The Wedding Promise (29 page)

The certainty in her voice was unmistakable, shocking under the circumstances, Liza thought. Still, she had to admire Jennifer’s trust and the way she believed in the love she and Kyle shared, despite the facts right before her eyes. But Jennifer was looking at the situation with her heart, Liza realized. A quote came to mind, from
The Little Prince
, a book her aunt had shared with her.
It is only with the heart that we can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.
Liza hoped that Jennifer was seeing rightly and the rest of them were seeing only the mere, material facts of the matter. Though at this point, it seemed the material world was about to win out.

“Is there anything I can bring you? Or anything you’d like me to do now?” Liza asked Sylvia.

“I can’t think of anything. But thank you,” Sylvia said sadly. “Perhaps you should tell the guests there’s a delay,” she added. “That might be a good idea at this point.”

“Yes, of course. I’ll do that right away,” Liza promised.

Liza left the suite feeling great sympathy for everyone in the family, especially Jennifer. But Sylvia was also shouldering her share of the disappointment. After all her fretting and fussing over every small detail, the party was ruined by a completely unpredictable turn of events, one that Sylvia had never expected and had no control over.

Liza went downstairs and sought out Molly, who had taken over Claire’s kitchen.

Molly turned from checking a tray in the oven. “The groom is still MIA, huh?”

“No sign of him yet,” Liza replied. “The family is trying to get Jennifer to call it off, but she insists he’s coming. We need to amuse the guests with more drinks and appetizers. And I need to make an announcement.”

“Whatever you say. We’ll keep it coming,” Molly told her. “Good luck with your announcement. Keep it short and simple,” she advised.

Good advice, too, Liza thought. Once Liza was sure that the refreshments were flowing she went over to the musicians. They had set up for the ceremony near the arbor but were not yet playing.

“I’m going to say a few words to the guests, then you need to play something lively and cheerful. Okay?”

“No problem. Trouble in paradise?” the bass player asked.

“Is that the title of a song . . . or are you asking me what’s going on?”

“A little of both,” the trumpet player answered. “You go ahead. We’ll take our cue.”

He handed Liza a cordless microphone, and she stared at it a moment, then realized she’d better use it if she wanted to be heard.

Liza smoothed her dress and stepped up to the front of the rows of seats, which were now filled with the guests. “If I can have everyone’s attention a moment. There’s been a delay in our proceedings today. We’re not quite ready to begin the ceremony. Please enjoy some refreshments and—”

She was just about to say “music,” when a huge gust of wind blew through the garden. The wooden latticework of the arbor shuddered, and the white fabric panels of the tent fluttered wildly. The wind blew through the dining area under the tent as well, knocking over wineglasses and blowing cloth napkins off the carefully arranged tables. A few of the bow-studded folding chairs toppled over, and a woman’s silk scarf flew through the air and then snagged on a tent pole.

Another gust blew Liza’s dress flat against her body and nearly pulled her hair from its careful, upswept arrangement. A startled cry went up from the guests. Most of them quickly got up from their chairs and started toward the shelter of the inn.

The sky grew even darker, as if an invisible curtain had dropped. Guests were hurrying now, the women clutching at their hair and handbags, the men holding down their ties. The folded programs flew about like seabirds, and more folding chairs fell in a chain reaction, like a row of dominoes.

The tent fabric snapped and flapped again with an ominous sound. Liza actually saw the entire tent rise up a bit, straining at the metal supports and cords that held it in place. Instinctively, she squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them again, the tent was still standing, but she knew it wouldn’t stand for long.

Fat raindrops began to fall, splattering everything, slowly at first, then falling in wind-driven sheets. Now the guests were in a frenzy, women screaming out in alarm, rushing to get inside as their high heels stuck in the soft grass. The men weren’t much calmer. Everyone seemed alarmed by the shimmying tent.

“Please go inside. There’s plenty of room,” Liza urged the guests. “There’s a door at the front of the house, too,” she told them, noticing a logjam at the back door.

She heard a cracking sound somewhere behind her and saw that the wooden arbor was cracked, the old latticework falling apart, a few sections held together by the thick growth of wisteria. Liza couldn’t bear to watch. The beautifully arranged party was being blown to bits.

She couldn’t worry about it now. She had to get everyone inside. The musicians were the last to head for the inn, carrying their instruments covered by tuxedo jackets.

But as Liza headed for the door, she saw a strange sight. It was the bride, Jennifer, pushing through the herd of guests and running outside, into the rain.

What in the world was she doing out here?

“Jennifer, where are you going? We all need to be inside now.”

“It’s Kyle. I saw him. Is he down here?”

Liza reached for her and grabbed her shoulders. The poor girl was so upset, she was imagining things.

“No, Jen. He’s not here. Please, go back inside.”

“But I saw him. From the window,” Jennifer insisted. She quickly twisted around, searching the garden, which was a whirlwind of rain and blowing debris.

Liza tried to hold on to her but Jennifer pulled away, grabbing up her wedding gown and running barefoot across the lawn. Liza saw Frank Bennet and Reverend Ben pushing through the guests to get outside as well. Sylvia stood in the doorway, her hand pressed against her mouth, her eyes wide with anguish.

Frank Bennet jogged past, slipping on the wet grass in his dressy shoes. “She thinks she saw Kyle,” Liza explained as Reverend Ben followed.

“I know. We were with her in the bedroom upstairs when she said she saw him from the window. Just as it began to rain.” He turned to her as he ran to follow Frank Bennet. “I’m going to help Frank. I might be able to calm him down.”

“I’ll come with you,” Liza said.

Jennifer was a few yards ahead of her father and had pulled open the garden gate. She ran out on the long gravel drive, chased by her father, Reverend Ben, and Liza.

Liza ran the fastest of the three and soon passed both men.

The drive was empty. Everyone, including the catering help, had been driven inside by the rain.

Jennifer ran past the vans and stopped. She turned and pointed. “See . . . there he is. I told you he’d come.”

Liza stopped, too. There was a figure standing at the end of the drive—or was she imagining it as well?

No, there was a man, tall and lean, wearing a hooded sweatshirt and jeans. He pulled off the hood and exposed a head of thick fair hair. It was Kyle. Liza had no doubt about it now.

“Wait . . . ” Liza called back to Reverend Ben and Mr. Bennet. “It
is
Kyle. Look, at the end of the drive. He’s here.”

Frank Bennet caught up with Liza. He looked winded and amazed as he watched his daughter run the rest of the way down the drive to meet her errant fiancé.

Suddenly, he got his second wind, an angry look on his face. “I have a few things to say to that boy. He can’t just ruin everything, then snap his fingers and have Jennifer come running.”

Liza didn’t know what to do or say. She was sure that Mr. Bennet’s anger was justified, at least partly. But she was also sure that this was exactly the wrong time for him to interfere with his daughter and her fiancé. Not if he hoped that they would finally get married.

“Hold on a minute, Frank.” Reverend Ben suddenly appeared and touched Mr. Bennet’s arm.

Reverend Ben was breathing hard as well but managed to capture Mr. Bennet’s attention.

“I think you need to just let her go,” Reverend Ben advised. “It’s between the two of them now. And God,” he added.

Frank turned to the minister a moment, then looked back down the drive. Liza looked, too.

The exchange between the two men had taken just long enough for the rain-drenched bride and her runaway groom to slip out of sight.

All that remained was Jennifer’s long veil that had fallen off during her run and was now blowing across the lawn, like a gossamer banner.

J
ENNIFER let Kyle tug her down to the beach. She felt herself getting drenched, the rain soaking into her hair and weighing down the many layers of her wedding gown. But she didn’t care. She didn’t care about anything except the feeling of Kyle’s hand grasping her own.

At the bottom of the hill, they ran toward the cliffs. Jennifer held her gown bunched up against her chest, trying to keep the many layers clear of the wet sand, not entirely successful.

“There’s a cave along here somewhere. Remember? Let’s go inside until the rain stops,” he called out over the wind.

Jennifer didn’t bother to answer, running quickly to keep up.

Kyle found the opening in the cliff and led them inside. It was dark but not completely, Jennifer saw. It was dry at least, though certainly damp. She walked in warily, gazing around. The cave walls were high and hollowed out from the wind and waves. The wind off the water swept in and made a low whistling sound. Kyle pulled a small flashlight out of his back pocket. “Here, this should help.” He turned it on and set it on a nearby rock. Then he looked down at Jennifer and took a step closer. He rested his hands on her shoulders.

“I’d give you my sweatshirt but it’s sopping wet.”

“That’s all right. I’m not cold. Just a total mess.”

“Not to me. You look absolutely beautiful, Jen,” he said quietly.

Jennifer thought the same about him. All of her anger and hurt feelings evaporated at the mere sight of him. She was thrilled that he had returned to her. It seemed as if joy were washing over everything, like a great wave. She was feasting her senses on his nearness as he gazed down at her. It felt as if she hadn’t seen him for years, though it had only been two days.

“Mad at me?” he asked quietly.

“Yes, I am. I’m furious,” she insisted, though her tone of voice sounded anything but. “ . . . but not about the fight. I got over that. Now I’m just mad at the way you kept me waiting. But I knew you would come,” she added. “I knew you would.”

“I knew I would, too. I love you so much. More than I can ever describe to you. That’s one conclusion I came to. I had to be alone to think things through. But you were always with me, Jen. Deep in my heart,” he admitted. “You’re a part of me, no matter where I go or what I do.”

“You’re a part of me, Kyle. That’s why I never doubted you’d come back. Sooner or later.”

He paused, looking suddenly serious. “I’ve done a lot of thinking. I stayed out on the beach the past two days, just walking and thinking. About you and me. About our future. I can see now that it was a mistake to spring that news about moving to New York on you. Of course you would react badly. You hadn’t even considered the idea of it. But I’d been thinking about it for weeks, imagining us in New York—where we would live, the new friends we’d make, and all the things we’d do. But from your point of view, the whole idea just came out of the blue and sort of trashed all our other plans for the future.”

“That’s it exactly. After months of talking about living in Boston and where I’d find a job and how our life would be, all of a sudden . . . ‘Wait, we’re moving to New York City, Jen.’ It blew me out of the water, Kyle. But I did react badly,” she added. “I should have been a little more patient about it and not just pulled a tantrum on you.”

His eyes widened at her last comment. “You said it, I didn’t.”

“Okay, I did act immature, and you had the perfect right to call me on that. I knew you were applying for that job. But the way you talked about it, I never thought you would be chosen. You said so yourself. You said it was highly unlikely,” she reminded him. “So I felt I didn’t even have to think about it, or take it that seriously.”

Kyle ran a hand through his thick hair. “Yeah, I did say that. But it wasn’t because I didn’t want the job, or even because I didn’t think I was as good as the other candidates. I just didn’t want to be disappointed if I didn’t get it. So saying I’d probably miss out was a way of protecting my feelings, and saving face in front of you, too.”

“But you were the one they picked, after all those interviews. I really am proud of you, you know. I’m not sure I ever said that.”

“No, you didn’t, Jen. And that hurt a little, too,” he admitted. “I did try to talk to you about the job, but you were so wrapped up in wedding plans, I’m sure you didn’t hear me. And I wasn’t as direct as I could have been. I was afraid to upset you. I kept telling myself the same thing—that I might not get it, so why upset you?” he admitted. “I should have been more honest from the start. I should have told you how much getting that job meant to me, instead of downplaying it. Then maybe you would have understood better.”

“I think I would have,” Jennifer said. “At least I hope I would have. I’m sorry I reacted so badly, Kyle. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings—or sound like a spoiled brat. I was just so focused on the wedding, it did seem like it was coming out of the blue. But I’ve been thinking, too, and I understand better now. I know you want to take that job, and it will be good for our future. I can’t deny that. And I don’t have a job right now, so I have no real ties here. Except for our friends and my family,” she admitted with a small catch in her voice. “And all the furniture we ordered. But furniture can be put in a truck and moved. And I can move, too,” she added, trying to make him smile again. “So I think that’s what we should do.”