled into the sequined long-sleeve mini dress she’d brought as an option for the wedding.
She emerged from the bathroom to find Ruben standing in front of the TV, listening to the latest storm reports.
“Any major updates?” she asked as she slipped past him to store her belongings.
“Same old hedging. But it doesn’t seem the damages in the city are…”
“Are what?” Mary asked when he didn’t finish his thought. She turned to face him and found him staring at her.
“The damages are not as bad as they’d predicted,” he said. “You look nice.”
A feather-light trill fell along Mary’s back. “Thank you.”
He gave a short nod, then turned away to switch off the television. “You ready to head down?” he asked.
“I am.”
When they arrived at the restaurant, they discovered order had been restored to the dining room. Chairs and tables were no longer positioned randomly, and gentle orchestral music from unseen speakers played guests to their seats.
Ruben and Mary were waved down by the Arizona couple, and they approached the pair who had traded their sporty outfits for a dress and trousers.
“You look spectacular,” Jillian said to Mary as the women hugged.
“You as well!”
As guests continued to arrive, waitstaff circulated around the restaurant with sparkling cider.
Allen raised his glass. “To making it out here alive.”
“And without devolving into cannibalism,” Ruben added, and they all clinked their glasses together.
Soon, the aromas from the buffet filled the room, and section by section, guests were permitted to go up and serve themselves. The main meal consisted of a meat or vegetable lasagna, salad, and garlic bread that had everyone going back for seconds. It was all simple, certainly nothing to Yelp about, but it felt like luxury.
Toward the end of dinner, Mary got up to scan the dessert spread, a medley of brownies, Nanaimo bars, and Rice Krispie treats, when Bethany sidled up to her. With all the excitement of the last day, she’d forgotten about the bridesmaid.
“Would you mind introducing me to Ruben right now?” whispered Bethany. “We’re all leaving tomorrow, and I don’t want to miss my chance.”
