But maybe she’d like Africa. Giraffes and all that. She’d heard that many of the people there were very friendly. And it would be good to start doing important things, like Jenna and her new sister-in-law.
“But no Africa until after we have our anniversary in Hawaii,” she insisted. Yep, noble to the core.
“Absolutely,” he promised. She was just relaxing into a smile when he said, “We can do Africa the next year.”
* * *
That night she dreamed she was inner tubing down the Amazon with Paul, alligators—or was it crocodiles? Something creepy, anyway—swimming alongside them. “Isn’t this great?” he enthused. “We should come here every year,” just as a giant snake fell from a tree and landed on her.
She woke up before it bit her, but it was a long time before she got back to sleep. Pre-wedding jitters. That was all.
She finally drifted off again. She was in her mother-in-law’s wedding gown, ready to walk down the aisle. Hundreds of candles cast a soft glow on the people, all smiling at her. And she was standing next to a man she knew was her father.
“I’ve waited for this day for a long time,” he said. “I’m sorry I had to leave you. I hated dying before I even got to know you. But I’m glad to be able to see you marry a man who will really appreciate you for the wonderful woman you are.”
“Oh, Daddy,” she cried, and went to hug him.
But he was gone.
She couldn’t decide if that last dream had been comforting or upsetting, a blessing or some kind of veiled message. Whatever it was didn’t matter. She had a big day ahead of her, a lot of responsibilities to concentrate on.
And in case she’d forgotten, her aunt said the same thing. “This is a big day.”
“Big day,” muttered Jolly Roger from his kitchen perch.
Pete was already in the kitchen, downing French toast. “Another one bites the dust,” he cracked.
“Ha-ha,” Celeste said sourly. No wonder Jenna didn’t like the old guy. She helped herself to coffee but refused the offer of French toast. Something hadn’t sat well with her the night before, probably the lasagna, and her stomach was feeling queasy.
Her mom and Jenna came in from a beach walk, cheeks rosy, smiling faces. They looked so happy and carefree. Celeste was feeling anything but. Darned lasagna.
“Lunch at The Porthole, then manis and pedis at Waves and hair at Courtney’s,” Jenna reminded her. Everyone went to the local salon to get their nails done, but when it came to hair, only the older women frequented Waves.
Once they got beautiful, Nora was hosting the bridal party for appetizers. Then it would be time to go to the church and get ready. The wedding was at six to accommodate any friends coming home from Thanksgiving celebrations out of town, and the church was going to be packed. Nearly everyone on their guest list had responded to the invitation with an enthusiastic yes.
In a few hours she’d be married.
The darned lasagna took another bite out of her stomach lining and she went in search of antacid.
Finally, her tummy settled and she got down some tea and a piece of toast. All the women went out to lunch, but she just picked at her crab salad.
“Too nervous to eat,” Aunt Edie observed. “I was nervous on my wedding day, too. The wedding night, you know.” She patted Celeste’s hand. “Don’t worry, dear. You’ll be fine.”
Yes, she would. Everything would be fine.
The rest of the day passed in fast motion—hair and nails, makeup, a final girl party at Nora’s where Celeste had two glasses of champagne to settle her stomach. Then it was off to church, to change into her wedding gown.
There in the designated changing room, surrounded by her family, she let her mother slip her borrowed wedding gown over her head and then clasp the vintage pearl necklace that Aunt Edie had given Celeste around her neck.
Her mother stood next to her, smiling at their reflections in the long antique mirror the church kept on hand for such occasions. “You look beautiful.”
“You’re just saying that because we’re related,” Celeste joked.
“No, I’m saying that because it’s true. You’re as lovely on the inside as you are on the outside.”
Paul had said much the same thing, and yet, sometimes Celeste wasn’t so sure. She hoped she’d be lovely enough on the inside for Paul.
The church wedding planner poked her head in the door. “Okay, ladies, it’s showtime.”
Showtime... Put on a show... The show must go on. Celeste wished she’d taken another antacid.
They moved into the foyer, and through the open doors to the sanctuary she could catch a glimpse of all the wedding guests. The church was filled with deep-red and white roses and baby’s breath. The candles glowed softly. One of the musicians was playing Pachelbel’s Canon.
It was time.
She felt like someone having an out-of-body experience as she watched the ring bearer and flower girl go down the aisle. Murmurs of approval drifted back to her. Yes, the kids had been a better choice than Nemo. But she wished her dog was there with her.
Next went Sabrina, followed by Vanita and Jenna. Then it was time for her and her mother to do their walk. Suddenly, it seemed a long way down to the altar. The Green Mile.
Emerson had persuaded her to watch that depressing movie once. Why was it invading her thoughts now, of all times?
“Are you ready?” her mother whispered.
No! She nodded and they started their stately walk. What was she doing?
Going to Paul. There he stood, looking so handsome in his tux. Her future. He smiled at her, his face glowing with love.
Everyone else was smiling, too, and it made her think of marathon runs where people stood on the sidelines and cheered the runner on. You can do it!
Yes, she could. She wanted to.
She walked past Tyrella and Nora and her husband, all sitting together, beaming at her. And there was Patricia Whiteside, and Courtney, who gave her a thumbs-up.
So many faces. She knew Hyacinth and her friends had to be somewhere, but she didn’t search the crowd for them. No point spoiling this perfect moment.
Next thing she knew, she was standing beside Paul. He offered her his arm and they made the few steps to stand in front of his father. This was it. The big moment. Her mouth went dry.
Mr. Welch asked the traditional, “Who gives this woman?”
Celeste turned to see her mother smiling with tears in her eyes. “I do. Happily.”
The congregation was seated, and Mr. Welch reminded Celeste and Paul of the seriousness of what they were about to do. Then he threw out the time-honored statement. “If anyone knows a reason why this man and this woman should not be united in holy matrimony, let him speak now or forever hold his peace.”
“I do,” said a timid voice.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Paul’s father blinked in astonishment. “Excuse me?”
Hyacinth could feel the flush of embarrassment from her chest clear up to the roots of her hair. Everyone was staring at her, probably wondering if she’d suddenly gone insane. Maybe she had, because this was not a Hyacinth sort of thing to do. But she needed to say her piece.
“I know a reason why they shouldn’t get married.” Perspiration was forming on her brow, gathering between her breasts. “They’re not...right for each other.”
“Hyacinth,” Paul chided, shocked.
“It’s true,” she said. “I know you’re in love with her, I get that. I mean, what man wouldn’t be? She’s gorgeous and fun. But that doesn’t make her a good fit for you. You haven’t stopped to...to think seriously about this.”
Susan Frank, sitting next to her, pulled on her skirt in an effort to get her to sit down. “That’s enough, Hyacinth.”
She could see one of the church leaders approaching from the corner of her ey
e. He was going to drag her out of the church as if she was a crazy woman.
Maybe she was...
She should’ve stayed at her parents’ the whole weekend like she’d planned. Then she wouldn’t be here now, making a fool of herself.
Instead, Paul would have made the mistake of his life with no one to save him. She’d had to come. And she had to keep talking.
She rushed on. “You want a love that will last a lifetime. In the end, she’ll drive you nuts and you’ll bore her. Not that you’re boring,” Hyacinth hurried to add. Oh, boy, she was getting this all wrong. She should have kept her mouth shut. No one was believing her anyway.
“That’s enough, young woman,” Paul’s father said sternly. “Sit down.”
“In the end you won’t be happy, at least not as happy as you could have been with the right woman,” Hyacinth finished and fell back onto her seat, her face on fire. What was everyone going to think of her now? Of course they’d hate her for trying to ruin Paul’s wedding, not to mention his life. She’d have to leave the church, leave town.
But she couldn’t regret saying what she’d said. Maybe she wasn’t the woman for Paul, either. Although she loved him with all her heart, if she couldn’t have him she at least wanted him to be happy.
He sure didn’t look happy now. Ugh.
“She’s right,” Celeste said and the entire crowd gasped.
* * *
Hyacinth was right. She and Paul weren’t a fit, not really. She was more in love with what he represented than the man himself.
“I’m sorry,” she said to him. Sorry that she’d waited until the last minute to do what, deep down, she’d known all along she should have done. “I wanted so badly to pick the perfect man, and I did. You are. You’re just not the perfect man for me. And I’m not the right woman for you. You’ll make a great friend—if we can ever get past this. But you won’t make a great husband, not for me. And I sure won’t make a great wife for you.” She took off the engagement ring. It was a bit of a struggle. It had always been a little tight.
Paul usually had the appropriate words for every occasion. Not this time. He stood there, staring at her, his face a study in hurt and disbelief. She took his hand and placed the ring in it. “You need to find the girl this fits,” she said. Then she turned and raced down the aisle, her bridesmaids hurrying after her. She’d barely cleared the sanctuary before the stunned silence became a babble of confused voices.
In the foyer Jenna grabbed her by the arm. “What are you doing?”
Celeste spread the wedding gown wide. “I can’t go through with this.”
“He’s the best thing that ever happened to you. You’ve said it yourself. Oh, sis, are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” Celeste said, tears in her eyes. What a mess she’d made of everything. If only she could have been sure before they’d set a date for the wedding. Before she’d even accepted the ring. It had all seemed right at the time. Now, she’d made a fool of Paul and wasted her savings on a non-wedding.
Their mother arrived on the scene. “That was a perfect example of love and unselfishness.”
Yeah, that was her. Loving and unselfish, leaving her groom at the altar. She burst into tears on her mom’s shoulder.
“Celeste.”
Great. Now here was Paul. “I’m sorry,” she wailed. “I’ll pay you back for all the honeymoon reservations, I promise.”
“Like I care about that? This is my fault. I rushed you into this. I rushed us both into it. We should’ve taken more time.”
“Then at least we would have broken up before...this,” she said on a sob.
“Maybe we wouldn’t have. Maybe we’d have worked out our differences, whatever you think they are.”
“It’s not that we have differences. It’s that we are different. Paul, I meant what I said. I hope someday we can be friends. I’m just so sorry I embarrassed you.” And myself.
“It’s okay,” he assured her, but he looked like he was going to cry any minute. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and then walked out of the church, probably to go bleed out in private.
She put her fist to her mouth to keep from screaming, and the tears continued to rain down her cheeks.
“Come on,” her mother said gently. “Let’s get you out of this dress.”
She nodded. “Yes, then let’s get me out of here.” People were starting to leave the sanctuary, still talking. About her. She fled to the dressing room.
Once she was freed of her dress, which her mom promised to return to Angela, she left her family to clean up her mess at the church and went home to her dog. “Here’s a good boy,” she cooed as he met her at the door. “Are you glad to see me?”
“Rooraroor,” he said, tail wagging.
She knelt down and buried her face in his fur and he tried to kiss away her tears with his tongue. “It’s just you and me now,” she said. With no job and no future and, once again, no man in her life. Had she blown it when she walked out on her own wedding? She needed to go to the beach.
She changed into jeans and a sweatshirt and jacket, trying not to think about the fact that only half an hour ago she’d been wearing a wedding dress. The church, all the flowers, the people—the whole scene replayed itself in her mind like some stupid rom-com. Why, oh, why, had she given up her job and her apartment? Now she was stuck here in Moonlight Harbor as the town fool.
She and Nemo got to the beach to find that the sun had taken a bow and been replaced by the moon in all its luminescent glory, and it was making a glittering path across the water. A fairy path, Aunt Edie used to call it, and when she was a girl Celeste could almost see a troop of fairies pirouetting on the water.
A beautiful night. It should have been a beautiful night for her and Paul, but she’d ruined it. She shivered, and her dog whimpered, sensing her sadness.
“It’s okay, boy,” she said. Not really, but oh, well. She’d brought along matches and started gathering wood for a fire. She couldn’t bring herself to go back into the house. Couldn’t bring herself to go anywhere.
She had a pile of wood and was laying down kindling when Seth found her. “Want help with that?” he asked. Then, before she could answer, he added the newspapers he’d brought to the kindling she’d started to stack. “You know, it’s okay to change your mind,” he said as he lit the fire.
“Kind of waited till the last minute to do it,” she said, and her lower lip trembled.
“Better the last minute than too late.”
She sighed heavily and plopped onto the sand. “I feel terrible. I feel bad for Paul. Sorry for myself, too,” she added with a rueful chuckle. “But I also feel... I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. Not really relieved, but just, somehow, settled. Like I followed an instinct I’d been ignoring. Does that make sense?”
“Absolutely.” He sat next to her and let Nemo crawl into his lap. “It’s a big step. You don’t want to step wrong and go off a cliff.”
“He’s such a great man.”
“Yeah, he’s cool.”
“And so kind and thoughtful. Am I losing it? Did I do the right thing?”
“You know you did. Otherwise you’d be at the Elks lodge now, cutting cake.”
“The reception!” She’d run off and left the caterers dangling.
“Don’t worry. Jenna’s on it. She told people to go on over and enjoy the food.”
“That should be some party,” Celeste said miserably. “They’ll be able to entertain themselves talking about the bride who walked the wrong way down the aisle.”
“It looked more like running to me.”
“You’re so not funny,” she told him, but couldn’t help smiling a little.
“There, that’s better,” he said, chucking her under the chin.
Jenna was the next to show up, bearing their favorite old beach blanket and a couple of wi
ne coolers. “I thought I’d find you here,” she said, handing Celeste one.
“Sorry I left you to clean up my mess,” Celeste apologized.
“Not much mess to clean up,” Jenna said as she spread out the blanket for them to sit on. The caterers will take care of that. I told people to take their presents home.”
Celeste groaned. “I have all those shower presents to return, too.”
“I’ll help you,” Jenna promised.
Celeste let out a shaky sigh and moved to the blanket to sit shoulder to shoulder with her big sister. “I guess I blew it, huh?” She was sure Jenna thought so.
“No, you didn’t. No woman in her right mind walks out on her wedding if she’s really in love.”
“Maybe I’m not in my right mind,” Celeste said and took a draw on her wine cooler.
“It’s a possibility,” Seth teased.
Jenna frowned at him, then turned her attention back to her sister. “I’m sorry I kept pushing you to be with him. I guess I didn’t want you to end up married to a loser like I did.”
Celeste nodded. “I get it.”
Brody and Tyrella arrived next, along with Aunt Edie and Pete, Aunt Edie bundled up in a heavy down coat and a hat and gloves. “Is this where the real party is?” Brody joked and tossed Celeste a bag of Cheetos, her favorite snack.
“Yep,” Jenna answered for her. “Pull up a log, guys.”
Nora and Courtney arrived soon after, bringing chicken wings and coconut prawns from the reception. “Figured since you already paid for it, you should eat some of it,” Courtney said.
All that money. Well, at least the guests at the reception were enjoying it. “Is everyone talking about me?”
“Oh, yeah. Not necessarily in a bad way, though. Most people just think you guys got engaged too quickly.”
Most people. That meant some people didn’t have anything nice to say about her and she had a pretty good idea who they were. She ripped open the bag of Cheetos.
Pete produced a couple of bottles of champagne. “Thought we might as well drink some of this.”
The Summer Retreat Page 26