Destination Wedding ~ A Novel (2 page)

Claire had the good grace to look sheepish. Jim wouldn't miss his daughter's wedding, she knew that better than anyone. But it didn't stop Claire from wishing she didn't have to spend an entire week on an island with her ex-husband and the woman he'd left her for.

Mandy leaned forward and pulled Claire into a hug. "I know this isn't going to be easy, Mom, but I couldn't get married without both of you there. Please, for my sake, try to make it work?"

Claire hugged her daughter tightly before slowly pulling away. "Of course, I'll make it work. I'm always polite to him and that woman. I didn't say one mean thing to her or him at the engagement party, remember?"
I wanted to spill red wine all over her skimpy, tight yellow dress, but I refrained.

Mandy rewarded Claire with one of her serious stares, the kind that reminded Claire so much of her ex-husband. Mandy had Jim's thick, wavy, chestnut brown hair and his deep blue eyes, a lethal combination that attracted people easily. But where her father had an outgoing, easy nature about him, always ready with a rakish grin, Mandy was more serious and reserved, like her mother. Yet, Claire couldn't help but always be reminded of Jim every time she looked at her daughter.

"Mom, that
woman
has a name. It's Diane. And I know you're trying. It's just for a week. I promise you will barely even see them while we're there."

Claire nodded, realizing that this was probably true. After all, even though it was a small island, there were plenty of places she could be that he wasn't. And miles of beach. She looked forward to walking a lot on the warm beaches and enjoying the sun and ocean breezes.

"It's too bad Steven isn't coming with you," Mandy said, interrupting Claire's thoughts. "You're going to be the only person there who isn't part of a couple."

Claire bit her lip. Yes, it would have been nice to have had someone along to share the romantic trip with, but she wasn't going to let that ruin her good time. There were plenty of other people she loved coming along like her brother, Glen, and sister-in-law, Lisa, Kaylie, the best man's wife Angela, and of course Mandy. Claire would have plenty of fun enjoying the entire wedding party despite Jim being there.

"Earth to Mom," Mandy said, waving her hand in front of Claire's face.

Claire snapped out of her stupor. "Sorry. I was just thinking how much fun we'll all have on the island, even though Steven won't be along." She looked at her watch. "Speaking of which, I'd better get going or I'll be late. I'm meeting Steven for dinner tonight and I have to go back to the shop first, then home to change."

Mandy drove Claire over to the boutique and they hugged goodbye. The next time they'd see each other would be at the airport on Monday. They both had plenty to do before taking off for an entire week.

Chapter Two

James Martin sat on the crowded commuter flight from Minneapolis to Chicago, still fuming at his boss for making him take this trip. It was late Friday afternoon, and instead of being on a plane he should be heading home to pack and get ready for his flight on Monday to Paradise for his daughter's wedding.

Earlier in the day, when his boss had told him there were problems needing his expertise in the Chicago offices of the office supply company he worked for, Jim couldn't believe his ears. His boss knew Jim was heading off for a week to the Bahamas for his daughter's wedding. Jim didn’t really dare to say no, though. He'd been working at this company since before college graduation, but he knew that no job in this economy was safe. If his boss thought he was capable of fixing problems in Chicago, then he'd better go. He wasn't happy about it, that was for certain.

Jim ran his hand through his hair and down the back of his neck. The flight hadn't even taken off yet and he was already tired of sitting. He was tense, stressed, and downright mad. Now, instead of leaving from home with the rest of the wedding party on Monday morning, he'd be flying out of Chicago. He hoped he'd packed everything he needed for the Bahamas. He hoped Mandy wouldn't be upset with him for having to change his flight. Ugg, life was complicated.

Jim's cell phone buzzed in his pocket and he winced when he saw who it was, but he answered it because he knew she would continue calling until he did.

"Hello, Diane."

"Where are you?"

"I'm fine. How are you?" Jim said, sarcastically.

"I don't care how you are, I asked you where you were," Diane's voice screeched over the phone.

Jim sighed. "I'm on a flight to Chicago for the weekend. The boss wanted me to straighten out a few problems in that location. If you had just asked around the office, you'd know where I was."

"I'm not going to ask random people in our office where my soon-to-be ex-husband is," Diane hissed through the line. "You promised me we'd go through the divorce papers before you left for the wedding. I want to get this over with."

No one wanted to get this marriage over with faster than Jim. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do. We'll talk about this when I get back." When he heard no response, Jim figured she'd hung up on him. He pictured her angrily slamming down the receiver as if it had been an old land-line phone. Lucky for him, all she could do was push a button to cut off the call.

The flight attendant walked by slowly checking to make sure everyone was belted in before take-off. She smiled down at Jim through glossy, red lips and winked one expertly painted eye. Jim rolled his eyes. The woman was young and lovely, and had been flirting with him since he boarded. This happened to him a lot. Even at the age of forty-six, he maintained himself well with workouts several times a week and there was only a hint of grey highlighting his hair. But he wasn't interested. He'd already made that mistake once, going after a younger woman. Now that younger woman was making his life a living hell. He certainly wasn't going to make that mistake again.

Jim rested his head on the back of his seat and closed his eyes, trying to block out his surroundings. He forced himself to think of sugar sand beaches that stretched on for miles, blue-green water foaming white, and an icy Pina Colada in his hand. Instead, his mind wandered to the blond hair, blue eyes, and soft oval face of his first wife, Claire. His college sweetheart, his wife of twenty years, and the mother of his only child. He wondered how she was handling the last minute stresses of the wedding. He hadn't seen her since the engagement party last fall, and had only spoken to her once since then to set the budget for the wedding. Even though Jim had said he'd cover the entire expense, Claire had refused to drop the whole bill on him. She was stubborn, self-sufficient, and proud, and had insisted on paying for a portion of their daughter's wedding. For some strange reason, Jim had found that appealing. No matter what had transpired between them four years ago when he'd left her for Diane, she'd still held her own and taken care of herself. He wished Diane had turned out to be half the woman Claire was.

Jim wondered if Claire still hated him for leaving her. She'd always been polite when they had to be together, although it was a stilted form of politeness. She'd never made a scene when Diane was around, either. Maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to return to her good graces during their vacation on the island. It would be nice to be, if nothing else, at least friends again.

Jim's eyes suddenly popped open when he remembered about Steven, the man Claire had been dating for the past two years. Steven Sievers, real estate broker and owner of a branch of Century 21 Real Estate. Stiff, stuck-up, stick-up-his-ass Steven. Jim couldn't stand the guy, much less understand what Claire saw in him.

As the plane finally took off for O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Jim pushed aside all thoughts of Diane, Steven, and even his boss and concentrated on looking forward to Monday and moonlit nights on sandy beaches with the peaceful sound of ocean waves breaking against the shore.

***

Claire sat across from Steven in a cozy booth in the back corner of the eloquent steak and seafood restaurant. The lights in the room were muted and candles illuminated the tables. The setting felt intimate and private, like they were nestled in a cocoon away from the rest of the world.

In the two years they'd been dating, Claire only remembered coming to this restaurant once before. It had been on their first date, and at the time, Claire had assumed Steven was trying to impress her with the fancy decor and high prices. Tonight, however, she was confused. It wasn't her birthday and it wasn't Valentine's Day, the only two instances she could think of when he would go out of his way to bring her here. She watched Steven intently as the waiter poured their wine, wondering what he was thinking and why they were at this particular restaurant tonight.

Claire watched as Steven tasted the wine, nodded to the waiter, and then turned his smile toward her. Steven was a handsome man in his own way. He was tall, over six foot, and lean, although maybe a tad too thin by some standards. His dark blond hair was always kept short and neat, and while his hazel eyes rarely sparkled with delight, or for any other reason, they were kind. Steven didn't have the easy nature or cavalier grin that came so easily to her ex-husband, and that was fine. Claire didn't mind the fact that women didn't look twice at Steven. In fact, she was relieved they didn't. She'd already been married to a man who turned heads for years, probably still did, so it was actually a relief to not have to worry about that with Steven. While some might say that Steven was rather stiff and unemotional, she thought of him more as stable, hardworking, and dependable. Stable and dependable sounded good to Claire.

"So, how was the dress fitting today?" Steven asked, bringing Claire out of her thoughts.

Claire liked the fact that Steven listened to her and always asked about her day. Some would say it was the salesman in him that made him remember details, but Claire chose to believe he was a thoughtful person instead.

"The fitting went beautifully. Mandy looked like a dream. It's going to be a fairytale wedding."

"Of course, it will. Everything you touch is done to perfection."

Claire smiled and took a sip of her wine. "Thank you. I only wish you were coming along. The island is so beautiful, and it would be a lovely romantic getaway."

Steven nodded, and looked at Claire seriously. "It would be nice, but spring is such a busy time of the year for real estate sales. Plus," he paused. "This is more of a family event, and I think it will be better for you to be there with your family without me distracting you."

Claire hesitated before she replied. She'd tried numerous times to argue the point with him that he was considered a part of the family since they'd been dating for so long. Mandy would have been happy for Steven to come along. But Steven didn't argue. He could calmly talk circles around you, but he'd never get into a heated or emotional discussion. He had his own ideas about certain things and he stuck to them.

"Still, it would have been nice. You are considered family, too," Claire said quietly.

Instead of brushing this off, Steven surprised her by taking her hand and looking deeply into her eyes. "I'm pleased you think of me that way because I'd like to become a part of your family very soon." He reached into his sports coat pocket and pulled out a small, red velvet box, opened it, and placed it on the table between them. "Claire. Will you marry me?"

Claire's eyes grew wide and her hand rose up to her throat. She stared at the simple, one-caret solitaire diamond set in a white gold band which had tiny diamonds encased in it. She swallowed hard, blinked, then looked up at Steven to see if he was serious. He was.

"Marry me, Claire," he said, smiling at her, seeming to enjoy her complete surprise.

Claire grabbed her wrist where her charm bracelet usually hung, then remembered she'd taken it off tonight. She grasped her other wrist where her watch sat, and began twirling it around and around.
Marriage? Was this for real? Was he serious?

"I…I can't believe this," she said, finally finding her voice. "I'd have never suspected this in a million years."

Steven reached over and took the ring out of the box. He reached for Claire's hand and slipped it onto her ring finger. It fit perfectly. "Please say you'll marry me, Claire. I know you have your reservations about marrying again, but I think we'd make a good couple. We are so much alike, and we both have no illusions about love and marriage. We can make each other happy as we grow old. Marry me, Claire."

Claire stared down at the ring around her finger. She couldn't breathe. The intimate area around her lost its appeal and suddenly felt claustrophobic. Marriage, a second time around, scared the living bejeezus out of her, and she wasn’t sure if she could choke out an answer, be it yes or no.

Steven sat back in his chair and stared at Claire. "You're scaring me, Claire. Just breathe. It's okay," he said calmly.

Claire closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She exhaled, letting out all the fear she'd let build up inside her. When she opened her eyes, she felt better, but the ring still felt heavy on her finger. Too heavy. Almost like a block of cement meant to drown her in a body of water.

Finally, she found her senses and her voice. "It's very beautiful, Steven," Claire said, trying to smile up at him. "It's perfect, actually. And you certainly surprised me. I had no idea you were going to propose."

Steven smiled proudly, sitting forward in his chair again.

"But I never pictured myself getting married again. I can't even imagine it. I'm sorry."

Steven's expression deflated a little, but he didn't give up. "I know we've talked about this before and you said you thought you'd never marry again. But our marriage would be different from your first. We're both older, we're both sensible, and I have no designs on leaving you for a younger woman. I think we'd make a good partnership. We each can fill in what the other person is lacking. We'd be the perfect match."

Claire sat there, allowing Steven's words to wash over her.
A good partnership. The perfect match. But what about love? What about passion?
He'd managed to propose to her, and lay out his life plan with her without ever using the word
love.