Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94624 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94624 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Sam gave Michael a gentle clap on the shoulder and kissed Sandra’s cheek. I hugged them both, and then Sandra was faced with my daughter.
“Oh, Hannah,” Sandra gushed, holding my daughter’s hands as she stared at her, “you look amazing. Is this a Carolina Herrera?”
“It is,” Hannah told her. “And I love your Vera Wang, very chic.”
“Thank you,” she said graciously. “I’m dying for you to meet all my kids. They’re actually at your table.”
“Oh, I can’t wait.”
Originally, Sandra had called to tell me that she wanted everyone to be mixed at the wedding, meeting new people, blasted out of their comfort zone, but I reminded her that asking for someone’s plus-one normally meant that whoever they were bringing was someone they wanted to spend time with, so perhaps, separating Jake and Hannah, for example, was not the best idea ever. She then wanted to at least move around families, but I again pointed out that having someone, again, like Hannah, getting up and down and up and down to come tell her father and me something, might, perhaps, be distracting. I was certain that other people would be the same.
There were ten people per table, so with us we had Sandra’s son, Oliver, his date, who was in the bathroom, then Sandra’s daughter Thea, the one going to Purdue, and her daughter Kitty, short for Katherine.
“I wanted to sit with my date, and Kitty had a friend coming, but my mother chopped us up so we could sit with you,” Thea said, sounding both surly and disappointed, the moment we all sat down.
“Well, we can fix that,” Hannah said quickly, getting back up. “Where are they?”
“Never mind, my mother will––”
“Where are they?” Hannah asked again, her tone brooking no protest.
Kitty pointed instead of Thea.
Hannah began across the space separating the tables, zigzagging between, and I noted the people looking at her as she passed. It made sense. The red floor-length gown made her eye-catching, as did her matching four-inch satin pumps. Plus, she was stunning.
“You need to follow her,” Jake told them. “She’s fixing this for you.”
Thea stared at Jake. “I didn’t mean that she should––”
“You complained,” he reminded her. “Go now. Hurry up.”
Both Thea and Kitty hopped up out of their chairs to follow Hannah.
“I should go as well,” Oliver said as he stood, only to be joined then by a beautiful woman in a gorgeous deep-blue, long-sleeve, off-the-shoulder maxi dress that fit like a glove.
“What are we doing?” she asked as she glanced around the table and saw my son. “Kola?”
“Luna,” he greeted her happily, getting up to charge around the table to step into her waiting arms.
She hugged him tight, molding herself to him, one hand in his hair like she’d done it a million times before.
I was surprised, Finn even more so.
“What’re you doing here?” he asked when he stepped back, not enough for either of them to let go, I noticed.
“I’m here with my friend Oliver for his mother’s wedding. I hoped I would see you while I was here. We just got in last night.”
Now, I had no idea what Oliver thought he and Luna were, but I suspected that “friends” wasn’t it from the sort of distraught, disappointed look on his face.
“Well, I’m sure Oliver can take care of the tour-guide part, but I’d love to have dinner if you guys have time,” he said, looking at Oliver.
“Certainly,” he replied tightly.
Kola then looked at Finn and gestured for him to get up. I had to say, before that, Finn was looking a bit gray and deflated and sad. But suddenly he was on his feet and around the table, and Kola eased from her arms to put one hand on Finn’s back, the other on his abdomen, and proceeded to introduce him.
“This is my boyfriend, Finn. Finn, this is my old friend Luna. We went to college together for a bit. She lives in San Diego now.”
And my brain made that jump. Oliver was working in San Diego as well. That had been where they met.
Luna did not want to shake Finn’s hand, but she did, quickly, while Oliver, on the other hand, was thrilled to do so.
“You remember Jake,” Kola said, indicating one of his best friends.
“Of course,” she said, and I noted how her eyes narrowed. “Jake.”
“Luna,” he replied with the same amount of disdain in his voice.
“Is Harper around here somewhere as well?”
“No, he’s out with his boyfriend tonight.”
She tried to stare daggers at Jake, but he just smiled back.
“Hey,” Hannah said, arriving with four people in tow. “You all just follow the waving and these nice folks will take your seats.”
“What’s happening? Why am I changing tables?” Luna asked, sounding annoyed.
“We’re sitting with my family,” Oliver said, taking her hand. “We can visit later.”
“Yes, but––”
“Need to be sitting,” Hannah insisted.