Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Cash
Nori’s mouth hangs open, and she presses a hand to her chest for a beat. Two beats. Three. Then she arranges her face into a shaky smile, and whisper-squeaks, “I’m so happy for you.” Still, the light goes out of her eyes. One minute ago, she was in my arms, face turned up, lips parted and breathless. She seemed almost joyful. And I picked that moment to come clean with her.
Idiot .
“I’m so … I’m so, so sorry,” I stammer, hating myself. “I would’ve told you sooner, but?—”
“No, no, no.” She takes a step backward and offers a small shake of her head. “You tried to tell me, I just got caught up in the moment and kept gushing on and on about trying to make something work between us.” Her mouth succumbs to a tremble, and my insides shrivel. “I knew the West Coast territory was your dream. I just didn’t know it would happen so quickly. Anyway, I have my own dream. I’m about to make Serendipi-Tea a reality. And it’s like you said. I can’t risk breaking the Swipe Rite contract.” She squares her shoulders, her gaze lasered in on mine. “So let’s just pretend this never happened, okay?”
I shift my jaw. “But?—”
“Please don’t turn this into something it wasn’t supposed to be.” Her eyes go soft, pleading with me. “We’re a whole hand now, right?” She lifts a palm, waving it at me, and pressing out the saddest laugh I’ve ever heard. “So let’s be friends.” Her gaze drifts back up to mine. “And you should definitely still come to the wedding.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Hayden’s expecting you,” she rushes to say. “More importantly, her mom is. And you do not want to disappoint Mrs. King. I don’t want to be the reason anyone’s disappointed. Ever.” Nori hitches her shoulders. Swallows. “Besides. The surf and turf will be way better than the cold pepperoni and olive pizza I just?—”
“Nori—”
“So I’ll see you at the Terrace on Saturday,” she exclaims, with forced brightness. “I’ll be the one in the ugly pink dress.” She spins on a heel, fleeing down the hall, and the farther she gets from me, the faster my guts unspool.
Let’s be friend s.
The image of her retreating to her apartment haunts me for the next twenty-four hours, and I keep praying a case will come up and prevent me from going to Hayden’s wedding.
Instead I get a text from Nori on Friday night.
Nori
I’m at the rehearsal dinner. Hayden wants me to tell you she hopes you can still come to the wedding. I agree with her. For the record, I’m fine. Everything’s totally, completely fine.
I don’t believe her .
Or maybe I just don’t want to believe Nori’s totally, completely fine. Maybe I want to think she’s not quite ready to let go of the idea of us. I’m not quite ready to let go of the idea of us.
So against my better judgment, I put on my best suit and show up at the Spring Garden Terrace hoping to make a weird situation a little less … weird.
Also? I need to apologize to Nori again. In person.
For the record, her pink dress is anything but ugly. The silky material drapes along her curves, like every inch was custom stitched to her body. The fabric is the same shade her cheeks turn whenever she blushes. Her dark hair is swept up in a twist with tendrils loose along her neck.
As if she feels me studying her, Nori casts a glance my way, her smile frozen in place. My heart stutters. I’ve never seen a human being look more beautiful than she does right now.
The wedding party’s just finishing their photo shoot, which I’ve been watching from a spot under a shady sugar maple. Nori plays along, grinning at the camera, shuffling in and out of the frame, while the photographer takes pictures with every possible combination of people. Bride with her bridesmaids. Groomsmen with the groom.
Maid of honor with the best man.
My fists clench a little when the guy in the tux puts his arm around her.
You really shouldn’t be here, man, I tell myself.
Meanwhile, happy hour continues, with caterers circulating among the guests, offering appetizers and champagne. One of them hands me a miniature pesto quiche on a napkin, but I’m too distracted by Nori to taste what I put in my mouth. I might as well be chewing cardboard. So I tear my focus away from her and force myself to take in the rest of my surroundings .
As out of place as I feel, the Spring Garden Terrace looks exactly how you’d expect an outdoor reception to appear just before sunset. The garden is fully decked with ribbons, flowers, and white lights. To the left of the archway where Hayden and Jasper took their vows, a string quartet is set up under a gazebo. They’ve been playing instrumental versions of songs from artists who were popular when we were kids.
Fall Out Boy. Black Eyed Peas. Destiny’s Child. Nickelback.
Yeah, I really shouldn’t be here .
Other guests, who do belong, drift from the folding chairs set out for the ceremony over to tables under a big white tent. I checked the seating chart earlier, and Hayden didn’t stick me with her husband’s cousins after all. Now I’m at a table with Keeley. She was friendly enough when I met her, but at this point, she probably knows I kissed Nori. And that I’m moving.
She may not be so friendly anymore.
I flick my focus back over to where Nori’s chatting with the bridesmaids. She looks up at the exact same time, catching my eye. Then she breaks away and heads toward me, stepping carefully through the grass. As she approaches, her gaze travels up from my dress shoes to my tie, which suddenly feels too tight.
“Hey, there.” She clears her throat. “You really should wear suits more often.”
“You think?”
She wrinkles her nose. “Probably not so practical for the OR. But I’m glad you were able to make it today.”
“Me too,” I tell her. This is not entirely true. In this moment, I couldn’t feel more awkward. But I’m okay with squirming in a suit if it means I can be with Nori for as many moments as we have left before I move .
She nods to indicate the tent. “So, I guess you’re seated at Keeley’s table now.”
“I saw.”
“Be sure to tell me what you think of Andrew later,” she says under her breath. “That’s Keeley’s boyfriend.”
“Ah.” I glance over at the two of them across the garden at the bar. Keeley’s got her head tossed back, laughing. Her boyfriend isn’t. “Not an Andrew fan?”
“I’ll let you form your own opinion.” Nori shrugs. “But I just … I can’t help thinking there’s someone out there who’s better for her.”
“Does Keeley know how you feel?”
“Hayden and I have dropped some hints,” Nori says. “But you know how it is. People don’t always listen to what they don’t want to hear.”
True enough.
I’m pretty sure Cullen and Lauren did everything they could to warn me about Daphne. Even my parents expressed concerns, and they love everybody. But that was a lesson I had to learn for myself.
“I think this is the quartet’s last song,” Nori says, yanking me back to the present. I follow her gaze over to the gazebo where the lady with the violin confers with the rest of the group. They launch into a new song, and I recognize the tune, but without the lyrics I can’t put my finger on it.
“I’m not sure I know this one.”
Nori sighs. “It’s ‘Someone to Watch Over Me,’ the old Gershwin song.”
“So not another Y2K hit, then. That explains why I didn’t recognize it.”
Nori’s lips curve into a smile, and she glances in the direction of the portable dance floor inside the tent. Behind it, a DJ is setting up in the corner. “Hayden booked a DJ to take over for the rest of the reception,” she says. “She and Jasper really want people to dance, and they think a DJ will get the crowd going better. I don’t disagree with them, but I really like the quartet. And this song, in particular.”
I bob my head. “They are pretty good.”
Nori glances up at me. “Wanna dance while we can?”
While we can .
Of course I realize she’s talking about the shift from the quartet to the DJ, but I can’t help thinking about the limited time we have before I pack up and move across the country.
“I don’t dance.”
She scoffs. “Don’t or won’t ?”
“More like can’t. ”
She pretends to gawk. “You mean to tell me there’s something Cash Briggs isn’t brilliant at?”
“Yeah.” I expel a breath. “The list is longer than you think.”
“You got me to ride a bike,” she says. “The least I can do is return the favor.” She reaches for my hand, and the softness of her skin sends a shock straight to my core. “Come on,” she urges. “Hayden and Jasper will be making their grand entrance soon, and by then the quartet will be packed up.” As she drags me across the grass, I let myself be led.
“There’s no dance floor over here,” I say. A weak protest at best.
“We’ll make our own dance floor,” she says. Her hand trails behind her, our fingers entwined. The memory of us together in the hallway just two nights ago flashes in my brain. How am I going to voluntarily walk away from this woman?
The better question is why am I walking away?
“Here.” Nori pulls to a stop in front of the exact tree where I was standing earlier. The rest of the guests are milling around the tent waiting for the bride and groom. “All you have to do is plant your feet and sway. I’ll do the rest. ”
“Plant my feet and sway,” I repeat.
“See?” Her lip edges up. “You’re a natural already.”
She comes toward me, putting her free hand on my opposite shoulder. I’m definitely planted now, but I haven’t started swaying yet. I’m too transfixed by the thought of being this close to Nori again.
She steps into my arms and tips her face up, letting her palm rest on my chest. I may not know how to dance, but I do know how to hold a woman. So I slide a hand up the middle of her spine, where the deep scoop of her dress leaves the skin exposed. She’s so warm and soft, all I want to do is bring my jaw down to nuzzle her neck.
We begin to move together, side to side, while the song sets the pace. The melody is slow and full of longing. Nori’s chin drops until her mouth is closer to my shoulder than my ear. Then she starts to sing, so quietly I have to duck to hear the words.
I don’t know these lyrics.
They’re about someone who’s feeling lost. A woman who’s been waiting a long time for a man to show up and…I don’t know—give her some direction? She says she’s a lamb looking for her shepherd. And my heart beats hard as Nori’s voice—all soft breaths against my chest—reveals a different side to her.
Yes, she wants to make her own way in this life, but she’s also vulnerable. And I’ve let myself be vulnerable with her too. The truth is, no matter how hard people try to prove they can survive alone, humans need each other. Nori needs somebody.
We’re a whole hand now .
A boulder of pain rolls across my ribs, slivering into shards that prickle my chest. Nori is going to find someone to watch over her.
And that someone won’t be me .
When the final bars of the song drift off into the night, Nori and I sway for a couple more beats. Then she steps out of my arms, shaking off the moment. “See?” She squares her shoulders. “That wasn’t too terrible, was it?”
I shake my head wordlessly.
“So the next time you’re at a wedding reception, you won’t have any excuses not to dance.”
“Right.” My solar plexus goes rigid. It’ll be a while before I’m invited to any weddings in California. I won’t know anyone out there. “Thanks.”
Nori cocks her head. “I’d almost let you teach me to swim now, except you’re not staying long enough.”
“We’ve got a month,” I blurt, just to torture myself. Like I don’t already know how this ends.
“The pool water is still way too cold for me.” She drops her gaze. “And we probably shouldn’t start something we can’t finish.”
“No. Probably not.”
“Ladies and gentlemen!” the DJ’s voice booms. “The bride and groom are about to join us for their first dance. So everybody, please line up along the edge of the dance floor to give it up for the new Mr. and Mrs. Perkins!”
“That’s my cue,” Nori says. “Back to maid of honor duty.”
We’re just starting for the tent when my phone chirps. Loudly. I’ve got the volume all the way up in case one of my hospitals needs me for a case.
“Not now,” I groan. Another chirp. Two texts back-to-back.
“Do you have to leave?” Nori’s face falls.
“I don’t know.” I check my phone, but the texts aren’t from a doctor, a PA, or a scheduling nurse. They’re from my sister-in-law.
Lauren
I’m in labor, and your brother is driving me nuts. He’s the love of my life, so you’d better get here before I kill him!
Lauren
PS: Time to meet your niece, Uncle Cash.