Page 29 of The Wedding Favor

At the word favor, my eyes darted up to Abe. Had he put her up to this? He held up his hands and shook his head, looking as flummoxed as I felt.

“Hallie. That’s enough.”

She tapped my shoulder. “I won’t ask anymore. But could I give you a hug to say I’m sorry?”

“Of course.” She fell into my arms, her head landing on my shoulder. She smelled like I’d expect a little kid to smell—sweat and grass and sunshine. But what I hadn’t expected was how good that hug felt.

Hallie pulled back and smiled, that dimple popping out… just like her father. I opened my mouth to tell them I’d think about it. That was the plan. But those eyes were looking back at me with so much hope, and the words must have gotten tangled up traveling from my brain to my lips because the next thing I knew, I was saying, “Okay, yes, I’ll do it. When do I start?”

TEN

“I took the coward’s way out when I left for New York.

I left early, before anyone was awake. Then I didn’t have to say goodbye.”

—excerpt from the unpublished memoir,

Darling, I Must Say by Gloria Hayes

That night, I lay in bed and tried to sleep. All I could think about was my big mouth agreeing to babysit Hallie like I didn’t have five hundred other things to worry about. But those brown eyes staring up at me had been my breaking point. You’d have to be a monster to say no to her.

I needed to remember that. Because that kid could easily talk me into taking a twenty-hour detour to Disneyland. Must teach her to use her powers for good.

Since sleep didn’t seem to be happening any time soon, I pulled up that job article on my phone. At least I could work on my future. Step two read: “What you don’t want in a job.” That was easy enough.

Office jobs

Being an information pusher without the ability to really help

Being micromanaged

Strict dress codes (I should be able to wear jeans whenever I want)

When the meeting could have been an email

I stared down at the list and waited for a sign, a flash of lightning, an incoming email with an offer for the perfect job I hadn’t even applied for. Sadly, none of those things happened. Instead, I startled when my phone buzzed with a text.

It was almost one in the morning, but I knew who it was. I shouldn’t even look at the message but I couldn’t stop myself. It was like some sick obsession.

Aidan: Hey, you awake?

These late-night texts had been constant, even after we’d broken up. Especially after we broke up. At first, I’d cherished each one. He hadn’t forgotten about me, I told myself. I was still important to him.

After the break-up, we went on as though everything was normal. Or at least Aidan did. I was determined to show him that I wouldn’t be one of those clingy, sobbing ex-girlfriends. A part of me thought we’d get back together. All we had to do was get through school and we’d pick up where we left off.

Until she came along.

At first, she was the “boss’s niece” he was taking to dinner. Then he took her out again and again, and she wasn’t just the boss’s niece; her name was Missy. Aidan had always shared every part of his dating life. Which hadn’t felt great but, hey, we’re friends, right?

He’d talked about Missy differently than the others, though. There was an excitement in his voice, and he told me in extraordinary detail about their relationship. Missy had no idea how much I knew about her. It all made me feel uncomfortable. But if Aidan was happy, so was I. Because that’s how a real friend would react, I told myself.

Aidan: Irisssssssssss

ME: Hey… can’t sleep?

A second later, my phone rang.

“Talk to me,” Aidan said as soon as I answered.