deposit,” shouted a woman who was sitting at a nearby table with three female friends. The other women giggled.
“Sure, on one condition,” the wife said, speaking up to get his attention.
“Okay . . .”
“I want a picture with the bride.”
Noah glanced back at Libby, his eyebrows raised in an exaggerated gesture.
She hesitated, her stomach protesting the call she was about to make. “Sure.”
Noah studied her for a moment before turning back to the family. “Tell you what, let’s let the bride make her call first, then she’ll be available for a photo after.”
The wife handed him her phone, which Noah brought over to Libby. After helping her to her feet, he stooped to whisper in her ear. “If you don’t feel up to taking the photo after you talk to Mitch, I’ll get you out of it.”
“I can’t let you do that.”
A strange look crossed his face. “Haven’t you heard? Not following through and making up excuses are all that I’m good for. Now go make your call.” When she started to protest his declaration, he gave a slight push to the small of her back. “I’ll be here if you need me.”
Libby walked out of the restaurant, drawing another round of curious stares from the diners. But she ignored them and stepped out the door, immediately shivering in the November cold in her sleeveless wedding dress. Sucking in a deep breath, she typed in Mitch’s number and waited, feeling like she was going to throw up. He answered on the third ring. “Hello?” She could tell he was confused by the unfamiliar number.
“Mitch, it’s me.”
“Libby?” He sounded worried. And relieved.
“Yeah.”
“Where are you? Are you okay? When no one heard from you, we all worried you got kidnapped after you hopped into that stranger’s car.”
She shook her head, feeling like the world’s biggest bitch. “How can you be so nice to me after I ran out on you like that?”
“Libby. I still care about you. You running out doesn’t change that.”
“I’m sorry.” She choked on the words.
“Was it the Razorback call? Or the play from the Cotton Bowl?”
“Oh, Mitch . . .”
“It’s okay, Libs. Really.” There was a pause on the line, and then he added, “I was having doubts this week, but I didn’t want to be that asshole who broke up with his fiancée before the wedding.”
“You were? ”
“Yeah . . .” He sounded embarrassed. “Remember me telling you about my old college girlfriend?”
“Sheila?”
“Yeah, that’s the one. Well, she called me up this week . . . and I . . . I’m sorry.”
So he’d cheated on her. She could hear it in his voice, yet she didn’t care. It would have been hypocritical to care given that she’d only arranged to marry him in the hopes that another man would come along and destroy their wedding. “Mitch, believe it or not, I really do want you to be happy.”
“So this worked out for both of us?” he asked, sounding like he didn’t quite believe it.
“Yeah.” She laughed, wiping a tear from her cheek. Karma was a real bitch, but this was what she deserved for treating him like crap. It sounded like Mitch had found his match, and Libby was still alone. “I suppose it did.”
“I hope you find what you’re looking for, Libby. I knew all along I wasn’t it. I should have ended things months ago, but you were like the perfect woman, you know? Gorgeous and laid back, and you didn’t even care that I was gone so much. I couldn’t understand why we just didn’t feel right, but I figured it would all work out in the end.”
She sighed. “Me too.”
“Take care of yourself. And if you haven’t already, call Megan and Blair. They’re flipping their shit.”
She cringed. “Thanks.”
She hung up and called Megan, figuring she would probably be the easier to deal with of her two friends.
“Hello?” Megan answered tentatively.
“Megan, it’s me.”
“Oh, my God! Are you okay? Blair’s raising holy hell because the police won’t
“Sure, on one condition,” the wife said, speaking up to get his attention.
“Okay . . .”
“I want a picture with the bride.”
Noah glanced back at Libby, his eyebrows raised in an exaggerated gesture.
She hesitated, her stomach protesting the call she was about to make. “Sure.”
Noah studied her for a moment before turning back to the family. “Tell you what, let’s let the bride make her call first, then she’ll be available for a photo after.”
The wife handed him her phone, which Noah brought over to Libby. After helping her to her feet, he stooped to whisper in her ear. “If you don’t feel up to taking the photo after you talk to Mitch, I’ll get you out of it.”
“I can’t let you do that.”
A strange look crossed his face. “Haven’t you heard? Not following through and making up excuses are all that I’m good for. Now go make your call.” When she started to protest his declaration, he gave a slight push to the small of her back. “I’ll be here if you need me.”
Libby walked out of the restaurant, drawing another round of curious stares from the diners. But she ignored them and stepped out the door, immediately shivering in the November cold in her sleeveless wedding dress. Sucking in a deep breath, she typed in Mitch’s number and waited, feeling like she was going to throw up. He answered on the third ring. “Hello?” She could tell he was confused by the unfamiliar number.
“Mitch, it’s me.”
“Libby?” He sounded worried. And relieved.
“Yeah.”
“Where are you? Are you okay? When no one heard from you, we all worried you got kidnapped after you hopped into that stranger’s car.”
She shook her head, feeling like the world’s biggest bitch. “How can you be so nice to me after I ran out on you like that?”
“Libby. I still care about you. You running out doesn’t change that.”
“I’m sorry.” She choked on the words.
“Was it the Razorback call? Or the play from the Cotton Bowl?”
“Oh, Mitch . . .”
“It’s okay, Libs. Really.” There was a pause on the line, and then he added, “I was having doubts this week, but I didn’t want to be that asshole who broke up with his fiancée before the wedding.”
“You were? ”
“Yeah . . .” He sounded embarrassed. “Remember me telling you about my old college girlfriend?”
“Sheila?”
“Yeah, that’s the one. Well, she called me up this week . . . and I . . . I’m sorry.”
So he’d cheated on her. She could hear it in his voice, yet she didn’t care. It would have been hypocritical to care given that she’d only arranged to marry him in the hopes that another man would come along and destroy their wedding. “Mitch, believe it or not, I really do want you to be happy.”
“So this worked out for both of us?” he asked, sounding like he didn’t quite believe it.
“Yeah.” She laughed, wiping a tear from her cheek. Karma was a real bitch, but this was what she deserved for treating him like crap. It sounded like Mitch had found his match, and Libby was still alone. “I suppose it did.”
“I hope you find what you’re looking for, Libby. I knew all along I wasn’t it. I should have ended things months ago, but you were like the perfect woman, you know? Gorgeous and laid back, and you didn’t even care that I was gone so much. I couldn’t understand why we just didn’t feel right, but I figured it would all work out in the end.”
She sighed. “Me too.”
“Take care of yourself. And if you haven’t already, call Megan and Blair. They’re flipping their shit.”
She cringed. “Thanks.”
She hung up and called Megan, figuring she would probably be the easier to deal with of her two friends.
“Hello?” Megan answered tentatively.
“Megan, it’s me.”
“Oh, my God! Are you okay? Blair’s raising holy hell because the police won’t
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