“You look like you’re enjoying yourself,” he observed, his hips moving seductively to the beat of Earth, Wind & Fire.
“Cinder and Gian know how to throw a good party,” Zae said.
“You’re an English teacher, right?”
Zae nodded. “I’m head of the English department at Missouri University.”
“Brains and beauty,” her dance partner remarked. “Nice.”
Zae gave him an empty yet pleasant smile. The man’s attention was starting to smell like a set-up. “What do you do?”
“I’m career military,” he answered. “Intelligence,” he added, stating his occupational specialty. “Major Anthony Decker.” He gave her a small salute. “Weapons and tactics instructor.”
“Does that mean you know how to kill a man with a soda straw?”
“I could kill a man with a coffee stirrer.”
“You sweet talker.” Zae grinned.
Maj. Decker was charming enough, and certainly nice to look at, but Zae was relieved when the DJ called everyone to their tables for dinner. Only the wedding party would be seated at the head table, and Zae welcomed the break from her intelligence officer, who promised to find her after the meal.
Zae moved through the crowd to take her place at the head table, spotting Chip near the DJ. He and the spa lady were separating, a sight that threatened to ruin Zae’s appetite. Whatever, she told herself. Chip can’t help that women throw themselves at him.
Yes, but he could toss them back once in a while, offered a niggling voice deep in her head.
Zae went to her seat at the head table. Chip, who’d been seated to Gian’s right, stepped past Gian and Cinder to pull Zae’s chair for her. With the regal iciness of an angry Queen Mother, she deposited herself on the chair with little more than a nod of thanks to Chip, who then returned to his seat.
“What was that about?” Cinder asked. Sitting between Gian and Zae, she was perfectly positioned to intercept every side glance Zae threw at Chip.
Zae neatly arranged her already tidy cutlery before responding. “What were you thinking, inviting that woman to your wedding?”
“You’ll have to be more specific,” Cinder said. “I invited a lot of women to the wedding.”
“That spa woman!” Zae whispered in Cinder’s ear. “She’s been crawling over Chip like pubic lice.”
“That’s a record.” Cinder grinned. “I think this is the fastest you’ve ever gone from meeting to hating someone.”
“I don’t hate her,” Zae blithely responded. “She just looks dirty to me.”
“Because she’s looking at Chip,” Cinder said.
“She can look all she wants. It’s the touching that makes me sick.”
“You’re so possessive of him.”
Zae’s throat tightened around the denial she wanted to offer. “I’m possessive of all my friends,” she said without meeting Cinder’s gaze.
“True,” Cinder acknowledged, “but you get wicked mean when Chip starts dating anyone.”
“He’s not dating that woman,” Zae snarled. “One dance does not constitute dating.”
“One dance could lead to dating.” Cinder took a sip of her chilled chardonnay. “At a wedding, one dance could lead to a whole lotta things. I saw you with Major Decker. He’s single, you know, never even been married.”
“He’s not my type,” Zae snapped.
“Tall, dark and freakishly handsome is everyone’s type.”
“He’s a soldier,” Zae said. “I would never date a cop, a fireman or a soldier.”
“Why not? Chip was a soldier, and you two get along great.”
“Was,” Zae said. “He doesn’t put himself in the line of fire anymore.”
Cinder nodded in full understanding.
The arrival of the first course, a roasted heirloom tomato bisque with asiago crostini, spared Zae further conversation about men in uniform. She and the rest of the wedding party and guests finished the first course and subsequently tucked into Portobello mushroom tortellini with grilled artichokes, sweet peppers and balsamic glazed asparagus. The third course entrée, a grilled rosemary-marinated veal chop with garlic au jus on a bed of sautéed spinach, earned enthusiastic applause for Bryan Young, the chef and founder of Catering Plus St. Louis. Mr. Young stepped from a tray where he handled the final touches to some entrées, and he bowed crisply in acknowledgment.
Zae pierced a couple of haricots verts with her fork, and she nibbled their ends when Chip, leaning toward her behind Cinder and Gian, whispered her name.
“Yes?” she said.
“If you’re not gonna finish your chop, slide it on down here,” he said.
“You can get another serving from the caterer, you know,” Zae pointed out.
“But I want yours.”
Zae speared her partially eaten chop with her fork and passed it to him behind Cinder and Gian. She didn’t quite know what to make of his preference, although she secretly delighted in feeding him.
Plates were cleared and platters of imported and domestic cheeses accompanied by fresh seasonal fruit and hand-dipped chocolates were being placed at each table when the DJ introduced Chip for the first toast of the night. He swiped his linen napkin across his mouth before standing with his champagne glass.
The room quieted, every gaze settling on Chip. Lit tapers on each table warmly accented the bright glitter of the chandeliers. Chip stared at his champagne flute, seemingly entranced by the occasional bubble bursting on the surface of the liquid within it.
“I’m Captain Charles Avery Kish, United States Marines,” Chip began, “but most of y’all probably know me as Chip. I’ve known Major Giancarlo Lucco Piasanti for fifteen years. I’ve stood with him in battle, and today I had the special honor of standing with him as he and Cinder start their lives together. I think I saw this day coming a little more than a year ago, when I first met Cinder. She came into Sheng Li looking for a martial arts instructor, and by her first lesson, I knew she’d found much more.” Chip paused to allow a moment of polite applause.
“What y’all don’t know,” Chip grinned sheepishly, “is that I took a shot. I walked Cinder home after her first class, and I did everything I could to steal her heart. I was too late, though. Ol’ Cupid had already shot his arrow, and Cinder only had Gian on her mind. I’ve been lucky enough to watch their relationship unfold. Through the best times and the very worst times, they’ve shown how much two people can love each other. And how love like that can overcome just about anything.”
Gian shared a tender, chaste kiss with Cinder. Chip’s gaze fell on Zae. With a corner of her napkin, she dabbed at the happy tears slipping from the corners of her eyes.
“ ‘The sight of lovers feedeth those in love,’ ” Chip continued. “I hope every one of you will join me in gorging on Gian and Cinder tonight as we celebrate their marriage, their love, and the beginning of their happily ever after.” He raised his glass to Gian and Cinder. “Salud, my friends.”
Zae raised her glass, clinking it with Chip’s. To another round of applause, Chip sat and downed his champagne in one gulp.
“That was a beautiful toast,” Cinder said, accepting a kiss on her cheek from Chip.
“They don’t call me the best man for nothin’,” he teased with a wink.
* * *
Zae licked her forefinger and pressed it to the crumbs of cake dotting her dessert plate. She had helped Cinder select the cake, a four-tiered, white chocolate-covered floral monstrosity of dark chocolate filled with raspberries and chocolate mousse. Surprisingly light for a combination of such rich elements, Zae had eaten three slices of cake to Chip’s two. She would have challenged Sionne with her fourth if Cinder hadn’t patted Zae’s hip under the table.
“I think someone wants to get on your dance card,” she said. A subtle nod directed Zae’s attention to Maj. Decker, who politely zig-zagged a path through the throng of guests.
“Excuse me,” Zae said, rising. “He’s had his locator bea
con on me ever since we danced. Every time I look up, he’s eyeballin’ me.”
“I’ll stall him,” Cinder offered.
Gathering her voluminous skirt in her hands, Zae gave Cinder a quick kiss on the top of her head and hurried away from the head table. She peeped over her shoulder to see Cinder taking Maj. Decker’s hand. She held onto it, even when the major tried to pull away.
Zae thought about heading for the exit and simply going back to the Chouteau Mansion, but a wall of French doors offered a more immediate getaway. She slipped onto the rear patio and into the breezy, starlit night.
* * *
Chip and Gian relaxed at the wedding party’s table, watching Cinder dance with Maj. Decker, who seemed preoccupied with scanning the crowd.
“He won’t find her unless she wants to be found.” Chip chuckled. “Poor kid is wasting his time.”
“That ‘kid’ is eleven years older than you,” Gian said. “And he’s trained. If he wants to find Zae, he will.”
“No, he won’t.” Chip laughed.
“You’re probably right.” Gian smiled. “Even with all his experience with terrorists, spies and enemy combatants, I don’t think Decker has ever encountered anyone like Zae.” Gian played with one of the Cuban cigars a guest had given him after dinner. “So which one of the hot blondes on the dance floor is your date?”
Chip sat back in his chair, shaking his head. “None of ’em. I’m flyin’ solo.”
Gian’s eyebrows shot up. “I thought you were bringing Heather?”
“Nah. I never even asked her. Which is a good thing since she broke up with me this morning.”
“What’d you do this time?”
“I didn’t do anything.” Chip swirled the watery remains of the iced coffee he’d ordered after dessert. “If I heard her right, that was the problem.”
“Sorry about the bust-up, junior.”
“I’m not.”
“What? Why not?”
Chip vented his frustration on his coffee stirrer, twisting it into an awkward knot. “I’m tired of meeting women who seem like they want to have fun, then all of a sudden, they want to start pickin’ out china patterns and adopting a cat.”
“So Heather wanted to get serious.”
“I was serious. I wasn’t dating anyone else, I certainly wasn’t sleepin’ with anyone else. I thought we had a good thing going.”
“Every relationship has to evolve at some point,” Gian said. “Sounds like she was ready for the next step.”
“She accused me of not including her in my life.”
“Did you introduce her to any of your friends?”
“I hardly see my friends myself. My boss is a hardass who keeps me busy at work.”
“Point taken.” Gian chuckled. “Did she meet any of your family?”
“If I had to introduce every woman I date to my people, I’d be in Tennessee every other weekend.” Chip sighed. “Ashley—”
“Heather.”
“Whoever,” Chip almost snapped. “I never know what any of them want from me.”
“Your answer is right there in your complaint,” Gian told him.
“I don’t follow.”
“Chip, in the past six months, you’ve dated…what…about five girls?”
“Thereabouts,” Chip said.
“Maybe it’s my age talking, but I don’t see how you can get to know a woman when your attention is so divided. You meet them, you hop into the sack with them and then, when they want more, you send them packing.”
“They dump me, boss,” Chip said testily. He lowered his voice. “I’m the one who gets kicked to the curb, remember?”
“Because you won’t, or can’t, give them what they want,” Gian said.
“I give those ladies everything I got, and not one of them ever complained,” Chip said. “That’s what kept ’em comin’ back, if you wanna know the truth.”
Gian stared at Cinder, his smile as benevolent as that of a saint. “You’ll never find a woman who’ll stay with you until you’re willing to give her everything.”
“Everything like what?” Chip squawked in frustration. “What else is there?”
His eyes on his wife, Gian slowly stood. “Everything in here,” he said, thumping the center of Chip’s chest.
Chip watched Gian approach Cinder and Maj. Decker. He didn’t have to ask the major to turn loose his wife. Cinder went into Gian’s arms and fit her body into his. They held each other, swaying in rhythm to the Etta James rendition of “At Last.” The longer Chip stared at them, the more he felt like a voyeur, even though they were on a crowded dance floor.
Chip drained the last of his iced coffee and finished off Gian’s watery Scotch. Scooting his chair back as he stood, he straightened his jacket and left the wedding party table. With the reception officially becoming a party, he didn’t want to go home. But neither did he want to join the frivolity on the dance floor. He had only one reason to remain at the Piper Palm House, and he set about finding it.
* * *
Zae strolled the immaculately kept rose garden. She was having a much better time than she expected. Eating, drinking and dancing like the belle of the ball—she couldn’t remember the names of all soldiers and martial arts instructors she’d danced with. With two glasses of champagne in her, she felt as giddy as a schoolgirl thinking about Maj. Decker’s fruitless search for her. The warm June breeze cooling her brow, she wished this moment of contentment could last forever.
“I was hoping to catch you for another dance.”
Zae turned at the sound of Chip’s voice. She offered her hand. “I’m all yours, soldier.”
Chip took her in his arms just as he had inside earlier in the evening, but it was different this time. Not quite as formal. He pressed her body into his, tucking her hand close to his heart. Zae relaxed against him, allowing him to lead. She rested her cheek on his shoulder, and he lightly pressed his lips to her temple.
“Your hair smells so good,” he murmured.
“It’s not me. It’s the rose garden.”
Chip shook his head. “Nah, it’s you, professor.” He inhaled once more. “You smell better than roses.”
Zae smiled against his shoulder, enjoying the floating sensation his compliment produced. His fingertips lightly brushed over her bare shoulder blades, leaving goose bumps in their wake. She shivered despite the flush of heat his touch produced.
Dancing slowly to the faint music from inside, Chip gently nudged her head with his chin, urging her to lift her face. Zae had a sense of unreality, as though she were living a dream she hadn’t dared dream.
“Your toast surprised me,” she said.
“Why’s that?” he asked, his lips so close to hers, the words warmed her lips.
“The quote in your toast came from As You Like It. I didn’t know Marines were schooled in Shakespeare.”
“We’re not just a bunch of dumb lugs. Some of us have got some learnin’ in a lot of things. I was pretty good in literature in school.”
“Really?”
“ ‘If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk in my garden forever.’ ”
Zae’s lips slowly parted, her gaze never leaving Chip’s. She breathed hard and deep to stave off a rush of lightheadedness.
“I don’t remember the rest of it,” Chip grinned, “but that line always stuck with me. It was on one of my final exams my senior year of high school.”
An awkward laugh burst from Zae, breaking the spell cast by the quote. “Alfred, Lord Tennyson. I taught him when I first started teaching.”
Chip suddenly twirled her, then bent her over his thigh in a dramatic dip. “ ‘Love is the irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.’ How good are you, professor? Who’s that?”
Zae deftly slipped out of his hold. “Mark Twain.” She feigned a bored yawn. “Duh.”
“All right then.” Thoughtfully stroking his chin, Chip followed Zae deeper into the garden. “ ‘How delicious is the w
inning of a kiss at love’s beginning.’ ”
Panic flashed through Zae. She paused at a stand of white roses that seemed to glow in the moonlight. I know this, she thought. But I can’t think of the author! “Give me another quote,” she demanded. “I’ll get back to you on that one.”
Chip removed his jacket and laid it neatly over one of the stone benches edging a darkened koi pond. He mimed rolling up his sleeves. “ ‘She walks in beauty, Like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that’s best of dark and bright—’ ”
“ ‘Meet in her aspect and her eyes,’ ” Zae finished with him. “That’s Byron. Don’t toss me cotton balls, soldier, gimme your heat.”
Something in Chip’s eyes and smile transformed. Again Zae found her heart beating too rapidly, her temperature rising.
“ ‘Love is like a friendship caught on fire: In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable.’ ”
Thinking, Zae moved through the roses, the gossamer layers of her gown riding the breeze. “I have no idea,” she finally said. “That one isn’t familiar at all.”
“Bruce Lee,” Chip chuckled.
“Really? The karate man?”
“I read a lot a stuff to write my best man’s toast,” Chip said. “That one surprised me, too.”
“One more,” Zae said. “I have to redeem myself.”
Chip sat on the bench, his right ankle propped on his left knee. He reminded Zae of Rodin’s Thinker as he searched his memory for another quote. “Okay, I’ve got it,” he said, rising. “ ‘When you are in love, you can’t fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams.’ ”
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