Page 17 of The Sweet Part
He’s right. It sounds like he picked me up at a bar or vice versa. Not so much a friend thing.
He leans close. “Incoming. Don’t worry.”
The parents of the groom approach. Oh my God, I can’t believe I’m meeting Claire Jordan. She looks effortlessly glamourous with her blond hair up in a twist and her shimmery lavender dress. Her husband, Jake Campbell, looks like a more sophisticated version of his identical twin, Josh. His dark brown hair is cut short; his navy suit custom made to his frame.
Mason gives his uncle a bro hug and kisses his aunt on the cheek. “Uncle Jake, Aunt Claire, this is May.”
Jake reaches out to shake my hand. “Nice to meet you, May.”
I shake his hand. “You too.”
Claire smiles at me. “Very nice to meet you. You two look good together.”
I gesture back and forth between me and Mason. “Oh, we’re not a couple. We just met. He’s fixing stuff for me at the house.”
“We’re friends,” Mason says firmly.
Claire raises a skeptical brow.
I clamp my mouth shut so I don’t overexplain the friend thing. I kinda want her autograph. She’s older than me, I’d guess late forties or fifties, but the image I remember best from her most famous movies is when she’s closer to my age. That’s how I’ll forever think of her.
I realize I’m lost in thought, staring at Claire, when I nearly jump out of my skin as little hands grab my leg. I let out a breath and put a hand on Sophie’s hair, smoothing it out of her flushed face. “Are you having fun out there?”
“Yes. When’s the cake?”
“They’ll announce when it’s time. Sophie, this is Mason’s uncle Jake and aunt Claire.”
“Hi,” she says, barely looking at them. She doesn’t notice it’s Claire Jordan, but she recognized Mason right away? Kids.
A slow song starts. Jake looks to Claire in question. I make sure not to look at Mason.
Sophie grabs Mason’s hand and pulls. “You said you’d dance with me.”
“Is it okay with you?” he asks me.
“Sure.”
I watch as Sophie drags him out to the dance floor.
“Maybe you can cut in on them,” Claire says to me. She winks and walks off to dance with her husband.
Mason takes Sophie’s hands and tells her something. She steps onto his feet, and he starts dancing, moving her in slow circles.
She looks up at him and beams. My heart skips a beat.Don’t get attached.I’m not sure if I’m more worried about her or myself.
Within moments, the dance floor is packed with couples, most of them gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes. That’s nice. Reminds me of my family. My parents and my aunts and uncles all have long, happy marriages. I always thought I’d have the same with Rick.
Hailey joins me. “Hello!”
“Beautiful wedding,” I say. “You really know your stuff. I’ve never been to a winter wedding.”
“Thank you. I’ve done all kinds. Once I even did a Halloween-themed wedding.”
“That must’ve been interesting.”
She gestures animatedly. “It was so cool. We had cobwebs, skull lights, jack o’lanterns. The bride wore black, of course. The groom had a cape and fangs. Anyway, I haven’t seen you out on the dance floor. Why don’t you join me on the next fast song?”
I flush with embarrassment. “Sure.” She feels bad for me, being a stranger to most of these people. I didn’t think it would be such a small wedding, where Sophie and I are points of interest.
