Page 90 of Girl Between

Sometimes, clinging to false hope was the only way to cope.

George’s voice pulled Dana from her memories. “It’s just too sad. I can’t drag them back through it without reason.”

“You’re right,” Dana agreed. “No one deserves that.”

Somber silence surrounded them as they returned to the Range Rover. They were buckled in and had driven a mile down the dirtroad before George spoke again. “Today doesn’t have to be a total waste. Why don’t we head to the station? See if we can help Shepard and LaSalle expo those files for the Feds.”

“Sure,” Dana said, without her usual enthusiasm.

Which George picked up on. “Did I mention the station is right next to Café Beignet?”

Dana shrugged. “I’m more of a Café du Monde girl.”

George feigned shock, dramatically clutching his chest. “Just when I thought I’d found the perfect woman.”

Dana laughed.

“Have you even tried Café Beignet?” he asked.

“Of course. I’ve tried beignets from every place in the Quarter. Purely for research, not because I’m addicted to powdered sugar,” she added, grinning now.

George shook his head. “I should’ve known you’d conduct adequate research. It’s too bad you’re so heinously wrong.”

“It’s fried dough. There’s no right or wrong.”

“Well, that’s the problem right there!” George replied with too much excitement. “You haven’t tried Café Beignet’s red beans and rice.”

“They serve more than beignets?” Dana asked.

“Girl!” George looked ready to launch into what was sure to be an amusing dissertation of her inadequate research of New Orleans cuisine when his phone rang, interrupting him. “It’s Cadie,” he said before answering it. “Yeah … Yeah, okay … She alright? … Well, that’s good … Oh … Well, is that a big deal? … Cadie, it’s just a wedding.”

Dana grimaced as George yanked the phone away from his ear to protect his eardrum from the sudden onslaught of high-pitched screeching on the other end. When he looked at Dana for help, she was already shaking her head.

“You can’t say that to a bride days before her wedding,” she whispered to George.

“Noted.” He put the phone back to his ear. “Yeah. She’s with me now … Cadie, I don’t know …” he trailed off. “Fine.” He looked at Danaapologetically and handed her the phone. “She wants to talk to you.”

Dana took the phone, tentatively. “Hello?”

“Dana! Oh, thank God! I’m having a wedding emergency! Brandi just went into labor today even though she’s not due for like six more weeks so now I’m a bridesmaid short and it’s throwing everything off because she was supposed to walk down the aisle with George because she was my only non-sister bridesmaid and none of my sisters will walk with George because that’s just weird so I need a replacement pronto or everything will be ruined, so will you do it? Please, please, pleeeeaaasssseeee?”

“Um…” Dana looked at George who gave her a bewildered shrug. Dana wasn’t sure Cadie had even taken a breath during her long and unnecessarily detailed monologue, which made it hard to follow. To be sure she understood, Dana asked, “You’re asking me to be a bridesmaid?”

“Yes! And if you can get to Wedding Belle’s in the next hour, they said they can alter Brandi’s dress to fit you. I already asked them to get started letting the hem out since you’re taller than her.”

“Oh, um, well,” Dana stammered, baffled. “Cadie I’m flattered but …”

The telltale sniffle that preceded tears crackled over the line and then Cadie dissolved into hysterical sobs. “I can’t- sniff -believe- sniff -my wedding- sniff -is falling apart!”

“Cadie …” Dana pinched the bridge of her nose, then exhaled, shocked at the words that tumbled out of her mouth next. “Text me the address to Wedding Belles.”

“Omigod!” Dana pulled the phone away from her ear to avoid going deaf. Cadie’s exuberant voice filled the car. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! You’re the best. I’ll meet you there. Ask for Stephan. Bye-eee!”

Shell-shocked, Dana handed the phone back to George. “Is that what having a little sister is like?”

George laughed. “Try having five of them. You didn’t have to say yes, ya know?”

“I know.”