CHAPTER TWENTY
Tina was lying in the sun on the pool deck when I arrived. She jumped up when she heard my approach. “Hi, Ann. I’m glad to see you. Come on in.”
I opened the door to the screened-in lanai and sat on a lounge chair next to her. “I thought I’d see how things are going with you. We didn’t get much of a chance to chat last night.”
“Thanks. I was hoping to talk with you. Things have been a little rough at home, and I need to get your advice.” She took off her sunglasses, and I noticed her red-rimmed eyes. “Nicholas is frustrated that I’m taking on a new movie role when the kids need me so much. I understand, but we have a wonderful nanny, and Nick will be home most evenings for the next couple of months. So, I don’t see why I should give up my chance to do another movie.”
“I know Nicholas and respect him. What’s really going on?” I asked.
“He couldn’t get the funding for one of his projects, and he’s depressed,” Tina said. “I’m sorry it happened. The timing couldn’t be worse.”
“You’re an excellent wife and mother,” I said. “I don’t want to intercede with your marriage. It’s been a happy one as you’ve often told me. But if you’re asking for my opinion, I think you have a right to have some time for yourself, to follow your own career. Especially after making sure things are being taken care of at home.”
“Thanks. I needed to hear that,” said Tina. “You know how important being a good mother is to me after having one who wasn’t. And I adore Nicholas.”
“But to fulfill herself, a woman may want to be more than a wife and a mother if she is going to happily fill those roles. We all have the right to continue to grow and learn as individuals.”
Tina hugged me. “You’re the best mom I could ever wish for.”
Tears stung my eyes as I remembered the broken young woman I first met.
We chatted for a while longer, then I headed home. Vaughn was going to attend Robbie’s swim meet, and I wanted to see how it went. The house would be quiet with Darryl and Abbie gone for the day, and I needed some time with my family.
###
The three of us were swimming in the pool when my cell rang.
When I saw Lorraine’s name on the call, I let out a long sigh. What now? The wedding wasn’t until five o’clock and I’d been hoping for a couple of hours of free time before getting ready to attend it.
“Hello, Lorraine. How is it going?”
“Not well. I just got a call from the hospital, the groom tripped over something in the woods on the golf course and he has a badly sprained ankle. He says he’s going to be fine for the wedding ceremony, but he’s pretty doped up on pain meds. The bride is threatening to put off the wedding for a day or two, but the hotel is booked, and we don’t have room for their guests to stay on. Also, we have a private wedding for a party of twelve Sunday evening.”
“Have you seen the groom?” I asked.
“No, I’ve only spoken to the best man.”
“Okay, let me go to the hospital and see what I can find out. You handle the bride and her party. I’ll call you back as soon as I can see for myself what the situation is.”
“Thanks,” she said. “I tried Rhonda’s number, but I couldn’t reach her.”
“She promised the kids they’d do something special. I don’t know where she is. But no worries, I’ll handle this.”
“Thanks,” said Lorraine and ended the call.
“Hotel problem?” Vaughn asked as I wrapped a towel around me and prepared to go inside.
I explained the situation to him and Robbie and gave them each a kiss goodbye. “I’m sorry. I’m going to go, and then I’ll come back to change for the wedding, if, and that’s a big IF, it goes forward.”
###
When I got to the hospital, Robert Anderson, the groom, a handsome man in his fifties, was about to be released from the emergency room. His left ankle was in a soft, expandable cast and he was being handed crutches. Another gentleman stood by looking worried.
“I can’t let Brianna down,” the groom complained. He looked up and saw me. “Hello. Don’t worry. I’m not about to ruin the wedding.”
“I came to see how you are. I heard you took a nasty tumble at the golf course,” I said.
He gave me a soulful look. “I was going after the damn golf ball in the woods. My foot got caught in a little hole I didn’t see, and I twisted my ankle. Don’t worry. I’m not going to do anything to stop the wedding. Brianna’s upset, but I told her we could take our honeymoon another time. Believe me, I’ll make it up to her.”
“Okay, with your agreement, I’m going to call the hotel and tell them to continue with your wedding plans.”
“Oh, yes. Please. My divorce was finalized last week, and Brianna and I want to get married right away.”
“Do you need a ride back to the hotel?” I asked. “I can take the two of you there now if you’re ready.”
“That would be great,” said Robert, and I forced myself to stop thinking of my ex, Robert, and the way he’d moved on so quickly after dumping me.
I left them to go to my car and call Lorraine. After giving her the go-ahead for the wedding, I pulled the car up to the Emergency Room entrance and waited while a nurse oversaw Robert getting out of the wheelchair and using his crutches. “Remember, no walking on that cast. That will happen in time, but we don’t want any pressure on that now.”
Robert’s friend and I exchanged glances. The wedding wasn’t going to be what the bride wanted, but there was nothing either one of us could do about it.
I drove them to the front of the hotel, made sure that Lorraine met us there as we’d agreed, and then went home to change for the wedding. This was one wedding I was eager to have behind us.
At home, I greeted my family and Darryl and Abbie who’d returned to the house and went to change my clothes. Rhonda and I dressed appropriately for the weddings we oversaw. Even though we weren’t in charge, we enjoyed observing the various ceremonies. We’d done it from the first one and continued as often as we could.
In my bedroom, I called Rhonda and gave her an update. “Lorraine was rattled at the thought of a late cancellation. I wanted to see for myself what was going on, and I’m glad I did. No matter how much effort the groom will put into it, the wedding won’t be the same. We’ll have to do extra work to keep the bride happy. Let’s meet with Lorraine as soon as we get to the hotel.”
“Okay. Sorry I couldn’t take Lorraine’s call earlier. I was in the movie theater with the kids. The animated films for children these days are fantastic. I think I enjoyed the despicable characters as much as they did.”
I smiled at the mental image of Rhonda in the theater laughing with her children. Rhonda was the biggest kid of all.
###
At the hotel, Rhonda and I met with Lorraine. She was trying to decide how to handle the walk to the altar in the garden and back inside the hotel.
“A wheelchair would make it easiest but the groom refuses to use it,” said Lorraine. “The bride’s mother is willing to talk to him about it.”
“I’ve talked with Robert Anderson, and he seems to be a man used to being in charge. Maybe we can convince him we can make it a unique experience acceptable to both him and the bride. We can use the wheelchair to get him to his spot by the altar, hide the wheelchair away during the ceremony, and then use it to get him to the private dining room.”
“That might work without taking too much attention away from the bride,” said Lorraine.
“And if we decorate the wheelchair with flowers and ribbons, it could be festive,” I said.
“Maybe add some golf clubs for fun,” added Rhonda, and we all beamed.
“Okay, I’ll call the bride’s mother and talk to her,” said Lorraine. “Brianna was pretty upset earlier. This idea may ease her worries. She won’t be the only bride who’s had to deal with unexpected problems. It happens in different ways. Over time, it becomes a cherished reminder of the day.”
“Okay, we leave this in your capable hands,” I said. “If you need me, I’ll be walking through the hotel, checking on things, before standing with Rhonda by the front door to welcome wedding guests.”
“Okay. Laura will be meeting the in-house guests to direct them to the garden. I’ll hurry and get the florist to help me with the wheelchair,” said Lorraine. “She’s in the dining room now.”
Lorraine hurried away from us, talking on her cell to the bride’s mother.
Rhonda and I looked at one another and breathed out sighs of relief. We couldn’t afford to lose this wedding after all the expenses of getting ready for it.
“I want to see how things are going down at the sunset deck. There was a call for more chairs. I love having that deck available to our guests.”
“It’s the perfect place to watch the sunset and to relax any time of day,” said Rhonda. “I’m glad we got that project done over Brock’s objections.”
We walked from Lorraine’s office to the pool area and down the path to the beach to the deck. I was pleased to see several chairs positioned around the deck with a supply of folding chairs stacked in the corner.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a man strolling the sand in the distance and said to Rhonda, “C’mon, we’ve got to get back to the hotel.”
She followed my gaze. “Let’s go. I don’t want to talk to Brock.”
We hurried back to the safety of the building and into the lobby.
Bernie was there, talking to the front desk staff.
We waited until he was through and told him about the wheelchair situation. “That’s fine. I was just reminding the staff that the wedding is supposed to be very private. A photographer has been hired to take pictures. The wedding party has asked that all other photos by guests be held off until after the dinner. And, no media.”
“Let’s go check the dining room,” said Rhonda. “I want to see how that color scheme worked.” The bride had chosen a bright, rich orange and dark green for her wedding colors.
We walked to the entrance of the private dining room. Peering inside, I let out a soft gasp of delight. The tables of six were covered in dark-green linen, the color of which was reflected in the crystal glassware and off the sparkling silverware. A small bouquet of orange lilies, and white, orange, and peach roses, accented with sprigs of spiral eucalyptus and other greenery, sat in the center of each table like a beacon.
“It’s gorgeous,” said Rhonda. “Who woulda thunk it? Can’t wait to see the bridesmaids’ dresses.”
“Me, too,” I said. “Let’s take a quick peek at the garden.”
We walked to the side garden which was a perfect spot for a wedding. Lush greenery and palm trees gave it an elegant tropical setting. A small white altar stood on the lawn. A pathway between two sets of chairs led to the altar. Thankfully, there was no attempt to place a running cloth on the grass defining the aisle. Instead, at the aisle end of each row of white cloth-covered chairs, small baskets of flowers hung. The effect was beautiful.
“The bright colors go well in this setting,” said Rhonda. “Can’t wait for the ceremony to begin.”
###
As soon as all of the guests had been received at the front entry and were being directed to the side garden, Rhonda and I took our usual spot along the side at the back and waited for the bride’s arrival. We could see Robert standing by his best man by the altar, hanging on to his crutches for balance. The best man was doing his best to keep Robert comfortable by helping to brace him.
The harpist the family had hired changed from soft background music to “At Last”, the song made famous by Etta James. The notes shimmered in the air as caressing as the soft, onshore breeze. And when the two bridesmaids entered the garden in stunning deep orange dresses, I let out a sigh of pleasure.
The bride was an attractive young woman who wore a simple, white-silk slip dress that was perfect for her handsome figure.
I turned and looked at Robert’s face. When I saw his look of adoration, I felt a sting of tears. This is how a wedding should be.
As my gaze followed the bride down the aisle, I noticed the guest standing beside Lily speak to her and take the cell phone from her hand. Lily knew the rules. Why couldn’t she honor the simple request?
We watched as the minister they’d hired raced through the short ceremony, aware of Robert’s discomfort. Still, their pledges of love were touching and as the audience clapped their congratulations, the wheelchair was brought out. The applause grew and the moment turned tender when Brianna took control of the wheelchair and pushed it along the pathway that had been carved into the lawn for that occasion.
Rhonda wiped her eyes. “That was touching. I’m going to speak to the wedding party and then I’m going home to celebrate another wedding completed.”
“That’s a great idea,” I said. “I’m not staying for dinner either. As soon as I’ve paid my respects to the families, I’m off. I don’t like the idea of Lily being here, wanting to speak to Vaughn. And I don’t want her knowing who’s staying at my house.”
As unobtrusively as I could, I congratulated the bride and groom and then, before Lily could cross the room to me, I slipped away. Vaughn was still refusing to take her calls, and I wasn’t going to get caught up in any scheme of hers.