Page 20 of The Best Man Wins

He takes something tiny out of his pocket and passes it over the table to me. I hold out my palm, and he drops a small box into it.

My blood goes cold. I know what it is, but I open the velvet box anyway.

The wedding ring is a small wedding band. There are tiny diamonds encrusted along it, making it shimmer in the light.

As much as I hate to admit it, Cora will love this.

“You think you can hold on to that for me, buddy?” Ray says and gives me that dopey, hopeful smile.

I don’t want to hold on to it. I don’t want to hold on to anything to do with this wedding. I’m more likely to forget I have it and run it through the washing machine than I am to keep it safe. Before I can tell him to give it to someone who cares, however, we’re interrupted by the clip of heels and rapid-fire women chatter.

Ray gives me a frantic look. I simply nod and tuck the box into my pants pocket. Relief spreads across his face.

My sister and Susie join us at the table, both squeaking with delight when they see the setup.

“Oh, Roxanne, this is too much! It looks wonderful!” Cora is clearly in a better mood today, and she flutters around the table like a hummingbird. “Morning, four-eyes.” Cora tilts over and presses a kiss to the side of my face.

Yes. Certainly in a good mood. I close the laptop, put it underneath my chair, and fold my glasses, tucking those away as well.

Cora practically jumps around the table and into Ray’s bear arms. “Good. Morning,” she tells him, pecking a kiss to his lips between each word.

I look away before my blood temperature boils over. Susie picks the chair next to me and sets a yellow legal pad beside her. Her handwriting is small, tight, and curly. She smells like vanilla, and she’s dressed in a loose, chevron-patterned shirt. I don’t know if it’s the humidity or the morning, but her hair has frizzled out nearly twice its size. Perhaps my sister’s PDA is rubbing off on me, but I want to slip my hand under Susie’s shirt and feel her skin warm underneath my touch.

I keep my arms locked against my body instead.

“Good morning,” she says, though her eyes don’t meet mine.

“Morning.”

We have all the awkwardness of a newly minted middle school couple.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Susie shifting in her seat. “Can’t get comfortable?” I ask.

“No,” she says, and then adds under her breath: “I think I got a splinter from the fence.”

I try not to grin at that. “I could take a look at it, if you’d like.”

Her eyes widen at that as she turns to me. “You’re not helping.”

“Coffee, anyone?” Roxanne comes around with a freshly brewed pot, and Susie and Cora both extend their mugs.

“I’m going to need it for today,” Cora sighs, though I highly doubt she needs any more energy.

“Get your spirits up, dear,” Roxanne says. “There’s more than one way to cook a goose.”

“What’s today?” I ask, only half-interested in the answer.

“Bridal party day!” Cora squeaks. “Cynthia and Candace are flying in, and we’re all doing a cake tasting. Plus, Ray’s sister is coming…it’ll be great.”

Cora names off her bridal party, and my back molars grit. I grimace and sip from my refreshed cup of coffee. It’s bitter and strong. God bless Roxanne.

“So the bridal party,” Susie says, jotting notes in her legal pad. “Cynthia and Candace are…”

“They’re my sorority sisters,” Cora beams. “We were the three C’s.”

“Right,” I add, “Crazy, Clueless, and—”

Cora kicks me under the table hard enough to bruise my shin. I stop.

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