The song ended, and then, several songs later, the night ended. One of the actresses from a recent acclaimed film ran outside to throw up in the snow, and another guy audibly broke up with his girlfriend in the corner. Ursula and Orion had spent the majority of the last hour stuffing Christine’s cake in one another’s face and making out with reckless abandon.
“I think it’s safe to say this party went off the rails,” Christine said, her eyes on the couple.
“It started off the rails. I don’t know where we are now,” Everett said. “How did Zach hold up, by the way?”
“I thought he was going to throw a knife earlier, but now he and the servers are partying in the kitchen,” Christine said. “The man knows how to cook, though. He outdid himself today. And he says he’ll take us on vacation next week. I could use a beach somewhere. Especially before the baby comes.” She beamed at Audrey.
Charlotte and Everett hovered out on the porch and watched the guests as they filtered back into their taxis and limos, returning to the hotels and inns across the island. Those who stayed on at the mansion had already headed up to their rooms, and the ballroom was slowly clearing out.
“This was one of the wildest weekends of my life,” Everett said. His eyes caught hers.
Charlotte’s heart thudded. This was the moment, wasn’t it? The moment every girl waited for.
“I hate that I have to leave tomorrow,” Everett said.
“Los Angeles awaits,” Charlotte said.
Everett paused for a moment, then swept forward and delivered a perfect kiss—the kind of kiss that made Charlotte weak in the knees. Her eyes closed and the world slowed down around her. She no longer heard the screaming celebrities; she no longer remembered the stress of the day.
The only thing that mattered was this moment.
And all too soon, the kiss ended. Charlotte watched in shock and awe as Everett nodded and said, “I’ll see you when I see you,” and cut out across the snow, ducking into the taxi furthest away.
Charlotte was sure she would never see him again.
But he had given her something she hadn’t thought she would ever feel again.
Now, she had hope.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Everett stood at the magazine and newspapers stand in LAX the following evening.
In his right hand, he still held onto Charlotte’s Uncle Wes’s massive winter coat from the seventies. He had only realized that mistake when he had been halfway through his drive from Falmouth to Boston, midway through the day. “Shoot,” he had muttered as he’d stripped it off at airport security.
“Where you headed?” the woman at security had asked him.
“LA,” he’d told her.
“I guess you won’t need that coat all the way over there,” she’d said with a funny smile.
“No. I guess not.”
Now, his heart ached with the memories of the last few days.
It had been a whirlwind, from that first chance encounter of Lola and Christine at one of the local bars to the gorgeous Thanksgiving dinner celebration at the Sheridan house, then on through the weekend, until that final kiss the night before.
He hadn’t braved contacting Charlotte that morning. She had told him about her husband—something he hadn’t expected her to do, as it was clearly very difficult for her to talk about—and he hadn’t fully known if that was some kind of invitation? Some kind of, I’m interested in you and I want you to hear my story? There was no way to say.
On the flight, it had occurred to Everett that, since Charlotte had been married for around twenty years, she probably hadn’t dated much. Could he attribute all his confusion around it to the fact that she just hadn’t known what to say or do?
His eyes scanned the newspapers until he dragged one out the Sunday New York Times, still one of the most-sought-after newspapers in a world that was much more fascinated with online publications these days. He bought the newspaper from the guy at the counter and sat on the bench nearby. People in front of him walked down the hallway quickly, their eyes focused, their bags dragging behind them. For whatever reason, Everett didn’t feel any big rush to get back to his Silver Lake apartment.
Oscar-Winning Actress and NBA Basketball Player Tie the Knot in Secret Ceremony
The article was in the Social section. There was so much to say that the writer had managed to fill an entire page. A photo that was nearly identical to the one Everett had taken—when Ursula and Orion had burst back into the reception after their official ceremony at the chapel—graced the page.
This wasn’t your average, everyday marriage between two millionaires on Martha’s Vineyard.
I know it doesn’t sound like it should be any different. Maybe, on paper, it wasn’t. There were certainly thousand-dollar bottles of champagne, gorgeous details on the Christmas trees, a string quintet, celebrities from twenty different countries and fifty different films and TV shows, and several music performers with top Spotify ratings.
This reporter assumed that it would be just another wedding.
But it wasn’t. In fact, for the majority of Saturday, most of the guests assumed the entire wedding was canceled. Ursula Pennington herself stormed into the reception area and announced it, then immediately downed a bottle of champagne.
It was strange for Everett to read the events back to himself. It felt almost as though the things that had happened had been a part of someone else’s life. He skimmed down a bit more before he caught sight of Charlotte’s name.
Charlotte Hamner, a remarkable newfound force in the wedding industry, did the best she could with what she had. Her décor was immaculate; the parties were stunning. But beyond this, a source close to the actress herself states that Charlotte brought Ursula and Orion to a nearby chapel for the ceremony itself, after they decided to marry after all. It’s this commitment to unique detail, according to some, that led Ursula to hire the woman in the
