"He's gonna have so much fun tonight," I said. "He's really excited about it. Thank you for thinking of him."
"I wish he could have come today," she said. "Maybe we can bring the whole class here sometime. Lance is good friends with the owners. I'm sure they would let us in for free."
I smiled and nodded. "They'd love that."
She reached her hand out from behind the curtain, and I extended mine so we could squeeze each other's fingers.
"I'll see you in a little bit," she said.
Again, I smiled and nodded, agreeing with her as she disappeared behind the curtain.
I pointed in the direction the lady had indicated before. "This way?" I asked.
She nodded. "Past the touch-tank and then around the jellyfish. You'll see it once you get over there."
"Thank you," I said as I headed that way.
The lady was right. I saw another velvet curtain in the distance once I made my way to the jellyfish area. There were a few tourists nearby, but they were preoccupied with staring at all the glass walls.
I knew I was in the right place because there was a man dressed in a suit near the heavy curtain. I thought it was Ash at first, but then I realized his hair was a little lighter and he was bigger. Ash wasn't a small guy, but this guy was even taller and broad across the chest.
I instantly straightened my posture and sucked in my gut. The man was strikingly handsome. Grey suit. White shirt. No tie. Collar unbuttoned, showing the tan skin of his neck. No offense to the little old lady, but the view at this end of the tunnel was far better than the view at the other end. This guy could have easily been a Tom Ford model with his perfectly tailored suit and slicked back hair.
I was already kind of nervous about going to the wedding, anyway, but this man standing at the entrance had my heart pounding in earnest. What made it worse was that he caught sight of me and began staring straight at me as I approached. Even from twenty or thirty feet away, I could see him looking in my direction, an easy smile touching his lips like he recognized that I was there for the wedding. I smiled back as I continued to walk that way. I thought he must be some kind of greeter or usher stationed there to show the guests where to go. Surely, he could tell by the way I was dressed that I was one of the guests.
In those seconds as I approached, I tried to plan what I was going to say to him when I got close. I thought of things like, "I'm here for Ash and Abigail's wedding," or "Is this the right place for the Winters' wedding?"
Then he waved at me.
He smiled and waved—a little casual, two-fingered wave like he knew me. The sight of it had me struggling to catch my breath. He was the most attractive man I had ever seen. He had a little bit of short facial hair lining his jaw, and his eyes were close-set. He reminded me of Ryan Gosling, if Ryan Gosling had more rounded features. He was strikingly handsome and yet somehow kind and approachable looking—almost familiar.
All of these thoughts crossed my mind in the period of a second or two after he waved at me. We didn't know each other, but I was not about to let his wave go unanswered. I smiled at him and lifted my hand to wave back, and just after I did it, I felt someone rush past me. It was a woman—I could smell her perfume and feel her as she blew past, walking much faster than I was.
"Oh my gosh, Lance, I hardly recognized you all dressed up like this!" she said. "I'm used to seeing you in your work shirt."
Instantly, I realized what I had done. The gorgeous man had not been waving at me at all—nor had he been looking at me for that matter. It was a classic case of he was waving at the person behind me, and like an idiot, I waved back.
I could feel myself beginning to blush, and I was thankful that the woman walked into his arms, giving him a hug and distracting him. She was with another man, and I heard him begin talking as well. They were all close to me as I approached the curtain, but I didn't look at them.
How could a mistaken wave be so incredibly embarrassing? I tried to tell myself that I didn't regret doing it, that waving back at someone was the reasonable thing to do, but I did regret it. I wished I could take back the last thirty seconds of my life and do it all over again. Just as I approached the other side of the curtain, someone came out from behind it. I was shaken-up, but I recognized him, and relief flooded my body because of it.
Dylan.
Abigail's little brother had gone from little boy to young man in the time since I had last seen him. I probably wouldn't have recognized him had I not seen a few recent pictures of him on her social media.
"Hey Dylan, I'm your sister's friend, Sidney. I talked to her on the other side, and she said I should come around this way."
"Yes ma'am," he said with a smile and a little nod. He offered me his arm. "Right this way." He glanced at the others who were standing nearby. "Would you like to follow us, or are you still waiting for someone?" he asked.
"I'm still waiting for someone," the handsome one said. He glanced at me, and I quickly glanced down at my clutch as if to check on something.
"We're ready to go in," the lady said. "Mandy and Tim Foster," she added, formally introducing herself and her husband.
"Right this way," Dylan said with a nod.
Dylan kept a hold of my arm, and the couple fell into stride behind us. I knew he didn't recognize me as a friend of the family from Cutler Bay, but I didn't bother explaining who I was. I simply walked next to him as we made our way into the dark tunnel. As my eyes adjusted I could see that there were about twenty or thirty people already lining the walls. Some of them were talking to each other, but most of them were staring at the gorgeous blue underwater world that surrounded us on all sides. What a magical place for a wedding. I wondered if anything like this had ever been done before or if Abigail and Ash were the first.
"Right here will be fine," Dylan said, as he led us to an area on the left.
I thanked him for showing me in and situated myself along the wall, leaving a little space between the person who was already standing there since I didn't recognize them. The couple who had introduced themselves as Mandy and Tim Foster came to stand next to me, again leaving a little space.
My eyes weren't adjusted at first, and I was overwhelmed with staring at the gorgeous, liquid walls and ceiling. That was why it took me a minute to notice the red carpet that extended down the center. The tunnel was huge, but both ends of it seemed to be dark. I couldn't help but wonder where exactly the bride and groom would say their vows.
I felt a little off my game, standing there with my back against the wall. I was still somewhat embarrassed by the waving debacle, and I didn't have anyone to talk to, so I was relieved for the darkness. I decided to look at the fish again. I turned and stared into the expansive aquarium, and instantly, I breathed a little easier. There was something so calming about watching fish glide through water.
I focused on a hammerhead shark in the distance, and then my eyes fell onto a group of smaller fish swimming closer to me. I knew next to nothing about fish, so I had no idea what I was looking at. A few of the varieties, like the hammerhead, were obvious, but otherwise I was pretty clueless. I didn't need to know what type of fish they were—all I knew was that they were beautiful, majestic, breathtaking.
I could hear people talking around me, and I noticed as Dylan showed a few others to a place on the other side of the tunnel, but I never talked to anyone or even turned around to look at them. Someone made an announcement that the ceremony would begin in five minutes. I glanced at him when he spoke, but otherwise, I stayed focused on the fish.
Chapter 3
"What's got you so entranced?" the lady next to me asked.
It was Mrs. Foster, the one who had come up from behind me and greeted the handsome stranger—the one he had been waving at. I glanced at her. She was roughly my mother's age, but she was nothing like my mother. She oozed money. I could see it in her white teeth and designer attire, and smell it in her perfume.
"All of it," I answered with a smile, feeling oddly comf
ortable. "It's just so beautiful."
I had never been a fan of wasting time. I hated worry, and I had wasted precious moments of my day fretting over my mom and then getting wound up over the guy at the entrance and the fact that I had embarrassed myself in front of him. The truth of the matter was that if he wasn't so nice-looking I wouldn't have cared if I had mistakenly waved at him. I had done much goofier things in my life and not given them a second thought.
So, I made the decision, right then and there, that I would flip a switch, forget about my worries or failures and just be myself. I was at a wedding in an aquarium tunnel, after all. It seemed mandatory to have fun.
A few more guests trickled in, and those of us who had already arrived talked amongst ourselves and enjoyed the view as we waited. I stared into the water, but I could feel the lady next to me gazing at the side of my face. Her husband was speaking to someone else who had come in and was now standing on the other side of him.
"Have you ever been here before?" she asked, seeming intrigued by how closely I was watching the fish.
I glanced at her. "No ma'am. I keep meaning to see about planning a trip for my class, but I forget about it."
The truth was, meeting Abigail at the park to feed the Koi was a low-cost alternative to the aquarium. A free alternative.
"Are you a teacher?" she asked.
"I am."
"What grade?"
"High school. Juniors and seniors."
"Our daughter-in-law is the principal at Eastbrook," she said.
"I work at Riverview," I said.
"Aw."
I glanced at her, not quite sure how to take that. She gave me an expression that said she thought I must be really kindhearted for working at such a place.
Sure, maybe compared to Eastbrook, Riverview was on the wrong side of the tracks, but I certainly didn't consider my teaching there to be a service to the community. I loved working there—loved my students and colleagues. I had true school spirit for the Riverview Rams, and went to as many sporting events as I could. We had good coaches and athletes, and the games were always exciting. I wouldn't leave even if another school paid me more money. Okay, maybe I would if they offered me a lot more… but it would have to be a lot.
I was feeling like telling the lady what was on my mind, but I settled for an internal eye-roll as I again stared into the water. Several long, silver, menacing-looking fish swam by, and I watched them, feeling mesmerized by their sleek appearance.
"Killers," she said.
"Ma'am?" I asked.
There was lots of talking, so I couldn’t quite hear her. I thought she had told me what kind of fish they were, but I couldn’t be sure.
"Killing machines," she said, gesturing to the fish, who were still in a group nearby.
I was relatively sure they weren't really named killing machines, so I asked, "What kind of fish are they?"
"Barracuda."
The second she said it, I heard the intro music of an electric guitar in my head.
"Like the song?" I asked.
"I'm sorry?"
"Did you say they were Barracuda?"
"The fish, yes," she said, again gesturing to the group of sharp-looking fish.
"Like the song," I said again.
I clearly heard the intro of the song at the first mention of the name, and it had been seamlessly playing in my head since.
My mom and Aunt Regina were total classic rockers. In fact, they both still rocked heavy bangs that verged on the brink of being classified as mullets. They especially loved women rockers. Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, Stevie Nicks, and Janis Joplin were all on constant rotation in my house growing up. My mom particularly loved Ann Wilson, and I must have heard the song Barracuda a thousand times—maybe a million.
I had a high-pitched singing voice that was similar to (though not as good as) Ann Wilson's, and my mom would get the biggest kick out of watching me belt out her songs. Those living room concerts helped us have some good times in what was an otherwise rough patch in the years after my dad left. I used to get dressed for the part and totally ham it up, which would make her laugh. It made my cousin extremely jealous, but I never cared. I had fond memories of giving concerts in the living room, using a wooden spoon as a microphone.
I smiled at the memory as I gazed at the real-life Barracudas. The song was still playing in my head as I went through this sequence of thoughts, and without even thinking, I sang a section of the song out loud. I didn't sing it loudly enough to cut through the murmuring crowd, but I did sing it loudly enough for the lady next to me to hear.
You lying so low in the weeds,
I bet you want to ambush me,
You'd have me down, down, down, down on my knees,
Now wouldn't you, Barracuda?
"Hey, I know that song."
I turned to find Tim Foster leaning over the rail so he could stare at me past his wife.
He gestured into the water. "You sang it for the Barracudas?" he asked, looking amused and impressed.
I nodded and smiled at him. "I didn't know they were Barracudas till your wife told me."
Mandy Foster looked proud of herself for teaching me something, but still slightly confused, like she had never heard that song before.
"Who sang that song?" Tim asked.
"Heart."
Only, I wasn't the one who answered.
The deep, male voice came from behind me, and my head whipped around to see who had spoken. Of course, it was the perfect specimen. He had been on the other side of the tunnel, and had just come to stand behind me.
"Or is it Blondie?" he asked, tilting his head at me.
"Heart," I said, my voice cracking. "It's H-Heart."
I glanced over his shoulder with a reluctant expression. "Could you hear me from way over there?" I asked.
He grinned, and I felt a pang of longing at the sight of it. Even in the dim lighting, his smile was bright. He was tall and broad—the definition of a good-looking, well-dressed man, complete with the light, clean smell of fine cologne.
I blinked as I waited for his answer.
"Barely," he said. "I saw you looking at the Barracuda, so I put two and two together when I heard a piece of that song. Were you the one who sang?"
"It certainly wasn't me, Lance," Mandy said with a hand to her chest.
I wasn't sure how to take that, but when I looked at her, I could see that she was smiling like she meant she wasn't capable of singing so well.
"She sounded just like the song," Tim agreed.
"Could you do it again," the handsome one asked. He seemed serious, as if he was sincerely interested in hearing me sing it again, right then and there.
I let out a little laugh. "Probably. But I'm sure it sounded better from over there," I said jokingly.
It was at that very moment that the lighting changed in the tunnel. The families of the bride and groom came in the way we had come, standing between us and the curtain. The good-looking one (whose name, I had learned, was Lance) shot me a somewhat regretful look before heading back to his place on the other side of the tunnel.
My attention was focused on the end of the tunnel where Ash and Abigail's parents had come in, but I could see Lance from the corner of my eye and knew he was leaning over to speak with some people on the other side. I couldn't help but wonder if he was talking about me. I wished he was. I wished he was telling them he had a new appreciation for classic rock. I wished he was telling them he was in love. From the corner of my eye, it looked like one of them was a gorgeous woman. For all I knew, she could be his wife or girlfriend. I was too afraid to glance directly at them.
Once the parents of the bride and groom were settled in their places along the walls, an archway of strung lights came on in front of the curtain. It was only one or two strings, really subtle, but they were tiny, different, cool-looking lights that seemed to come out of nowhere like actual stars. It was understated and perfect. Anything more would have taken away from the beautiful w
ater universe that surrounded us. Ash and the minister both came around the curtain, talking quietly to each other as they found their place under the archway of lights. It was simple and beautiful.
Then, with no preamble, the music began. It was a slow song with a piano intro, and my heart began pounding as everyone peered toward the other end of the tunnel.
Abigail, wearing a simple white dress and walking on her dad's arm, emerged from the darkness. The lyrics to the song combined with the sight of Abigail and her dad walking slowly down the aisle caused tears to spring to my eyes. I knew all the words to the song even though I had never heard that rendition of it.
It was I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers—only it wasn't their version. It was a slow, acoustic, heartfelt cover, and the touching tune mixed with the familiar lyrics had me struggling to hold back tears. I saw Abigail catch sight of Ash standing under the sparkling lights. She smiled at him, not taking her eyes from his as she walked.
My eyes blurred with tears. It was dark in there, and I was mostly focused on Abigail, but I noticed the movement as people on the other side wiped their eyes. The sight of other people crying always made me cry, and I glanced into the water on the other side of the tunnel just to distract myself. I blinked, but my eyes were watering, so it took me a few seconds to clear them. I focused on a fish that was swimming by. I didn't know what kind it was, but it was big and oddly shaped with fat rolls, and it did the trick with helping me to stop crying.
I went to focus on Ash and Abigail, and as my eyes shifted, I glanced at Lance. He was looking at me, and my gaze locked on his. The corner of his mouth lifted in an almost imperceptible grin as he unabashedly stared at me. I smiled at him before getting too nervous and shifting my gaze to something else.
By the time I looked at him again, which was a few seconds later, he had focused on Ash and Abigail. While I was glancing that way, I did, however, get a better look at the beautiful young woman at his side. They weren't holding hands or otherwise making contact, but she was standing right beside him. I couldn't say I was surprised.
All In (Miami Stories Book 2) Page 2
