Page 85 of The Restoration Program
“It all happened so fast,” Nicole said apologetically. “We didn’t invite anyone, not even his parents.” She was perched on the coffee table while Darlene was at her usual spot on the couch.
“Did they say anything?”
“They’re coming to celebrate in person. They fly in from Seattle tomorrow, actually.”
“Wow. And that’s… good? Bad? I’m still not sure how I’m supposed to feel about those two.”
“You and me both.” Nicole ran her hand through her hair, trying to remember the last time she’d been in the same room as Michael and Lauren Northe. “I convinced Ryan to reach out and invite them. It felt right at the time, but… to be honest, I didn’t think they were going to say yes. I mean—” She cycled through the short list of photos again, and she tried desperately to cling to the pleasant warmth in her chest. “They wouldn’t come all this way just to tell him he made a mistake, right?”
“Hey.” Darlene reached out and gently took control of the photos. “Look at these. Look at you both. How could anyone look at those faces and say it’s a mistake?”
There Nicole was, standing on the flower pedestal beside Ryan. There were a few selfies they took under the stained-glass windows’ colorful sunlight. Seeing how tiny she looked sitting on Ryan’s shoulder was less jarring these days.
“The only mistake is not letting me know about it in time to think of a good wedding present,” Darlene said. “Anything in mind?”
“A phone would be nice,” Nicole said. Even with a laptop at her disposal, she missed the freedom of being able to send a quick text. “But you know what’d be even more thoughtful? A tiny blender. I’d be over the moon. One, I’m a smoothie girl. Two, whenever Ryan makes one for me, it sounds like a building collapsing and it’s not worth the headache.”
Darlene snorted. “I’m on it.” She clicked the next photo, which showed Nicole beaming and twirling in her dress when she first tried it on. “You look like a princess. Can I see the necklace again?”
Nicole scooted closer to the edge of the coffee table and lifted her chin. With an impossibly light touch, Darlene brushed a fingertip over the diamond.
“It’s great you were able to find a church to do it,” Darlene said. “But, too bad you didn’t get to do all the other stuff. Not to brag, but if I had been given the reins on the bachelorette party, you’d still be recovering from it.”
Nicole giggled half-heartedly. Part of her was still mourning that she wouldn’t get that stuff. She tried to focus on how she felt when she and Ryan were facing each other in the church, and everything else had melted away.Thatwas what mattered, she thought firmly.
“There are lots of things I’m having to miss out on, but I’m getting used to it. I got to say my vows. After the procedure, I didn’t even think to hope for that.”
“Hey, don’t beat yourself up for being sad about missing out.” Darlene squeezed Nicole’s hand, and her lips pulled into a cajoling smile. “It’s no weekend in Vegas, but how about we have a mini bachelorette party—just you and me?”
Nicole huffed. “Mini?”
“Bad choice of words, get over it,” Darlene said with a little nudge. “Come on, let’s live a little and eat out. What do you say? I’m starving.”
“Like…now?”
“Like now. Come on, you can’t stay cooped up like this forever. The only place you ever talk about going is those support meetings. That sounds depressing as hell. Don’t you wanna get a gold star when you talk about how you went out in public and absolutely killed it?”
Nicole bit her lip. In all her excitement in telling Darlene about the wedding, she had purposefully left out the kidnapping situation. She wavered, uncertain how to proceed. Ryan had been holding her a little closer every night since almost losing her. He watched her every move when he was there, as if the busboy might come through the door and try to take her again.
It was sweet, but it was stifling.
If she told Darlene about it now, there would only be more fussing. The injustice of the situation jolted through Nicole like lightning. All she wanted was to go out for lunch with her friend, and she had to fear for her life because of it. If she didn’t take control of her life now… then when?
Still, she hesitated. “The church was a nice change of scenery,” she admitted. “But have you seen anyone likemein public?”
“A few,” Darlene said. “But don’t worry about any creeps out there. I’ll set them straight, and they’ll be sure to mind their own damn business for the rest of their lives.”
Nicole clenched her jaw, picturing Ryan viciously beating down the busboy.
Noticing her hesitation, Darlene softened. “You can’t let people get in the way of your fresh air, Nicki. I’ll be right there with you, and if you don’t like how it feels out there, you just say the word and we’ll leave.”
“I guess… it’s not like we’ll be there all day.” Nicole twirled a lock of her hair, picturing a mental map of the city that would keep her far away fromOcho. “Does that place off Morris Avenue still serve bottomless mimosas?”
Darlene grinned. “Can you even see the bottom ofone?”
“Humor me.”
Brunch went shockingly well. The restaurant had seated them in a corner at Darlene’s request, allowing them privacy. Nicole could’ve sworn that the waitress that kept coming by to refill the champagne was flirting with her. It was a pleasant change from being ogled.
