Page 101 of Five Alarm Love
Even the skies remained gray and heavy.
Chapter Thirty-Four
The last thingTuli wanted to do the next Saturday was escort Grandma Ruth to Deirdre and Calvin’s wedding.The city park pavilion, with the mountains behind it, made for a beautiful setting.Fall flowers and leaves highlighted the decorations in rust and gold colors.The late afternoon breeze was cool, but not chilly.Late September.No bugs.No rain.No snow.A perfect day.
Perfect for someone else.
He helped Grandma to her folding chair seat and glanced around, nodding and waving grimly at familiar faces.
Most of the men affiliated with the Koyukon village wore moose, deer, or caribou hide vests with intricate bead designs on the chest and back.Many vests had beaver fur trim.Tuli wore his best pale-tan leather vest with decorative fringe and a black button-down shirt beneath.
A few village women wore vests as well, but most had on the traditional kuspuk, with beautiful necklaces and earrings made out of colorful beads and elongated, smoothed bone.Several women also had feathers attached to their hair.
He recognized multiple staff from the hospital, some of whom were in traditional garb and others in business suits and pretty dresses.
The mix of colors and styles, all here together for a celebration, should have warmed Tuli’s heart.This was everything Yukon Valley was about.
His gut clenched.
Several rows up, he caught sight of a woman with beautiful dark hair, pulled back on one side in a beaded clip.Lou.When she turned her face to the side, her cheek and profile made him want to reach out and stroke a finger over her soft skin.
To one side of her was her dad and then her mom.And Gordy.The guy was looking stylish today in his brown vest with beaded salmon designs on the upper back.
On the other side of Lou?
Goddamned Hunter.
The asshole glanced back, caught Tuli’s eye, flashed a quick smile and a wink, then draped an arm over the back of Lou’s chair.Tuli almost climbed several rows.
“Something wrong, honey?”Grandma tugged at Tuli’s sleeve.She smoothed the hem of her special-event blue kuspuk with a butterfly pattern in the cloth.The trim had gold thread in it that picked up the light.The top of the slanted center pockets were finished with an embellishment that was unique to the local Koyukon village.
“I’m good,” he replied, patting her hand as he settled in the chair.
He snapped a few pictures that he would de-identify and save for later to promote the town, then he turned off the volume on his phone.
The music started.
Dr.Garrett—Calvin—wore a smart black suit.He walked from the side of the gathering to stand at the front of the pavilion, joining the officiant.A DJ played light, classical music that Tuli associated with weddings.A minute later, Aggie and Bruce marched down the aisle, arm in arm, looking every bit the proud parents.She wore a pretty orange-and-gold dress.Bruce wore a suit that he tugged at as he walked with his wife.
There was a moment where no music played.Per the program, this was a time to remember Deirdre and Mav’s parents.There were a few sniffles in the crowd.The Steens had made a long-lasting impact on the town, with their love for Deirdre and Mav.
Then the music started again, soft and rising.Murmurs and the shifting of seats built in anticipation.
Mav, in a black suit, appeared, arm in arm with Deirdre.Her flowy white dress moved in the light breeze, and her hair was pinned up with a few sprigs of delicate white flowers tucked into it.She carried a bouquet of colorful beaded flowers wrapped in decorated, tanned leather, courtesy of one of the village artisans.
Everyone stood.The whispered excitement created a swirl of happiness that flowed through the crowd, but only partially affected Tuli.
He wanted to ask Lou what she thought.Instead, he had to settle for agreeing with Grandma’s comment that Deirdre was beautiful and Calvin was handsome.
Only, it wasn’t their suit and dress that made them glow.It was the fact that they locked their gazes on one another and their smiles lit up the gathering.To them, the crowd didn’t exist.Only the other mattered.This was the end of a lifelong journey for them.
This was also the beginning of a whole new journey together.
Tuli gripped his knee.He wanted that.
He’d almost had that.
Up at the front, Mav kissed his sister on the cheek, then joined Lee in the front row.
