Chapter 16 #3
Robin retrieved their backpack from the car and, telling Oliver to text them later with an update, set off toward the bus stop.
“You’ll be all right?” Oliver called after them.
“It’s the middle of the afternoon, and I’m using public transportation. I’ll be fine.”
Oliver waved and watched them a moment longer before he got in the car. He put his head back and closed his eyes.
“This is crazy.”
“I can’t believe it,” Dave said as he pulled out of the lot, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. He was driving faster than usual. “This whole month has been one long stretch of insanity.”
“Hey, slow down, please. We don’t need a speeding ticket on top of everything else.”
Dave blew out a breath and eased off the accelerator. “Sorry.” He glanced at him. “I don’t mean to take this out on you.”
“I know that.” Oliver let a few seconds pass. “You could always take it out on your brother.”
That earned him a strangled laugh.
“Good one.” He took Oliver’s hand. “Thank you.”
Oliver briefly tightened his fingers. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
The hall was in worse shape than Oliver had imagined. Brown water covered every inch of floor space, more than ankle deep. The smell made both of them gag and cover their noses and mouths.
“I know, it’s awful.” Gina had a face mask with filters hanging around her neck, and the dark curls of her hair were erupting around a headband like surf against rocks.
The mask had left indentations around her nose and mouth, and her eyes were wide and still a bit glassy with shock.
“I’m so very sorry this has happened. We will absolutely refund every penny of your deposit. ”
“Thanks, Gina,” Dave said. He took a few steps back from the entrance, his eyes fixed on the scene visible through the doors. “It’s so terrible.”
“I’m sorry you guys have to deal with this,” Oliver said.
“At least we’re insured, but, God, what a nightmare.” She gave them a miserable look. “Again, I’m so sorry.”
“It can’t be helped. We understand that,” Dave assured her. “I’m sure we’ll be able to find another place. It’s just a tough spot to be in so close to the wedding.”
Oliver managed to hold back a comment. Six days to the wedding and now no hall in which to celebrate it. What the hell were they going to do?
“We don’t want to hold you up any longer,” Dave said.
“There’s so much to clean up. And it’s so disgusting.” Gina sighed and held her arms up. “I’d give you both an apologetic hug, but I’m kind of gross.”
“We understand.” Oliver tried for a smile.
They returned to the car in silence. Dave rested his wrists on top of the steering wheel and stared at the hall. “Any ideas?”
“Not yet.” Oliver slumped in his seat. “I’m trying to reboot my brain.”
“Should we cancel?”
Oliver studied his profile. “Do you want to cancel?”
Still leaning forward over the steering wheel, Dave rested the side of his head on his wrists and met his eyes. “No. But Mercury must be in one hell of a retrograde or something right now, because it feels like the universe is doing everything in its power to prevent us from getting married.”
“These past weeks have been an uphill battle.”
They were both quiet for a long time. Through the open doors of the building, Oliver could see Gina and her husband, Steve, working inside.
A pump was running somewhere in the building, and a long, dirty hose ran out the door into a sewer grate at the curb.
They’d been excited to find the space for a reasonable price, but they’d both admitted to some minor limitations.
The kitchen wouldn’t be fully functional in time, and the bathrooms needed to be remodeled.
Something stirred inside Oliver. It was small, but it came up out of the despair and confusion glowing with warmth and hard edges. He didn’t want the police or the mummy or the fucking flooded event space to take any more from them than had already been lost.
“I don’t want to cancel,” he said.
“You don’t?”
“Not a chance. You’ve been the one constant, steady thing that’s kept me going through all of this. And that needs to be celebrated with our families and friends. Even if we have to do it in the community center out at Parson’s Pines like Demetrius and Cody did.”
Dave chuckled before he moved in for a soft kiss. “I am so in love with you.”
Oliver touched the side of his face. “I’m very much in love with you, too. We’ll figure this out. We’ve both got lots of connections in this town. After all we’ve done to save it in the past, there’s got to be someplace we can host the wedding and reception.”
“With less than a week’s notice?”
Oliver kissed him. “Come on, let’s go to Demetrius and Cody’s house and talk with them. Maybe they can think of somewhere we can check into.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
With a heavy sigh, Dave started the car and pulled out of the lot.
Oliver watched trees and utility poles go by.
He really did want to marry Dave, but maybe he’d been right and it wasn’t the right time.
Then again, Oliver didn’t even want to imagine what Roman might have to say about having to cancel his flight at the last minute.