Page 18 of Four Weddings to Fall in Love
“Carl!”Gladys yells.“Move to your left.”
“No—” the photographer begins.
I feel like a photographer ought to have better control over a group than she does, but I suspect most families are easier to wrangle.
Finally, she manages to get a few pictures.Then Dylan’s family steps aside so Mirabel’s family, which apparently includes me, can be photographed alone with the happy couple.
This time, it only takes three minutes for us to arrange ourselves, and it’s not long before extended family is free to leave.
Thank God.Time to pour alcohol down my throat.
For my first drink, I try the signature cocktail, which is a mistake.
Since the wedding ceremony and reception are at a lavender farm, someone apparently thought a cocktail involving lavender would be cool or clever or some such nonsense.
Instead, it tastes like body lotion.
And I haven’t ingested body lotion since I was Nolan’s age.
When I’m ready for a second drink, I look around the patio, searching for one of the servers with glasses of wine, and instead, my gaze lands on Max yet again.Why does that keep happening?
To my amusement, he quickly looks away.
I turn back to Yvonne.“How’s the wedding planning?”
This is my first time meeting Yvonne.She’s Carl’s fiancée, and they’re getting married at the end of the summer.I wasn’t particularly keen to talk to her—Carl is kind of an ass, so I was afraid the same would be true of her—but she’s pleasant.I’m happy to keep her company as I avoid my mother.
“It’s…” She sighs, sounding weary to the bone.“I’ll be glad when it’s over.”
“You planning a honeymoon?”
She nods.“Finger Lakes.”
A server walks by, and I snag a glass of white wine and have a sip.Yep, definitely better than that cocktail.
I murmur my thanks before returning to my conversation with Yvonne.“I’ve never been.Upstate New York, right?”
“Yeah.It’s been more fun to plan than the wedding.”
“Because you don’t need to please your family?”
She chuckles.“Perhaps.I—”
“Yvonne!”someone shouts.
I turn and see Carl, stumbling with a glass of wine in each hand.
Her lips thin, just a little, before she pastes on a smile.“It was nice to meet you, Kim, but I better get going.Talk to you later.”
As she walks away, I spot Max again.He attempts to duck behind a potted shrub, but he’s far too big for that to be successful.
Nolan runs over to him.“Are you playing hide and seek?I want to play!”
I stifle a laugh.
I hadn’t planned to talk to Max Mok, but with the lengths he’s taking to avoid me, I’ve changed my mind.
I don’t want to make him squirmtoomuch, but a little conversation could be fun.
