by Cathie Linz
Fellow bridesmaids Skye and Lulu were waiting for them in the Tivoli Theater’s lobby.
Like Leena, they made the ugly bridesmaid’s dress work for them. Lulu cheated by chopping off the billowing sleeves. Emma wished she’d thought of that. Unfortunately it was too late to rip them off now.
“Father of the bride, reporting for duty,” Bob Riley said.
Emma had to admit that her dad looked great in his blue Marine dress uniform even though it was decades old. She was surprised it still fit, but their mom had admitted that he’d been watching his weight for the past six months just in case he would be “called upon.”
This was it. The time had come. Emma was eager to get things started . . . until someone opened the door to the theater auditorium and she saw the crowd inside.
Had every man, woman, and child in Rock Creek come here today? There had to be at least three hundred people here. And the aisle looked as long as ten football fields. Panic, panic, panic.
Stay calm. Remember you spoke to a large crowd at that conference for sociologists, her inner academic diva reassured her.
ot wearing pink ruffles and butt bows, her inner geek pointed out.
Emma didn’t even realize she’d done an about-face until Skye said, “The wedding is that way,” and turned her back around.
“No deserters,” her dad ordered. “Get a move on up there.”
Leena had already started her walk with Donny’s best man. But Donny didn’t have as many groomsmen as Sue Ellen had bridesmaids so the remaining three of them were supposed to walk alone.
Which was normally fine by Emma. She didn’t need a man’s arm to lean on. She could stand on her own two feet.
She just couldn’t seem to walk on them at this precise moment.
“Come on.” Lulu came to her rescue, hooking her arm with Emma’s and tugging her through the door and marching her down the aisle.
The next few minutes were a blur for Emma. Certain things stood out, like the reverberations of the theater’s vintage organ playing the “Wedding March” and the fact that she didn’t trip walking up the steps to the stage where the ceremony was going to take place. None of it seemed real. The rehearsal the night before had gone so smoothly that Emma hadn’t expected that moment of panic at the size of the crowd.
She thought she caught a glimpse of Roy in the back row but couldn’t be sure. She wasn’t wearing her glasses for the ceremony. Maybe she needed those reading glasses more than she’d realized.
Why would Roy attend Sue Ellen’s wedding? If he thought he could grab Emma’s butt again as she walked back down the aisle, he was very mistaken. No, surely Roy wouldn’t try something like that. Not with her dad, the former Marine, present.
So what was Roy doing there?
Maybe it wasn’t even him. She shouldn’t be thinking about him during the wedding ceremony.
She should focus on positive things like Cheetos, Dr Pepper, and Jake. Was he out there somewhere too?
She’d asked him to meet her at the Serenity Falls Country Club for the reception instead of coming here for the wedding itself. But Jake wasn’t real good at obeying orders. Not that she’d ordered him per se. She wasn’t bossy, not when compared to her sisters.
It didn’t take long before the minister said, “You may kiss the bride.”
Donny did and the crowd applauded, hooting their approval. Then it was time to do the
“bow-butt walking” thing back down the endless aisle. This time Emma accomplished it without Lulu’s assistance.
I am kick-ass sociologist, hear me roar.
Before Emma could savor her newfound confidence, Sue Ellen grabbed her by the arm and frantically whispered, “Help me, I’ve gotta pee!”
At which time Emma reached the conclusion that while sociologists might rock, this bridesmaid stuff sucked.
Jake parked in the Serenity Falls Country Club parking lot and walked into the stately brick building. He wasn’t a country-club kind of guy, but this one looked pretty much the way he’d expected. The place was packed with lots of people hanging around the lobby, dressed up in their wedding duds. He automatically reached up to make sure he’d put on a tie. Suits weren’t his thing so he had to make do with a new pair of black pants, a black shirt, and a burgundy tie that was already choking him. Hopefully people would think that he’d ditched a jacket because of the unusually warm weather. Not that Jake normally cared what anyone else thought. But he didn’t want to embarrass Emma.
Several strategically placed signs listed the various wedding receptions. He finally found the one for the “Riley-Smiley reception” and set out to find the Crystal Room. A nun greeted him at the door. “Welcome. And you are?”
“Jake Slayter.”
“Right. Well, there is no formal reception greeting line so come on in. The bar is in that direction.” She pointed to her right.
“Do you know where Emma Riley is?”
“I saw her around a short while ago, but it’s hard to keep track of everyone. I’m sorry. I should have introduced myself. I’m Sister Mary.” She held out her hand for a surprisingly tough handshake.
Jake knew who she was. One of his possible maternal candidates, Nancy Crumpler, was the nun’s sibling.
“You’re the extreme sports guy. I’m sorry but I don’t know much about that subject,” Sister Mary admitted. “I’m more into field hockey. I broke my leg three years ago in the regional championships. Those nuns from Sacred Heart are sore losers.” She shook her head. “As for professional sports, I am a bit of a gearhead. That’s NASCAR, you know.”
“Right.” If Nancy Crumpler turned out to be his birth mother, that would mean this nun would be his aunt. Jake thought he could live with that—a nun who was a gearhead.
Awesome.
“You shouldn’t hog time with our guest of honor.” An older man joined them, directing his reprimand at Sister Mary.
“The bride and groom are the guests of honor,” Sister Mary said.
“Sure. Whatever. I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced,” the man said. “I’m Walt Whitman, mayor of Serenity Falls. No relation to the famous poet. I wonder if I could have a moment of your time to speak to you about a matter of importance to us both.”
“Certainly,” Sister Mary said. “I’m always available for those in need of spiritual consultation.”
“I was speaking to Jake.” The man tugged Jake aside. “We’re not so dissimilar, you and me.”
“Really?” Looking at the older guy with the receding hairline and definite paunch, Jake didn’t see any similarities.
“I’ve got an interest in extreme golfing.”
“Extreme golfing? You’re kidding, right?”
“Not at all. I’m surprised a man like you isn’t more familiar with extreme golfing. Fearless golfers going to exotic locales to play the game.”
Jake just shrugged. “That’s not my thing.”
“Yes, well, extreme sports are your thing and word has it that you’re planning on building a resort of some kind in the area. I wanted to point out that Serenity Falls would be a much better location for such a venue than Rock Creek.”
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“Because we’re one of America’s Best Small Towns. I don’t know if you’re aware of that fact.
Thousands of towns vie for the highly coveted title. And they don’t make it. We did.” The guy puffed his chest out, reminding Jake of a penguin. “And that’s not all,” Walt continued.
“Maguire’s here in town is a nominee in Central PA magazine’s Readers’ Choice awards for best restaurant. Their sweet potato fries are the best in the world. Adele has a secret recipe. She’s a co-owner of the pub and married to our town sheriff. Not that you’d care about that, and I’m certainly not one to gossip. Anyway, I’m telling you the fries are not to be missed.”
“I’ll have to try them sometime.”
“I can take you over there right now,” Walt said eagerly.
“I’m
kind of in the middle of something here,” Jake pointed out. “A wedding reception.”
“Yes, but it’s not like you’ve known the bride a long time, have you?”
“No, but—”
“Then I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if you left early.”
“I think my date would mind,” Jake said.
“Bring her along with you.”
“She’s part of the bridal party. The bride’s sister.”
“Leena?” Walt frowned. “I thought she was engaged to the veterinarian and getting married in two weeks.”
“No, I meant Emma.”
“Oh, the other sister. She’s supposed to be the smart one, isn’t she?”
“So I hear.”
“You don’t know? You don’t think she’s smart?”
“You don’t think I’m smart?” Emma said from behind him.
Jake turned to face her. “That’s not what I said.”
“I was trying to tell your friend here how great the sweet potato fries are over at Maguire’s.”
“They are wonderful,” Emma agreed.
“Walt wanted me to dump you and go with him right now to get some fries.”
“Well, I wouldn’t put it like that exactly,” Walt said, turning red.
“Walt, are you making trouble again?” The woman who just joined them made the mocking comment.
Emma introduced him. “Jake, this is Nancy Crumpler, the owner of Crumpler’s Auto Parts.”
Also known as possible birth mother—PBM—number three.
“Nice to meet you,” Jake said.
“So you’re the extreme sports guy.”
“Right. Are you a gearhead like your sister?”
Stupid, Slayter. Dumb question. But he was surprisingly nervous.
“How did you know that about my sister?”
“She told me a few minutes ago when I met her.”
“Well, it’s true. I’m more of a gearhead than she is.”
“Is that why you got into the auto parts business?”
Nancy laughed. “No, that’s because my fourth husband left it to me when he died and went to that great racetrack in the sky.”
He knew Nancy had been married several times and had two kids by her second marriage.
They were in their twenties now and had moved out of state.
“So it was just a lucky break. Not that my husband died, but that I got the auto parts store,”
Nancy clarified. “Are you a NASCAR fan, Jake?”
“I’ve seen a few races on TV.” And he’d driven a Formula One race car around a track in Europe, but that didn’t make him an expert at NASCAR.
“I can fill you in. Just stop by the store sometime. Uh-oh, I’ve got to go. Come with me, Walt.”
Walt protested. “But I’m not done talking with Jake.”
“Yes, you are.” Nancy was adamant. “Leave him be. Can’t you see that he and Emma want some time alone?”
Walt looked around in confusion. “But this room is packed with people.”
“Don’t you remember what it’s like to be young?” Nancy took hold of Walt’s arm. “Come along now. Don’t make me get tough with you.”
Walt reluctantly went with her, calling back to Jake, “We’ll talk more later.”
Emma took a page out of Nancy’s book and took hold of Jake’s arm. “Okay, I can’t stand it another second.” She tugged him into the back corner of the ballroom. “I can’t wait any longer.”
His wicked grin should have warned her what was to come. “Just say the word and we’re outta here.”
Emma frowned. “Why do we have to go somewhere else?”
“Fine by me.” He lowered his head.
She put her hand on his chest. “Are you trying to kiss me?”
“You said you didn’t want to wait.”
“For your answer about participating in my research study. You said that if I invited you to the wedding, you’d agree.”
“I said I’d think about it.”
“That’s not good enough.” She snared a glass of champagne from a waiter’s tray as he walked by and downed half of it in one gulp. “I am wearing the most atrocious dress on the planet and I need to hear some good news. Right now. So no more jerking me around, buster.” She stabbed him in the chest with her French-manicured finger.
Jake raised an eyebrow. “Buster?”
“Just answer the question. Yes or no?”
“What’s your hurry?”
“I thought extreme sports guys were into speed.”
He traced his thumb along her lower lip. “Some things are better when you go slow.”
“It would only take fifteen minutes of your time.”
“What I have in mind would take much longer.”
“Get your mind out of the gutter and say yes.”
He laughed. “That’s got to be the strangest invitation I’ve had in a long time.”
“I am only inviting you to participate in my academic study regarding Rock Creek,” she said succinctly. “Yes or no?”
“Okay, fine.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Sure.”
“Great.” She hauled him out of the ballroom and down the hallway toward the main entrance.
“Are we going to celebrate now?” Jake asked hopefully.
“I stashed my bag in the coatroom . . .” Emma pulled him inside. Since it was in the high eighties outside, with matching humidity, the room was empty of coats, but there were a few tote bags.
She dug around in one with UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA printed on the side and yanked out several pages. “Here’s your questionnaire on a clipboard so it’s easy for you to fill out. And a pen. Look, there’s a chair right over there. I’ll leave you alone to complete the forms.”
“Why can’t you stay with me? What if I have questions?”
“I’ll be right outside. The sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll be done.”
“Why this sudden need for speed?”
“I’m not having a real good day. I don’t think I’m really cut out for this bridesmaid’s job.
But forget about that. Just concentrate on the questionnaire, please.”
“This isn’t your first time as a bridesmaid, is it?”
“What if it is?” She put her hands on her hips and glared at him.
“Sorry. Forget I asked.” He picked up the pen and focused his attention on her clipboard instead of her cleavage. That dress was a monstrosity, but it did show off her breasts in a way that made him want to see more.
Emma stood outside the cloakroom and tried to regain some semblance of calm. Several latecomers greeted her as they walked by. One said, “Do you realize that if your sister hyphenates her name, she’ll be Sue Ellen Riley-Smiley?”
“I hadn’t really thought about it,” Emma admitted. Did that make her a bad bridesmaid? A bad sister? Or both? No. No way. She was an exceptional sister and bridesmaid. She was wearing this awful dress and she’d helped Sue Ellen deal with a wedding dress that seemed bigger than a circus tent so that her sister could take a bathroom break. Several bathroom breaks. And the night was still young.
Emma hadn’t considered the fact that Jake would see her in this mockery of a dress. Well, it was too late to worry about that now. She needed to focus on the positive, which was that he was filling out her questionnaire. That was a big thing. A huge thing.
“What are you doing out here, Sweet Pea?” her dad asked as he joined her. “Waiting for someone?”
“Jake.”
“Is he late? It’s not polite to make a young woman wait.”
Hoping to distract him, Emma said, “You look great in your uniform.”
“Marines have the best uniforms on the planet. I’m proud to have been a jarhead.”
Are you proud to be a dad? she wondered. Despite the glass of champagne she’d consumed, she didn’t have the nerve to actually voice the question. Instead she said, “Did you enjoy walking down the aisle with Sue Ellen?”
“It was okay. Having all those people staring at me was a little nerve-wracking. Your mom is the people person, not me.”
“Right.”
“Well, speaking of your mom, I better get back to the reception. They’re getting ready to serve the food. Donny certainly didn’t spare any expense in footing the bill for this shindig.
They’ve got steak and salmon. Good thing all those people at the church didn’t come to the reception or Donny would be broke.”
“Well, don’t let me keep you, Dad. You don’t want Mom to get upset.”
“Right. And you’d better get back to the head table with the other bridesmaids.”
“I’ll be there real soon,” Emma promised. Unless she made a break for it. The front door was only a few feet away and it was so tempting. Her dad was far enough away that he’d never see her leave . . .
“Thinking of making a run for it?” Jake asked.
“Of course not,” she lied. She never used to lie. And this wasn’t the first time she hadn’t told the truth around Jake. What was it about him that brought out the hidden liar in her?
That couldn’t be a good thing.
He sure looked good though. He wasn’t wearing a suit, but that didn’t matter. His wow factor seemed to increase each time she saw him. And now she couldn’t even sit with him because she had to be at the head table.
“I put your stuff back in your tote bag,” Jake said.
“You completed the questionnaire?”
“Yeah.” He tilted his head toward the front entrance. “So which is it going to be? Stay or leave?”
Emma sighed. “I have to stay. But if you want to leave . . .”
“I’m not going without you,” he said.
“It could be a long night,” she warned him.
“You’re worth waiting for.”
His husky words stayed with her throughout the evening, through the toasts, through the dancing, which she avoided. Finally the crowd started thinning out and Emma felt she could make her escape. She giggled as Jake hustled her out in a hurry. He led her to a black Jeep Grand Cherokee and helped her into the front seat. The champagne was making her world swim a little.
Or was Jake responsible for that?
As they left Serenity Falls, she pointed to a sign on the side of the road. “The waterfalls that this town is named after are up that road. I used to skinny-dip there when I was in high school. You should visit the falls sometime.”