“Thanks.”
Bobby, suddenly remembering his manners said, “Oh...um, can I take your coat?”
“Sure.” Carlie peeled out of the coat and watched as the boy tried diligently not to let the hem drag as he carried it upstairs. He looked over his shoulder at the landing. “You’re s’posed to sign the book!”
“The guest register,” Velma clarified, “when you have a minute. Now, come on in.” She touched Carlie on the arm. “The ceremony’s going to start in about ten minutes, so you might want to grab a seat pretty quick.”
The doorbell chimed and Carlie’s stomach tightened, thinking that the next guest might be Ben. Rather than wait for round two of their argument, she walked through the foyer to the living room where folding chairs had been set up to face the fireplace. Soft music drifted through hidden speakers to vie with the sounds of laughter and conversation flowing through the spacious rooms. Flowers and ribbons decorated the walls and stair railing and the scents of carnations, roses and lilacs mingled with an underlying smell of burning wood.
She recognized more than a few people. The Fitzpatricks, though separated, were together. Despite rumors of impending divorce, Thomas sat by his wife, June, and their daughter, Toni. As Carlie walked in, Thomas glanced in her direction. Beneath his mustache, his lips curved into a quick smile of recognition, but quickly faded and Carlie was reminded of all the times she’d met him as a girl—and how uncomfortable he’d made her feel.
Along with the Fitzpatricks, the Reverend Osgood and his family, as well as the Nelsons, Pattons, McDonalds and Sedgewicks, were already taking seats.
“About time,” a voice called from the stairs. Carlie’s best friend, Rachelle, was hurrying down the steps. Her mahogany-colored hair was curled and fell to the middle of her back. “I was afraid you were going to chicken out,” Rachelle teased. “Looks like I lost that bet.”
“You bet on whether I’d come or not?”
Rachelle winked. “Couldn’t help myself. There was this pool, you see. Heather, Turner, Jackson and I—”
“I don’t want to hear it!” Carlie said, though she relaxed a little at her friend’s gentle teasing. “And I hope you lost big-time—thousands of dollars. You deserve it. Besides, I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”
“Oh, sure. Remember, Carlie, I know you. I can just imagine how desperately you wanted to be here.” Grinning, Rachelle grabbed Carlie’s hand. “Jeez, you’re freezing!”
“I stopped for a walk around the lake.”
Rachelle’s eyes narrowed a fraction, but the smile didn’t leave her lips. “Getting your nerve together?”
“Something like that.”
“Think you can handle seeing Ben again?”
Carlie lifted a shoulder in nonchalance. “Now that I’m here, I guess I don’t have much choice, do I?”
“It won’t kill you,” Rachelle predicted with a knowing smile. “In fact, it could be fun.”
“Fun? Yeah, about as fun as having all my teeth extracted.”
“You might be surprised.”
“Don’t count on it.” But Carlie felt more relaxed than she had since she’d decided to attend the wedding. She’d been friends with Rachelle for as long as she could remember. “Friends for life,” they’d once pledged and so far, despite the miles and years that had separated them, they were still as close as sisters.
“Come on,” Rachelle urged, “Heather and Turner have saved us seats up near the front.”
Rachelle pulled on her hand and soon Carlie was standing in front of a folding chair facing the fireplace. She didn’t see Ben come in, but she knew the moment he entered, sensed his presence, as surely as if she’d watched him stride across the threshold. The air against the back of her neck felt suddenly chilled, but her shoulders burned where his gaze bored into her. Cold and hot—like dry ice. Ignoring the temptation to glance over her shoulder, she sat in her chair and watched the ceremony unfold.
Reverend Osgood stood before the fire as Nadine’s older son, John, gave the bride away. Then, while Carlie’s throat grew tight, Nadine Powell Warne and Hayden Monroe IV stared into each other’s eyes and pledged their lives and their love for all time.
To have and hold...from this day forward. Bits and pieces of the traditional words filtered through her mind, and she thought back to her own w
edding day, so distant now. She and Paul had stood before a judge and the entire ceremony had lasted less than ten minutes. Cold, stark, without feeling.
Just like her short-lived marriage.
Blinking rapidly, she turned her attention back to the preacher. “You may kiss the bride.”
Reverend Osgood didn’t have to repeat himself. With a rakish grin, Hayden took Nadine into his arms and kissed her with a passion and love that nearly melted Carlie’s bones.
Only one man had kissed her with the same blinding passion that Hayden so obviously felt for his wife, and that man was standing somewhere near the back of the room, regarding the ritual with jaded eyes.