“We’re back!” Frank and Julia appeared suddenly as the very tall glass French doors opened and everyone was invited into the ballroom.
Jack and Charlotte were seated at the cousin table. Frank and Julia were across from them, with Frank’s sister, Kate, and her husband on Charlotte’s side. Next to Jack was his cousin R.J. and R.J.’s girlfriend, whose name he didn’t catch.
The wedding party arrived a few minutes later, and they were introduced. Charlotte whispered to Jack, “Look how many attendants there are. I’ve never seen so many pink dresses.”
“I know. This could take all night,” Jack whispered back, still watching for Charlotte’s double.
After a stilted toast by the best man and a long, weepy and emotional tribute from the maid of honor, dinner was finally served. A Caesar salad and warm rolls were followed by a choice of salmon or vegetarian pasta primavera.
Without warning, Julia, who had excused herself a few minutes before, came up behind Charlotte and said loudly enough for Jack to hear, “Charlotte, I just saw someone in the ladies’ room who looks exactly like you!”
* * *
“I FEEL BAD for you,” Rachael told Allie at dinner. “You’ve missed so much of the day.”
Allie shook her head and chewed the bite of salad she’d stuffed in her mouth. She was starving. She hadn’t eaten since that protein shake she’d gulped down on her way to get her hair done that morning. “It’s okay. Weddings aren’t my thing anyway.”
Rachael looked at her askance. “You know, the day will come when you’ll change your mind about that.”
“I doubt it.” Allie buttered a roll, not caring that she’d been trying to avoid carbs now that it was swimsuit season. She’d make up for it by running an extra mile tomorrow.
If she could squeeze it in between attending the family brunch and completing her potential client’s presentation.
“You just haven’t found the right guy.” Rachael tilted her head at her husband, who was playing keep away with an asparagus spear he was trying to get Sophie to eat. She was giggling wildly as Dan attempted to feed it to her ear.
“You got the last good one,” Allie told her sister. “The guys I meet are interested only in what’s in it for them.”
“Jimmy was an idiot,” Rachael said, fully aware of his stupid extortion plan. “You can’t compare all men to him.”
Allie shrugged and took a bite of her salmon with dill sauce. It melted in her mouth, and she practically moaned aloud. “He was the last in a long line of users.”
“You mean losers,” her sister corrected her.
“Yeah, that, too.” Allie couldn’t argue with the truth. She pushed back her chair when they announced it was time to cut the cake. “I’m going to the bar. You want anything? Soda? Mineral water? Juice?”
Rachael shook her head. “Nothing for me, thanks.”
She looked to Dan. He held up his hand, and it was quickly grabbed by Sophie. “I’m good, thanks,” he said on a laugh.
No one else had shown up to sit at their table for her to entertain, so Allie hurried off to the bar.
“Hey,” the female bartender greeted her. “You must be thirsty from all your running around. I keep seeing you everywhere I look.”
“I doubt you saw me every time. They tell me I have a double here somewhere.”
The woman’s eyes widened. “Really? And you haven’t seen her yet?”
Allie shook her head. The idea of someone looking that much like her was crazy. “Hard to find anyone in this crowd.”
“Well, if I see her,” the bartender said, “I’ll tell her you’re looking for her.”
A lie, since Allie didn’t care about this other woman, but she gratefully accepted her white wine, kept her mouth shut and headed outside, where the sun had almost set.
* * *
THE BRIDE AND GROOM’S first dance was nearly over, and Jack was still searching for Charlotte’s double. Then the bride danced with her father while the groom danced with his mother.
Jack was sure he’d spy Charlotte’s double once the bride threw her bouquet. Unfortunately, the woman was nowhere to be found when that time came. Maybe she was married. Not that it mattered either way. But why was she was so hard to spot?
“I wonder what happened to her.” Jack craned his neck to look around the crowded room.
Charlotte laughed. “Stop worrying about some woman who looks like me. If we’re meant to see each other, we will.”
“How can you not be intrigued? I think it’s pretty cool.” Jack shrugged. He looked at her and smiled. “Want to dance?”
The “Chicken Dance” was starting, and people were forming a circle on the dance floor.
“Really? The ‘Chicken Dance’?” Charlotte laughed but rose from her chair. “Sure, why not? You probably just want to get out there to see if you can spot her.”
He grabbed her hand and gave her a pull. “You’re absolutely right!”
They were both laughing by the time they squeezed into the circle of participants. Charlotte’s laughter made him feel good. Even more so when the music got faster and faster and they messed up the motions because they were laughing hysterically.
“Do you see her anywhere?” Charlotte asked breathlessly after they finished the “Chicken Dance” and a just-as-much-fun attempt at doing the “Y.M.C.A.”
He pulled her in to slow dance to a Beatles favorite. “See, you are interested in finding her,” he teased.
She turned her face away, but not before he saw a corner of her mouth curl up. “Maybe I am a little curious.”
“I knew it.” He squeezed her hand in his and spun them around a hundred and eighty degrees.
“Whoa!” She laughed. A wonderful sound to hear.
* * *
ALLIE SAT ON the edge of the large fountain outside the mansion. Her wine was long gone, and the empty glass sat next to her. The outside lights were the only illumination. What time was it? Almost time to go home? Could she make a break for it, or would she need to help gather and transport things back to the hotel for the bride and groom? Did she really have to stay until after they were gone? Her brother wouldn’t care. He probably wouldn’t even miss her.
Too many questions. Not enough answers.
All she wanted to do was go back to the hotel and get a good night’s sleep. It only made matters more stressful that her incomplete Monday-morning presentation was hanging over her head. This account could make or break her agency. Where would she be if she didn’t get the account?
Her parents’ spare room in rural upstate New York? The same room she had growing up?
No way.
She inhaled deeply. The floral scent around her was strong. No wonder Dad had needed his inhaler. The last she saw him, though, he was enjoying a piece of wedding cake.
Her parents were wonderful people. Even when Mom was pushing her to “find the right man,” Allie knew her mother’s motives were pure.
That didn’t preclude Allie from feeling like an outsider in her own family, though. She just didn’t think or act like the rest of them.
She stood up, brushed off the back of her dress and picked up her empty wineglass.