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“I’ll try,” Holly said softly.
“We should head in. I’m supposed to get my hair and makeup done.”
She agreed, and we turned around to take the pathway back to our cabins. When we reached hers, I gave her a hug. “Thanks for always being there for me. You’re as much my sister as Jack is my brother.”
“Stonehaven forever, right?” Holly asked.
“Stonehaven forever.”
We parted, and I continued on to my cabin to put my game day face on, even though I’d rather have crawled back into bed and avoid the entire wedding. But I was Jack’s little sister and I had to show up. So I would.
Like my mother, I keep going, even when my heart is breaking.
24
GRANT
December 24
Christmas Eve — The Wedding
Clear and cold
Supper: The Wedding Feast
I hadn’t slept much after Luci had sent me away, and I felt pretty awful. An ache throbbed just behind my eyes and my chest felt tight enough that I felt breathless. Regardless, my dear friend was getting married, and I had to rally.
Along with Rhett, Beck, and Knox, I’d been instructed to report to Jack’s cabin around three that afternoon. I’d already donned my charcoal gray suit before heading out into the bright, cold day.
Jack opened the door the minute I got there, hair damp and his button-down shirt buttoned incorrectly. There was a tiny piece of tissue pressed into a cut on his chin, presumably from shaving.
“Thank God you’re here,” Jack said. “I’m a wreck.”
“Where are the others?”
“I heard Rhett saying something about shots,” Jack said. “So God only knows.”
“I missed that, I guess.”
“You’re always the steady one, who calms me down before shows, so that tracks.” Jack grinned at me. “You’re looking spiffy.”
His cabin was as disheveled as he was, with a garment bag on the bed, shoes in the middle of the floor and a boutonniere in a plastic box on the dresser.
“Thanks. Let’s get your shirt buttoned properly first,” I said.
“Then you have to help me with my tie. I haven’t worn one since I went to prom. I told Ivy I didn’t want one, but she forced me into it. She’s scary.”
“So I’ve heard,” I said, smiling.
He unbuttoned his shirt and buttoned it up the right way before narrowing his eyes and tilting his head, scrutinizing me. “Your eyes are super bloodshot. Did you sleep?”
“Not much.”
“Everything okay?” Jack asked.
“Sure, yeah. Too much of that cowboy cider last night.” Liar. “But we’re focused on you at the moment. Where’s your tie?”
He grabbed it from the chair where it must have slipped off the back and curled into a snake. “This thing’s evil.”
