The Guest List

by Michaels, Fern

  “Do Donovan and Carol know I’m here for your graduation?”

  “No. But then I didn’t tell them I invited Mallory either.”

  “Christ, Abby. Springing me on them and then Mallory—” He uncrossed his arms and threw them up in the air in frustration. “They were probably planning on having you all to themselves, and now they’re going to have to share you.”

  Abby coiled her arms around his neck. “You’re absolutely right. I should have told them. I don’t know why I didn’t. I guess I just wanted to keep you all to myself.”

  Connor’s anger vanished as soon as he looked into her eyes. “You ought to be a writer. You have an incredible way with words.”

  Abby laughed lightly. “Really? Maybe I’ll give it a try.” She stood on tiptoe and planted a kiss on his mouth. “I’ll tell you what. I promise to tell Donovan and Carol about us within the week. I’ll sit down and have a heart-to-heart with them and lay it all out for them. Okay?”

  “Okay, but in the meantime, I want you to pay close attention when they’re around me. Watch their faces, especially Carol’s.”

  “I will, but right now I want you to watch my face, especially my lips.” She mouthed the words make love to me.

  “I thought you’d never ask. I love you, Abby Mitchell.”

  “And I love you, Connor Bradford.”

  “How does it feel to be a college graduate, Princess?” Donovan said, sweeping Abby high into the air.

  “I’m so proud of you, honey,” Carol said gleefully.

  “Way to go, Abby,” Bobby said, hugging her. “I sure hope I do as well as you have,” he whispered in her ear.

  “You don’t have to. All you have to do is your best. That’s good enough for anyone,” she whispered back.

  “I really like Connor. Are you two going to get married?” Bobby continued to whisper.

  “I’m glad you like him. Yes, one of these days.”

  Bobby’s tone changed slightly. “Do Mom and Dad know?”

  Abby tugged at Bobby’s ear. “No. Not yet, sport.”

  The boy grinned. “I can keep a secret. You’d be surprised to know what I know and don’t tell.”

  “I would, huh? We’ll talk about that later.”

  Abby watched Connor and Donovan out of the corner of her eye even as she watched for Mallory. She smiled, then sighed with relief when she saw Donovan clap Connor on the back. Relief washed through her when Donovan burst into laughter at something Connor said. Maybe after today, Connor would have a better feeling about Donovan and Carol. What a wonderful day this was turning out to be. Everyone she cared about was there.

  Everyone but Mallory. Apparently her sister had decided not to accept her invitation, which was to be expected since Abby hadn’t accepted hers. A feeling of disappointment shadowed her happiness as she gave one last sweeping glance around the room.

  And then she saw her, standing on the fringe of the crowd, looking so sophisticated, so beautiful, and so very vulnerable. Their eyes met, and Abby knew that Donovan had been right. Mallory was a changed person. Without another moment’s hesitation, Abby ran to her. “Oh, Mallory, you came!” she cried, throwing her arms around her sister. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You’re made my day!”

  Mallory clasped her arms around her sister and squeezed her. “No, Abby. You’re made mine. Thank you for inviting me,” she said, tearfully. They clung to each other, simultaneously laughing and crying.

  At length, it was Abby who pulled back. “I prayed you’d come. I’d hoped but—” Her voice broke.

  “I wouldn’t have missed this for all the world, little sister.” Mallory held Abby’s hands and gave Abby a thorough onceover. “You look fabulous. I’ve never seen you look so happy.”

  Abby gave a tremulous smile. “That’s because everyone I love is here to celebrate with me.” She saw Mallory’s eyes well with fresh tears. “Don’t you dare cry, or you’ll get me crying, too,” Abby warned.

  Mallory stiffened. “Who’s crying? I’m not crying.”

  “Yeah, right. Come with me. I want you to meet Bunny and Connor. And after that you can come to the graduation party Aunt Carol is throwing for me.”

  “I’d love to meet your friends, but I don’t think going to the party would be such a good idea. Besides, I’ve got an evening flight to catch. How about if we go for some coffee someplace?”

  Abby frowned, unable to hide her disappointment. “If you’re sure that’s what you want. I’ve got an hour or so before the party starts. I’d hoped we’d be able to spend more time together.”

  “There’ll be other times. I promise,” Mallory said, squeezing Abby’s hand reassuringly.

  “Wait here a minute. I have to tell my friends where to meet us.” Abby sprinted off to find her group. She saw Bobby first and grabbed his arm and pulled him away from everyone else. “Listen, sport, I need a favor. I want you to tell Carol and Donovan that I had something I had to take care of but that I’ll be there when the party starts. Okay?”

  “What do you have to do?” He wanted to know.

  “I’m going to meet someone I haven’t seen for a long time.”

  “Mallory?”

  Abby was tempted to lie, but instead she nodded. “She’s standing over there in the red dress. Don’t tell, okay?”

  “Say hello for me.”

  “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 yo
u 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 c
ause 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.