“Wow,” Bobby said, coming up beside her.
The band struck up a beautiful rendition of “Isn’t It Romantic?”
“Would you like to dance, Mrs. Austin?”
Claire let him take her in his arms and lead her to the dance floor. There, with all her friends and family watching, she danced with her husband.
When, at last, the song came to an end, Claire finally saw her sister. She was tagging after Mama, who was clearly in her meet-and-greet mode. “Come on, Bobby,” she said, taking his hand and pulling him off the dance floor. It felt as if it took them hours to get through the well-wishers, each of whom had something to say. But finally, they were near the bar, where Mama was regaling a starstruck crowd with stories of life aboard the USS Star Seeker.
Mama saw her coming and stopped talking midsentence. A genuine smile curved her lips. “Claire,” she said, reaching for her with both hands. “I’m sorry I was late, darlin’. A star’s life is run by others. But you were the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.” Her voice cracked just a bit. “Really, Claire,” she said, softer this time, for Claire’s ears alone, “you made me so proud.”
Their gazes met. In her mother’s dark eyes, Claire glimpsed a genuine joy, and it touched her.
“Now,” Mama said quickly, smiling again, “where’s my new son-in-law?”
“Here I am, Miz Sullivan.”
“Call me Ellie. All my family does.” She moved toward him, whistling softly. “You’re good-looking enough for Hollywood.”
It was Mama’s highest compliment.
“Thank you, Ma’am.”
A look of irritation crossed Mama’s face; it was there and gone in a flash. “Really. Call me Ellie. I hear you’re a singer. Meggy doesn’t know if you’re any good.”
“I’m good.”
She took his hand. “If you sing half as good as you look, you’ll be on the radio in no time. Come. Tell me about your career while we dance.”
“I’d be honored to dance with my new mother-in-law.” Tossing Claire a quick smile, he was off.
Claire turned at last to Meghann, who’d stood silently by for the whole exchange. “Are you okay?”
“Mama brought her dog. Not to mention an entourage of bodyguards.”
“She could be overcome by the hoards of her fans at any moment,” Claire said in her best pseudo-Southern voice.
Meghann laughed. Then sobered. “She has to leave at eight-thirty.”
“A manicure with Rollo?”
“Probably. Whatever it is, I believe a prayer of thanks is in order.”
The band shifted into a sweet, soulful version of “As Time Goes By.”
Claire stared at her sister, trying to come up with words to match her emotions. “This wedding,” she started but her voice cracked. She swallowed hard.
“I did something wrong, didn’t I?”
Claire ached then for the whole of their relationship, for the years that had been lost and those that had never been.
“You spent a fortune,” Claire said.
“No.” Meghann shook her head. “Almost everything was on sale. They’re my Christmas lights. The tent—”
Claire touched her sister’s lips, shut her up. “I’m trying to say thank you.”
“Oh.”
“I wish …” She didn’t even know how to word it, this sudden longing of hers. It seemed too big to stand on something as thin as words.
“I know,” Meghann said softly. “Maybe things can be different now. This time together … it’s made me remember how things used to be between us.”
“You were my best friend,” Claire said, wiping her eyes carefully, so she didn’t smear her makeup. “I missed that when you …” Left. She couldn’t say the harsh word, not now.
“I missed you, too.”
“Mommy! Mommy! Come dance with us.”
Claire twisted around and saw her dad and Alison, standing a few feet away.
“I believe it’s customary for the bride to dance with her father,” he said, smiling, holding out his calloused hand.
“And her daughter! Grandpa’ll carry me.” Alison was hopping up and down with excitement.
Claire gave her champagne glass to Meghann, who mouthed: Go. She let herself be pulled onto the dance floor. As they made it to the center of the crowd, Dad whispered in her ear, “Someday Ali will get married and you’ll know how this feels. It’s every emotion at once.”
“Pick me up, Grandpa!”
He bent down and scooped Alison up. The three of them clung to one another, swaying gently in time to “The Very Thought of You.”
Claire looked away quickly—before Ali could ask why Mommy was crying. To her left, Mama was spinning poor Bobby around as if he were a top. Claire laughed out loud and knew exactly what her dad meant.
Every emotion.
That was what tonight was. All her life she’d look back on this night and remember how good her life was, how much she loved and was loved in return.
That was what Meghann had given her.