Chapter 16 #2
“I’ll have to stop in to see your place,” Judith said.
“Any time,” Tiffany said, giving Kara a saucy wink.
“I’d like to be there for that,” Kara said.
“Me, too,” Dan added, making everyone laugh except for Judith, who didn’t get the joke.
“She sells more than lingerie and party dresses there, Mom,” Kara said.
For a moment, Judith seemed stumped, and then she said, “Oh. Oh.” Color flooded her cheeks.
“It’s a long, cold winter out here, Mrs. Ballard,” Tiffany said. “We have to find a way to stay busy.”
“Well, yes, I’m sure it is. I’m going to see where your father has gone off to.” Judith scurried away.
“That was awesome,” Kara said as she shook with laughter. “You’re the best.”
“Happy to be of assistance,” Tiffany said.
“You’re just a walking, talking scandal, my love,” Blaine said with a grin for his wife.
“Thank you,” Tiffany said. “I do what I can for the people.”
The sound of silverware striking crystal caught their attention.
“If everyone could find a seat, please,” Chuck said as his wife stood next to him, beaming.
“Oh God,” Kara said under her breath. “What’s this all about?”
“Kara? Dan? Could you join us up here?”
“Whatever it is, let’s get it over with so we can get to my surprise for later,” Dan said as he took her hand and led her to the front of the room.
“What surprise?”
“Be a good girl in front of our guests, and I’ll tell you.”
“I don’t want to be good.”
“Remember that later.”
As they took their positions with her parents, Kara felt the eyes of everyone on her and wanted to die of embarrassment.
She hated being the center of attention and always had, which her parents certainly knew.
That had never stopped them from forcing her out of her comfort zone whenever they felt the need to. Today was no exception.
“Thank you so much for joining us today to celebrate the engagement of our daughter Kara to Dan Torrington,” Chuck said after Judith had ensured everyone had champagne.
“Kara is the sixth of our eleven children and has always had the strong independent streak that led her here to Gansett to start the launch service in your Salt Pond. We were thrilled to hear of her engagement to Dan Torrington, a man who was certainly no stranger to us. Dan, we’ve admired your work for years, and we look forward to welcoming you into our family. ”
As everyone clapped and raised their glasses, Kara went along with it because she was expected to.
But part of her wanted to stop everything and ask her parents if they were happy for her for the right reasons.
Was it because she’d found the perfect man for her?
Was it because he was rich and successful?
Or was it because knowing she was happy with him made them feel a little less guilty about the way they’d treated her?
Dan leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Smile,” he whispered. “You’re supposed to be happy today.”
She thought about the way he’d proposed to her, after her sister tried to ambush her earlier in the summer with an unexpected and unwelcome visit.
Dan had literally run for her when he discovered Kelly was on the island with her husband and new baby and intended to take Kara by surprise, forcing a confrontation he knew Kara didn’t want.
Thinking about the day they’d spent hiding out from the rest of the world and his adorable, romantic proposal, suddenly it didn’t matter anymore why her parents were happy for her.
It didn’t matter that her sister had stolen her boyfriend and the rest of the family had acted like that was no big deal.
Nothing mattered but the man who stood beside her, wanting to spend the rest of his life with her.
Kelly and Matt had actually done her a favor. If they hadn’t betrayed her, she never would’ve felt the need to leave Bar Harbor. She wouldn’t have come to Gansett or met Dan, and that would’ve been truly tragic. She’d loved Matt, but not the way she loved Dan. Nothing could compare to that.
Kara could tell she surprised her fiancé when she turned to him, gave him a big, warm smile and then leaned in to kiss him right there in front of everyone.
As their friends whooped it up around them, she curled her hand around his neck and slipped him a hint of tongue.
When she ended the kiss, he stared at her, confounded, as if trying to decide what had come over her.
Happiness had come over her, pure and simple.
She laughed at his befuddlement and then hugged him, loving the way his body fit against hers, as well as the scent of his cologne and the rough scrape of his whiskers against her face.
“You never fail to amaze me, babe,” he said close to her ear, sending a shiver all the way through her body.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
The clatter of smashing glassware interrupted the moment as everyone turned to see what all the noise was about.
Beside her, Dan gasped at the sight of Jim Sturgil, Tiffany’s ex-husband, as he pushed past a waiter carrying a tray of champagne glasses and knocked the tray out of the waiter’s hand, sending more glass smashing to the floor.
“What the hell?” Dan said.
Out of the corner of her eye, Kara saw Blaine get up from the table where he’d been sitting with Tiffany, her sister Maddie, Maddie’s husband, Mac, and Mac’s parents. Tiffany stared at Jim, her eyes big and her face suddenly pale.