“The proverbial one that got away, huh?”
“You could say that.” Donalan shifted around in his stool. “Hey, I’m just an asshole who didn’t know a good thing when he saw it way back when. But I like to think that now that I’m older, if I ever have the chance to make it right… I don’t know. I just hope that I’d take a chance this time. You know?” He got up and slapped Steve on the back. “Thanks for the beer, boss.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Kitty peered out the vestibule. The Whispering Bay Methodist Church was small enough that the few dozen people waiting for the ceremony to begin made the place feel cozy. White gardenias overflowed along the tops of the aisles and a violinist played classical music in the background. Today was her father’s wedding day! She still had to pinch herself to believe that it was happening. And to keep herself awake.
She’d had trouble sleeping after the way she and Steve had left things last night. Sometime around three in the morning, she’d finally drifted off but then she’d woken back up before five. Pilar had come over to the house to help her get ready and had slathered the area under her eyes with hemorrhoid cream. She claimed it would get rid of the bags but Kitty wasn’t so sure. Her hair and makeup looked well enough, she supposed, but even she had seen the sadness on her own face. Too bad there wasn’t a cream to take care of the man you loved telling you that he liked you a lot.
She mentally chided herself. Today wasn’t about her. It was about her dad and Sharon and she was genuinely happy for them. Once the shock of their engagement had worn off, Kitty had taken the time to get to know Sharon and she was every bit as lovely as she seemed. So were Mallory and Ginny. And despite last night’s toast debacle, Frank and Greg were okay, too. Once you got them away from one another.
Shea caught her eye and waved to her. Her husband, Moose, was sitting next to her in the pew. Pilar and Nick and Frida and Ed and the rest of the Bunco Babes and their spouses were present, as well as a healthy contingency from the Gray Flamingos. B
etty Jean Collins wore a silver dress and sat in the second row and seemed awfully preoccupied by…
Kitty turned to see what Betty Jean was so interested in. She should have known it would be Steve walking down the aisle. Wearing a dark suit with a light-colored shirt and the red tie she’d given him for his birthday, he looked exactly the way she’d envisioned him whenever she dreamed of their own wedding.
A lump settled in her throat, threatening to squeeze her airway.
They were supposed to talk this afternoon after the wedding. But what would they say to one another?
Steve looked at her, but his expression was solemn. He broke their gaze, scanning the pews, looking for a row to sit in.
“Yoo-hoo!” Betty Jean cried, not bothering to lower her voice despite the fact that they were in a church. “Sit here, handsome!”
No one else, not Shea or Pilar or any of her other friends, offered to make room in their pews, so he reluctantly took the seat next to Betty Jean, who looked absolutely thrilled.
Steve glanced her way again and this time they both couldn’t help but smile. Just a little. And in that moment they were completely in sync, as though they were sharing a private joke, and it was as if the past week had never happened.
She could feel her eyes begin to well up. She ducked back in the vestibule.
“Kitten!”
She jumped, startled to see her dad walking toward her. He’d gone off to speak to Reverend Donalan about the vows, but now it was just the two of them, waiting for their cue to take their places at the front of the church.
“All you crying?” he asked with concern. He took a handkerchief from the breast pocket of his jacket and offered it to her.
“I’m just so happy for you, Daddy.” She carefully blotted her cheeks so that she didn’t mess up her makeup (or smear off the hemorrhoid cream beneath it, because who knew how puffy those bags would be without it?). Mallory had done everyone’s faces this morning while Frank had made pancakes and Ginny and Greg had squeezed a whole bag of oranges to make the fresh juice for their mimosas. It had been a lovely wedding breakfast, except that no one had mentioned Steve’s absence. It seemed as if the entire family had written him off already.
“I’m so nervous,” Dad admitted. “You’d think I was a kid.”
Kitty smiled and straightened his tie for him. “You look very handsome. Sharon is going to swoon when she comes down the aisle and gets a look at you.”
He grew somber. “You look beautiful today, Kitten.” For a second there, Kitty thought he was going to cry. But then he coughed to cover up the emotion behind the moment. He reached into his pocket once again and handed her a piece of paper. “I know this is a last minute thing, but Sharon and I would like you to read this during the ceremony.”
Kitty quickly scanned the sheet in her hands. “It’s a scripture reading?”
“St. Paul to the Corinthians. You’ve heard it before I’m sure. Very popular at weddings,” he added with a wink.
“I’d be happy to. Let me just read this over a couple of times so I don’t flub it up.”
She went off into the corner of the room and read the scripture. Once quickly to make sure there weren’t any unfamiliar words, then again slowly to get the rhythm of the piece. Dad was right, she’d heard this countless times before. It was a beautiful piece and she was honored that they’d asked her to read it.
Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous…
It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.