Page 24 of Stone Vows

Chad smirks at her. “Yeah, right.”

“That’s no joke, bro,” I tell him. “Don’t sell yourself short.”

My uber-famous brother, who was going to be a school teacher like his wife, was randomly discovered while saving my ass at a shopping mall shortly after our parents moved us to L.A. It was tough on Chad, leaving Mallory, who was his best friend; which is why when the opportunity presented itself, he turned to drugs. And women. And gambling. Pretty much anything to distract him from the girl he’d left behind. But in the end, they found each other. And they’ve never been happier than they are right now.

I can’t help but think of Elizabeth and how she asked if I believed in fate.

As if reading my thoughts, Mallory says, “I really like Elizabeth.”

“Yeah. She’s one tough chick,” I say. “I can’t begin to thank you enough for going by the hospital.”

“I hope I didn’t offend her by bringing her a few things.”

I remember the bags she showed up with. “The bags were for her?” I ask.

She nods. “When you told me she literally had nothing and no one, I had to ask myself if I were in that situation, what would I need. And since your generous mother keeps sending me maternity clothes that I will never be able to wear due to the sheer numbers of them, I thought I’d take a few things to her.”

“You brought her clothes?”

“It was just a few nightgowns and a cute pajama set. And a robe. Everyone in the hospital needs a robe. Those blue hospital gowns are simply hideous.”

I laugh, thinking Elizabeth looked quite good in them. Blue is definitely her color.

“Oh, and I took her some packs of maternity underwear. She probably thinks I’m a freak, showing up at a stranger’s hospital room with underwear.”

“Either that or a Godsend,” I say in appreciation. “What did you guys talk about?”

She smiles and gives Chad a look. “Are you asking me if we talked aboutyou, Kyle?”

“No, of course not.” I take a drink of wine to mask my blatant lie.

She laughs. “I’m only teasing,” she says. “The girl is pretty tight-lipped and I got the feeling she didn’t want me to ask about her. We mostly talked about being pregnant. And she asked a lot of questions about me and how I like being a school teacher. She seemed really interested in it, almost sad in a way, like maybe it’s something she had wanted for herself.”

“She walks dogs,” I tell them. “For her job.”

“Yeah, she did tell me that, rather hesitantly,” she says. “But, hey, don’t think less of her for it. People love their pets. They pay a pretty penny to have them walked. She’s probably not as destitute as you’re thinking.”

“Idon’tthink less of her,” I say, defensively. “But I’m not sure about the destitute part. I mean, she wouldn’t even give us her address when she was admitted to the hospital.”

“You’re a doctor, Kyle,” Mallory says. “She was probably embarrassed to reveal where she lives, knowing the doctors and nurses surrounding her live a far better life.”

“Maybe,” I say. “Or maybe she doesn’t have a home. Or she could live in a shelter.”

She shakes her head. “I don’t think so. I mean, I work with homeless girls at Hope For Life. No, Elizabeth just seems like one of us. Heck, she’d probably fit right in at girls’ night.” Her face breaks out in a slow, growing smile. “Oh, Kyle, I have a great idea. I’m sure the girls would love to help her out. Think about it, we can all take turns visiting her. Between all of us, there is no way she’ll get bored or depressed, or whatever bedridden patients get.”

I study my altruistic sister-in-law. “You think they’d really do that for her?”

“Have you met any of them, dude?” Chad asks, raising his eyebrows at me.

“I don’t know,” I tell her. “Elizabeth seems like a private person.”

“Maybe that’s just because she doesn’t have anyone, Kyle.”

I nod in agreement. “Let me see how she felt about your coming in today. I don’t want to overstep my bounds. I’ll let you know what I think.”

Mallory bounces in her seat as much as a pregnant woman can bounce. She claps her hands giddily. “Oh, good. I’m going to call the girls. It’ll be fun.”

“She’s not a project, Mal. She’s a person.”

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