A familiar voice called my name, and I saw my parents walking toward me. They were dressed formally, my dad in a suit and my mom in one of the dresses she wore to church.
My mom squeezed my hand when I got close. “We wondered where you went. We haven’t seen you since lunch.”
“Just around. I took a little tour of the island before I got ready.”
“You look nice,” my dad said quietly. He always spoke softly, which was ironic because he snored like a jackhammer. It was the only reason I wasn’t begging my parents to let me stay in their room with them.
“Thanks,” I said. The dress I was wearing actually fit me well, which was because I made it. I wore a size D bra, and my breasts had developed quite early when I was a girl. The last fifteen years had been a constant battle to find tops that fit. The fight had gotten easier—though still not easy—once I took up sewing. The dress I wore tonight was a dusky rose color that I thought looked nice with my skin tone, which a friend had once told me was like peaches and cream. It had a Queen Anne neckline which meant it had triangular straps that covered my shoulders. With my top-heavy figure, strapless bras weren’t an option. I needed more support than that.
Even though it wasn’t the most conventional style for a young woman, I liked the dress. The part that covered my breasts looked like the top of a heart. The dress nipped in at the waist and then flared out at my hips. I hoped it gave me an hourglass figure, or at least the illusion of one. And hopefully the high-heeled sandals I’d strapped on gave my legs some shape.
I chatted with my parents for a while longer. It really was a lovely night. The grounds looked so nice, and the temperature was perfect. I wasn’t at all cold even though my arms were bare.
After my parents moved on to talk to other guests, a waiter passed by with a tray of champagne. I almost never had the chance to have the sweet, bubbly drink, and I wasn’t about to miss this one. As I sipped the amazing liquid, I walked slowly around the area. The landscaping was beautiful, though it was clear that there had been recent high winds in the area. There were vibrant plants everywhere, some in planters and others scattered in rock gardens.
The sound of running water led me to a little raised garden bed that had small trees and plants as well as a little waterfall. The water dropped down a rock wall and into a little pond. A small stream flowed out of the pond and when I followed it around the plant bed, I was delighted to see that it flowed off the edge and into one of the pools below. This one was an infinity pool. It looked as if the water at the far side flowed right over the edge of the earth. The only thing you could see beyond it was the ocean.
Then, I felt a presence behind me. Before I could turn around, a voice said, “Care to dance, lovely lady?”
5
Maddie
My heart skipped a beat at the sound of a familiar masculine voice, though with the sound of the little waterfall, it had been a little hard to hear. With a quick inhalation, I turned, wondering if it was one of my rescuers from before. I broke into a smile when I saw my future brother-in-law. “Doug!”
“Hi,” he said with a sweet smile. He looked like a proper groom in his dark suit.
“You’re not supposed to dance with me tonight,” I said, in a mock scolding voice.
“Can if I want to,” he said as he held out his hand.
Smiling, I took it and followed him to a wooden dance floor along the far end of the reception area.
I turned to him and put my free hand on his shoulder as he placed his lightly on my back. “This place is perfect,” I said as we began to move to the music.
“I’m glad you think so. I just knew Gina would love it. I mean, I hoped that your whole family would.”
I grinned. Doug was a very considerate man, but it was clear that Gina was the focus of his world. My sister was a very lucky woman. “You must’ve been beside yourself when it looked like we wouldn’t be able to come here after the hurricane.” I hadn’t seen him much during that time because I’d spent nearly every waking hour I wasn’t at work looking for an alternate location.
A line creased Doug’s wide forehead. “I’m just glad it all worked out. Your sister deserves a wedding like this.”
“So do you.” It was funny, but Doug had never really seemed into material things. When Gina had first met him, he’d lived in a modest apartment with an older-model car. He wasn’t a big spender, and he’d seemed so normal. Maybe a little too normal. My face broke into a smile.