“Yeah, Lolly,” Hartley says. “It looks like Mira and I are getting married.”
“What was that?” I ask when the sound of a high-five rings through the phone.
“Nothing, honey,” Lolly says. “I’m glad to hear this. I’ve reserved the church for Thursday at seven in the evening and?—”
“Whoa,” I say, my eyes widening. “We’re just going to the courthouse.”
She snorts. “Funny. But don’t you worry. I have it all arranged. You two just need to show up—a little early, if you can. And I’ll take care of all the details unless, of course, you’d like to weigh in.”
Sensing my shock, Hartley takes the phone. “Lolly, I think we wanted to keep things small. If you’d like to be there, that’s fine. But we don’t want a big thing made of it.”
“My granddaughter is getting married in a church.”
I hold my hands out in defeat.What am I supposed to say?I don’t hold the cards here.
“You’ll keep it small, though,” Hartley says. “You, Markie, and maybe Brooks?”
“Absolutely. Now, I have things to tend to, so I need to jet. If you can hear me, Mira, I’m thrilled about this. Let me know if you want to help me plan.”
“Small, Lolly,” I say, repeating Hartley’s request.
“Trust me. Have fun, you two. Gotta go.”
The line clicks as the call ends.
Hartley hands me my phone with wary eyes. “You know this is not going to be small, right?”
I sigh. “Oh, I know. Someone needs to put that woman on a leash.”
“I think it’s too late for that.” He grins. “But I’d like to call my brother before he finds out from someone else.”
“But no one knows but us?”
He grins. “Darlin’, have you forgotten how fast word travels in a small town?”
Right. I sigh. “Does it bother you that we’ll be lying to everyone?”
“Honestly, yeah, if I think about it. I guess I’m just going to tell myself that this marriage might not be real, but it’s really happening. So it’s not a total lie, right? And we’re not doing it forsome nefarious reason. It helps Lolly, you, and me. I think that matters.”
I stare up at him with his bright brown eyes that crinkle a little at the edges. The stress and worry that have bubbled up inside me again quiet as his steadiness assures me—this is going to be okay.
And that’s how I know this was the right decision. Everyone wins. I’m just thankful that it’s Hartley that I’m teaming up with.
“I’ll go and let you get back to work,” I say. “I’ll call you later.”
“Sounds good.”
He opens my car door, holding it until I climb in. Then he shuts it behind me. His eyes don’t leave me as I get buckled in and start the engine.
“Mira,” he says before I pull away.
I glance over at him. “Yeah?”
“Don’t be scared. I got you.”
A lump settles in my throat as my mind flashes back ten years.
“It’s raining so hard, Hart. I don’t know how to change a tire, and I think the last gas station I passed was like five miles back,” I say, sobbing through the phone.
