Page 17 of Love Under Review

When Cari nodded, he asked, “When?”

“A couple of weeks ago. I just heard her say she hoped you liked it here and didn’t regret coming here for us.” The way Cari said it, Liam wasn’t sure she completely understood the meaning behind it.

He pulled her to a stop and bent down so he was at eye level with his niece. “Just know, I’m not going anywhere, okay? No matter what happens, I’m going to stick around here and bug you all day.” He grinned at her as she giggled.

“I’m okay with that. As long as you keep making me pancakes.” She gave him a sly side-smile and pulled him up so they could continue walking.

“Deal. Now, let’s go see how your mom is doing, shall we?”

* * *

“Hey, sis. How are you?”Liam stared at the pale form on the screen of his phone. Cari had finished talking to her and had headed upstairs to get ready for bed, leaving Liam the ability to speak more freely than if she were still in the room.

It was hard seeing Kara like this, and he wished there was something more proactive he could do. Taking care of Cari helped Kara feel more comfortable, but if only some procedure could speed up the whole process, he would find a way to afford it.

Kara’s weak smile looked as though it took all the energy out of her as she dropped it moments later. “I’ve been better. But they’ll start a round of radiation on Monday. Let’s just pray my body decides to cooperate.” Her chest heaved like she’d spoken too much.

“You’ll do great. I’ll come to the hospital and be with you through it.” He’d just leave the shop closed for the day.

“No.” The word was short but said with force. Determination spread over Kara’s face.

“It’s not a big deal. I can ask someone to watch Cari after school—”

“No.” Kara took another big breath before she could speak more. “Stay with Cari. If something happens—”

“We’re not going there, Kara.” Liam swallowed, trying to block out the emotion that was surfacing. “We’re taking this one day at a time. Don’t even talk about leaving us.”

The room was silent for several moments as tears streaked down both their faces.

“Whatever happens, it will be for the best.” Kara’s voice was just a whisper.

Liam heard Cari’s voice from the stairs asking where the toothpaste had gone. Wiping at the tears, he turned back to the screen. “I’ve got to help Cari. Don’t give up, Kara. Just don’t give up. We’ll find a way to get you home.”

Once he hung up, he sat for an extra few seconds, controlling his emotions. She had to live. He stood, sending up a prayer that they’d find a way to beat the cancer.

Chapter 12

Saturday morning felt like a whirlwind. Danielle had come down with a migraine the night before and had gone home before karaoke night, and even though she was in pain, she’d never been more grateful to miss something in her life. Most of the activities Becca had on her list hadn’t taken place because of the surprise shower, but karaoke had been a must.

Tara Jones and Carissa Ashby were the two bridesmaids, and they’d all gotten manicures and pedicures at seven Saturday morning, followed by an elaborate hairstyle that made Danielle do a double-take when she looked in the mirror. She’d fallen asleep a few times while Brielle, one of the hairdressers, did her hair. How she’d be able to make it through the ceremony and reception that afternoon and evening without a nap was going to be interesting.

After placing the veil in Becca’s half updo, Danielle smoothed it out and then spread the back of the dress out, inspecting every part of it to make sure nothing was amiss. They’d set up a makeshift dressing room in the courtroom at Town Hall, and Danielle stepped back, admiring her friend in her princess-style ball gown. She saw Becca’s tears forming and stepped forward again, wrapping her arms around her.

“Shhh. It’s all right. Your family is here with you, looking down on this amazing day. And this town is basically kin anyway, so we’re all excited to share this with you. Got it?” Danielle pulled back and looked into Becca’s eyes.

Becca sniffed, wiping at the corner of her eyes delicately. “Thanks, Dani. I’m glad you came. I don’t know what I would have done without you these past few days.”

Danielle grabbed a tissue from a box on one of the desks and handed it to her friend. Then she grabbed a few more and stuffed them under her bra strap, hidden in the sleeve of the dress she was wearing. If Becca was already crying, there would definitely be some tears later.

Grinning, Danielle said, “Don’t thank me yet. We’ve still got to get you up the hill with all this fabric.” She waved at the length of the dress, and the two of them laughed.

They made their way out the door and started up the trail. Susie had been on her way up to the wedding and volunteered to help hold up the dress, avoiding any mud and dirt.

“How was the out-of-town wedding?” Danielle asked her as they struggled up the hill. While she was grateful Becca had gone for gold flats instead of heels, it was still difficult to find a grip on the trail.

“I survived it. The mother of the bride went a little crazy at the reception last night, but the rest of it went off without a hitch.” Susie laughed a bit, and Danielle joined in, wondering what other odd situations the girl had been through as a wedding planner. That could be something interesting for the town newspaper. But that wouldn’t work as a two-part article. She’d have to come up with something else she and Liam could write about. She’d almost forgotten about the article after all that had transpired over the past three days.

As they inched their way up, Danielle wished she’d thought to add some stepping stones or something to the trail yesterday when they’d brought the gazebo up to the pond. At one point near the top, Becca slipped but recovered before falling down.

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