10
Tom had beento his fair share of weddings in his life, and one thing that always struck him was how time seemed to drag on and on between the end of the ceremony and the official start of the reception. There was always endless waiting around while the photographs were taken, and no matter how well lubricated the wedding guests were kept, Tom usually always found himself glancing at his watch and wondering when the next bit of the day would get underway.
All that milling around and chatting to random people was fine as far as it went, but by the time the photographs were completed and the bride and groom were ready to take their seats at the top table for the reception, Tom was usually fed up of small talk with strangers and pretty hungry to boot. Wedding day schedules usually meant no one ate anything between breakfast and the wedding meal being served, other than a few canapes or nibbles, and he was always relieved when they could all sit down and get some food into their stomachs.
But today, Tom didn’t think once about being fed up with small talk with strangers or about whether he was hungry.
He was having too much fun with Carole to spare a moments’ thought for those things.
He was enjoying her company and enjoying getting to know her better. She was fun and funny, with an ease and grace that made him feel comfortable at her side, almost as if he’d known her for far longer than he had.
As they chatted at the bar of the function suite, it was like catching up with an old friend… and yet, at the same time, there was also the thrill of discovering more about her—who she was, what made her tick, what made her laugh.
Tom took to his job as wedding wingman with determination, especially once he got the measure of Steven Weaver.
Before Carole’s long-ago ex-boyfriend had even opened his mouth to speak, Tom had understood he was a slimy jerk. He just had that look about him. Keeping the guy away from Carole, at her request, would be his pleasure.
He could only wonder what she’d ever seen in him in the first place.
Their doomed relationship might have been fifteen years ago, but in Tom’s experience people didn’t really change much and he doubted Steven Weaver was much different now to how he’d been back when Carole was in a relationship with him.
He had cheated on her, after all, which meant he’d been a big jerk back then and was almost certainly still a big jerk right now.
As Tom and Carole chatted at the bar and mingled with other guests and relatives who she introduced him to, he kept an eye on Steven’s location, in case he decided to return for a second shot at talking to Carole. If he saw the guy heading their way, he wanted to give her a heads-up so she could take evasive action, if that’s what she wanted.
He hoped it’s what shewouldwant. Slimy Steven didn’t deserve another second of her time.
Soon, the master of ceremonies called the noisy bar to attention and asked the guests to make their way through to thedining area. There followed a slow-motion chaotic shuffle across the room as the guests funnelled through the double doorway and consulted the seating chart at the entrance to the dining room before wandering off to locate their assigned tables.
Once they were seated in the bright and airy dining room, Carole introduced Tom to the other guests she knew at their table. The table of eight included a couple Carole didn’t know, and more introductions were exchanged.
Waiting staff arrived to serve glasses of prosecco and sparkling cordial. Once everyone had found their seats, the master of ceremonies announced the bride and groom and led them to the top table while everyone applauded. The photographer dashed around, snapping countless candid shots, and then it was time for the wedding toasts which the bridal couple had scheduled to take place before the meal was served.
There followed half an hour of speeches from the bride and groom, the best man and chief bridesmaid, rounded off by brief but touching remarks from the parents of the happy couple. The guests raised their glasses after each speech, and all joined together in a good-natured cheer when the final speech and toast was over.
Within moments, the serving staff reappeared with trays bearing the first course. Tom’s stomach rumbled at the sight of the choices—broccoli and stilton soup or chicken liver pate with toasted brioche—and Carole laughed when he joked that as he was famished, he’d quite like to have both options.
The dining room filled with chatter as everyone dived into their meal. Music played in the background from the house system, adding to the celebratory atmosphere. Conversation flowed easily at their table thanks to the gregarious guests in whose company they found themselves, and soon both the starters and main courses were devoured, and it was on to the dessert and coffee.
“I can’t believe it’s almost six o’clock already,” Tom said when he checked the time. “The afternoon flew by.”
“It’s been a lot of fun so far,” Carole said, digging into her chocolate mousse. “We were lucky to find ourselves at this table with lots of nice people to chat to. I hope you enjoyed your dinner.”
“It was great. Your cousin and her new husband did the right thing when they chose this place for their wedding reception.”
“And we’ve got the party to come later. Are you any good at dancing, Tom?”
“It depends on what you mean by dancing.”
She laughed at his joke and the goofy air quotes he made for ‘dancing’, which pleased him.
“What I mean is reasonably coordinated body activity that happens roughly in time to the music, and in the company of someone else who’s doing more or less the same thing as I am,” she said.
“Ah, I see. Well, in that case, I think I can probably manage a few moves that won’t involve accidentally stomping all over your feet.”
“I hope not, because my poor feet have already been churned into mush thanks to these stupid high heels.” Carole winced and peeked beneath the table.
Tom followed her gaze and when she poked her foot out from under the tablecloth, he was amused to see she wasn’t wearing the shoes at all, which she’d kicked off at some point during the meal.
