Page 5 of Too Fast To Fall
Piper nodded eagerly, sniffling and wiping away a tear.
“Aww. Thanks. I’m sorry. I’m wound a little tight right now.”
A little tight?Her sister had the patience of a blood-thirsty mosquito. “It’s okay.”
“There’s just so much to do and the wedding is only five weeks away.”
“Don’t you worry about any of that.” Their mom fussed over the train on the dress. “Your sisters and I are on it.”
“Don’t forget me,” their dad added. “This wedding is a Murphy family affair.”
Such was the case with all goings-on in their family. They were a tight unit. Unfailingly there for each other. But Piperhad always felt a little out of step. She’d nevercompletelyfit in. As the oldest, she’d always felt a sense of duty to lead the way, but the reality was she was trailing behind. Hersisters had found meaningful careers. They both had partners.
Meanwhile, Piper had a low-paying job and was flying solo. She’d also moved back in with her parents temporarily because thefaceless conglomerate that owned her apartment building had jacked up the rent. That was probably for the best, since it hadbeen a soul-sucking kind of place, picked with no regard for anything but affordability, after she moved out of Kyle’s. “Don’tstress, Gabs. We’ve got this. We’re here for you.I’mhere for you,” Piper added.
Gabby turned to face Piper. “Thank you. It means so much to me.”
“Is Sharon still here?” Willa asked. “I want to talk to her about the flower girl dresses before we go.”
“I could use some air. Piper and I’ll meet you all in the parking lot,” Josh said.
Piper followed her dad outside and clicked the unlock button on her fob. She’d come to Moondance straight from dog walking,and in many ways, she was looking forward to the alone time during her drive home. She could take a break from wedding conversation.
“Hold on, kiddo. Can we talk?”
Piper smiled. Her dad always called herkiddo. “Of course. What’s up?”
“How are you holding up?” He gestured with a nod at the door of the bridal shop. “I know you love your sister, but that hadto be hard. Being in a sea of wedding dresses. Talking about wedding planning. You’re a real trouper for putting up with it.”
The tears were threatening again, and Piper’s first instinct was to keep a stiff upper lip, but her dad was right there, soshe took her chance and sank into his arms. She closed her eyes and soaked up his familiar, comforting embrace. He was somehowsquishy and rock-solid at the same time. He was the one man in her life who had never let her down. She had serious doubtsshe’d ever meet another. “I’m okay. It means a lot that you said something. That you acknowledged it.”
“You know what I always say. Chin up. The best is yet to come.”
Piper had a hard time imagining her life getting any better. Or maybedifferentwas a more apt word. It wasn’t as if she had a bad life—it was merely lacking. She loved her job, but she’d never make enoughmoney to buy her own house or at least not struggle. And because she lived in the same town where she’d grown up, her surroundingswere an ever-present reminder that she hadn’t gone anywhere. She couldn’t bear to leave. Her entire family was here. Still,she felt like she hadn’t reallylived. If only her world would open up ever so slightly. She just couldn’t figure out how to make that happen.
Josh released Piper from their embrace as Willa and Gabby walked out of the bridal shop. “Listen, Piper, I know we talkedabout getting tickets this year, and you didn’t want me to buy them, but I say we make a promise to each other that we’llgo to the Miami Grand Prix next year. Together. It’s silly we aren’t going tomorrow. The race is only forty-five minutes away.An hour, tops. We shouldn’t have to watch qualifying on your phone in the middle of a bridal shop.”
“Dad, you and Mom are already letting me live with you. Those races are so expensive.”
“You’re living with ustemporarily, honey. It’s not a big deal,” her dad said. “I want you to have something to look forward to. Plus, I know you’ll have everythingsorted out by this time next year.”
Piper smiled. She appreciated her dad’s sweetness so much. “Okay. If you say so. For tomorrow, we’ll watch the race from thecomfort of the living room.”
“And it’ll be awesome.”
Piper said goodbye to Gabby and told her parents she’d see them at home, then climbed into her silver Prius and peeled outof the parking lot. Only a few minutes into her drive down Ocean Blvd, her phone rang. Caller ID said it was her boss, Nancy.
“Hi, Nancy. What’s up?” Piper answered, thinking this was odd. Saturdays were a light day for dog walking. Nancy rarely calledon the weekend.
“We got a request for an all-day dog sitting job tomorrow. Are you available? You’d have to be down in Miami by noon, andit could run quite late. You’d make double your normal day rate, plus overtime for everything beyond eight hours.”
Piper nearly drove off the road, but she didn’t. She already had a few points on her license, thanks to having a bit of alead foot. “I’ll do it. Of course.” Rarely did Piper ever make that kind of money. “Tell me where and when and I’ll be there.”
“I’ll text you the details. Just confirm that you received the text.”
“Will do.” Piper ended the call, took the turn into her old neighborhood and pulled up in front of her parents’ house. A one-storyFlorida bungalow, light blue with a crooked mailbox and a few palm trees in the front yard, this would always be home. Shekilled the engine and fished her phone out of her bag.
When she looked at Nancy’s text, she wondered if she was dreaming. Or if her dad and Nancy had conspired.
