Page 46 of I'll Be There

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“Hey,” he said.

“Where’s Conner?”

Reuben appeared beside him wearing a baseball hat. “He’s...um, not able to be here.”

Liza frowned. “But he has to sign—”

“He asked us to pick up the application, bring it to him. He’ll sign it—”

“And file it with Ivy before 5:00?” She glanced at the clock. “Seriously?”

“Trust us, Liza, we’ve got this.”

She considered them for a long moment. “Where is he, guys?”

“He’s...he’s doing something for the wedding.” But Pete glanced down, away, as he said it, and Liza found her feet.

“Where. Is. He?”

Pete looked up, made a face, even as Reuben said, “Something came up—”

“Is he out in the parking lot?”

“No.” Pete made to block her and she just stared at him. He put his hands down.

“You’re freaking me out here. Is he in some sort of trouble?”

“He’s fine,” Pete said.

It was the look that Reuben gave Pete that made up her mind.

“You’re pathetic liars. Take me to him. Right. Now.”

Pete drew himself up. “Liza...you’re going to have to trust him. Even if you don’t know why.”

She glanced at Reuben. At Pete. Then she reached into her bag.

“He’d better befine,” she snapped as she handed over the application.

“He will be,” Reuben said. “He also said to tell you that he...he won’t be there to decorate today.”

She gave a wry laugh, because it was painfully, absurdly funny. “We don’t have anywhere to decorate, anyway.”

Pete’s eyes widened.

“I have my own problems.” She sighed. “Please just remind him that we have rehearsal tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. Here. If he could possibly show up for that...”

“He’ll be here,” Pete said, offering his Casanova grin. “We promise.”

And that did nothing to make her feel any better.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Conner shouldn’t have sent Reuben and Pete to do his job. Hisonlyreal job for the wedding—apply for a marriage license. Conner sat in Seth’s truck, staring out the window as Seth drove to his off-the-grid cabin.

“She’s going to be mad,” he said, mostly to himself. “She’s going to think I abandoned her.”

The silence in the truck suggested Micah, Seth, and even Romeo agreed with him.