Brittany caught Bethany by the arm. “Sandra and Uncle Logan are going to cut the cake now.”
Bethany picked up the long skirt of her pale peach flower-girl dress and ran behind her sister in a most unladylike fashion. She didn’t care. Today was an exciting day, and she didn’t want to miss a thing.
People stood aside to let them get to the front where the cream layer cake sat in splendor on the snowy tablecloth.
Bethany linked her arm in her sister’s, still awestruck with how beautiful Sandra looked. She wore her hair up, tied with a spray of peach and cream-colored roses. Her close-fitting dress had flowing, filmy sleeves that looked like billowing wings. The sleeves had narrow cuffs with shiny beads on them that matched the narrow row of beads at the neckline and the waist of the dress. The skirt was long and just as billowy as the sleeves.
“I still say she looks like an angel,” Bethany breathed.
“Except angels don’t have brown hair and brown eyes.”
“Her eyes look like they’re sparkling,” Bethany said with a giggle.
“I hope she’s not going to cry again.” Brittany was talking about the church service, when Sandra walked down the aisle with her father, who looked very serious. Just before Sandra went to Logan, Sandra’s dad gave her a quick little kiss. Nothing to cry over, as far as Bethany was concerned.
But Sandra did.
She also cried when Uncle Logan slipped the ring on her finger and then kissed her hand right where the ring was. Bethany thought that was kind of neat, although Brittany was rolling her eyes.
Uncle Logan held up the knife with the ribbon on it.
Bethany had hardly recognized him when he came to the room where they were getting their hair done by Grandma Napier. He never wore such a fancy suit. He called it a penguin suit, but Bethany thought he looked like a movie star. His hair was brushed, and his cheeks were still shiny from shaving.
Now his cheeks were a bit red. Bethany supposed because he and Sandra were having so much fun, laughing and talking to everyone. And kissing each other. A lot.
“Okay, please note that I’m giving Sandra this knife,” Uncle Logan announced. “The first test of trust between us as husband and wife.”
“Goodness, I’m not about to do any damage with it.” Sandra laughed, poking him in the ribs with her elbow.
“Maybe not,” Uncle Logan said. “But I don’t believe that you can cut that cake in a straight line.”
Bethany laughed. Uncle Logan was right. Sandra could never cut anything straight unless it was a piece of glass.
Sandra tilted him a funny grin then looked Bethany’s way. Bethany could see her smile change, could see it get softer. She wiggled her finger at both of them.
“C’mon, girls. We’re a family now. You’ve got to help us.”
Bethany giggled, and when she and Brittany went over, they were squished between Sandra and Uncle Logan, who had their arms around each other. They all put a hand on the knife and started cutting while lights flashed and people laughed all around them.
Then Sandra’s eyes got all shiny, and Uncle Logan reached past the girls.
Brittany and Bethany knew what was coming and scooted out of there just as Uncle Logan pulled Sandra into his arms and gave her a great big kiss.
“When we were trying to get them together, I didn’t think there’d be so much kissing,” Bethany said with a grimace.
Brittany sighed as she dropped into the nearest empty chair. “But they’re married now,” she said with a grin. “And it’s going to be so nice having Sandra as a mom. Don’t you think so?”
Bethany didn’t answer. She was looking around the room. Then Brittany grabbed Bethany’s arm. “Look. Sandra’s dad is all alone.”
Bethany glanced in the direction Brittany was pointing. She could see Sandra’s father looking a little bit sad, standing all by himself in a corner.
“He’s kind of a funny man, isn’t he?” Bethany said, picking up a candy from a dish on the table. She popped it into her mouth. “He doesn’t say much and he looks mad a lot.”
“I bet Gramma Napier could make him laugh.”
Bethany’s and Brittany’s eyes met. It was as if an electrical charge passed between them.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Bethany asked, working the candy to the other side of her mouth.
“I think so,” Brittany replied.
Bethany jumped off her chair, fluffed up her skirts and started looking around for Gramma Napier.
“Well,” Brittany said. “I think we should go with Plan B.”
“What’s that?”
“I don’t know. We’ll make it up as we go along.”
They giggled and with another quick glance at Logan and Sandra, who were still holding on to each other, still kissing each other, the girls went their separate ways.
They had another job to do.
* * * * *