Page 43 of Wedding Season
As Alex approached, she wondered if he’d already called Heather’s parents. They would know Mariella, and Magnolia was a small enough town that it would take some effort to keep her presence a secret if they came down to be with their daughter during her recovery.
One moment at a time,she reminded herself as she stood up to greet Alex.
“How is she?”
He nodded as if to reassure her, but his mouth was tight. “She’s okay. Banged up but doing okay. The drugs are helping take the edge off.”
“Can I...?”
“She’d like to see you.”
Mariella let out a shaky breath. This was what she wanted, so why did she have the almost insurmountable urge to run away? It was terrifying to think that she might do or say something wrong. This moment wasn’t about her, she reminded herself. She was here to support Heather.
She took a step forward then stopped and turned back to the older woman. “I really will pray for your husband.”
The words coming out of her mouth should have been a shock, but the old woman didn’t realize that. “Thank you. I’ll do the same thing for your friend.”
“I didn’t realize you were one for prayer,” Alex said as he led her down the hall.
“Me neither. But lightning hasn’t struck me down so that seems like a good sign.”
He placed a hand on her arm, whether in comfort or warning she couldn’t quite tell. She appreciated his steady touch nonetheless.
“I’m going to call her mom while you’re in there. I wanted you to know.”
“Of course,” she agreed. He stopped in front of a door halfway down the hall.
“I probably won’t be long.”
“Okay.” She appreciated that he wasn’t pushing her. Once again, she thought about Amber and how that woman must be the biggest idiot on the planet to have squandered what she’d had with Alex. The guy was handsome, smart and had a caring streak a mile long.
Any woman would be lucky to have him. The dawning realization that she truly wanted him hit Mariella like a mallet to the temple. It simply wasn’t going to happen.
“You okay?” he asked when she didn’t move for a few moments.
“I’ve got this,” she answered, unsure which one of them she was trying to convince.
The room was quiet when she entered. Heather was propped up in the hospital bed with her eyes closed. Her left arm was in a cast and there was a bandage on her cheek. Mariella figured the girl was lucky she hadn’t scraped her face worse in the fall.
She looked at once younger and somehow more world-weary than the last time Mariella had seen her. She seemed fragile, which was terrifying. Mariella tended to be a bull in an emotional china shop and didn’t want to do anything that would hurt or upset Heather more than she was.
“I’m fine,” the girl said as her eyes fluttered open.
Mariella nodded. “Clearly you showed that rock face who was boss.”
Heather laughed softly and then winced. Mariella immediately regretted her lame joke.
“What hurts the most?” she asked.
“Probably my pride.”
“Really? Because I’ve heard broken ribs can make breathing not the greatest.”
Heather ignored the comment and continued, “I don’t even think they wanted to invite me. That’s the problem with being younger than everybody. I don’t fit in.”
“You don’t have to be younger to have that problem.” Mariella felt a pinch in her chest that she almost wanted to describe as maternal. “I’m sure they wouldn’t have invited you if they didn’t want you to be there.”
“I kind of invited myself,” Heather admitted. “Then I ruined the whole day.”
