“Vividly,” I said, heart sinking.
Sarah nodded toward the door. “Well, go on, then. He’s out there waiting for you.”
I looked to my friends for help, but Maria and Jeremy studiously avoided eye contact. So they’d known about this. Straining to hide my lack of enthusiasm, I lifted my dress and slowly shuffled into the hall.
Standing in front of the entrance, looking a little nervous and wearing a gray shirt with a matching tie, was Ben. He held his old camera in one hand; holding on to his other hand, and beaming, was Anette. She wore a beautiful red-and-white dress with a big red ribbon around the waist that matched her glasses. I couldn’t help but notice she was also wearing her Union Jack wings from her school play.
Ben was my plus-one? I could have protested. Said all the usual excuses. He wouldn’t want to date me. And yet, seeing them both, the words caught in my throat. Everything was upside down right now, but Ben and Anette being here somehow made sense. When Ben lifted the edge of his mouth in a smile, my heart lifted too.
“He got in contact this morning,” Sarah said quietly from behind me. My friends had all gathered at the doors so they could watch. “Marc gave him my number.”
“Okay, but who was the real plus-one?” Jeremy muttered.
“Shut up,” Sarah replied. She whispered, “Jim’s youngest cousin, Roger. I’ve moved him to the kiddies’ table.”
“Isn’t he married?”
“Twice divorced. Well, nearly.”
“Shhh,” Maria urged them softly.
I walked to meet Ben and Anette, trying extremely hard not to waddle.
“You came,” I said.
“I had a little help with changing my mind,” Ben said.
Anette grinned at me and winked.
* * *
Maria, Jeremy, and I waited at the head of the aisle as the string quartet played Pachelbel’s Canon in D. Anette went first, the honorary flower girl, tossing gold rose petals and prancing as the guests all cooed in delight at her.
“Here we go,” Maria breathed. We fixed our smiles in place. Every guest’s eyes turned to us and their ooohs trailed off as our dresses came fully into view. I caught sight of a self-satisfied smirk in the crowd: Beth, in a long white dress (which Sarah was no doubt going to kill her for).
“Come on, you tragic beauties.” Jeremy stood between us and linked our arms so we could lean on one another. “Let’s get this over with.” I had a sudden image of us all doing this at age eighty, and, despite everything that was happening, my life seemed less terrible.
A flash lit up the aisle. Ben. Our eyes met briefly. Even from here, I could see the tense set to his shoulders. I noticed Anette keeping a close watch on him as she scattered rose petals. Okay? she asked him. His face cleared. Okay, he signed back, and carried on. Photo by photo, I saw the tension start to fall away. Okay, I thought.
When we finally reached the top of the aisle, Sarah had appeared. Unlike our awkward shuffle, our friend glided down the aisle like it was a stage built for her. She radiated light as she basked in everyone’s attention as though fueled by it. Then she reached Jim, and it was like no one was watching at all.
“Sarah Mathers,” Jim said, looking down at his petite bride. “When my friends told me to try dating again”—a few whoops, mainly from men holding babies—“never in my life did I think I’d meet someone as incredible as you.”
Sarah’s pale cheeks turned a wedding-appropriate shade of rose gold.
“You have been my person to lean on when I’ve needed it most, and you’ve brought more love into my boys’ lives than I thought possible.”
Maria handed us tissues. Jeremy tried to wave her away and then took one anyway, dabbing his eye. “Dust,” he whispered.
“And I promise I will spend the rest of my life loving you,” Jim continued, “through thick and thin, and every PowerPoint presentation.” There was knowing laughter from at least half the guests. My friends and I smiled at one another.
Sarah exhaled slowly. “Jim,” she said. “You and your boys are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I never thought I could love someone so much . . . who has such terrible taste in clothes.”
Jim laughed, wiping his eyes and squeezing Sarah’s hands. Unobtrusively, Ben caught the moment.
“When I pictured my perfect family, it wasn’t this,” she continued. It was Jeremy’s turn to squeeze my arm as we all wondered what she was going to say. “Because,” she said, “I never imagined I would be this lucky.”
“My heart,” Jeremy uttered. And my eyes went, completely unthinkingly, to Ben.
* * *
Ben was taking photos of jiving grandparents on the dance floor. His usually serious face was alive as he moved around them, grinning at the show they were giving for his camera. I sipped at my drink, not realizing that my glass had got caught in a ruffle until the material was in my mouth. There was laughter from nearby.
Jeremy and Maria were both resting their chins on their hands with faux-dreamy looks in their eyes. Anette was grinning at me. We were sitting at the high table, gearing ourselves up to attempt to dance in these dresses—and, in Jeremy’s case, that hat—the tablecloth strewn with crumbs from our dinner, and tiny crystals that caught the candlelight.
“What?” I asked.
Jeremy made a sign with his hands and Anette passed him the wine.
“Jeremy,” Maria reprimanded. She was mollified when she saw Anette was clearly loving it. Jeremy did the sign for “thank you” and clinked his replenished glass against her juice.
“Show her, kiddo,” Jeremy said. Anette hopped off her seat and leaned against me so she could show me the picture she’d taken.
It was me, looking at something across the room, my expression open, cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling.
“What?” I asked again, baffled.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Jeremy said, “but Sarah was right. She picked you one hell of a plus-one.”
I looked at Anette pleadingly. “Jeremy doesn’t mean it like that.” Sarah had confessed that Ben had no idea he was my “plus-one.” If he thought this was a setup, it wouldn’t go down well.
“I know,” Anette said. “We’re your plus-two.”
Before I could say more, the opening chords to “Love Machine” by Girls Aloud blasted across the dance floor.
“Oh, God,” Jeremy said as Sarah materialized in front of us, grinning determinedly, somehow still looking elegant, even with the diamond crown.