The Wedding Dance

by S. J. McCoy

  He smiled. “Sounds good to me. How’s your dad?”

  She nodded. “I called the hospital just now. They said he’s doing fine. Better than you might expect, in fact. They’re keeping him in for more tests and for observation.”

  “Did they give you any idea how long for?”

  She shrugged. “They don’t know themselves. It will depend on how he does, what the tests show. The last thing they want to do is to let him come home and have it happen again.”

  Ben nodded. “Will he be okay for the wedding?”

  She gave him a sad look. “I don’t know.” She sniffed and turned away.

  He put a hand on his shoulder. “I hope so, bud.”

  She nodded, but didn’t turn around. “Me too. He won’t be walking me down the aisle though. He says he won’t do it in a wheelchair. That Chance will have to do it.”

  “Oh, Miss. I’m sorry.”

  She turned around and smiled at him. “It is what it is, right? He’s still here, that’s what matters.”

  He nodded. “But I know how much that meant to you.”

  She shrugged. “It can’t be helped. I’ve just got to get on with it. I’ve got more important things to worry about, like what we’re going to do when he comes home.”

  “What’s he going to need?”

  “I don’t know yet, but he’s not going to be able to be by himself. He’s going to need help. I know he won’t want to come stay here. He won’t want to leave his house, but I don’t see how he’ll be able to stay there.”

  Ben rubbed his hands over his face as he thought about it. “Do you want me to put you in touch with Alice?”

  Missy stared at him. “Alice? Oh, yeah! The woman who stayed with Joe after his fall. Is she still around?”

  “No, she went back to San Francisco, but she keeps in touch now and then. She was awesome with Joe. I don’t know if she’d want to come back up here, but if she does she’d be perfect.”

  Missy smiled. “A woman who could keep Joe smiling while he was housebound has to be a miracle worker.”

  “She is. She’s awesome. Your dad’s got plenty of room. She could live in.”

  “Yeah, if you could give me her number, that’d be great.”

  “I’ll do better than that. I’ll give her a call and find out if she’s interested.” He smiled. “She had a soft spot for me, so if I ask her nicely…”

  Missy laughed. “Everyone has a soft spot for you, because you’re such a good guy.”

  “You still think so?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  He shrugged. “I haven’t been a very good friend lately, have I? I was avoiding you and Dan because of the Charlotte thing, and I wasn’t there for you with your dad.”

  She hugged him. “It’s not like that. I would have called you, it’s just that things got crazy. You’re always there for me, I know that. Just like I’m always there for you. That’s never going to change.”

  He smiled. He felt better now. “Good. I just wanted to make sure.”

  Dan came running down the stairs. “Are you ready to go, Miss? Oh. Hi, Ben.”

  “Hey, Dan.” He pointed at the doughnuts. “I brought breakfast and an apology. I’m sorry I’ve been hiding from you guys. I wanted to let you know that I’m here for anything you need.”

  Dan smiled. “Thanks.” He looked at Missy and then back at Ben. “I feel bad about the wedding thing.”

  Ben shrugged. “Don’t. There’s no need.” He smiled at Missy. “It is what it is, and there are more important things to worry about.”

  She smiled back and nodded. “That’s right.”

  “Well, I’d better get going. I’ve got a full day and I’m sure you want to get going to the hospital?”

  Missy nodded. “We’re going to leave as soon as Chance gets back.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Chance wandered down Main. He hadn’t wanted to sit around waiting while Missy and Dan got ready. He was too antsy for that. To Missy’s surprise he’d taken himself out for a walk. Normally he hid out at her house whenever he came back to the lake. This town had too many familiar faces, too many memories lurking around every corner. He didn’t want to bump into any of them. He felt different this time though. He was starting to think about making his peace with them—the memories at least. He wasn’t so worried about the faces.

  He’d walked the old road out by the river. That had been tough. It had been one of Chloe’s favorite walks. He’d done it though. And had actually smiled at memories of laughing with her as they walked. Chasing her, catching her, kissing her. Those memories were sweet.

  He knew now that his last visit here had done him good. And he knew that Renée was largely responsible for that. He decided to stick his head into the bakery and see if she was around. Even if she wasn’t, April would be there. He wanted to make sure she was settling in okay.

  She looked terrified when he walked into the bakery. “Does he know I’m here?” she asked.

  It took him a minute to understand. She was talking about her ex, Guy. The asshole that Chance had brought her here to escape. “No. Don’t worry. I’m not here about Guy. I’m here because of my dad.”

  “Oh!” Her relief was almost palpable. “Sorry. I must seem awful. I didn’t even think. I’m sorry about your dad.”

  “He’s going to be okay.”

  “Good.”

  “How are you settling in? How’s Marcus doing?”

  Her smile lit up her face. “He’s doing wonderfully. He actually likes school here, if you can believe that! He used to hate it up there. And he’s making friends; he and Ethan are really close. This was definitely a good move for him. Thank you for bringing us here, Chance. You’ve changed our lives.”

  He nodded. He didn’t know what to say to that.

  “How is everyone up there?”

  That was easier to talk about. “Did you hear that Mason and Gina got engaged?”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful news.” She smiled, but he could tell there was a touch of sadness in there, too. She’d dated Mason years ago.

  He hurried on. “And if you can believe it, Shane just got engaged, too.”

  She stared at him open mouthed. “Shane, as in, Shane Remington? Mason’s little brother, Shane? Ladies’ man of the valley, Shane?” She laughed. “No, I don’t believe it!”

  Chance laughed with her. “I don’t blame you. I’ve watched him and Cassidy get to know each other and get together, and I still find it hard to believe. But at the same time, when you see them together, you get it. They’re two of a kind, made for each other.”

  “Wow! Cassidy Lane? The artist?”

  “Yep.”

  April shook her head. “Actually, I can see that. They’d make a beautiful couple, and she’s no shrinking violet.”

  Chance laughed. “She is not. She’s good people though.”

  “Oh, I didn’t mean anything bad. I don’t really know her, but she seems nice, just…forthright, speaks her mind, doesn’t take any crap?” She smiled, “If anything, I wish I could be more like that.”

  Chance shook his head. “Don’t you go wishing you were more like anyone. You’re great just the way you are. Now you’re here, and away from…” he bit back the that bastard, he wanted to say and instead chose, “…that place. You can get to know who you really are and become more of you.”

  She smiled, seemingly surprised at his words; he was surprised himself. He wasn’t one for saying much of anything, let alone giving advice or support.

  “It is you!” He smiled as Renée came in from the back. She came around the counter and hugged him.

  He was taken so much by surprise that he relaxed and hugged her back—for a second.

  “I heard about your dad,” she said. “Is he going to be okay? What’s happening with him?”

  “He’s doing well, considering.” He checked his watch. “We’re headed to the hospital to see him. I should get going.” He looked at the banner on the wall announcing the women’s ce
nter. He looked back at Renée and raised an eyebrow.

  “What?” she asked, she sounded defensive.

  “I’m glad you’re doing it.” He really was.

  She smiled. “So am I. And sorry; I think I’m getting a little paranoid about the name. I thought you were about to criticize it, like everyone else has.”

  Chance pursed his lips. “I’m not one to criticize. I’ll offer alternatives if I’m asked for them and I see them, but that’s about it.”

  Renée smiled. “Well, I’m asking. Can you think of anything better? Something warm, inviting? I’d love to come up with something better than Summer Lake Women’s Center.”

  Chance laughed. “Damn! I will say you’ve got to do better than that, honey. That sounds like somewhere that smells of disinfectant. I don’t know, formal, institutional. That’s not what you’re aiming for, is it?”

  She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “No, it isn’t! But it’s all I can come up with. So help me out if you can?”

  Chance thought about it. “I’m not seeing any alternatives right now, but I’ll think on it.” He looked at his watch again.

  “I’d better get going, though. Miss is going to be waiting on me.” He looked at April. “It’s good to see you both.”

  April smiled. “You, too.”

  Renée hugged him again. “See you soon.”

  He nodded. He would; he was here for the week—strange as that was. Most important right now was to get to the hospital and see what the doctors had to say about his dad. He was in less of a hurry to actually see his dad.

  Chapter Ten

  By Wednesday evening, Missy was exhausted. She thought she had everything ready, but at this point she wasn’t sure any more. She shrugged. Whatever was forgotten was forgotten. All that mattered was that she and Dan and Scotty would be in Vegas this time tomorrow. Their friends would all be there. She sniffed. Her dad and Chance wouldn’t, but that couldn’t be helped. Chance was going to stay with their dad until Friday when Alice would arrive. Ben had called her and she was happy to come back to the lake for a time. She was going to live in and take care of their dad—who knew how long for. They’d agreed on a month to begin with.

  Chance would drive to Vegas Friday night. He would be the one to walk Missy down the aisle. She had to focus on the fact that that in itself would be special. She couldn’t afford to dwell on the fact that her dad wouldn’t even be there. Scotty had cheered her up a little. He’d given her dad one of his laptops and had set it up so that he’d be able to watch the wedding live on there—somehow. All that Missy understood was that Ethan was in charge of using Scot’s phone to video the ceremony and somehow the pictures would show up on the laptop for her dad to watch. He would be with her in a way, and that was something.

  She looked up as Dan came into the kitchen. “Are you okay, beautiful?”

  She nodded and went to him. “I am. I’m tired. I wish my dad could come. I’m worried about going away on our honeymoon and leaving him, but I’m okay. If anyone knows about making the most of things, even when circumstances are working against you, I do.”

  Dan looked concerned as he closed his arms around her. “We can postpone it all if you want. Wait until your dad is better and can be there. We can go on our honeymoon later. I want it all to be perfect for you. And right now, it’s not.”

  She shook her head, loving him all the more. “Real life isn’t perfect. It never will be. We can’t wait for the storm to pass; we just have to dance in the rain. Dad will be able to watch. Chance will be there to walk me down the aisle.” She shrugged. “It’s all good.”

  “If you really feel okay with it, we’ll go ahead. If not, we won’t.”

  She hugged him tight. “Do you still want to?”

  He dropped a kiss on her lips. “You know I do. But, Miss, us getting married is about the rest of our lives. It’s not just about one day in Vegas or a couple of weeks in Europe. It’s about forever. We can delay the day, postpone the honeymoon. It doesn’t matter to me. What matters is that you’re happy.”

  Her eyes filled with tears. “I love you so much. I am happy. I’m happy with you. That’s what it’s all about. I don’t want to delay the day. I want to be married to you.” She wrinkled her nose. “Do you mind if we hang fire on the honeymoon, though? I want to know dad’s okay before we fly a million miles away.”

  Dan’s eyes twinkled as he smiled down at her. “I was hoping you’d say that. I wouldn’t feel right leaving the country just yet either.”

  Scot came into the kitchen and smiled at them. “Can you two put each other down for a minute? You’re going to be married soon; you’re going to have to stop doing that!”

  Missy laughed. “Wherever you got the idea that married people don’t hug and kiss each other, you’d better change it.”

  Scot grinned. “I’m only teasing. I just want you to listen to my speech. I think I’ve got it right now. I talked to Uncle Jack on the phone again, and I think we nailed it.”

  Missy grinned. Jack had been helping the kid whenever he could, and, in between times, they’d been talking on the phone.

  Dan grinned at him. “Tell you what, how about you help me finish packing and then we’ll all sit down and hear it.”

  Missy smiled to herself. She knew Scot hadn’t finished packing. If she asked him to, it would be considered nagging. The fact that Dan had to finish getting his own bag ready made them co-conspirators and Scot was happy to go along with it. She went back into the living room as they ran off upstairs.

  The sound of the doorbell startled her and she went to see who it was. She was surprised to see Michael standing there.

  “Hey, critter.”

  “Hi, come on in.”

  He shook his head. “I can’t stop. I just wanted to drop these off. I don’t know if you’ll want them, but…” he shrugged. “You can borrow them if you like.”

  Missy’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at the box he held out.

  “Oh, Michael!”

  “Now don’t go getting all teary on me. Just tell me to bugger off if you don’t want them,” he said with a wink.

  She smiled. “I’d love to borrow them. I just can’t believe you remembered.”

  He shrugged. “Mom brought them out when Megan and I said we were getting married. Kenzie had already bought Megan some wedding jewelry years ago, apparently. She wants to wear those. As soon as I saw these, I remembered when we used to go to my Granny’s and how much you used to love her pearls.”

  Missy nodded. “God, it has to be twenty years ago that she told me they could be my something borrowed when I got married.”

  He nodded. “I reckoned maybe you’ve already got earrings and a necklace and that lined up, but I thought it’d at least make you smile to see these again.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “Thought you might need a smile after this week with your dad and everything.”

  She nodded and swallowed. “Thanks, Michael. Are you sure you don’t want to come in?”

  He shook his head. “I should get on home.”

  “Are you okay?” Something about him wasn’t quite right, but she didn’t know what. “How are the preparations going at your house?”

  He smiled, but it wasn’t his usual smile. “Everything’s just great.”

  She wrinkled her nose at him. “I cry bullshit, Morgan. Tell me what’s wrong, already. You know you can’t fool me.”

  He shrugged and hung his head. “I dunno, critter. It’s probably just me, but it feels like Megan’s getting cold feet. She’s not right. She’s getting quieter and quieter by the day.”

  “She’s probably just nervous. I know I am.”

  Michael lifted his head and raised an eyebrow. “You’re not exactly quiet and withdrawn, though, are you? Even with everything else you’ve got going on.”

  She laughed. “I wouldn’t know how to be quiet and withdrawn. It’s not my way and you know it. I’m a chatterbox; if anything, I’m talking even more than usual. I think w
e all do that when we’re stressed or nervous. Our personalities become exaggerated. For me that means I talk even more; for Megan that would mean she’d talk even less.” She was trying to reassure him, and though he smiled, she could tell it wasn’t working. “Has she said there’s anything wrong?”

  He shook his head. “Nope, but she’s hiding something that’s worrying her. I know it. I know her, Miss.”

  “Do you want me to talk to her?”

  The shake of his head said no, but his eyes said, yes please. “When would you even have time?”

  She laughed. “I have no idea. But I’ll make some. There has to be a minute where I can drag her off, just the two brides-to-be, for a chat.”

  Michael nodded. “If you can, that’d be great. Don’t worry if you can’t though. It’s probably just me. Anyway…” He thrust the box into her hands. “Here you go. Mom sends her love with them as well. She remembered, too, as soon as I mentioned it.”

  Missy took them and smiled. “Thank you. I will wear them.” She smiled up at him. “This means the world to me.” She reached up to give him a hug.

  She laughed at the sound of Dan’s voice behind her. “Get your hands off my wife!”

  Michael laughed and hugged her tighter. “She’s not your wife yet, mate.”

  Dan laughed. “Why do I have a feeling of déjà vu about this moment?”

  Missy smiled and went to put her arms around him. “Well you’re not leaving this time,” she said, remembering the first time Dan had walked her home and Michael had shown up on the doorstep and scared him off.

  He smiled down at her and then at Michael. “Damned straight, I’m not. Never again.”

  Michael grinned at him. “You’re welcome, by the way. Who knows how long it would have taken you to get your act together if I hadn’t shown up.”

  Dan grinned back. “I would have gotten there, but yeah, thanks. Are you coming in?”

  Michael shook his head. “I need to get home. I guess I’ll see you guys in Vegas.”

  “You will, and don’t worry. I’ll have a talk with Megan,” said Missy.