“She’s perfectly fine,” Lea answered brightly.
“Really?” asked Cindy, registering surprise.
“Why wouldn’t she be?” Lea seemed taken aback by Cindy’s response. “Tara’s marrying the number one bachelor around, an absolutely fantastic guy. The hotel is glorious, the weather will be perfect.”
“No last minute jitters?” Mattheus joined in with a charming smile.
Mattheus’s light tone seemed to relieve Lea. “Of course, jitters are natural, aren’t they?” she conceded. “I told Tara that, myself. But, she’s definitely had a beautiful day. She and Lynch took time together and went down to Ryder’s Cove for a late afternoon swim. I’m sure that relaxed both of them. The water in that cove is amazing, always warm and soothing.”
“The perfect thing,” Cindy chimed in, light heartedly.
Lea smiled and turned away then to talk to other friends close by.
“Everyone’s determined to keep up this cheerful front,” Cindy half whispered to Mattheus.
“It’s not a front,” Mattheus corrected Cindy. “No one knows anything. Just take a look, all these friends and guests are genuinely happy. And Lea’s right - jitters are completely natural and they come in all kinds of ways.”
A cocktail waitress stopped in front of them then, carrying a tray of hor doerves. Cindy and Mattheus took two vegetable fritters and placed them on a small crystal dish. Just as she was about to eat hers, Cindy suddenly saw Raina out of the corner of her eye, coming towards them. Dressed in a cream colored, bouffant, silk dress, she could almost have been mistaken for the bride.
“What a delightful surprise to see the two of you here,” Raina swept by, addressing her comments directly to Mattheus. “I had no idea the two of you were on the guest list.”
“I didn’t either,” Mattheus laughed.
“Tara insisted that we come,” Cindy interrupted their banter.
“Really?” said Raina, turning towards Cindy and raising her eyebrows slightly. “I wonder why. She never said a word about it to me. It’s wonderful, of course, to have you here,” and she turned back to Mattheus, smiling flirtatiously. “Just a bit of a surprise.”
“Tara’s full of surprises, I suppose,” Mattheus answered, keeping the conversation going.
“Yes, indeed,” Raina picked right up on it. “But who isn’t? Tara’s a good girl though, a wonderful girl. We’re thrilled to have her become part of our family.”
“Is her father here?” Cindy asked then.
“Yes, of course,” said Raina, “Aldon’s over on the other side of the room, with his friends and family.”
“And where’s Tara?” asked Mattheus then, looking around.
“Should be here any minute,” said Raina, looking around as well. “I’m not positive where she is at the moment. She has her own room. It’s an old custom, the bride and groom spending the last night before the wedding in separate rooms. Lynch arrived alone a few minutes ago. He’s over there.”
Cindy turned towards the side of the room where Raina motioned and saw Lynch, dressed in an indigo blue, summer suit, his blonde hair brushed perfectly, looking dashing.
“Looks magnificent, doesn’t he?” Raina said taking him in and swept up in the grandeur of the evening. “I’m totally thrilled and proud of him. Looks just like his father did as a young man. If his father were here, he’d be delighted as well.”
Lynch did look magnificent, thought Cindy, and as though he was having a wonderful time. There was nothing at all to betray any unease. Cindy wondered if he even noticed that Tara hadn’t arrived yet.
Raina tapped Mattheus’s shoulder lightly then. “Well, it’s delightful to have both of you joining us. I must dash and talk to others now. We’ll all be seated in a little while and it will be harder to chat with everybody then.”
“Of course,” said Mattheus as Raina flurried away.
Cindy and Mattheus looked at each other for a long moment. There was no apparent reason for the apprehension Cindy began to feel.
“It’s a beautiful party, but where’s Tara?” Cindy said under her breath.
“She’ll be here any minute,” said Mattheus.
“I certainly hope so,” Cindy replied.
*
Guests were seated, happily chatting with those at their sides. It took a little while before people realized that Tara had not arrived. Where was she? People began asking, looking around as a pall began to fall over the room.
As more and more people started looking for Tara, Lynch finally got up from his seat, went over to his mother and whispered something to her.
Raina, disconcerted, went with him to the back of the room, took out a phone and began calling.
As soon as Cindy saw this, she and Mattheus also got up from their seats and joined Lynch and
his mother in the rear.
“This is just like her,” Raina quipped to Lynch, as Cindy and Mattheus arrived.
“It’s nothing like her at all,” Lynch replied staunchly. Tara is always on time.