ARTHUR"Have you packed your bags yet?" I asked Doris when we finished lunch. Her eyebrows went up, and her facial expression said she was clueless.I waved my hands open. "The Oscars, Little Dove. The Academy Awards. They're tomorrow. I thought we'd fly to Los Angeles tonight and stay in a fabulous hotel. A friend of mine owns it. If we leave tonight and stay there, we'll be fresh for the red carpet tomorrow."She put both hands to her cheeks, a character of surprise. "Oh, my goodness, with all that's going on, I didn't realize they're this weekend.""They are," I said."I have nothing to wear!""You could wear that beautiful Dior dress that you wore to the wedding." I couldn't bring myself to say Andrea's wedding or my mother's wedding, so I guess I was still angrier than I thought.Doris didn't say anything, so I said, "Or we could spend this afternoon randomly shopping for a new dress, or Wheaton Werther, who I just happened to finance when he was still in fashion school, might ha

ARTHURI looked around the elaborate venue. There were probably about a hundred people here.Doris and I were standing near the back, on the left side of the aisle. Doris had her hand on the inside of my elbow.Doris was wearing a dark blue sparkly dress with a low neckline. I was tall enough to see that she had a piece of material that matched her skin color over her breasts to protect her modesty.Even though everyone in attendance was beautiful, Doris would always be the most beautiful woman to me.On my other side was Nathan, and on the other side of him was Nina.The wedding march played, and we all turned around to look at the large mansion behind us. The doors opened, and Lisa and her father stood dramatically in the doorway.Lisa had dyed her hair a vibrant shade of red, which looked good on her. She was wearing a long diamond-studded white dress. I had to admit she was a beautiful bride.Doris sniffled. I never understood why women cried at weddings. Doris leaned against me,

ARTHURWhen we got back to the wedding party, everyone was worried sick. In true actress diva fashion, Lisa detailed the entire thing as if it were a movie thriller regalia. I had no doubt it would make the news by tonight.When we finally made it back to the penthouse, we were both exhausted. Maybe me more than Doris because the thought of losing her had struck me with such fear it felt like I was dying.I lay in bed, holding her tight, forcing myself not to hold her so firmly I would bruise her with how hard I needed to squeeze her to me.My beautiful woman lay with her head in my chest, her breathing even. I guessed her adrenaline rush had faded, leaving her tired and relieved.I hoped my embrace made her feel warm and safe.Even though she was the day's hero, I hope she knew that I came for her fast and risked everything to save her.I hoped she knew if that was just one sign of how much I loved her.Doris started snoring softly, probably worn out from the day's events.She probab

 ARTHUR I got out of the shower in the locker room. I just finished getting back into my suit when my cell phone rang. “Hi, Boss.” I laughed. “You’re literally my boss now, if anything,” I said. &ldqu

 DORIS The sound of me wildly slinging hangers from one side of the bar to the other, scratched and scratched like nails screeching down a blackboard. The sound grated. Each sound felt like mini daggers, flaying my skin, ripping my heart. I roughly pulled each of my new and old favorite dresses and blouses off the hangers and threw them as quickly as I could into the suitcases.