Goodbye, Magnolia (Cornerstone Book 1)

by Krista Noorman

  Maggie and Sarah split up, taking pictures of the flowers, the cake, the place cards, every detail they could find. Maggie recognized the little favor boxes that Angie and Dina had told her about at one of their meetings. The two friends had spent hours putting them together, cutting ribbon and attaching the label with Angie and Steve’s monogram. Inside were white chocolate coated almonds. She snapped a few close up pictures of the boxes and a few shots of the entire table.

  When the girls felt they had captured all the details, they headed outside to meet up with the bridal party. They were nowhere in sight. Maggie glanced at her watch and wondered why it was taking them so long. It had been over an hour since they left the church, and the limo should have already arrived.

  A few guests stood on the front steps smoking cigarettes.

  “Did you see the bridal party arrive yet?” asked Maggie.

  One of them pointed at a golf cart. “They took off in those.”

  “With a photographer,” another man informed them.

  “What?” Her heart dropped and panic set in.

  “Did you see which way they went?” asked Sarah.

  Both men pointed out toward the line of pine trees in the distance.

  “Thank you,” the girls both replied.

  They hopped in one of the other golf carts and took off. Maggie had not worked at this country club before, so she wasn’t familiar with the course. She remembered Angie mentioning a pond toward the back, but she wasn’t sure how far back it was. They followed the trail that led from hole to hole, but when they reached the pond, there was no one there.

  Maggie stopped the golf cart. She was livid. “I can’t believe he did this to me. After all his talk about helping each other out.”

  “Don’t worry, Mags.”

  “And we discussed this with Angie. I was supposed to shoot some pictures before he took over.” Her hands tightened into fists. “Oh, I could kill him right now,” she spoke through gritted teeth.

  “We’ll find them,” Sarah assured her.

  They followed the trail around the rest of the holes, hoping to come upon them. No such luck.

  As the clubhouse came back into view, Maggie spotted Simon and the bridal party. He was taking pictures as Steve helped Angie out of the golf cart and led her by the hand into the building.

  She sped across the yard as fast as the golf cart would allow and aimed straight for Simon.

  “Whoa!” He dodged the cart at the last second. “What are you doing?”

  Maggie jumped out of the cart, her fists clenched again. It was all she could do to keep from exploding.

  “Where were you?” Simon asked.

  “You knew we were here waiting. Why didn’t you come get us?”

  “I didn’t know where you were,” he replied innocently. “I thought you were running late or something.”

  She glared at him. “I’m NEVER late for a job.”

  He held his hand up. “It’s OK, Maggie. I …”

  “It is most certainly NOT OK!” She walked toward the clubhouse, with Sarah quietly following behind.

  Simon followed them up the steps and reached out to open the door for her.

  “Stop!” Maggie exclaimed.

  “Listen, I covered for you. I did all the bridal party pictures for you while we were out there.”

  “You covered for me?” Her voice squeaked. She wanted to scream, and if there had not been guests all around them, she might have. “I can’t believe you did this to me.”

  Sarah slipped past them and entered the building.

  “What’s the big deal?” Simon was oblivious.

  “I didn’t need you to cover for me, Simon. I was here and ready to do my job. This is completely your fault.” She walked back down the steps, trying to avoid a scene.

  Simon followed her into the parking lot.

  She spun around and poked him in the chest. “This was MY wedding. I told you that.” She was physically shaking now. “I didn’t want you here at all, but I wanted Angie to be happy, so I went along with it. I knew this was a mistake.”

  He took a step closer to her. “Maggie, calm down.”

  She shoved against his chest causing him to stumble backwards.

  “Woah!” Simon’s eyes were wide with shock. “Why are you so upset?”

  “You made me look bad in front of my clients today, Simon.” Her eyes began to well up. “I looked totally irresponsible and unprofessional, and now I won’t have all those pictures to give them as promised.” Her chin quivered as she fought back the tears.

  “Maggie, I didn’t ...” He looked genuinely saddened by her words.

  She glared at him. “I have to go back in there now and finish my job. Don’t follow me.”

  She pushed past him and ran up the steps, disappearing inside the building.

  Maggie received numerous emails and voicemails from Simon over the next week apologizing and asking her to come look at the pictures he had taken at the wedding. When she didn’t reply to any of them, the messages finally stopped.

  On the following Monday, she arrived at the office two hours late after a morning dentist appointment. Sarah and Tom were seated on the sofa, holding hands, and looking contentedly at each other.

  Maggie grinned at the sight. Even after four months, it was wonderfully refreshing to see them together. She almost couldn’t remember a time when they weren’t a couple. Theirs was the “love at first sight” story Maggie had once dreamed of for herself, but she didn’t begrudge them that. It was the opposite, in fact. She was ecstatic that it had happened for two people she loved so much.

  “Good morning,” Tom greeted her.

  “It is,” she announced. “I’m cavity free.” She flashed them a smile and headed for her office.

  Sarah entered the room a few moments later.

  “Any messages?” asked Maggie.

  “Just this.” Sarah hesitantly held out an envelope.

  “What’s that?”

  Sarah pursed her lips. “Simon was here.”

  Maggie looked at the envelope, then back at Sarah.

  “He seemed really torn up about things.”

  “As he should.” Maggie sat down and stared at Sarah’s outstretched hand for a moment. She reached over and snatched the envelope.

  Sarah slowly closed the door behind her when she walked out.

  She stared at the envelope. Her name was written on the front and underlined three times. She slid her finger under the flap and ripped it open revealing a CD in a clear slip case. Sticking to the front of the disc was a Post-It note that read:

  Maggie,

  I feel absolutely horrible about the wedding. There is no excuse for it, but please let me try to make things right. Please use these pictures.

  I’m more sorry than you could ever know.

  - Simon

  Curious, she popped the disc into her computer. There before her were beautiful photos of the bridal party in several poses as well as some candids of the group laughing. He had taken the time to touch them up, and the files were all ready to show the couple.

  Maggie ejected the disc and tossed it to the side of her desk. She wasn’t finished being angry with Simon.

  The night of the wedding, she had apologized to Angie and Steve for what had happened on the golf course. They were quick to dismiss her apologies and express how grateful they were that Simon had taken the bridal party photos for them, even though it wasn’t what he was paid to do.

  She had barely spoken on the drive home that night. Sarah asked several times if she wanted to talk about it, but she shook her head and tried unsuccessfully to hide her tears. Never had she felt so uneasy, so vulnerable in her work. She was used to being in complete control, but Simon had thrown everything for a loop. Never would she let him or anyone make her feel that way again.

  June 27, 2009

  Dina & Alex

  Maggie couldn’t shake the feeling she had forgotten something. As she stood at the end of the aisle wai
ting for the bride’s entrance, she felt uneasy, antsy. What was she missing? She glanced over at the groom, who winked at her. Her parents were sitting in the front row, which seemed out of place. Her eyes scanned the crowd and locked on Sarah and Tom. She wondered why Sarah wasn’t in the back taking pictures of the bride. The doors suddenly opened, and the bride stepped through on her father’s arm. She reached for her camera and panic gripped her. Where is my camera? She searched behind her on the floor for her bag. Nothing. She couldn’t very well walk down the aisle to go find her camera bag with the bride walking toward her. Maybe she could sneak out the side. But she could not move. Her feet were as heavy as lead, holding her frozen in place.

  Then, she heard the click of a shutter, again and again. Crouched in front of her was Simon, taking the pictures she was supposed to be taking.

  A loud beeping sound interrupted the bridal march. Maggie glanced over at the pastor. She hadn’t noticed before that it was Pastor Jon, the youth pastor from her high school youth group. The beeping didn’t seem to bother him. In fact, nobody seemed to notice. Her heart raced faster with every beep. With every step the bride took, the beeping grew louder and louder.

  Maggie suddenly jerked awake.

  She groaned as she rolled over and hit snooze on her alarm clock. It had been a long time since she’d had a wedding nightmare. They used to come more often in the early days of her business, when she was establishing herself. She would dream that she forgot equipment or lost the directions to the ceremony, but she never dreamt another photographer had taken over her job.

  Her cell phone suddenly rang causing her to jump. In her haste to grab it, she reached too quickly and rolled onto the floor with a loud thud.

  “Ow! This is Maggie.”

  “Hey, Mags, it’s Tom. Are you hurt?”

  “Mmhmm. What’s up?” she mumbled as she rubbed her now sore hip.

  “Sarah’s sick,” he revealed. “She’ll be spending the day bowing to the porcelain throne.”

  “Gross.”

  “She feels really bad she can’t help with the wedding today.”

  “It’s not her fault. Tell her to take it easy and get well soon.”

  “I will.”

  Maggie rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. She had no idea how she was going to find someone to replace Sarah on such short notice.

  The next two hours were spent pacing and calling all the names on her backup photographer list to see if anyone was available. But everyone had their own weddings to shoot. It was June, after all.

  She plopped onto her bed, racking her brain for anyone she could call. Only one other person came to mind, and she really didn’t want to call him.

  Maggie stood just outside the entrance of Grand Rapids Public Museum waiting for Simon to arrive. Their phone conversation had been the most uncomfortable of her life.

  “Simon, this is Maggie,” she had said.

  “Wow! I thought you were never gonna speak to me again. To what do I owe this honor?”

  “Do you have a wedding today?”

  “Nope. It’s a rare Saturday off for me. How ‘bout you?”

  Maggie dug down deep for the courage to say, “I need your help.”

  “You need my help?”

  She could tell from the tone in his voice that he was shocked and amused at the same time.

  “Well, what can I do for you?” he asked.

  She knew he was enjoying this, and she paused a little longer than necessary.

  “Canon?” he broke the silence.

  She spoke quickly. “Sarah’s sick and I need someone to assist.”

  He chuckled. “You need an assistant?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, I don’t know. I had a lot of important stuff to do today,” he teased. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll try to take over the whole wedding?”

  “Knock it off, Walker. Can you help me or not?”

  “This is hard for you, isn’t it?” he asked with a hint of amusement.

  “No comment.”

  There was a pause on Simon’s end. “Where should I meet you?”

  She was grateful he agreed to help, but as she stood waiting for him, she wondered if she should have tried to go it alone. This might have been the worst decision she could have made.

  It was too late to turn back, though, as Simon rounded the corner from the nearby parking garage.

  She took a deep breath in and let it out as he strolled up to her. “Thanks for coming.”

  He took the backup camera bag from her shoulder and draped it over his own. “It’s the least I could do.”

  Maggie didn’t respond to that. She wasn’t sure what to say.

  “Shall we?” He opened the door for her.

  They walked into the museum, and she led him to the room where Alex waited with his groomsmen.

  “I’ll meet you before the ceremony.” She walked away nervously, part of her afraid to leave him alone, and headed upstairs to the room where the girls were getting ready.

  Maggie opened the door to an absolutely stunning Dina. She was a pretty girl, but on this day, she was glowing. Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders in loose curls and a tiara was pinned neatly to the top of her head.

  Dina and Angie greeted her with big hugs, as did Dina’s mom, Dina’s soon-to-be mother-in-law, Dina’s grandmothers, and Dina’s cousins. They were a very loving family, and she was welcomed in with open arms. Literally.

  The wedding dress was soon brought out, and the bridesmaids helped pull it over Dina’s head, careful not to mess her hair. Maggie stood on a chair to capture Dina climbing through. The girls talked and laughed as they zipped and buttoned her up.

  When the bridal party lined up for the ceremony, she positioned herself near the back of the aisle to get the best shot of both Dina’s entrance and Alex’s expression when he saw her for the first time.

  She glanced around the room. Simon was nowhere to be found. Figures. Her first instinct was to chew him out, but she couldn’t think about that now. She had a wedding to photograph.

  The museum’s first floor had been set up for the ceremony with rows of white chairs leading to an arch set up under the huge whale skeleton, the centerpiece of the museum, suspended overhead.

  As Dina’s father walked her down the long staircase and toward the aisle, Maggie pressed the shutter release on her camera, then rotated on her heel to get a shot of Alex seeing his beautiful bride for the first time. The look on the groom’s face was always her favorite moment of a wedding. Just as she was about to capture Alex wiping a tear from his eye, a large man with a camera of his own stood from his seat and stepped into the aisle in her line of sight. Her shot was completely blocked, and by the time he moved, Dina and her dad had passed by and were at the front of the aisle. The moment was lost. Maggie was beyond disappointed, but she continued on through the ceremony with no other hindrances.

  The guests filtered out after the ceremony for a cocktail hour in the lobby, while the first floor was cleared and set up for the reception. Maggie and the bridal party worked their way through the unique museum displays, taking photos as they went. After finishing up in the Streets of Grand Rapids exhibit, they made their way outside to the Blue Bridge, a pedestrian bridge over the Grand River, a popular location for wedding photos.

  Simon was still nowhere to be found, which infuriated her. He was carrying her other camera bag and in the front pocket was her list of specific posed pictures requested by the couple. She had no choice but to go on without it and hope she didn’t miss anything.

  The sky had grown dark as the day progressed and storm clouds threatened, but Dina was insistent on getting some pictures on the bridge before the rain came. The breeze picked up, and rumbles could be heard in the distance. The bridal party walked further down the bridge, some of the guys were goofing off, and the girls complained about the wind messing up their hair. Maggie wished she had her assistant there to help keep them all organized. She tried to work quickl
y and creatively, but the weather was a distraction to everyone. Losing patience and time, she hollered at them to line up and walk toward her. They did as she asked, talking and laughing as they walked in her direction. She then posed the bridesmaids, followed by the groomsmen, then the whole group together. A couple rain drops hit her cheek, and she knew they didn’t have much time left.

  Dina and Alex posed together, just the two of them, with the museum in the background. They leaned in for a kiss and a strong wind gusted. A sudden bolt of lightning struck across the river with an instantaneous clap of thunder, and the skies opened up.

  The girls screamed and ran for cover. The guys laughed hysterically. Maggie tried to tuck her camera under her shirt to keep it from getting water damage. Why didn’t I bring an umbrella?

  When they were all back inside, the girls scurried off to get dry and reapply Dina’s makeup for the reception, while the guys shook the rain off and went to mingle with the guests. Maggie escaped to the restroom. She shook her head at her appearance in the mirror. The phrase drowned rat came to mind.

  Once she had used all the paper towel she could find and was as presentable as she could get, she went looking for Simon. She found him in the reception area taking photos of the decorations.

  “Where have you been?” she snapped.

  “Right here.” He was taking a picture of the centerpiece. “I’ve been getting shots of the guests at cocktail hour.” He leaned down and took a picture of the menu cards. “I also got some pictures of the tables before all these people sat down. And right now, I’m getting detail shots for you, boss.” He looked over at her. “What happened to you?”

  She ignored his question. “You have my list.”

  “Your list?” He gave her a confused look.

  “For the posed pictures.”

  “Real pros don’t need lists.” He turned back to the table and looked through his camera again.

  She wanted to slap him across the face.

  “I got some good ones during the ceremony,” he bragged.