Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
The morning of the wedding, Nate got up super early and was the first to arrive at Married in Malibu. He stood outside his car for a moment, breathing in the fresh morning air. He looked over at Tamara’s shop, which was still dark. “I’ve gotta be the luckiest guy in the world,”
he said as he began to think of all the last-minute things he needed to do this morning. He felt like Superman. He could, and he would, do it all.
As she’d closed up the night before, Tamara had made sure everything at the coffee shop was ready for the following morning.
Once again, her helpers would be holding the fort for her, but this time they were thrilled at the prospect of being in charge.
Now all she had to think about was getting ready for the big wedding at Married in Malibu.
When Liz told her that Zach himself had invited her to his wedding, one of her first thoughts was, What to wear? She could wear the same dress she had worn to the wedding in San Diego, but she wanted to wear something different today… for Nate.
As she began to look through her wardrobe, her phone rang.
“Hi, Mom,” she said. “How are you doing?”
“Oh, I’m good,” her mother said. “We haven’t spoken this week, and I want to get caught up.”
Tamara smiled. “Well, I’m going to a wedding today.”
“What? Another one? Weren’t you at a wedding just last weekend? That makes two in as many weeks. Are you going with the same young man from the last one?”
Trust her mother to cut to the chase.
“Yes, Nate will be there,” Tamara said. “But that’s because the wedding is across the street at Married in Malibu, which is where he works.
It’s quite an important wedding.” She thought about all the late nights Nate had endured and how much trust everyone was putting in him to pull it off.
“I don’t know if I’m supposed to tell you whose wedding it is, but if you’re near your computer, you might want to turn it on. ”
“My computer?” her mother said. “What’s going on, Tamara?”
“I can’t say another word,” Tamara said.
“Tamara, is there something I should know about?”
It was obvious that her mother didn’t want to let a potentially juicy piece of gossip go, but Tamara really couldn’t give her an answer. “I’m not allowed to talk about it, Mom. It’s meant to be a secret.”
“Oh, darn, I like a bit of inside news.”
“Well, I do have some other news for you, Mom,” Tamara said with a dreamy note to her voice.
“I don’t know what you are going to say, honey, but you sound different… You sound happy.”
“Mom, I know you haven’t met him yet, but Nate and I are serious, very serious.”
“Really? Sweetheart, this is amazing news. I’m so happy for you both,” her mother said. “Tell me all about him.”
For the next five minutes, Tamara gave her mom the highlights from the past week. And then her mom asked, “So, you mean you’ve known Nate for several months, but it’s only just recently that things have moved ahead?”
“Well, more or less.” Tamara paused and then said, “Mom, you remember Brad?”
“I certainly do. What made you bring him up now?”
Tamara could tell by her mom’s voice that she didn’t like him one bit.
“To be honest, Mom, that whole situation with Brad and Stacy really messed me up. I lost my confidence and my ability to trust. I wasn’t even sure I believed in love anymore.
And then, once Brad and I broke up, I figured I’d already had my chance at finding someone special.
Everyone in our family makes one choice, and they end up together forever. ”
Her mother’s voice was quiet and serious as she said, “Tamara, I feel badly if your father and I ever gave you the impression that you did not deserve to move on from Brad. I admit our family is a bit unusual because we tend to stay with our partners, but that is not a rule. You are free to make your own decisions and your dad and I will support you.” There was a pause before she added, “In all honesty, dear, your father and I were relieved when Brad took off.”
That was not what Tamara had been expecting to hear. She was about to say so, but it seemed that her mother wasn’t done.
“Brad was all right when he was a boy. But as he got older, it seemed obvious he wasn’t interested in anyone but himself.”
Tamara took in a sharp breath, shocked by her mom’s words. “But you didn’t say any of this before.” She could barely believe what she was hearing. “I always thought that you liked Brad. That you loved him, even.”
Her mom sighed. “As I said, he started out as a sweet boy. And you were obviously head over heels for him, so telling you that we thought he was anything other than wonderful wouldn’t have done much good.
When you got engaged, we thought he would realize how lucky he was and start treating you as you deserved to be treated.
We didn’t want to ruin it for you when it could have turned out we were wrong. ”
Tamara had always felt as though she was the lucky one in that relationship.
Looking back now, however, it was easy to see that Brad had been the one to make her think that was the case.
He’d made her feel as though she’d hit the jackpot with him and that the whole world revolved around him.
With the benefit of hindsight, it was easy to see he’d taken her love for granted.
“Why didn’t you tell me all this after he left?” she asked.
“After… Well, it would have just sounded as though we were saying ‘I told you so.’”
“Oh, wow, Mom,” Tamara said. “I wish we had talked about this before now, but I am glad that Brad is well and truly in my past.” She paused and took a breath. “More than any of that, I’m glad it’s Nate who is in my future.”
“Me too, Tamara, me too,” her mom added with a tremble in her voice. “He sounds wonderful. I cannot wait to tell your father about this. He is going to be so happy,”
Tamara remembered to look at her watch. “Mom, I have to go.”
“The wedding? Oh, yes, of course. Call me later and tell me how it goes.”
“Or, if you turn on your computer,” Tamara reminded her, “you can see for yourself.” She hung up the phone.
If Tamara needed any further assurances that it was okay to move on and start the next chapter of her life, her mother had given them to her. And the fear that had gotten in her way for so long was fading, bit by bit.
Tamara was so glad to have had that call with her mom, but right now she needed to get ready.
The wedding would be fairly formal, and a dress suddenly came to mind.
It was a beautiful floor-length dress in deep gray Dupioni silk that seemed to shimmer in many colors as she moved.
It was simple and elegant and chic. The eyes of the world might be on Zach Jarrs and his bride most of the time, but she wanted to look good for herself and for Nate.
She enjoyed getting glammed up and then drove to the coffee shop to park her car.
She knew she looked good. Her long hair was caught in a sparkly clasp, cascading around her shoulders, and her makeup was sun-kissed with a touch of pink.
The teens in the coffee shop came out on the back step to give her a thumbs-up.
Another glance at her watch, and Tamara knew it was time to walk across the street. Other guests were being dropped off in limousines, and she followed a group as they made their way inside. Travis was at the door, and he smiled, stepping back to let her pass.
“Looking good, Tamara. Just go straight through.”
Tamara entered Married in Malibu’s main hall and then stopped in her tracks.
She stared at how it had been transformed into something so elegant and open.
The light, both natural and artificial, filtered through diaphanous draperies, giving the space a comfortably intimate quality.
Perfectly chosen lilies and peonies were grouped in tasteful vases, and beautiful screens made of bright colors and patterns seemed to transform the shape of the space.
Her eyes were drawn to the spot where the couple would be saying their vows.
Even though Tamara knew that the whole thing would be filmed, it was impossible to make out the camera locations. She knew they were discreetly hidden, shielded by flowers and set dressing, but the design was so clever and careful she couldn’t even see a trace of them.
The other guests were chatting quietly, obviously happy to be part of such an important occasion.
Tamara didn’t know any of them, of course, but she recognized Zach, wearing an expensive suit that looked handmade, and Yuriko, wearing a couture dress that was a work of art.
Even though Tamara had never met either of them, she felt as though she knew them, thanks to Nate’s descriptions.
Zach was a worldwide success in his field, but he still looked a little nervous at the sight of his bride-to-be.
Tamara couldn’t blame him, because the combination of the dress, the flawless makeup, and the setting all conspired to make her look out-of-this-world incredible.
From her vantage point, Tamara could see everyone and everything.
Liz was up at the front, looking elegant as she prepared to oversee the ceremony.
Meg and Kate were off to the side, ushering people to their seats.
Near the back of the area were long tables set with food, and Jenn was behind them, obviously waiting in case anyone wanted anything before the wedding.
Daniel was standing in front of a spot near the koi pond, which had been lit with the express purpose of becoming the setting for wedding photographs and portraits.
Amy’s painted wedding portrait hung on the wall, and it looked so lifelike it was as if the couple could have reached out and waved at all their guests.