“I should go,” I said. “I’m supposed to meet up with Dean so we can head to the ceremony together.”

“He treatin’ you right?” Curtis asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “It’s totally fine. I was just being stupid last night.”

“Ain’t stupid to feel,” Lane said.

Curtis and I both gave him a somewhat surprised look. Lane wasn’t exactly known for his depth.

“Thank you. I’m fine. Really. I’ll let you two know if I need anything, okay?”

“Damn right you will,” Curtis said.

“Shee,” Lane agreed.

39

PEARL

“Speech, speech, speech!” Everybody at the reception was chanting and looking my way. Steph had just given a sarcastic but hilarious speech and now, apparently, it was my turn.

Lizzie and Jonas were sitting together at their little table, both smiling and absolutely glowing. It was a little weird to think my sister was officially married–Lizzie Pollard, as strange as that was.

I’d made it through most of the ceremony without saying more than single word sentences to Dean, who didn’t seem to be in a rush to talk to me, either. He was sitting beside me now and he gave my hand a subtle squeeze under the table.

I hated how much it reassured me, but the inner voice currently freaking out about giving a speech did calm a little bit.

I smiled, then stood up and raised my glass–it was water. I’d sworn off alcohol for the foreseeable future.

It took a moment for everybody to calm down and get quiet so I could speak. I looked around the room and saw my parents, my cousins, Grandma Bobo, and even several people I recognized from town who were working various jobs for the wedding. All of my co-workers were here now, too. I’d caught up with Marley before the bride and groom arrived at the reception, which we were holding in the same beautiful dining room at Stone Tower where we’d done the rehearsal dinner. I even apologized and told her the truth about me and Dean. I knew I’d held her in the dark this long to spare her if I ever got caught, but I was over all of it. I just wanted the truth out there to anybody I could afford to tell, especially my only real work friend.

“Um,” I said, once the room was quiet. “I wanted to say how glad I am that we’re all here. And how awesome it is that my sister did me the favor of making my boss my brother-in-law, because now he’ll have a much harder time firing me when I ask for next week off.”

There was a ripple of laughter through the room. I smiled a little, feeling the nerves settle some. “And I also wanted you to know, Lizzie, that I think you did an awesome job. It’s not easy to love somebody. It’s hard, and it’s scary, and it can hurt if it goes wrong. So I think what you two are doing is probably the bravest thing. And I’m really proud of you for it.”