The Island Wedding

Chapter 3

Deirdre Bernard refused to put her name on the roster of people who’d come to the September Sandy Singles event at the community center. The last thing she needed was a ton of emails clogging her inbox. She didn’t need to know about the scrapbooking nights or the sewing club or another one of these disastrous events.

How she’d allowed Meg to talk her into coming, she still wasn’t sure. She didn’t pick up a drink and instead, chose a spot in the corner behind the refreshment table. A bell rang, and the women sitting at the table got up and moved one spot to the right.

Yeah, no thanks, Deirdre thought. She could admit there was something missing in her life, but that didn’t mean the hole was man-shaped. Her entire life had crumbled in the past couple of years, and she’d been rebuilding it one brick at a time.

Yeah, no thanksNew job. New city. New life. She’d tried a new man, but Wyatt hadn’t been ready. And if Deirdre was being completely truthful, she hadn’t been either, though her divorce was five years old.

Her mind immediately moved to Emma, the sixteen-year-old daughter she’d left on the north side of the island with her father and Deirdre’s ex-husband. When her daughter had made that choice, everything in Deirdre’s life had exploded.

Maybe she did need whatever was in those plastic cups on the table.

“All right,” a woman said into the microphone. “Our next activity is called Blind Date. I need everyone back on their sides.” The men and women divided themselves onto different sides of the room, and Deirdre couldn’t believe they’d subjected themselves to this activity. It was humiliating, and she felt bad for them.

At that moment, she realized why Wyatt had left, and she wanted to follow him right out the door. So she did. Deirdre could run down the beach and get a pork pot sticker and be back before Meg even knew she’d gone. Her stomach grumbled, because her friend had promised her dinner after this insane dating spectacle. But Meg would probably find a guy to take to dinner, and they both knew it.

Deirdre went back out the door she’d gone in, the air easier to breathe the moment she left the dating game behind. Why would anyone subject themselves to a game like that? She made a mental note to ask Meg what she found so appealing about the Sandy Singles events.

She didn’t want to judge though. She knew everyone was different, and while a Sandy Singles event was at the bottom of her list to attend, clearly someone enjoyed it. The Getaway Bay Community Center put on an event every single month. After driving over to her favorite bistro, she stalled at the sight of the long line stretching out the door and down the sidewalk.

“Dang,” she muttered to herself. No pot stickers tonight. She thought of a taco stand over in Getaway Bay that had super-fast service, and she headed toward the beach. There were a lot of people here too, because a September evening on the beach was simply spectacular. The palm trees. The breeze off the bay. The clear blue sky, fading to gold and crimson.

People milled about, but the line to order at the stand wasn’t long, and Deirdre joined it. A few minutes later, she put in her order for three fish tacos, and someone said, “If I’d known you liked those, I would’ve brought you some.”

She turned to find Wyatt standing there. He crumpled up his taco papers and tossed them in the trashcan. He gave her a devilish smile that made her body light up, and then he tipped an imaginary hat at her. “Good to see you, Deirdre.”

With that, he walked away, leaving Deirdre wishing she’d said yes to his dinner invitation. She might have had she known his idea of a fun, delicious evening was on this beach, with these tacos.

Might have? she thought. She definitely would have, though the tacos weren’t the deciding factor. Wyatt Gardner was very good-looking, and he didn’t even seem to know it.

Might have?Why had she said no earlier?

People looked at him everywhere he went, and Deirdre hadn’t minded being on his arm for the month they dated. He was mature, and that went a long way for her.

She watched him leave the beach and climb behind the wheel of his police cruiser. She had his number. She could call him.

“Don’t get too excited,” she muttered to herself. She’d text. Deirdre only called her brides or a vendor to make sure everything was set for the high-end weddings she planned at Your Tidal Forever.

The man leaning out of the taco shack called her name, and Deirdre collected her tacos. She found a patch of sand and watched the sun finish setting into the ocean, a spicy fish taco the perfect complement to her evening.

She lost herself in thoughts of Wyatt–until her phone rang and Meg’s name sat on the screen.

“Shoot,” she muttered, fumbling the phone as she realized she’d been gone from the community center for far too long. She got the call open, finally. “Hey,” she said brightly.

“Where are you?” Meg demanded. “And do not tell me you went to get those pot stickers from Bora Bora’s.”

not Thankfully, Deirdre couldn’t tell her that, and she simply said, “I’ll be there in five minutes.”

* * *

“No, I can’t hold,” she said the next day. She didn’t normally work weekends, but she had a wedding in a week, and she’d gotten a message at closing time yesterday that the vines she’d ordered would not be delivered in time.

“I’m sorry,” she said, making her voice a little sweeter. “I’m just returning Madison’s call, and I really need to talk to her as soon as possible.”

“She’s not in today,” the girl on the other end of the line said.

“I know that,” Deirdre said. “Who else can I talk to about an order that I’ve had in for three months?”

“Please hold,” the girl said, not asking this time. Deirdre couldn’t protest, because she’d literally just asked to talk to someone who could help her. Disgusting elevator music came through the line, and she pushed the speaker button so she didn’t have to hold the device to her ear the whole time.

She looked at the files on her at-home desk, but she didn’t have anything else to do for this wedding. All the last-minute checks had been done this week, and they’d all come through—except for these vines.

The music cut off, and Deirdre picked up the phone, expecting to hear the voice of someone who could help her. Instead the screen went black. “Did she hang up on me?”

The call had definitely ended, and Deirdre’s frustration rose through the roof as she practically stabbed her device to get the phone dialing again.

“Jungle Plants,” the same girl said.

“Yes, hello,” Deirdre said, a definite bite in her voice. “My name is Deirdre Bernard. I’m a wedding planner at Your Tidal Forever, and I had a three-month order that I was told wouldn’t be able to be fulfilled. I need to talk to someone about this order and what can be done about it. I have a bride expecting the ten-foot vines that you suddenly can’t deliver.”

“Did Julie not pick up?”

“No,” Deirdre said. “Julie did not pick up. Does Julie have a direct line?”

“I’ll transfer you. Please hold.”

“No—” Deirdre cut off as the sleepy music started again. A sigh came out of her mouth as she put the phone back on speaker.

A text came in over the top of the call, and she caught Meg’s name. A blip of fear moved through her, because Meg had lectured her the whole way home about “getting out there” and that she’d seen her talking to Wyatt. How that was even possible, Deirdre didn’t know. But Meg taught third grade, and it was possible she had eyes in the back of her head, underneath all that dark hair.

Deirdre had said she wanted to hear all about the speed-dating, and if Meg had met someone worth dating, but a woman chirped, “This is Julie,” before Deirdre could pick up her phone.

“Yes, hi, Julie. I have an order that’s been in for three months, and I got a call yesterday that it wouldn’t be fulfilled. I need those vines, and I’m wondering if there’s anything you can do for me.”

Silence came through the line, and Deirdre checked to make sure she hadn’t been hung up on again. The timer was still ticking at the top of the screen. Julie just wasn’t saying anything.

“Hello?” Deirdre asked.

“I’m sorry,” Julie said. “You need to talk to our administration office, and they’re not in on the weekends.”

“I know,” Deirdre said. “I already explained that to the girl who answered the phone. She said you could help me.”

“Uh, I can’t even access the computer system on the weekends.”

Deirdre blinked, and her vision went red for a moment. “Thank you.” She hung up this time, because she didn’t need to cause a scene. Hope and Shannon had been very clear about that. Things happened sometimes. Deirdre was to be professional even when things weren’t going her way.

She sank into her office chair and opened Meg’s text. Rumors flying at the police station this morning. You sure you didn’t go out with Wyatt?

Rumors flying at the police station this morning. You sure you didn’t go out with Wyatt?A vision of Wyatt entered Deirdre’s mind, but she didn’t want to mention that yes, he’d been at the taco stand. I went and got tacos, she tapped out. Did you meet anyone noteworthy?

I went and got tacosDid you meet anyone noteworthy?There were hardly any men there, Meg responded. It was lame.

There were hardly any men there, It was lame.Deirdre could’ve told her that the dating event would be quite lame, but she didn’t need to rub it in. Sorry.

Sorry.What are you doing today?

What are you doing today?Deirdre looked at the folder on her desk, a sigh moving through her whole body. Nothing. Thinking about going to a movie or something.

Nothing. Thinking about going to a movie or something.As soon as Deirdre sent the text, she realized she didn’t want to leave the house. Maybe I’ll just make a fruit salad and lounge on my couch.

Maybe I’ll just make a fruit salad and lounge on my couch.Meg couldn’t stand to hold still for longer than five seconds, so lounging on the couch wouldn’t be in her wheelhouse. Boring, she sent with a smiley face emoji. I’m taking Father John to the beach. We’re going paddle boarding. You should come.

BoringI’m taking Father John to the beach. We’re going paddle boarding. You should come.And watch you and your dog paddle board? No thanks.

And watch you and your dog paddle board? No thanks.Deirdre liked Meg, and they’d started at Your Tidal Forever within a week of each other. They’d relied on each other quite a lot as they learned the ropes of the company, but Deirdre didn’t get super close to people very quickly.

Then she had to tell them things about her life she didn’t want anyone to know. Or rather, she didn’t mind if people knew about her life before Getaway Bay, but she only wanted people to know who she explicitly trusted.

All right, Meg said. Be that way. See you Monday.

All right, Be that way. See you Monday.Deirdre sent a thumbs-up and turned back to her house. “Well, what should we do today?” She hadn’t put out any cat food for the strays who frequented this street, so she took a few minutes to do that.

She wanted to text Emma and find out how school was going, but she didn’t need to be accused of being overbearing or controlling. Again. Her chest tightened, and she opted to simply type out a quick note.

Hope school was awesome this week. I love you.

Hope school was awesome this week. I love you.She would not send the message to her daughter, though. Contact with her daughter was prohibited. Deirdre could talk to Dalton, and she sometimes asked about Emma, though that could technically be against the rules of her order too.

But she needed to know Emma was still alive, and the only way Deirdre knew that was because Dalton said she was.

Deirdre wasn’t sure how she’d come out the bad guy with Emma, not when she’d done everything to protect her daughter from Dalton’s behavior. But of course, Emma didn’t know what Deirdre had done to make her childhood as normal as possible. What she’d shielded her from. What sacrifices she’d made for her daughter, some at a great personal loss for her.

She hadn’t given up the only communication she had with her daughter easily, but in the end, she had given it up. Emma hadn’t responded to her texts for a month before Deirdre had been forced to stop talking to her daughter, but not a day went by that Deirdre didn’t think about Emma and wish things were different.

hadShe wondered what Wyatt did on the weekends, since they’d only had a few together. He’d worked a couple of them, and Deirdre had the sudden urge to steal something. Then maybe she’d get to see him again without being too obvious.

Scratch that, she thought. Getting arrested just to see the Chief of Police was definitely too obvious. So how did she get Wyatt’s attention…again?

Scratch that