"I’m going to get a drink," Rachel states and looks down at me. "And you’re coming because maybe with you they will give me something."
"Ohh," Lydia says. "I’ll take a drink."
"Me, too," Victoria adds, and I look back at Rachel, who just gives me a look.
"It’s too late. You're already here. You think no one is going to see you?" I roll my eyes at her and get up. "Fine. But get the drink and then get back."
"Do you think the ambulance was here because she found out you were here and then tried to stab him?" Lydia jokes, and she can’t help but throw her head back and laugh, but the space is so open, and no one else is laughing, so all eyes come to us.
I take a second to look around, and I see his mom first. She looks at me in shock. Trust me, I know this is weird, I want to say to her, but all I can do is smile at her while holding up my hand and waving at her.
She leaves whoever she is talking to and starts to come over to me. My heart hammers in my chest as I walk out into the pathway beside the chairs. "Oh my word!” she exclaims when she gets close enough. "I can’t believe it." She smiles at me, and I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t the big hug she gives me. "Harlow." She says my name, and I fight back the tears that are threatening to come out. She lets go of me and steps back. "I can’t believe it’s you." She holds one of my hands in hers. She has always been kind to me, and I wondered what he told his family. I mean, I wasn’t that close to them that they would’ve reached out to me, but I did still follow them on social media. "You look stunning."
"Thank you, Deborah." I’m finally able to speak. "You look great." I smile at her, and she does in her light gray lace top, matched with a dark gray satin skirt that goes down to the floor.
"What have you been up to?" she asks as she moves me away from the chairs and toward two red barn doors that lead into what is the reception area. The doors were closed when we walked in, but then they slowly opened an inch at a time. I refused to look inside because I wasn’t sure if I would be able to keep myself composed. This whole day has been draining, and I have regretted coming every single second. But I am here, and I am not going to back down.
"Nothing much. I have my practice back home." My chest fills with pride. "Everything is great." I stop walking when I see his sisters coming toward us. Deborah's face goes white, and her eyes widen.
"I swear to everything," she says between clenched teeth. "If there is one more thing that you have to tell me." I look at his sisters, who have frazzled looks on their faces.
"Well, the waitstaff just got into an accident, and well, we have no one to help serve," Shelby says.
"What can I do to help?" The words come, and it doesn’t even register in my brain that I said them aloud.
"We couldn’t ask you," Clarabella says, shaking her head and then looking over at the door that just slammed shut. "Ugh, he’s here." I look over at the man who just walked in. He wears jeans and a T-shirt, his black hair pushed back as his eyes search the room, and then when he sees her, he stops. "I’ll be right back."
"Be nice to him," Shelby hisses when she walks away and flips the bird behind her head. I roll my lips because Deborah looks like she’s about to throttle them all.
"Why can’t you three just get along?" She smiles as she says it, but she hisses it out. "This is a fucking catastrophe." She waves at someone she knows. "We need to get some food and drinks served."
"Already on that," Shelby says. "I’ve got Bennett tending bar."
"I can help him." Again, my mouth gets me in trouble before my head tells me to shut the fuck up.
"Are you sure?" Presley looks at me. "You don’t have to."
"It’s more than okay." I smile as my stomach dips and then rises again. "Just show me where the bar is."
"I will," Presley says. "You." She points at Shelby. "Get those guys." She points at Jake, Frankie, and Chris. "To pass around some finger foods." Then she points at her mother. "You stay freaking calm and mingle."
"What the hell am I supposed to say is happening?" Deborah asks, the whole time smiling.
"You’ll think of something," Shelby says. "You always do."
"Come with me," Presley says, motioning with her head. I follow her to the big doors that were half open, and I step in and stop walking the minute I take it all in. The exposed beams have tuille hanging from it. Long wooden tables are set up everywhere with brown folding chairs and cream-colored cushions. Cream-colored runners on all the tables with glass vases with floating candles in each of them. A big dance floor is in the middle with big lanterns hanging from the ceiling with green vines all around it.
"It’s so romantic," I say, putting my hand to my stomach.
"Thank you," she says. "They left it up to us, so we hope they love it." I look at her, shocked and surprised that they didn’t have a say in this. "The bar is over there." She points at the long wooden bar in the back corner. "I’ll go and tell them that they can come and get drinks," she says, looking down and then up. "Are you sure you’re okay doing this?"
"What, you never had the ex-girlfriend show up to a wedding?" I joke, and she laughs now.
"Not that I know of, and if they did, no one said anything," Presley replies. "It’s good to see you."
"It’s good to see you, too." I point at the bar. "I’m going to go and tend the bar."
She nods at me as she rushes back out the doors that we came in, and when I get close to the bar, Bennett turns around and stops when he sees me. "Well, well well," he says, trying to hide his smile. "Fancy seeing you here."
I walk around the bar, chuckling. "It’s not that weird," I say to him, and his eyebrows pinch together. "Okay, fine, it’s weird as fuck, but I’m here, and I might as well help."
He puts his arm around my shoulder, just like he did the first time he met me. "It’s good to see you," he admits, and I wrap my arm around his waist. "Shocking but good to see you." I throw my head back and laugh.
"It’s good seeing you, too," I say as I look over and see people now trickling into the space. "It looks like the party is starting."
"Well, let’s hope the bride and groom get here soon," he says, and I want to ask him what he’s talking about, but I don’t have time when ten people head straight for us. "Think you can keep up with me?"
I shake my head. "You forgot that I used to work at my cousin's bar." I look around to see where everything is kept. "This is going to be a piece of cake." I lean on the bar. "Bet you I can serve five people before you."
"Oh." He points at me. "It’s on." He slips off his jacket and rolls up his sleeves, and I can’t help but slap my hands together and laugh.
I turn toward the people in front of the bar and start serving them. It takes me a couple of minutes to see that the bottles are placed alphabetically, which Bennett doesn’t seem to get, and when I serve the tenth person, he’s still serving his fourth.
I look around to see that the room is almost filled up as the bridesmaids all stand by the door, looking for the bride. I walk up to Bennett. "Can I ask what is going on?" I turn to look at everyone mingling.
"Bride’s face swelled up," he shares, and I can’t help the way my mouth opens in shock, and my eyes are probably the size of saucers. "She was allergic to something."