Chapter 31
31
G rant braced himself for Sadie’s condition, but only a little bit, because with Sadie Heppner as the prize, he would meet any condition. “Name it.”
“We have to have the ceremony right now.”
His ears must be broken. “Right now? As in here, at Ronny’s house?”
“Right now, right here. Six years is long enough to have wasted. I refuse to spend another minute not being your wife.”
“Now I know I’m dreaming,” he said, and wobbled a little on his bent knee.
She tilted her head. Her perfect curls, the reason for their reunion, still dripped with pool water. “Are you asking me to dunk you again?”
Grant smiled, remembering how she’d pushed him under right after the most incredible kiss of his life. The feel of her melting against him, of her hands caressing the nape of his neck and her lips warm and sweet against his, had woken every nerve-ending in his body.
Marriage was infinitely more serious than a kiss, though. He stood, still holding both her hands, and leaned his forehead down toward hers till they touched. “Are you sure? Your sisters aren’t here.”
She closed her eyes and let out a breath. When she reopened them, their ice blue depths shimmered with dancing light reflected from the pool’s waves. “It’s a long story, but my sisters are the reason why we have to do it now.”
“I don’t want to upset them though. I’ve never even met them.”
She slipped her hands from his and placed them on his cheeks. “You’ve got to trust me. They will understand.”
Grant nodded. “Then now it is, my darling. All we need is a minister.” He turned and walked back to the edge of the pool. At the deep end, people sat on each other’s shoulders as they attempted to dislodge similarly arranged couples in a splashy game of chicken. Nearest to where Grant and Sadie stood, a conga line led by King Neptune himself snaked past the stairs. Grant hated to interrupt the raucous, riotous fun, but it had to be done.
Between a childhood of talking to his dad over the din of a tractor and his years of theatrical training, he knew a thing or two about voice projection. Taking a deep breath, he boomed, “Is there a minister in the house?” Despite the live band and the incessant splashing, the conga line stopped mid-kick, and the game of chicken paused mid-topple. His face flushed. “Or,” he added at a more normal level of yelling, “in the swimming pool?”
Ronny, still at the head of the conga line, made a motion toward the band to cut the music, then spoke into the jarring silence that remained. “A minister? Does somebody need last rights at my party? Because no one is allowed to die at one of my parties.”
Grant balked at announcing the real reason they needed a minister. The idea of marrying Sadie Heppner bent his brain and heart into knots. Had he pushed her too fast? Did she really want this wedding at all, let alone right now? He stood there, tongue tied before those hundreds of quizzical faces, until Sadie leapt forward.
“It’s because we’re getting married!” she cried, raising her arms and spreading her fingers wide as she bounced up and down on her toes.
It was the old Sadie, the Sadie game for anything, who’s passion and excitement inspired others to new heights wherever she went. Seeing the spark in her eyes, in her beautiful body, sent a wave of joy through Grant. He was sure now, not just that getting married was the right thing, but that it was right for Sadie. They were meant to be together, as he’d always known, and he saw no reason why that togetherness should be delayed another minute.
Grabbing Sadie by the waist with one arm, he raised his other hand in a fist, pumping it in the air as he beamed at the crowd. “Yeah! We’re getting married right now !”
The crowd let up a whoop of congratulations and Ronny’s face spread into a goofy grin. He smacked the water with his hand, sending up a spray of drops that caught the rainbow colors of the lanterns. “I knew it! I knew it!” Wading toward the stairs, he climbed partway up, straightened his crown, and faced his people. “ Is there a minister here?”
Hands shot up all around, dozens of hands, but Ronny lowered his eyelids as he shook his head. “I don’t mean a minister as in you once sent fifty bucks to getordainedtoday.com. This is a real wedding, and we need a real minister!” Every hand slunk back down. Ronny sounded vexed. “Really? Nobody?”
Grant was calculating how long it would take to find a minister willing to drive to the party, when a quiet but confident voice spoke up.
“I can do it.”
He turned to see the woman in the mouse grey suit, Surf Summer ’s producer, Dela Rosings. She’d apparently opted not to jump in the pool, and no one who wanted even the most menial job in Hollywood would ever consider tossing her into one, so she remained dry and perfectly put together. She walked with a casual, self-assured air toward them. “I was a minister before I became a producer, and God never lets you go.”
Dela Rosings reminded Grant uncomfortably of God. He remembered Julia telling him how no one could save him if he ever got on Dela Rosing’s bad side. But the gift of marrying Sadie outweighed anything Ms. Rosings could ever take away from him.
“Dela, you rascal. I had no idea you were a minister,” Ronny said as he strode, dripping wet, the rest of the way up the pool steps and over to Grant and Sadie.
Grant beamed as he squeezed Sadie once more round the waist. “Reverend Rosings, would you do us the honor of performing our ceremony?”
She nodded. “I will, but I have a request first.”
Grant met Sadie’s eyes, and a serene smile passed between them. They said in unison, “Anything.”
Ms. Rosings lifted one hand, the palm facing up and then brought her other palm down onto it with the air of a high-powered judge about to scold everyone in her courtroom. “It has come to my attention that some shenanigans have been going on in relation to my co-stars.”
Panic filtered through Grant’s veins. He felt like the boy at school who’d been caught putting a frog into the principal’s water bottle. “Let me explain,” he began, but she shushed him with a laser-like glare.
“The explanation is all over the internet. Someone posted a video a few minutes ago while you all were,” she motioned toward the pool and cleared her throat with a skeptical sound, “having fun.”
Grant felt Sadie stiffen. “A video?” she asked.
“Yes, and it’s already got half a million views,” Dela said.
Now that the music and splashing had quieted, Ronny’s guests could see and hear the beeping and flashing of their phones. Pool-goers started climbing out of the water and sloshing off to see what those notifications were about.
Dela held her phone out for Grant, Sadie, and Ronny, then pressed start on an already cued up video. Grant’s world trembled as the clip began, but it wasn't from a California earthquake—at least, not a geological one. His entire confrontation with Julia from minutes ago played out before them again, including her admission she had gotten Andrea to fake the drowning, her naked threat to kill his career, and her backwards cartwheel into the pool. It was a Hollywood earthquake, as confirmed by the chorus of shocked gasps and mutterings of “’Julia Menlo?’ from everyone else now watching the clip.
Grant and Sadie began simultaneous protestations and attempts to explain. “I didn't have anything to do with that video—” Grant said.
“It’s all my fault,” Sadie said.
Ronny joined in. “As his agent, I can assure you?—”
“Shut up, all of you,” Dela said, and they instantly complied. “I’m not done yet.” At that moment, a whole new round of gasps began from around the pool. Dela made a waving away a motion with her hand, indicating they should ignore crowd. “A few minutes later, a new video appeared, and it has already surpassed the first, garnering nearly two million views.”
She again turned her phone for them to see. Grant watched Sadie’s coverall drop to the ground as he unzipped it, watched his amazed expression over her vintage outfit, and saw himself bend to one knee. The visual was clear but the audio was fuzzy. Whoever had taken it had been off to the side and some distance away. He looked toward the likely spot and saw a few royal palms that could have easily been used for cover. No wonder he hadn’t noticed anyone filming them. The audio came through just clear enough they could all make out his proposal speech about believing in love at first sight.
When it finished playing, Sadie asked. “Is that all? They don’t have my reply?”
“If they filmed it, they didn’t upload it,” Dela said. “And look at the views. They’re climbing into the stratosphere.”
Ronny whistled. “Wow. And the comments too—the whole world wants to know what Sadie said.”
Dela rested her hands, including the one holding her phone, on her hips and looked at them with a new seriousness in her eyes. “Now, I don’t profess to know whether love truly does triumph over evil, but I do know your video about love is winning handily over hers about misdeeds. I also know anyone who would arrange for a fake, but still dangerous, ocean drowning is a terrible role model for a family romcom about surfing.”
Things were moving so fast that Grant couldn’t keep up. What was Dela Rosings, the celebrated producer, implying? He glanced at Sadie, but her eyes held questions too. She squeezed his arm, and it grounded him. No matter what was about to happen, he had Sadie. Anything else he accomplished in this life was gravy.
“Ronny here can confirm,” Dela continued, “that I don’t have a sentimental bone in my body.” Ronny shrugged and nodded perfunctorily by way of agreement. “That fact no doubt helps explain why I left the active ministry. I am, however, a highly successful movie producer, and so my request, before I join you in holy matrimony, is this—will you agree to star in Surf Summer together?”
Grant’s eyelids froze in their widest position. “Really? Me and Sadie? In Surf Summer ?”
Ms. Rosings blew out an annoyed breath. “No, you and dime store Neptune here.” She sent a look toward Ronny that coaxed a sheepish grin from him, then trained impatient eyes on Grant. “Of course, you and Sadie. It took the two of you less than a month to go from impressive obscurity to this year’s ‘it couple.’ As a couple, you’re a goldmine, and I have a thing for goldmines. I collect them. Do you want to be in my display case?”
Sadie blinked at Grant in shock, and then her face transformed into one big smile—even her button nose smiled. She threw her arms around his neck, bringing her face inches from his. “Let’s do it!”
Grant nodded, not sure how much more joy he could contain. But when he opened his mouth to accept, Ronny interrupted. “As both your agents…” He tipped his head toward Sadie and added as an aside, “You do want me to be your agent, don't you?”
Sadie clapped her hands excitedly. “Of course!”
“Good. As both your agents,” he continued, “don’t you think you should hear my opinion on this offer?”
“Please,” Grant said. Nobody knew Hollywood the way Ronny did. “What do you think?”
Ronny threw his arms around Sadie and Grant, creating a triple hug. “I think I’m going to pay for your honeymoon! Congratulations!”
“Honeymoon?” Grant heard Dela say under her breath. “Forget that. Filming will be their honeymoon.”
Hug finished, Grant turned to Dela and held out his hand, which she shook. “Thank you. We would love to star in Surf Summer .” Nodding enthusiastically, Sadie shook Dela’s hand next.
“Wonderful,” Dela said with all the enthusiasm of a company CEO bringing a boring meeting to order. “Now, let’s see how rusty I am on this wedding business, and then we’ll get to the really important part…”
“…the kissing,” Grant thought to himself.
But Dela finished with, “…the contract signing.” She looked Grant up and down. “Do you even have rings?”
Rings! He plunged his hands into his pockets, but of course he had no rings. Marriage hadn’t been on that day’s to-do list. “I—” he started to say.
“Hold that thought,” Ronny said, and took off toward the food tables. Seconds later he returned, still running, but cradling two matching leis in his outstretched arms. Clusters of baby white roses alternated with baby white orchids. Grant hadn’t seen any others like them at the whole party. “These were made specially for you and…ah, never mind.” Ronny held them out toward Grant. “These are for you two.”
Grant didn’t care if their wedding rings were matching toilets seats. He just wanted to be married to Sadie with no more delays. But he knew how much wedding details meant to some women, and he and Sadie certainly hadn’t had time to discuss her fantasy wedding plans. If this wasn’t good enough for her, he’d figure something else out. “What do you think? Will they do for now for our rings?”
She smiled shyly and whispered, “They couldn’t be more perfect.”