Page 4 of Accidental Wedding Crasher
The prospect of another four hours in the car wasn’t appealing at all. She was tired and hungry after driving all the way out here, but she couldn’t stick around at the wedding she’d crashed, either.
As people began to stand, stretch, and chat with each other, Mia got to her feet and slung her purse over her shoulder.
“So, I’m Genevieve’s Aunt Evie,” one of the middle-aged women said, tapping Mia’s shoulder. “How do you know the happy couple?”
“Oh, you know, from here and there.” Mia winced internally as she tightened her grip on her purse strap. Luckily, Aunt Evie didn’t seem to think her answer was too odd.
“It was a beautiful ceremony, wasn’t it?” Aunt Evie asked, beaming. “Now, tell me, are you here alone?”
Mia tried not to groan. This wasn’t even her friend’s wedding, and she was still getting the third degree from relatives she’d never met before.
“Um…” Mia waved a hand vaguely.
“I’m sure I could set you up if you are here alone. I’m something of a matchmaker.” Aunt Evie smiled widely, and Mia’s own eyes widened.
“That sounds great, but I just saw someone I know.” She pointed to the crowd behind her. “Sorry!”
“Of course, of course. See you around!” Aunt Evie waved, though as Mia hurried away, she heard her add to her friend, “She arrived late and ran off — how rude.”
It was definitely time to get out of here. Mia began making her way through the crowd toward the parking lot. She needed to get to her car before anyone else stopped her to talk. Otherwise, someone was going to figure out that she was a wedding crasher and not an invited guest.
She needed to get out of there.
CHAPTER 4
MIA
Mia hurried toward the parking lot, trying to keep her pace relaxed and not draw any more attention to herself. A few people gave her confused or friendly looks, but she simply smiled at them and hurried on. The sooner she was in the car and on the way back to San Jose, the better.
“Can I offer you a canapé?”
Mia froze in her tracks and turned slowly toward the voice, her stomach grumbling loudly. She hadn’t had a chance to eat anything on the drive; she’d been in too much of a rush to stop. Usually, she packed an emergency supply of chocolate, but she’d forgotten it on this trip. And breakfast had been a single granola bar a long time ago. Surely, since she was already here, it couldn’t hurt to have a quick bite of food before she left.
“Yes, thank you so much.” Smiling at the waiter, Mia took a cracker laden with salmon and cucumber from the tray and popped it into her mouth. No matter how awkward the wedding was, she had to admit that it was almost worth it for the food. Another waiter approached, this one with a tray of tiny chocolate cakes, and Mia couldn’t resist taking one of those, too. She’dhave a small snack to head off the grumbling in her stomach, and then she’d leave.
Then a waiter came with a tray of drinks. Knowing she was about to drive, Mia turned down the champagne but ended up with a flute of sparkling apple cider. Soon, she found herself strolling through the party, enjoying small bites of food. She managed to avoid conversation beyond a few quick pleasantries, and her confidence grew. Maybe this wasn’t such a disaster after all. Maybe she didn’t stick out as much as she’d thought. She’d have one more mini bruschetta before heading back to the car and making the four-hour drive back home.
“Hello there.”
Mia froze with a mini bruschetta halfway to her mouth. A woman of indeterminate age, dressed in a long, silver gown, with blond hair that looked a little too good to be natural, was approaching. She’d clearly had some cosmetic surgery at more than one point in her life, making her cheeks unnaturally frozen and her teeth a little too shiny. She looked friendly enough, probably, but Mia still felt a pit of worry build in her stomach. Why had this woman chosen to talk to her?
“Hi.” Mia smiled, though her stomach ached with nerves.
“How are you enjoying the festivities?”
“Oh, it’s absolutely lovely,” Mia gushed, smiling brightly as she swallowed the last of her bite. “And the couple looks so happy.”
“Indeed.” The woman’s brow furrowed. “Are you one of Tyler’s friends from the firm?”
“No, I’m actually a high school teacher.”
“Oh. How… nice. And you enjoy that?” She was sounding more and more snide, and Mia edged away slowly. She needed to find an out from this conversation, and quickly. The longer she talked to anyone, especially this woman who seemed curious about who she was, the more likely she’d be caught as a wedding crasher.
“I do. It’s very rewarding to shape young minds.”
“Where do you teach?”
“A public high school in San Jose. Um, I’m a math teacher.”
