Page 32 of The Wedding Favor

He winked. And both of us burst out laughing.

I knew he wasn’t serious. I had an ex-boyfriend to get over. A future to plan. Plus, Abe was older and established. He had a kid and a career and a life. I had… none of those things. But it was nice to feel noticed, even if it was all in good fun.

“I used to be good at flirting,” he said. “I’m rusty. Haven’t dated much since Hallie came along.”

I patted his arm, ignoring the way the sun-warmed skin tempted me to keep touching him. “It’s like riding a bike. It will all come back to you. And if not, I’m sure some woman will take pity on you. Just make sure you flex your muscles a lot.”

“Thank you for your kind words,” he said drily.

“Can I show Iris the house?” Hallie bounced with energy. “I want to show her my bedroom, and I can show her the kitchen and where the bathrooms are and⁠—”

“Hal, remember you have to breathe or you’re gonna pass out with all that talking.” Smiling indulgently, Abe put a hand on Hallie’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go start the tour? I need to finish up out here.”

“Come on.” Hallie grabbed my hand. With little choice, I let her drag me away.

The inside of the house was all hardwood floors and clean, neutral colors—simple, even generic. The downstairs consisted of an open concept living room, kitchen, and dining room. The personality came from the furnishings—the bright red couch, a giant potted plant in the corner, framed art done by an enthusiastic child, the lumpy clay projects, and the custom coffee table.

“Is that the hood from a car?” I pointed at the coffee table painted in vibrant, abstract flowers.

“Uh-huh. Dad painted it.”

On the wall above the couch hung three framed photos, pencil drawings of Hallie at different ages. The detail was incredible and I wanted to stand there and study every inch of them. They were beautiful. “Did your dad draw those?”

“Yeah, he’s kind of an artist.” She tugged on my hand again. We passed by a closed door on the way to the stairs. “That’s Dad’s room.”

On the second floor, Hallie opened a door at the end of a long hallway. “This is my room.”

Bright purple throw pillows rested atop a dark purple comforter, along with a well-loved pink stuffed bunny (the only non-purple item on the bed). But what caught my eye the most was the mural covering one entire wall. A giant rainbow soared over a field of flowers—an explosion of yellow and purple and pink. Tucked in between tree trunks and tall grass, little woodland creatures peeked out—a bunny, a squirrel, a hedgehog.

“This is amazing,” I said, pointing at the wall. “Did your dad do this, too?”

Hallie nodded and touched a flower. “I got to help. I put my handprints here and Dad made into a flower. See?”

Studying the mural more closely, I could pick out the small handprints in different colors. I shook my head in wonder. This would have taken days to complete but Abe had done it…for his daughter.

I sat heavily on the corner of Hallie’s bed. A twinge of sadness echoed in my chest for the little kid who just wanted her dad to show up for her birthday. I’d always thought that feeling would go away as I got older but it never had and I was beginning to realize it never would.

“Your room is awesome. Your dad did a great job,” I said.

Hallie grinned and plopped down next to me. “I’m glad you’re going to be my babysitter.”

“You know what? Me, too.” Surprisingly, that was the truth. “How are you liking Two Harts?”

Hallie stared down at her painted toes. “It’s okay. I miss my friends. I haven’t made any here.”

I didn’t exactly have a bunch of people lining up to be my friend. Never really had. Mae once told me I gave strong stay-away-from-me vibes. But that wasn’t totally true. There’d been Georgia in elementary school before she moved away. Grammie, Aidan, Gloria. High school had been a nightmare for so many reasons. I’d never been popular. I’d been that weird girl who wore a lot of black and gave out dead-eyed stares and insults like tissue. Just like Abe’s reputation had followed him all these years, I guess mine had, too.

“It’ll just take a little time, I bet. And you got me now,” I said. “It only takes one good friend, anyway. Just one person you can tell all your secrets.”

Hallie’s nose scrunched. “I guess so.”

We ended the tour in a large, airy sunroom on the other side of the kitchen. In here was a sectional couch, a couple of comfy-looking chairs and built-in bookshelves that bracketed the entryway. A guitar rested on a stand in the corner.

But the centerpiece of the room was the plants.

They were everywhere, covering any available surface. Succulents lined up along the windowsill like a little army of cacti. Others hung from the ceiling, their long vines stretching toward the floor.

“What is all this?” I asked.