Page 16 of The Sweet Part
No problem.
She glances at me with a tight smile and faces front. A tension simmers between us and not the good kind.
The processional music starts up, and the bridal party makes their way down the short aisle. Things have to get better at the reception. Right?
4
May
The ceremony was beautiful. Shayla and Owen both choked up saying their vows. They fell in love at sixteen just like me and Rick. At our wedding, there were no tears or choked voices throughout the vows, only beaming smiles. We both felt like it was destiny after being high school sweethearts and dating for so many years. No wonder I’m afraid to love again. Love at such a tender age is precious. It feels wrong to even imagine my life with anyone else.
Now we’re in the ballroom for the wedding reception. The moment the music starts, Sophie dashes onto the dance floor. I’m half embarrassed, half proud of the way she dances like no one’s watching wheneveryoneis. She’s the only one out there.
Mason is talking to one of his cousins by the bar. Should I join her out there? I’m not keen on being the center of attention, but she’s my daughter. Sophie often requires me to step out of my comfort zone. I’ve been called in for little “chats” with her preschool teacher last year way too often. Sophie has her own agenda and sees no issue with following it. One day this will be useful to her in life.
A brunette woman around my age in a red dress raises her arms and says to Sophie, “Girl, shake it.” She joins Sophie on the dance floor, and they dance together. The woman takes Sophie’s hand and twirls her around. Sophie’s thrilled.
Mason joins me. “That’s my cousin Viv with Sophie. She loves kids. She’s a teacher at a Montessori school.”
I relax. Seems like a good person for Sophie to be around. “Sophie’s having a blast.”
“Do you want to join them?”
“Oh, no. I’ll wait until there’s more people on the dance floor. Dancing and cake were Sophie’s priority.”
He gives me a sexy half smile that makes my heart beat faster. “What’s yours?”
I watch Sophie. “Well, I guess to have fun and meet more locals now that we’re living here permanently. A lot of the people I knew growing up have moved away.”
“Sure. Networking for the inn.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. Just, you know, expanding my social circle. My family’s here, so I’m not lonely or anything.”Except for the long nights alone with my worries over Sophie, the future, and my career.
He tilts his head, studying me.
“Enough about me.” I glance at the dance floor. The bride and groom, Shayla and Owen, joined Sophie and Viv. “Shayla’s a radiant bride, isn’t she?”
“Yeah. They’re happy. They got together as teens, fell hard for each other, and then broke up. They both had a lot of growing up to do. And then when Shayla came back to town for an acting gig, they reunited.”
“Sounds like a fairy tale.”
He laughs. “Not as simple as that. They had their ups and downs before finally giving in to the inevitable. I always knew by the way Owen refused to talk about her or watch any of her movies or TV shows that he was still stuck on her.”
“She’s certainly beautiful, and she seemed nice when you introduced us.”
“Her inside matches the outside.” He jerks his chin at someone. “Come on, I’ll introduce you around.”
“Okay, but don’t mention the Serenity Inn. I don’t want it to seem like I’m scouting for business.”
“It might come up. They’ll want to know how we know each other.”
“Just say we ran into each other at Happy Endings.”
He’s quiet for a moment. “All right. We’ll do it your way.”
“Why did you hesitate?”
“Because saying we met at a bar sends a different message than I’m doing repairs at the inn.”
