“Eric needed another groomsman,” Grant said under his breath. Kate had to snap her mouth closed because now they were walking down the aisle.
She took her spot off the bride’s side and waited for everyone else to take their place. Then the music played, and Ginny walked down the aisle. She looked stunning. She wore a 1920s-inspired lacy dress. Kate looked over, and Eric was crying. Grant gave Kate a soft look. A part of her wished it were their wedding day. She sighed wistfully and let herself be carried away by the magic of the ceremony.
Afterward, they went out to take pictures, then they were finally able to go to cocktail hour. Grant and his cousins all hung together. They had a flock of people around them, wanting to say hello or ask them about the military. Periodically, Grant would look over at her and grin. She wanted to drift off in the magic of the wedding—she loved weddings—but the situation with Alan was a dark undercurrent on her mood.
“I believe we’re seated together,” Grant said to her while she was bent over the front table near the entrance to the room where the reception would take place. He handed her the card with her name on it. After escorting her to their table, he pulled out her seat and helped her sit down. “I hope the food’s good.”
“It should be,” Kate said. “Their restaurant here is one of the best in the region.”
Grant took another sip of his cocktail.
“Or you could just drink so much that you don’t even taste it,” she added.
“I’m not drinking that much,” he said and draped an arm around the back of her chair, stretching his legs out comfortably.
The wedding reception passed by, following the familiar format. Kate got teary-eyed at the father-daughter dance. Even if she did ever get married, her own father would probably not come. He had moved in with his mistress and promptly started a new family when Kate was still in grade school, and she had gotten barely more than a few phone calls and dinners with him since then.
Ginny looked radiant. After her first dance with Eric, she started pulling people out on the floor. “It’s a party!” she said. “Turn up the music!” She danced with all the groomsmen then all the bridesmaids.
Kate was laughing as Ginny swung her around then practically threw her into Grant’s arms.
“Hi,” he said.
Kate smiled up at him. She was more than a little tipsy.
“And you were telling me not to drink too much,” he said, his face close enough to hers that she tilted back her head and kissed him.
“It’s a wedding.” Kate giggled, leaning into him. “You’re supposed to go all out.”
Grant led Kate around on the dance floor.
“I want this for us,” he said when the DJ switched to a slow song.
Kate wanted it too. She looked around. Who was she kidding? She had missed the rehearsal dinner to give money to the professor whom she had believed when he said he wasn’t married and who was now blackmailing her. Her life was a disaster. She couldn’t drag any innocent bystanders in.
“I need to powder my nose,” she muttered and pulled away from Grant.
Chapter 58
Grant
Grant tried to follow Kate, but Brandy snuck up and insisted on dancing with him. When he finally disentangled himself from her and went to go sit with his cousin, he didn’t see Kate anywhere. Maybe she would come back.
“So,” said Carter, plunking a bottle of bourbon down next to him. “When are you and Kate gonna, you know?”
“I don’t know,” Grant said. “Maybe I’ve been misreading the signs.”
Carter shook his head and said, “My dad said you guys were spending a lot of time together.”
“I don’t know if that’s accurate,” Grant replied. “A lot of it was for work.”
“Well, I only hear these things secondhand from Mark since, you know, he hates me,” Carter said too casually.
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Grant said, not believing his own lie.
“Screw it,” Carter said tossing back his drink. “One of us needs to have a happy ending tonight. We’re going to find Kate. She’s the love of your life, and you need to go for it, cuz.”
“Leave him alone, Carter,” Mark said, coming over to the table.
