Sadie had managed to avoid Sam most of the evening. They’d danced twice more and mingled a bit. But he had plenty of family and friends to fraternize with—every time she caught sight of him, he was busy talking or dancing.
From her spot in line at the bar, she brushed a few tendrils from her face. A rousing country tune played and the dance floor was packed. Another group gathered around the bonfire on the beach. Smaller cloisters congregated here and there across the deck and yard. The sounds of chatter and laughter rang out in the space between songs.
All evening Sadie had felt dazed. Dancing with Sam hadbeen pure torture. How could this have happened? How had she fallen in love in only four weeks? More to the point, how had she fallen in love with a man who lived five states away? Instead of avoiding her parents’ fate, she seemed to be repeating it.
A mild breeze blew, stirring the hair at the back of her neck. She couldn’t keep avoiding Sam. But she was terrible at hiding her feelings. She needed to figure out a way to act naturally—neither spouting monologues nor staying mute as a block of wood. For crying out loud, how hard could it be to find a happy medium? She ran a hand over her heated face at the memory.
“Having a good time, Sadie?” Sam’s mom and dad appeared at her side.
Sadie pushed away her embarrassment and greeted the couple with a smile. “Oh yes. It’s been a beautiful event from start to finish. I adore a lively party. Mrs.Ford, you look stunning in that gown. I love the way the fabric falls around your legs.”
The woman smoothed the beige skirt. “Thank you. I was telling Dave how much I like your dress. It was just made for dancing in.”
“Right? Who can blame me for hogging the dance floor?”
“Not at all. I’m glad you’re having so much fun.” Mrs.Ford touched Sadie’s arm. “Honey, I’m so glad you came with Sam. Weddings can be so difficult—”
Mr.Ford put his arm around his wife. “Remember our wedding day, honey? It was very simple compared to today’s events.”
“It was a cake-and-punch affair,” the woman told Sadie. “I wore my mother’s gown, we used flowers from his aunt’s garden,and a friend offered to take the pictures—they actually turned out pretty good.”
“Don’t forget the canned music,” Mr.Ford said.
“It cut out as I was walking down the aisle.”
“Oh no. What did you do?”
“I hardly even noticed.” Mrs.Ford beamed at her husband. “We had love and that was all we needed. Right, honey?”
“You said it, sweetheart.” He kissed her temple.
Sadie smiled wistfully. Sam’s parents were so different from hers. So affectionate. “How long have you two been married?”
“Thirty-two good years,” Mr.Ford said.
His wife elbowed him. “Oh, stop that. We’ve been married thirty-five years next Saturday.”
“Well, they can’t all be good,” he said. “And thirty-two out of thirty-five ain’t bad.”
Sadie laughed at their good-natured ribbing. She imagined a sense of humor came in very handy in marriage.
Mr.Ford’s eyes caught on something down on the lawn. “Honey, Amanda’s parents are waving us down. We should go mingle with them for a while.”
“Duty calls,” Mrs.Ford said to Sadie. “Have fun, dear.”
“You too.” Sadie stepped forward in line at the bar. She was still smiling when Amanda appeared at her side, still looking fresh and beautiful despite her energetic dancing.
“Is the bride allowed to cut in line?” she asked Sadie softly.
“My friend, the bride is allowed to do anything she wants. And you should definitely take advantage of that while you still can.”
Amanda chuckled. “I like you already.”
They’d spoken briefly in the receiving line after the ceremony.She seemed like a nice woman. Sadie admired her confidence and the feline way she moved about, so lovely and sensual.
“Wasn’t Sam’s speech the best?” Amanda said. “It moved me to tears.”
“It really was beautiful.”
