I’d begged my mother to be my maid of honor, but she gracefully declined with the excuse that she didn’t want anybody to mistake her for a maiden. As if!
Instead, my friend Camryn agreed to be my attendant. Camryn loves fashion, so she wore a chic one-shouldered deep-violet silk dress by a designer so trendy I’d never heard of her. And spike heels—Camryn says she feels barefoot unless she’s wearing at least four-inch heels—even during a garden wedding in February.
Amy Vanderbilt probably never considered the idea of including a pet in a wedding party, but since our little rescue dog, Sweetie, is such an important part of our blended family, she had to have a role in our big day. Bo was proud and happy to walk her down the aisle, although he did state loudly that he thought the pink tulle ruffle I fastened around her neck was “disgusting.”
After we said our vows, my mother revealed her masterpiece—a three-tiered lemon pound cake with strawberry cream cheese frosting—topped with an ingenious bride and groom crafted by Bo—from Legos.
We cut the cake, had some toasts, and, when it got dark and chilly, we all repaired to the after party at the Sandbox, my mother’s bar in nearby Cortez.
I don’t know what Amy Vanderbilt would have thought of our second-time-around wedding, but I know, for us, it was definitely an affair to remember.
* * *
Grace was rushing around the bar, greeting guests, when she spotted a newcomer out of the corner of her eye. She threw her arms around the woman.
“Suzanne! You came back. I’m so happy to see you.”
“There’s no way I would have missed your garden party—and then to sneak in a wedding, well, what can I say? It was beautiful, unexpected, and so romantic, Grace. Like something out of a fairy tale.”
“Thanks,” Grace said, beaming. She gestured to the willowy young woman at Suzanne’s side. “And this must be Darby.”
“It is. Darby, meet our beautiful, blushing bride, Grace.”
Wyatt wandered up and wrapped an arm around Suzanne’s and Grace’s waists. “And don’t forget the blushing bridegroom.”
Darby was a slender brunette, two inches taller than her mother, but with the same striking olive-green eyes. “Congratulations,” she said shyly. “Mom’s told me all about you, and the rest of the group.”
“Look who’s here,” Camryn shrieked, enveloping Suzanne in a hug before standing back to critique her appearance. “You look amazing,” Camryn said. “How’s life in North Carolina? And the new job?”
“It’s good,” Suzanne said. “I’m slowly getting used to winter. And snow! I had to actually go out and buy a wool coat and boots. The job is good.” She glanced at Darby, who’d drifted off and was chatting with Camryn’s daughter, Jana. “Elon is a good fit. For both of us.”
Camryn leaned in, her eyes dancing with a mischevious glint. “And what about men? Are you getting any action?”
Suzanne blushed violently. “I’ve actually had a couple real dates. The men’s soccer coach. He’s a good bit younger, but…”
“Ooh, Suzanne. You’re a cougar!” Camryn linked her arm through Suzanne’s and Grace’s. “Look at us now, y’all. Grace and Wyatt married. Suzanne moved off and prowling around up there in North Carolina…”
“What about you?” Suzanne asked. “Grace says you left News Four You.”
“I sure did,” Camryn said. “There was a senior producer’s slot open, but I got passed over, so I up and left. I’m producing the six o’clock news at channel two. The money’s not quite as good, but I get to sleep in for the first time in twenty years. And I sub-in on camera when somebody’s out sick or on vacation.”
“Men?” Suzanne raised a quizzical eyebrow.
“I was seeing somebody, but it didn’t work out,” Camryn said. “That’s one thing I learned from my divorce. If it’s not right, it’s not right. Cut your losses and move on.”
“Has anybody heard from Ashleigh?” Suzanne asked, looking around the room.
“Oh, sure,” Camryn said. “You can’t keep that girl down. She did some work-release thing as part of her sentence for trying to kill her ex’s baby mama. She’s working for another plastic surgeon and living down in Naples. She has to wear one of those electronic-monitoring bracelet things, which she hates, ’cuz she says it makes her ankles look fat, so she has to wear pants and can’t show off her legs anymore.”
“Ashleigh would have been here today, except the idea of being around all the party stuff—you know, with liquor and everything, made her a little anxious,” Grace said. “She’s been clean and sober for six months now.”
“Really?” Suzanne looked taken aback. “I mean, you two are on speaking terms? After everything that happened?”
“Grace has a much more forgiving heart than I do,” Wyatt said. “I’m good with Ashleigh now, although Grace is banned from ever getting in a car with her again.”
Grace laughed. “She’s changed a lot since that day. I think it was a turning point for her.”
“You’ll never guess who Ashleigh’s AA sponsor was,” Camryn said.
“Who?” Suzanne was still scanning the room, looking for familiar faces.
“None other than Paula Talbott-Sinclair,” Camryn said.
“I wondered what happened to Paula,” Suzanne admitted. “I know you all might disagree, but I really think she did eventually help all of us in our group.”
Wyatt pulled Grace into his arms. “I, for one, am eternally grateful to Paula. Without her, I might never have met the love of my life.”
Grace rewarded her new husband with a kiss, then looked at her friends. “He’s a sweet-talking fool, but he’s right about Paula. If she did nothing else, she brought us all together, at the lowest point in our lives, and forced us to look at our attitudes and expectations about love.”
“Don’t forget what we did for her,” Camryn chimed in. “She might still be mixed up with that parasite Cedric Stackpole if we hadn’t exposed him for the scum-sucking dog he really is. I bet she never would have had the nerve to rat him out to the state if it hadn’t been
