Page 49 of No Rings Attached
“I felt so helpless being so far away,” he whispered, and I could see the regret in the lines of his face.
I locked my gaze on his. “You did everything you could. You demanded I stop working and go back to bed. Then you stayed on the phone with me and had my favorite foods delivered because I was too tired to cook for myself.”
Drew frowned. “I hated the thought of you having to get up and shop for groceries.”
I nodded and continued. “The cozy blanket you sent became my favorite, and the bottles of water I was able to leave by my bed got me through the next few days.”
“That’s so sweet,” Goldie sniffled.
“And even though I was sick, I looked forward to the texts you sent asking for proof of life until I was better. And I distinctly remember thinking, ‘I don’t know the last time someone had been so thoughtful or sweet to me. This one’s a keeper.’”
Drew kissed the top of my head and tightened his grip. “I wish I could’ve done more.”
“You did the perfect amount.” I was happy I finally got to tell him how much what he did meant to me.
Martha discreetly wiped away a tear. “I’m such a sucker for moments like that. You too need to fake-date forever.”
Gladys cleared her throat. “Okay, lovebirds. Now that we’ve let our guards down, I think it’s time for some pictures. We can’t say that you just met for the first time during this trip. No one will believe that.”
“How can we do that? Take pictures around town?” I looked out the front bay window. “It’s already dark. I’m not sure how many good ones we’ll get.”
“You underestimate us, dear Ellie.” Glamma paused dramatically then gestured with a flourish. “Gladys, get out the backgrounds!”
With a quick grin, Gladys moved into the adjacent study and returned rolling an eight-foot by ten-foot backdrop.
My eyes widened. Holy wow.
I almost couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The row of tall pine trees interspersed with shrubs and small yellow flowers dotting the bright green grass reminded me of a slightly cleaned-up version of the road I’d been stranded on. I squinted and looked closer. Was that a deer peeking out from the forest?!
“Up and at ‘em, you two. Let’s take a shot of your first picnic together.” Glamma clapped her hands together. “Martha, do you have the basket of food ready?”
“Um …” I tried to find the right words. “Don’t you think they’ll suspect something when they see we’re wearing the same clothes for each shot?”
Goldie pointed to a large cardboard box I’d missed when I came into the room. “We’ve got that covered too. Martha grabbed her lost and found treasures. I’m sure we’ll find everything we need in there.”
Treasures indeed.
Drew, the braver of the two of us, rose from the couch and opened the box. When he pulled out a mesh shirt that was not from this decade, I burst into giggles.
And I couldn’t stop.
“That must have been from the 80s party we hosted last summer,” Glamma grinned.
I groaned through my belly laughs. “I’m so afraid of what else we’re going to find in there.”
“Come on, you two.” Gladys motioned us forward. “Let’s get started. I’m hungry.”
“Are you ready for this?” Drew asked, holding out his hand.
I nodded and threaded my fingers through his. “As I’ll ever be.”
For the first few pictures, we sat side-by-side, smiling, and by the second backdrop—which had a gazebo in the distance—we’d loosened up. By the third backdrop with an old barn we were pretending to stand next to, we started to throw on clothes from the box.
We probably looked deranged, but the smiles in those photos were real.
Drew pulled on a loud, oversized Hawaiian shirt and tossed a multi-colored t-shirt my way. We took turns changing in the hall powder room before coming out to a new background waiting for us, a tropical island oasis.
I ran my hand down the thick fabric, tracing a palm tree. “When did we go away together?”
