“The Hummingbird? Nice.” Colt swigged his beer.
I glanced wistfully toward the dance floor. My mother was holding hands with Daisy and DJ, twirling them in circles.
“I wish they’d dance together,” I said to Colt.
“Who?”
“My parents.”
“I thought they were divorced.”
“Separated.” My mother had asked Dad to move out three years ago. I wasn’t there. “Nothing to do with you,” she assured me when she broke the news. But like a little child, I couldn’t help wondering if I were somehow to blame. If I hadn’t gone to Nashville, if I’d been here when she was sick and needed me, would she have minded so much that our father didn’t help around the farm?
“They still love each other,” I said.
“Come on, angel. Even you can’t believe that.”
“Maybe not romantically. But we’re still family.” That’s what our mother said. “Families love each other.”
Colt tipped back his beer. “Not all families.”
Nothisfamily, I thought with a wave of sympathy.
Our tour of his flooded hometown last month hadnotincluded a visit to his mother. “She wants to see me, she knows where to find me,” Colt had said. His father walked out on them when Colt was small. He’d confided once that his dad had called a couple years ago, looking for money. No wonder Colt was sometimes a little cynical.
My family wasn’t perfect, but I’d never doubted I was loved. I was happy to be home where I was useful. Where I could hide.
Colt frowned at the photographer, snapping pictures of Eric’s parents on the dance floor. “They don’t pay any attention to you. It’s like you’re not even here.”
What a nice thought. Like I could simply disappear. “It’s my sister’s wedding,” I explained. “It’s not about me.”
“Don’t these people understand you’re a star?”
“You’re the star.” And then I realized. He was used to being the center of attention. Of course. I reached across the table. “I’m so glad you came.”
“Whatever makes you happy.”
“Aren’t you having fun?”
“Weddings aren’t really my thing.”
“The ceremony was beautiful,” I said.
“It was cute, yeah. I just don’t see what difference a bunch of words and a piece of paper makes.” He squeezed my fingers and smiled. “The way I see it, if you want to be together, that’s what counts.”
I held on to his hand and the smile. “A marriage is more than words. It’s the commitment. Eric and Jo belong to each other. They’re a family now. They have a child together. Children.”
“Kids, also not my thing. Not yet.” He swiveled his head, surveying the terrace. “Speaking of kids, how old is that DJ? Twelve?”
I glanced toward the DJ’s table, willing to be distracted.Not yet, he’d said. That meant he was open to children one day, didn’t it? All he needed was...A kick in the ass, said a voice like Amy’s.
Time, I told myself. I needed to be patient. I needed to be perfect for him. “A little older than that. He’s one of John’s students.”
Colt looked blank.
“Meg’s husband, John?” I’d introduced Colt to my entire family right after the ceremony. I couldn’t expect him to remember them all. “He teaches history at the high school.”
“Yeah, well, somebody should teach that kid how to make a playlist. This isn’t exactly a Marvin Gaye crowd.”
