Page 8 of Love Under Review

A hesitant smile passed over her face. “On a road trip is all Colton told me.”

Danielle grinned. “That’ll be so fun. I know you’re probably panicking right now, but he’ll be right there the whole time. Then you’ll be all ready to take a cruise.” She wiggled her eyebrows, hoping Becca would see she was teasing.

“I hope you’re right. How are things with you? Anyone of interest I should know about?” Becca’s somber expression had morphed into one of curiosity.

Danielle threw the wrapper from her straw, getting it stuck in Becca’s hair. Tipping her head down, she looked up at Becca. “Did you really just ask me that?”

“Life happens. Love happens, Danielle. Look at me. There was no way I was going to marry someone after what happened to my family, and then on my previous wedding day. I was sure I had bad luck and would end up losing him. And who knows? Something might happen even now, but I’m taking the leap and using this time to be as happy as ever.”

Danielle swallowed, trying to dislodge the sudden lump that formed. “I’m so happy for you, Becca. Really. I know how hard it was for you after the accident.”

Becca reached her hands forward, taking Danielle’s hands in hers. “Thank you. But I’m here if you need to talk about anything or anyone.”

“Well, I got fired.” That was a surefire way to derail the conversation. The moment the words were out, she regretted the decision. She’d been hoping to wait until after the honeymoon. “Just, don’t tell anyone, okay? I don’t want my mom to know yet. Or the rest of the town for that matter.”

“What? Why?” Becca’s mouth dropped open.

Laughing a bit, Danielle said, “I attended a protest because the city council had authorized dumping at one of the lakes near Anaheim. I’m usually careful to stay on the inside so I don’t get photographed, but things shifted quickly when a fight broke out, and there was a big picture of me on the front page of the LA Daily the next morning. I can’t be the face of neutrality if I’m seen taking sides.” The words weren’t her own, the slight Southern accent of her former boss shining through.

“Oh, Dani. I’m so sorry. What are you going to do now?”

Danielle stretched her arms in the air, giving her some time to formulate a response. She thought about telling Becca about her alter ego and the books circulating around Sage Creek, but her wedding was coming up in four days, and she could already see the worry in Becca’s face. She didn’t need to rock the boat just yet.

“I’ll figure something out. For now, I’ll help out my mom around the house.”

“I know that’s not your ultimate dream, but I’m sure your mother will be grateful to have you around for longer than a few hours.” Becca stuffed the binder into her bag and then said, “Are you ready? We need to head over to Bridal Bliss. Susie said she’d stay a bit later to get your dress fitted.”

Danielle stopped mid-bite, the ice cream dripping down the side of her mouth. Wiping it off with a napkin, she glared at Becca. “You didn’t tell me that was the reason I needed to meet you today.”

“You didn’t want to see your best friend after all the time you’ve been away?” Becca’s voice sounded innocent, but her friend knew her too well. “I knew you wouldn’t come if I told you outright. Let’s go. Susie’s been waiting for fifteen minutes already.”

Groaning, Danielle left some cash on the table and slid out of the booth. Of all the things she’d sacrificed to be at this wedding, this was not something she wanted to do. She was so used to the power suits for her job, and she’d always been somewhat of a tomboy, preferring t-shirts and jeans to the more girly things Becca preferred. And most of the dresses were made out of tulle or other itchy fabrics she couldn’t name. But it was finally time for Becca’s happily ever after, and Danielle could sacrifice comfort for at least twelve hours.

Chapter 5

Liam left a sign on the bookstore door Tuesday afternoon, the same one he used every day he had to pick up Cari from school. The wind blew down from the pond, and he made a mental note to start wearing a jacket now that the weather was turning.

He’d received a call from the hospital that Kara had woken up but that they were still waiting a few days to see if the radiation had helped with any leftover cells. He’d wanted to call her right after, but he pictured his niece’s face puckering, saying something about not waiting for her. With all the things she’d been protected from after losing her father when she was very young, it was near impossible to shield her from this disease. Especially if things didn’t work out and Kara started to decline.

But he couldn’t think about that right now. He had to be positive, or Cari would work out that something was wrong, even though right now things were good.

He stood in his usual spot outside the chain-link fence surrounding the school, enjoying the view of the mountains in the background.

“How’s it going today?” a familiar deep voice asked.

Liam turned to see Tanner and Colton walking up behind him. He smiled at the two of them, grateful for their friendship since he’d come to town. Tanner had invited him along to a few things, making the transition easier than Liam expected when he’d first arrived.

“Oh, you know. Just waiting for Cari. She’s always the last kid out of the building.”

The doors opened, and several of the kids came running out, backpacks and papers in hand as they made their way to the various exits on the property. Of course, Cari was still nowhere among them.

“What are you two up to?” Liam asked.

Colton stuffed his hands into his pants pocket and shifted his weight to one foot. “We’ve got to put together a few things for the ceremony this weekend.”

“Danielle called and said the ceremony is going to be up by the pond instead of in the rec center.” Tanner said the words like it was a done deal. “It’s going to take whatever spare time we have to get it done.”

“What about the bachelor party?” Liam asked, grinning at Colton.

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