The Guest List (11 page)

“One other thing,” she said quickly. “Will you tell Bunny and Connor to meet me at the Rathskeller?” At Bobby’s nod, Abby threw her arms around his lanky form. “I love you, Bobby Mitchell.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” the boy said, turning back to his parents, who were deep in conversation with Bunny’s parents.

Abby made her way through the crowd to her sister. “I told Bobby to tell Bunny and Connor to meet us at the Rathskeller.”

“Before you saw me, I saw you and a very handsome man looking at each other with cow eyes. Was that the guy you wrote me about? Connor?”

“It was. We’re … you know.” Abby shrugged.

“You’re in love,” Mallory said.

“Yes. And one of these days we’re going to get married.”

Mallory put her arm around her sister’s shoulders. “That’s wonderful, Abby. I’m really happy for you. I can’t wait to meet him.”

Five minutes later they entered the Rathskeller, found a quiet table, sat down, and ordered coffee.

“How have you been, Mallory? I mean really.”

“I’ve been fine. Why the serious concern? Don’t I look all right?”

“You look better than all right. You look wonderful. And happy. You are happy, aren’t you?”

“As happy as anyone can expect to be, I guess. I’ve got friends, a nice apartment, an old but dependable car, and a good job. I work for an insurance company in Atlanta, and I just got offered a promotion. If I take it, I’ll be moving back to South Carolina.”

“No kidding. Where will you be working?”

“In Columbia, a hundred or so miles from Donovan and Carol’s. Maybe we’ll get to see each other from time to time.”

Abby reached across the table and put her hand on top of her sister’s. “I’d like that, Mallory, I really would. I’d like that a lot. Do you know where you’ll be staying yet?”

“No. The company is renting me a condo in town. If I’m lucky, it might be near a lake or some kind of water, but I don’t think so.”

“I’ll give you my address,” Abby said, reaching in her purse for a pen and paper. “For my graduation present, Donovan built me a house, and Carol decorated it.”

“Wow! What a great present. I want to give you something, too, Abby. I know I should have given it to you a long time ago but I thought—I knew Carol and Donovan would take care of you, so I waited. Now that you’re going out on your own, you’re going to need a little nest egg.” Mallory reached into her pocket and withdrew an envelope. “It’s a check. It wasn’t right what Mama did, leaving all her insurance money to me. I hope this makes up for some of what she did to you and maybe some of what I did to you, too. It comes from my heart, Abby.”

Abby opened the envelope and stared at the check. “My God, Mallory. This is a fortune.”

“I took your half, fifty thousand, and invested it for you. It did really well, as you can see.”

“I—I can’t take this.” Abby put the check back in the envelope and handed it to Mallory.

“Yes, you can. I insist.” Mallory pushed Abby’s hand away. “I would appreciate it, though, if you didn’t tell anyone about it. Can we just keep it to ourselves?”

Abby thought about her earlier conversation with Connor. With this money, they would be able to get married sooner than either of them had anticipated. “If that’s what you want. I’m very grateful, Mallory. I mean that.”

“It’s what I want.” Mallory wiped the serious expression from her face. “If you feel like repaying me,” she said with a catlike grin, “you can invite me to dinner at your new house once you’re all settled in.”

Abby hooted. “I’ll invite you, but be warned, I am absolutely clueless in the kitchen. The only thing I know how to do is make a dynamite pot of tea. Tea brewing was a necessity living with Donovan. That man loves his tea. Constant Comment is his favorite.”

“Carol didn’t insist you learn to cook?”

Abby shrugged. “What can I say? She hates people messing in her kitchen except during the holidays.”

“Well, believe it or not, I’m pretty good at cooking. Argone was a very well rounded institu … establishment. I can teach you if you want to learn.”

The mention of Argone took Abby aback. She wasn’t sure how she should respond. “I’d—I’d like that, Mallory,” she said at length. “I really would and—Oh, here come Connor and Bunny,” she said with relief. “Hey, this is my sister Mallory. Mallory, this is my best friend, Bunny, and this handsome guy is Connor Bradford.”

“I’m glad to meet you, Mallory,” Connor said, extending his hand.

“Me too,” Bunny chimed in. “Abby’s told me all about you.”

Mallory laughed. “And I’ll bet none of it was good!”

Bunny recoiled in horror. “Oh, no, that’s not true. She—”

Mallory waved her hand. “I was only kidding, Bunny. Abby’s far too nice to tell people how mean I was.”

Abby was incredulous. “Mallory!”

Forty-five minutes later, Mallory stood up and smiled down at Abby. “I have a plane to catch, and all of you have a party to go to. No, no, Abby, don’t get up. I’ll call you, and we’ll get together soon. I promise.”

In spite of her sister’s wishes, Abby leaped to her feet. “Not
so fast,” she said, coming around the table. “I know I said it before, but I really am glad you came. I hope you meant it when you said you would teach me to cook.”

“I meant it, Abby. Congratulations. You have nice friends. Treasure them. True friendships are rare.”

Abby hugged her sister. “I know,” she whispered before she let her go.

Abby watched Mallory weave her way through the tables and prayed that this wouldn’t be the last time she saw her. “I didn’t think she’d come, but she did.”

“She’s beautiful,” Bunny said. “I wonder if she has to work at it or she’s just naturally beautiful.”

“She’s naturally beautiful. What did you think of her, Connor? A man’s opinion.”

“She’s gorgeous, and she seemed nice. But I never met anyone who had such sad eyes. Did you notice them, Abby?”

“No, no, I didn’t notice. I was too caught up with her just being here.”

“Just remember I’m the one who told you she has sad eyes. And speaking of eyes, Donovan winked at me and thanked me for coming. Maybe I was wrong, and he does like me after all.”

Bunny playfully punched Connor’s arm. “What’s not to like where you’re concerned? You’re good-looking, you dress like a hick, you need a haircut, and you’re a starving reporter working in Sin City. After I get my feet wet at
Cosmo,
I might use you as a model for one of the ads. Do you wear Jockeys or boxers?”

“None of your damn business, Bunny Webster. Don’t go thinking I’m going to be your guinea pig either. I’m a legitimate reporter.”

Bunny rubbed her thumb and forefinger together. “Big bucks, baby.” She giggled.

“Oh, well, in that case …”

“He’s not modeling, Bunny!” Abby said.

“We’ll see,” Bunny said smugly.

Abby stood up. “Come on, both of you. It’s time to party.”

Abby looked around the apartment that had been home to her and Bunny for the last two years. Though small, it was cozy and comfortable. She frowned. It was now part of another life. It seemed like everything was part of another life. Her early-childhood years with her mother, father, and Mallory, then her adolescence and teenage years with Carol, Donovan, and Bobby, then her college years with Bunny and Connor. Now she was going to enter another phase in her life. Tears misted her eyes. She wiped them away and focused on the future. She had a lot to look forward to—a job, a house of her own, a soon-to-be-published book, and a lifetime with Connor.

Inside the bathroom, she could hear Connor gargling. She smiled. He sounded like a frog in distress. She decided she loved the sound as much as she loved the man himself.

“I don’t want you to go back to New York,” Abby said a moment later when she slipped into his arms.

“Guess what? I don’t want to go either. However, work calls. I want you to call me as soon as you get to your new house. I still can’t believe you’re driving home. How did that get by Carol?”

“I put my foot down and told her that I had things I didn’t want to leave behind or sell off and that I was going to pack them up and drive home myself.”

“I’m proud of you,” Connor said, lightly slapping her on the back. “You need to assert yourself more often. Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go have breakfast with the dragon and the dragoness.”

“Come on, Connor. Cut the teasing. They’re good, kind people, and they mean well.”

“Of course they are. It’s just my own insecurities showing
through,” Connor said tightly. “I didn’t say good-bye to Bunny.”

“She’s meeting us at the restaurant. You’ll probably see more of her than you will me in the coming months.”

“This will have to be a quick breakfast on my part, or I’ll miss my plane. Toast and coffee. That’s it. Listen, Abby, I want to ask you something. How would you feel if I was offered a six-month stint in say, someplace like Saudi Arabia? Sort of like an apprentice to one of the foreign correspondents? The experience would be invaluable. Not to mention the good pay. I’d also get to see another part of the world.”

“What?” Abby squawked, stopping dead in her tracks. “If you’re trying to tell me something, Connor, just tell me, don’t beat around the bush.”

“It’s not certain, but I’m being considered along with two other guys and one woman. I have the most experience. There’s a good chance I might get it.”

“Is it what you want, Connor?”

“I think I would kill for it. I talked about it to my boss, and he said you need to strike while the iron is hot. Then he told me how he’d kicked around the world for ten years or so. He said he still gets attacks of wanderlust. He had the strangest damn look on his face when he was telling me about all the places he’d been. The only problem in all of this is that I don’t want to leave you. Six months is a long time.”

Abby’s heart fluttered in her chest. “Each of us needs to follow our own dream, Connor. I would feel terrible if I thought you lost out on yours because of me.” She took hold of his hand. “If the offer comes, take it. They must have computers over there. We can still e-mail each other every day, even with the time difference. Your boss is right. When the iron is hot, you need to strike. I’ll still be here when you get back.”

“Are you sure you’d be okay with it, Abby?”

“No, but I’d hate myself if I was the cause of your missing
such an opportunity. Six months isn’t forever. You better not find your way into any of those harems over there.”

Connor threw back his head and laughed. “Fat chance.”

“I love you so much, Connor, it hurts. I’m missing you already.”

Connor squeezed Abby’s hand. “I don’t even know if I have the job yet.”

Abby wished now that she had not promised to have a goingaway breakfast with everybody. She could have had another couple of hours with Connor.

She looked around the crowded restaurant. For one heartstopping moment she thought she saw Mallory. She blinked and saw that the person, whoever she was, was walking away. She shrugged it off as being her imagination and turned her attention back to the problem at hand—how she was going to say good-bye to Connor in front of her family. She could always count on Bunny to create a diversion. Were they going to shake hands, peck each other on the cheek, or was he going to kiss her until her teeth rattled? Knowing Connor, he’d probably wave and say something breezily like, “See you around.”

Abby bounded out of her chair and whipped around the table. “Come on, I’ll walk you to the door. Your cab should be here any minute.” She would kiss him outside until his toes curled.

“Connor, wait,” Donovan said, holding out a paper bag. “Here’s a Danish and some coffee to take with you.”

“Thanks. That was nice of you.” Connor seemed perplexed. “Thanks again for everything,” he said to the group around the table.

Abby suffered through the handshakes, eager to get Connor to herself. Seconds later she was outside in the warm spring sunshine. “Oh, Connor, I don’t know how I’m going to get along without you for six whole months.”

“It isn’t for sure, you know,” he reminded her.

“They’ll choose you, and we both know it.” She took out a tissue and dabbed at her eyes.

“Listen now. Remember to put a hammer in your car in case the electric windows lock up. Don’t pick up any hitchhikers even if they look sweet and innocent. And do not drive over sixty miles an hour no matter what the speed limit is. Drink coffee if you feel sleepy, and stop when you’re tired. Do you have scissors in the console in case the seat belts jam up?”

“Yes to everything. You’re beginning to sound like Carol.” Out of the corner of her eye, Abby saw a cab round the corner. “Your cab is here.” Her eyes swimming in tears, she stared up at the man she loved with all her heart. He kissed her then, a sweet, gentle kiss that promised the best was yet to come. She blinked away the tears and smiled. “Have a safe trip. I’ll call you as soon as I get home.”

Connor climbed into the cab and stuck his head out the window. “Remember everything I said, Abby.”

“I love you, Connor,” she whispered.

“I love you, too, Abby.”

Abby stood, her feet rooted to the concrete, until the yellow cab was swallowed up in traffic. A fat pigeon circled her feet, making it impossible to move. When the pigeon finally waddled off, Abby turned to go back inside the restaurant. A flash of red caught her eye. Mallory? She turned, but in the time it took to whirl around, the woman in red was gone.

“Damn,” she muttered.

Bunny appeared and threw her arm around Abby’s shoulder. “Hey, girl, what are you doing out here all by yourself? Your family awaits. Carol sent me out to get you. I dilly-dallied as long as I could to give you time with Connor. How’d it go?”

“Terrible. I think he’s going to go to Saudi Arabia with some foreign correspondent to learn the ropes. I told him I thought he should follow his dream and go. God, I miss him already.” She wiped the tears from her eyes and straightened.
“Either it’s my imagination, or I saw Mallory a moment ago. Did you see a girl in a red dress in the restaurant?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“I swear it was her. I saw her in the restaurant and then again out here. If it wasn’t Mallory, then she has a double.”