Rows of white wooden chairs have been placed with precision in the grass. Mrs. Gibson truly outdid herself. The perfectly manicured lawn of her waterfront property looks amazing, and with the big white tent set up for the reception area, it’s the perfect wedding venue.
I’m in the reserved seats in the front row, sandwiched between my parents and my sisters, as we face out to the water. My brother and Danielle are under a floral arch at the end of the pier, flanked by the other members of their wedding party. Mike’s eyes are locked on his bride, and Danielle is glowing in her white gown. The gentle breeze flows through her hair as he looks at her with adoration. His smile is so wide, it practically reaches his ears. I’ve never seen him happier.
It seems like all of North Bay is here to witness the wedding. Somehow, Mike has become this town’s golden boy. Suddenly, he’s the rich professional baseball player who swooped in to win the heart of a local. Everyone here knows him as the stand-up guy who runs Narcotics Anonymous meetings atthe library. He’s the reason my parents are beaming with pride. But these are all recent developments. It hasn’t always been this way. Just a few years ago, he was a total screw-up.
But this day is a celebration, so I shift in my seat and try to push away the other memories with a shake of my head.
Jordan’s standing next to my brother, and my eyes wander over to him in that tan suit. When he glances in my direction and catches me staring, I startle hard enough to make Mandy start snickering next to me. I elbow her a little harder than necessary, causing her to grunt, and Dad turns to glare in our direction until we settle down. For the rest of the ceremony, I try to pay attention and ignore the way the unforgiving wooden chair is causing me to feel a dull ache where my tailbone tries to stab its way through the fabric of my dress. It really is a beautiful wedding, though.
Once the formal part of the day is finished and we’ve moved on to dinner and dancing, I take my seat with my family at a round table under the tent in our hosts’ backyard. I don’t know why Jake would want to leave this gorgeous place to share a tiny apartment with Jordan, but maybe the way Shelia Gibson is glaring at her son as he dances with Danielle’s maid of honor, Alice, is hinting at some family drama there.
Mandy’s sitting on my right, and she leans in close to whisper, “Have you talked to your love guru yet today?”
“Oh, I heard they’ve been doing lots of talking. I bet the sleepover was fun,” Mads cuts in from my other side.
“Both of you can bite me,” I mumble.
“Sounds like something you should be asking Jordan to do, honestly. I mean, look at the man.” Mandy smirks and turns toward him, and I swat her shoulder.
“Don’t look, he’ll see you!” I growl, but I let myself peek. Somewhere between the ceremony and reception, Jordan losthis tie. Beneath his linen suit jacket the first two buttons of his crisp white shirt are unbuttoned.
“Look at your face.” Mandy points at me, waving her index finger in a circle. “You totally want to make smasharoni and cheese with him.”
I sigh, exasperated. “What would the cheese even be in that scenario?”
She wiggles her eyebrows, causing me to immediately regret the question.
“You know what? Never mind.” I smooth my dress and pretend not to care.
“It’s true, though, and you know it. You’re jonesin’ for a bonin’,” Mads quips. When their joint giggle fit hits, I know I’ve lost them.
“Craving some depraving!”
“Good one. Hankering for a spank..ering?”
I roll my eyes while they double over laughing at their own ridiculous rhymes. Then I poke them both hard in their ribs.
Mom smiles at us and leans across the table. “Ooh, what are we whispering about over here?”
“Nothing,” Mads and I say together, while Mandy betrays me and tells her, “Shelley thinks Jordan’s hot.”
Mom nods knowingly. “I’m sure you aren’t alone in that, Sweetie. He’s very handsome, isn’t he? Why don’t you go ask him to dance? He’s just right over there.” She extends her arms and motions toward where Jordan is standing with several of his teammates.
“Mom! For the love of everything sacred, please do not point at him,” I beg.
Then my mother does what she does best and goes yet another step too far with her meddling. “Jordan!” she calls.“Yoohoo! Come over here and say hello to the mother of the groom. We haven’t seen you all evening.”
He smiles at her and starts walking toward our table while I groan and sink further in my seat, trying to disappear.
“Thirsty?” Mandy asks me, as she refills my water glass with a knowing smirk.
I kick her shin under the table.
When Jordan reaches us, my mom stands and wraps him in a tight hug. She loves him for the way he immediately took my brother under his wing when Mike first moved to North Bay. As far as she’s concerned, Jordan’s part of our family. I straighten up again, extra-aware of my posture.
“So good to see you, how are you doing these days without Mikey attached at your hip?” Mom asks, as though it hasn’t been less than a week since my brother vacated the apartment they shared. Before Jordan has a chance to answer, she keeps talking. “Have you tried the cupcakes yet? I heard there’s a story there.”
Jordan laughs. “Yeah, Danielle’s friends Jake and Alice went to pick up the cupcakes the day the storm hit. They were trapped together for three days. Now they’re looking pretty cozy together.” He tilts his head in their direction.
