Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 92062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
“We need a picture of this,” Macy declares, “a truce has been formed.”
“She’s just having truces with everyone these days,” Jack teases her and then looks over at me, as if he knows what is going on.
“Not everyone.” She glares at him and that makes him laugh.
“If we can get everyone to clear out of this area,” Doreen instructs, “so the guests can come and congratulate the couple.” I step to the side and then look over when Elizabeth comes back to my side.
“She’s really bossy,” she mumbles and gives Doreen a chin lift.
“Stop making trouble, then,” I tease her, and she smirks at me before her face fills with a smile.
“Never,” she tells me as we are pulled away to take pictures. There are pictures of just the groomsmen with Joshua and then the bridesmaids with Macy. My eyes never leave Elizabeth’s as she smiles for the camera. Then they have one with all of us. I stand next to Jack with Elizabeth in front of me, my hand on her hip. She turns the hand that is hanging from beside her over so I can slide my other hand in hers, our fingers intertwined as we smile at the camera.
After what feels like an eternity, we finally are let go of our duties and we head toward the reception area. “We should get a drink.”
“I agree with this,” I tell her as we walk over to one of the empty tables that have been assigned for the bridal party. She puts her bouquet down as we walk to the bar.
I order her a white wine and a whiskey for myself. “Well, well, well.” We look over when a woman with short salt-and-pepper hair is walking toward us, round black glasses perched at the tip of her nose. “If it isn’t little Elizabeth,” she says walking to her.
Elizabeth smiles at her. “Dr. Torres,” she says her name as she kisses her cheek. “I’m so happy to see you,” she adds and then looks at me. “Nate,” she calls my name, “this is Dr. Torres, she is one of the reasons I went into medicine.”
I smile at the woman. “Oh please.” Dr. Torres shakes her head. “Nonsense.”
“She has the best emergency clinic I’ve ever been to.” He smiles at the woman. “A place I used to end up frequently with two older brothers.”
I laugh. “You were very accident prone,” I tease her.
“How is the clinic?” she asks Dr Torres, who smiles sadly.
“I’m shutting it down,” she informs her. “It’s time for me to retire and I never found anyone I trusted enough to take it over.”
“What?” Elizabeth says, her hand coming up to hold on to my arm. “That clinic is…” She shakes her head. “It’s the only clinic that I know of in the area.”
“I’m sure someone will come around and open a new one once I’m gone,” she mentions. “Excuse me, dear, I’m going to go and congratulate Joshua.”
“I can’t believe it,” Elizabeth whispers. “See this scar?” She lifts her bare arm and I see a little V scar. “Joshua threw a plastic chair at me.” I roll my lips, trying not to laugh. “See this?” She puts her head back and points to another small scar. “Four stiches, running up the steps from Joshua because I scratched his DVD of The Fast and the Furious.” My hand comes up to touch her chin gently. “I can’t believe it.”
“If we can get everyone’s attention,” the emcee announces. “We’ll be serving the first course in five minutes, so everyone take their seats.”
I walk side by side with her to the table and Jack comes over with Evie, sitting down with us. “Did you know Dr. Torres is closing down her clinic?” Elizabeth asks Jack, who looks like he’s in shock as well. “I know.” She pffts. “She can’t find someone she trusts to take it over.”
“That’s so sad,” he replies. “I was wrestling with Joshua once when I was sixteen”—Jack turns to Evie—“and I fucked up my elbow. I told Mom and she ignored me. Said something about not roughhousing.”
Elizabeth and I both laugh because she would always say that. “Two days later I went to tell her that I was in pain still. She took one look at it and called me an idiot, but then told me to get in the car. My elbow was fractured. I ended up in a cast and missed my bantam hockey year playoffs.”
“What did that teach you?” Evie asks him.
“To never go to my mother when I was in pain. I would go straight to my father.” We all laugh at him.
Joshua and Macy are introduced to everyone as husband and wife. The two of them doing their first dance to “Come Away with Me.”
Everyone claps when he dips her. “Isn’t that sweet?” Elizabeth says sarcastically when they finish and the food comes out.