I stopped dancing and turned toward the man in shock. Charles continued to hold me close, protectively even. It took me a minute to place our unfriendly guest without his wares, but this was undoubtedly the same vendor who had taken several trips out yesterday to set up our massive balloon canopy.
“I’m sorry. What?” I asked, blinking back my surprise. He’d been so amiable yesterday, if also a little put off by my obvious struggle to maintain composure.
“You left me waiting on your porch for almost an hour,” he sneered. “I told you I needed to be paid that day, and instead of saying you didn’t have the funds, you ghosted me!”
“What? No! I paid you.” How dare he show up at my wedding and cast insulting accusations at me like this?
“I don’t like how you’re talking to my wife,” Charles interjected, fixing the balloon vendor with an equally hostile stare. “Either adjust your tone, or leave.”
The other man scoffed, refusing to back down. “Well, buddy, your wife didn’t pay me, and then she also wouldn’t answer my calls.”
I gasped as some of the pieces began to click into place. “Were you the unknown number? Why didn’t you leave a message?”
“Your voicemail was full. I didn’t even get the option. I did a big job for you, and I deserve to be paid for it. Now since you wasted my time by making me take yet another trip out here, I’m afraid I’m going to have to charge you an extra ten percent late fee. And if you don’t pay me right now, I’ll sue you for all you’re worth and get much more.”
My lawyer husband bristled at this careless and uneducated threat, but I placed a hand on his chest to indicate that he should hold his tongue.
I thought back through the timeline in my head. I remembered the vendor coming back yesterday and asking for payment. I remembered going upstairs to get the check, and then…
Then I helped Christine with one thing and Octo-Cat with another. I’d called Charles. I’d talked to the reverend who had to cancel. I’d lain on my bed and cried…
But I never actually went back downstairs with that check.
“Gosh, I am so sorry,” I cried, and the aggressive vendor’s face immediately softened and his words became more kind.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I could tell you had a lot on your mind, and I know how weddings are. But it’s the end of the month, and I need that check from you to make my mortgage. You understand, don’t you?”
“What’s the bill?” Charles asked with a sigh, pulling out his wallet. He still seemed rather worked up about the vendor’s less than affable approach to collecting what he was owed.
The vendor told him what it amounted to, and Charles handed him a wad of cash. “Keep the extra. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
“Thank you! Congratulations!” Now that he was paid, Mr. Helium was quick to depart.
“Why do you have all that cash?” I asked my husband, perplexed by the huge sum he’d had just waiting and ready to go. It saved me from having to run inside to grab my checkbook, but—as the kids were saying these days—was also a bit sus.
He shrugged. “Had a client pay yesterday in cash. I was going to take it to the bank, but then thought we could use it on our honeymoon for all the lavish dinners and spa treatments we plan on having.”
“I like how you think,” I said, relaxing into his embrace as we resumed our dance.
“Mmm” was his only response as he pressed his lips to my forehead. We swayed for a little longer until my cousin’s voice rose high above the crowd.
“I already told you. I don’t want to do your stupid show!” she practically screamed at the film crew surrounding her.
Sharon, wearing the same gown she had upon arrival yesterday, tried to push into the group and draw attention back to the cat in her arms, but no one paid her any mind.
“You’re funny. You’re beautiful. And you make honest-to-goodness candles! And fancy videos, too!” one of the reality TV guys insisted. “You could be the biggest thing since Keeping Up with the Kardashians!”
“Eww, pass.” Mags held up a hand to block her face, but the disgust in her voice made her feelings on the matter clear.
Charles tugged me over to the dramatic scene unfolding across the dance floor. “Excuse me. Is there a problem here? I’m Ms. McAllister’s attorney and would be happy to discuss this harassment in a more formal setting.”
“We were just going,” one of the men groaned, and like magic the unit floated away.
“Sorry about them,” Sharon said with a pitiful look on her face. “I thought they were excited about the wedding because of all the cats that would be in it, but it seems like they were just looking for their next big show idea. They were never planning to renew me and Chessy.”
I put an arm around her shoulders. “Did they say that?”
She nodded glumly. “This morning, and they’ve been horrible to me ever since. I have a feeling they’re only filming Chessy still so they have enough to wrap up the season and make a good portfolio piece for wooing bigger and better stars.”
“I’m sorry. We still think you’re a star,” I said, and Charles and Mags bobbed their heads in enthusiastic agreement.
“Want me to show you and Chessy how to cast candles?” Mags offered magnanimously. “We can put it on my YouTube channel. I have more than a million subscribers, you know.”
Sharon’s eyes lit with renewed excitement. “You don’t say? One million? That’s far more viewers than our little TV show ever had. Yes, please sign us up!”
It seemed once someone got bitten by the fame bug, there was no recovering. The Sharon I originally met pre-show had been so quirky and full of life. Now she just seemed sad and desperate for attention. I hoped that after the excitement from the show died down a bit, she could go back to being her normal fabulous self.
Meanwhile I would do my best to keep out of the limelight, secrets and all.
Something moving low and close to the ground caught my eye. Octo-Cat was creeping around the outdoor party and had just swiped a leftover filet of fish from someone’s plate.
“What are you doing out here?” I asked in that singsong voice I used when pretending to be a normal pet owner.
He finished chewing and then gulped the fish down. “Need you inside,” he mumbled, then ran off, expecting me to follow.
I waved to Charles where I’d left him on the dance floor, and he waved back, despite appearing to be deep in conversation with my former boss, Mr. Richard Fulton. He’d been senior partner at the firm before Charles arrived, which meant that this was the first time the two were meeting.
I wondered what they could be talking about. Probably just lawyer stuff.
Well, at least he would be occupied while I checked on whatever it was Octo-Cat needed from me. I knew better than to keep that feline of mine waiting, and I still owed him big for his help finding the lost rings and wrangling the protesting sphynxes during the ceremony.
I’d have expected him to be fully immersed in his new wife Grizabella rather than worrying about the likes of me.
Made me wonder what he wanted now.
I guessed it was time to go find out.