Page 130 of Look on the Bright Side

Heather: Theo and I are so proud.

Joy: You’re famous, Lark! It’s all over the news!

And it was. As she went into the waiting room, she could hear the story on NECN, the singsong voice of newscasters. “Tonight, motorists in a devastating crash on Route 6 in Harwich today were luckier than most. Two brothers, one a Boston firefighter, the other a world-renowned surgeon, just happened to be on the scene. Lorenzo Santini, MD, his brother Dante of Boston Fire, as well as an emergency room physician were heading to a family wedding in Boston. The following footage might be disturbing to some viewers…”

“Hey.”

It wasn’t Lorenzo.

Dante stood up from the chair he’d been sitting in, all brawn and Boston Fire T-shirt. He had a darkening bruise under the eye that had sustained a cut, and it did not hurt his appeal one bit.

“Dante! You okay?”

“Yeah. Are you? That was pretty impressive today.”

“I don’t think I’ll sleep for a week.” She glanced around. “Is Lorenzo doing a press conference or something?”

Dante’s smile deepened. “Nah. He did one at the scene, then took a car to Boston. Didn’t want to miss the rehearsal. Or the adulation.”

“Shouldn’t you be there, too?”

He smiled. “Someone had to wait for you. I drove your car, since my truck is totaled.”

“Are you hurt, Dante? Did you get checked out?”

“Yeah, a nurse looked me over. I’ve got this shiner, and I’ll be a little stiff tomorrow.”

She swallowed. He was okay. The delayed terror at the sight of his truck and the reality of him standing right in front of her made her throat tighten and her knees grow weak.

“So listen, Lark,” he said, a smile in his voice. “I had a little talk with Lorenzo this morning. Told him I had a thing for his girl. Figured I’d let him keep his pride and not tell him that I knew this was all fake.”

“Oh.” Her heart was thudding and her cheeks were on fire. “What did he say?”

“He said you weren’t his type.”

She laughed. “He’s not mine, either.”

“Excellent news. So.” He took her hands, and his were big and calloused and warm. “Will you be my date for my sister’s wedding?”

She nodded.

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“Absolutely sure? I don’t want you to feel like you have to say—”

She kissed him. Oh, she kissed him right there in the waiting room, and he pulled her against his solid frame, and she didn’t care if people were watching or filming. There was only him, his mouth smiling as he kissed her back.

It was good to be alive. Alive, and with a future that shimmered with hope.

EPILOGUE

TEN MONTHS LATER

“Lark and Dante, take a minute to look at all the people who are here today to offer their love and support to you,” the minister said.

Dante squeezed her hands, and they did look, and yes, all that love, all that hope, that joy, echoed back at them.

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