Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Pippa
-da ya think I’m sexy-
The reception tent glows like a jewel against the twilight sky.
From the outside, it looks like an enormous lantern, the cream fabric walls lit from within by a thousand golden lights.
Inside, it’s even more breathtaking. Crystal chandeliers hang low, scattering rainbows across the tables that are dressed in white linen and adorned with ivory roses.
Every surface gleams. The silverware is polished to a mirror shine, and the glassware catches the flickers of candlelight.
There are bottles of champagne chilling in gleaming silver buckets beside every table.
The murmur of voices blends with the strains of a different string quartet, building an atmosphere so opulent it feels unreal.
Rhett leads me to our table, where Max, Maria, and Harrison are already waiting for us. They’re halfway through their first glasses of champagne, laughing at some inside joke. Maria spots me first and waves me over with a grin.
“Pippa, darling, come, sit with us. You’re missing all the fun.”
Max lifts his glass in greeting. “About time. I was worried Remington had whisked you off somewhere scandalous.”
Rhett smirks as he pulls out my chair. “Give it time.”
My cheeks warm as I settle beside him.
Maria leans across the table, her eyes sparkling. “This whole place looks like a movie set, doesn’t it? Honestly, I keep waiting for someone to yell, ‘cut and roll up the scenery’.”
Harrison laughs, tipping his chair back dangerously. “If it’s a movie, I’m betting it’s a Bond movie. Anytime now, a helicopter will swoop down.”
“But who’ll play Bond? You?” Max counters.
“Nah, I’m not smooth enough with the ladies.” Harrison glances at Rhett. “You up for the role, Remington?”
Their banter sets me at ease. The champagne flows freely, and waiters glide past with trays of crystal flutes once the buckets are empty.
I sip mine slowly, savoring the crisp bubbles, letting the warmth settle in my chest. Around us, the reception room fills quickly, and soon, every seat is taken by men in perfectly cut tuxedos and women shimmering in gowns.
The air hums with laughter, clinking glasses, and the swell of celebration.
Dinner passes in a haze of conversation and more champagne.
Plates of seared salmon, filet mignon, and delicate towers of vegetables appear and disappear, each course more decadent than the last. Maria keeps us entertained with wickedly funny commentary on the fashion choices of some of the celebrity guests.
I laugh more than I expect to, the tension from earlier slipping away.
“I mean, look at her dress,” Maria whispers, nodding toward a woman in a pale green gown that seems to float like mist. “It’s beautiful, yes, but my, my, those shoes.” She shakes her head dramatically, and her expression is so funny I burst out laughing, even though I try not to.
Maria smirks, tipping her glass toward me as the lights dim slightly, and a hush ripples through the tent. A man, whom Rhett informs me is Elliot’s brother, steps up to the microphone stand that has been set up at the head of the room.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Elliot’s brother says warmly, adjusting his cufflinks and flashing a grin around the room. “If I could have your attention for a moment, please. I’d like to propose a toast to my brother and his stunning new wife.”
This gets a few whoops, and then he goes on.
“Now, before I get all soppy, let’s be honest about Elliot.
He’s always been a man of contradictions: he is charming, and yet he is wholly incapable of picking up his socks.
And as you all know, he is reasonably intelligent, but still, he once tried to train a cat to fetch his slippers. Truly, it was the stuff of legends.”
He pauses for a second as people laugh, and then he continues.
“And Camile,” he continues. “You must be brave. Not only have you agreed to marry Elliot, but you’ve also agreed to become part of a family that debates whether cereal is a soup.
But in all seriousness, you are both meant for each other, and watching the two of you together is like witnessing the rarest alignment of stars: sparkling, a little unpredictable, and utterly beautiful.
“So, let’s raise our glasses to Elliot and Camile. May your life together be full of laughter, occasional debates over pizza toppings, and endless love. Cheers.”
The tent erupts in claps and cheers, people raising their glasses high. Elliot’s brother beams, slightly embarrassed but clearly pleased.
Next up is Camile’s maid of honor. She steps forward, clutching her notes with a nervous smile. She clears her throat, glancing first at Camile and then turning to look out at the guests.
“Hello everyone,” she begins, her voice soft but confident. “I’m absolutely honored to stand here as Camile’s maid of honor. When she asked me to speak, I promised her I’d be sincere, funny, and not embarrass her too much, but we all know that’s impossible when talking about Camile.
“Camile and I have been through so much together, from late-night study sessions to terrible haircuts, the break-ups, the make-ups, and everything in between. And through it all, I’ve seen her laugh in ways that light up rooms, cry in ways that make you want to hug her for hours, and love Elliot with a fierceness that makes the rest of us feel a little envious.
“And Elliot,” she continues, looking up from her notes and winking at him.
“Welcome to the madness. You are now officially part of a family that never stops talking, argues over nothing, and somehow always ends up in a fit of laughter. But honestly, you’re perfect for her.
You challenge her, you make her laugh, and you love her in all the little ways that really matter.
“I remember when Camile first told me about Elliot.
She was glowing, her eyes practically sparkling like the diamonds in her wedding ring.
She tried to play it cool, but I knew instantly that this was the one.
And look at you two now. Sitting here, glowing, ridiculous, beautiful, and completely, wonderfully in love.
“So, let’s raise our glasses to Camile and Elliot once more. May your marriage be filled with laughter that echoes through the years, love that deepens with every challenge, and countless moments that make you look at each other and say we’re doing alright, aren’t we. Cheers to you both.”
The crowd clinks glasses again. Camile beams at her friend, and Elliot looks genuinely moved, shaking his head with a grin as the applause continues.
Elliot’s brother gets up again.
“And now, it’s time for a tradition. Most of you know what’s coming. For those who don’t, well, you’re in for a treat.”
The crowd chuckles knowingly. I frown, glancing at Rhett. “What’s he talking about?”
Rhett leans in close, his shoulder brushing mine.
“It’s a thing we do. It started back in college, at graduation.
Someone made a montage of our years together, the photos, the videos, all the ridiculous stuff.
It stuck. Now, whenever there’s a big event, someone makes a film. It always gets a laugh.”
On cue, the screen at the front of the tent flickers to life.
A collective sigh rises as footage of Elliot and Camile begins to play.
It starts with footage from their first ski trip, the pair of them laughing in the snow, then there is a yacht party where they are dancing beneath a fireworks display.
Next is a shot of Camile tossing her head back in laughter while Elliot gazes at her like she has hung the stars.
It’s romantic and charming, perfectly edited to tug our heartstrings.
I smile despite barely knowing them, swept up in their story.
The montage ends to applause, but then the screen brightens again.
“And now,” Elliot’s brother says with a grin. “The bit you’ve all been waiting for - a few highlights from the rest of the gang.”
Laughter ripples as the clips roll. First up is Maria, performing a TikTok dance challenge on a yacht deck, her hair whipping in the wind as she nails the moves with flawless precision.
She waves dramatically at the camera at the end, earning a cheer from our table.
Next comes Harrison, launching himself off the side of a yacht into the sea, flipping twice before hitting the water with a perfect dive.
More laughter, a few impressed whistles.
Then Max appears, shirtless and grinning, leaping from a rooftop into a glittering swimming pool below while people cheer around him. The crowd roars.
I grin, glancing at Rhett. “I can’t wait to see yours. What did they dig up?”
“I dread to think,” Rhett says with a laugh.
But the smile freezes on my face as the next clip begins.
My own face fills the screen. I am wearing that ridiculous sequined dress – yes, the Jessica Rabbit dress.
I look like I am all cleavage. God, there I am, strutting like Jessica Rabbit, my hips swaying in an exaggerated, vulgar manner, as I approach Rhett and ask him out.
Someone has put the chorus of Da ya think I’m sexy by Rod Stewart, and it just makes it all so much worse.
It echoes in my ears as my stomach drops straight through the floor.
“Oh my God,” I whisper, heat flooding my cheeks.
The laughter around me carries on. Some of it is delighted, some are surprised, and some people just watch in stunned silence. I can barely even look. All I can see is myself on that screen, cartoonish, obscene, in the middle of what is supposed to be the classiest wedding of the year.
I want to crawl under the table. I want to disappear. They all saw it, every guest, every friend, every stranger. Rhett’s parents. Oh God, Lois and Wayne. My skin burns as I imagine them watching this, judging me. They must think I’m trash. A cheap joke among their polished set.
My champagne glass trembles in my hand. Around me, people laugh, whisper, and clap.
The screen fades to black, the montage over, but I can’t breathe.
I can’t look at anyone. Not Rhett, not Maria, not Max or Harrison.
Especially not Rhett’s parents, who are at the table next to ours.
My cheeks flame hotter and hotter, the humiliation coursing through me in waves.
In the glow of chandeliers and laughter, surrounded by glittering gowns and tailored tuxedos, I feel like the butt of a cruel joke.
Like they’ve been laughing at me all along, waiting for this moment to prove I don’t belong here.
They’ve pretended to welcome me, and the whole time they have been planning to do this to me.
I press my clutch bag hard against my lap, praying for the floor to open up beneath me. Because in this glittering world, under all these lights, I’ve never wanted to vanish more than I do right now.