by Lisa Scott
***
Moira kept expecting to hear from Craig, asking her on another date, but he didn’t call. Maybe he’d changed his mind. But she couldn’t worry about that. She had Micki and Ben’s wedding to worry about, and she was worried. She didn’t like being in front of the camera. She liked being behind the lens, framing the world the way she saw fit. Too bad it wasn’t a power she could use for every situation.
The morning of the wedding, she was as jittery as a bride, but she couldn’t back out now. She’d promised Micki, and she’d signed a waiver agreeing to be part of the show. Micki had thrown together an incredible wedding in just weeks. Driving to Forest Park, she took a few deep breaths telling herself she’d already been through the most humiliating experience of her life back in high school. This would be nothing.
***
Micki and Ben had exchanged vows at Forest Park and set up a huge tent for the reception. Apparently, there weren’t enough roses in the rose garden for a reality wedding, because Fulton landscaping brought several dozen pots of coral-pink roses; the containers wrapped in white tulle for the guests to take home as a favor. The owner, Kevin, and his new wife, Miranda, scattered petals along the aisle and on the tables.
Her friend, Samantha, and her husband Justin brought their food truck, serving up shot glasses of New England clam chowder and tiny chicken potpies as appetizers. Micki had arranged a lot of unique touches Moira had never seen—and that was saying something; Moira thought she’d seen it all. Guests crammed into a photo booth for silly poses. A flash mob crashed the wedding, singing a few love songs from the Beatles.
Moira had so many moments to capture, that she barely noticed the three video cameras that zoomed in on her from time to time. Of course, everyone scrambled for a shot of the peacocks gone wild. Moira thought she’d seen the last of them after the Minx-Anderson wedding was called off. Kelly and Micki were chosen to be bridesmaids in that wedding and had become friends. But Micki didn’t look happy at the appearance of those birds.
Micki gathered the train of her dress and marched over to Kelly and Liam surrounded by squawking fowl. “What are you doing? I hate animals in weddings.”
Kelly’s eyes widened. “But they’re fancy. And your wedding’s going to be on TV. Bet none of the other couples will have peacocks. Viewers are going to vote on their favorite episode, and they’ll definitely remember the one with the peacocks!”
Despite the racket they were making, the guests flocked around the birds, tossing them oyster crackers left over from their soup. The videographers were gobbling up the whole thing, kneeling down to get close ups of the birds.
Kelly was right, Moira thought. This would make for a few good clips. Moira put her arm around Micki. “Calm down. The more crazy, unexpected things that happen, the better.” And it was all a nice distraction from Craig. Just the thought of him brought a little pang to her heart. She’d love to see him laughing over this.
Micki sighed. “You’re right. It’ll make for good TV.” She looked at Moira. “So, you think unexpected is good?”
Moira nodded, and Micki and grinned. “Excellent.” Then she sauntered over to the birds. She looked back over her shoulder. “Hey, maybe animal rentals can be part of my wedding planning services.”
Once people had cooed over the peacocks, and knocked back their cocktail hour drinks, the guests gathered under a tent for dinner. Sam and Justin passed out tiny picnic baskets for each couple, filled with lobster rolls, gourmet potato salad and corn fresh off the cob served in cups made from the husks. It was such a unique event, that Moira was having a blast taking pictures.
As dinner ended, Micki stood up to thank everyone for coming. “Most of you know I’ve been a bridesmaid in dozens of weddings. Maybe you’ve read my blog, Bridesmaid Blues. But the truth is, I never wanted to get married. I didn’t think I’d get it right. Then I met Ben and started questioning my decision. And his daughter Alexis? Well, she just sealed the deal.”
Moira zoomed in on the little girl who looked adoringly up at Micki.
“So tonight, I ask you to raise your glass to love. Whether you’re deep in the throes of it, still looking for it, or convinced it could never happen to you.” She raised her glass and the guests clinked their glasses, saying, ‘Here, here!’ Moira’s assistant, Jackie, focused on shots of the crowd while Moira photographed the couple.
“On that note, what could be more romantic at a wedding than helping love bloom? My new husband—” she squealed at this, and continued, “My new husband Ben would like to introduce you to someone special.”
Moira pursed her lips. They hadn’t mentioned this mystery guest when they’d run down the events for the reception, but maybe this was a last minute decision to liven up the TV show—if peacocks and a flash mob hadn’t been enough.
Ben took the microphone from Micki and kissed her. That earned a big awww from the crowd. “Thanks everyone for being here tonight. I know this was last minute, but Micki and I didn’t want to wait. We’re ready to start our lives together as a family. But the man I’m going to introduce you to tonight has been waiting a very long time for his girl. And he’s hoping for a second chance after he blew it over a decade ago. I’d like you to meet my buddy, Fitz. Craig Fitzpatrick. Come on up, Fitz.”
Moira’s fingers felt numb. At least she didn’t drop the camera this time, but she couldn’t even manage to press the shutter button; which was a shame. Because Craig Fitzpatrick ran into the tent wearing a pale blue tuxedo. The guests roared with laughter, then whistled and applauded.
She knew she should be photographing this. Luckily, Jackie was snapping away, with a huge grin on her face.
Craig took the microphone from Ben and stood in front of the head table. “I need to thank Micki and Ben for letting me crash their wedding and right a wrong that I’ve been dragging around with me for ten years.”
Moira could feel the heat creeping up her chest. She knew bright red splotches were working their way up her neck. Still, she took a deep breath and fought the urge to run. Or duck. Or cover her eyes like a kid thinking no one could see her if she couldn’t see them.
Craig pointed at her. “That woman, our photographer tonight. You’ve probably all heard of Moira Moore.”
She heard some mumbling from the crowd and a smatter of applause.
“I knew her back in high school. And I had the chance to ask her to prom. But I blew it big time, and she ended up in an embarrassing situation I’ve regretted ever since. I hope you know how sorry I am, Moira.”
The crowd interjected with a long awww. She tried to ignore the fact that every camera in the room was panning back and forth between her and Craig. She took a deep breath and nodded.
“So tonight, I’m doing my best to put myself in an even more embarrassing situation than you were in, Moira. In front of an even bigger crowd.” He pointed at one of the cameras and everyone laughed, Moira included.
Then Craig held out his hand. “So let me finally get it right. Moira, it’s not the prom, but will you be my date for this wedding?”
She swallowed, hoping to find her voice. “I’d love to, but I’m working.” She held up her camera with a shrug.
“No problem, boss,” Jackie said. “You’ve taught me well. I’ve got you covered.”
Moira stared at Craig, who was holding out his hand for her. The crowd started chanting ‘Moira, Moira!’
“But I’m not dressed for a wedding,” she countered. Which was true. She was wearing a pair of the black pants and white v-neck shirt she always wore while photographing a wedding.
“Good thing your fairy godmother showed up,” Kelly said, stepping under the tent. “We brought you a dress!” She held up a garment bag.
“You guys all knew about this?” Moira asked.
“Not everyone,” Micki said, gesturing to the guests, who laughed.
The crowd started chanting her name again. She really had no choice but to play along, but the truth was, she was excited. Craig had gone
to a lot of trouble to ask her out again—his third and final time. Moira shrugged and handed her camera to Jackie. “Just give me a few minutes to freshen up.” That got a huge applause from the crowd and a giant grin from Craig.
Kelly hurried over with the garment bag, and led Moira to the nearby restrooms. She’d brought three dresses in Moira’s size. She chose a pale pink evening gown. “This is crazy,” Moira said.
“Love usually is. True love, anyway. Look at me and Liam—we’re getting married after knowing each other just a few weeks.”
Moira turned around from Kelly and slipped off her top. “I knew you two had chemistry when I was taking your pictures for the Minx-Anderson wedding audition. You had more spark than the bride and groom.” Moira slipped the dress on, then slid off her pants. “Not so surprised they broke up.”
“I thought it would take a little longer than it did. But thankfully, they never made it to the altar.” Kelly zipped up the back and Moira turned around. “You look great. I brought makeup, but I don’t think you need any. Should we do something different with your hair?”
Moira usually wore it pulled back while she worked, so she unfastened the clip and let it fall to her shoulders. Kelly fluffed it a bit for her. “You look fantastic. Oh, here. Some better shoes.” She handed her a pair of crystal clear pumps. “I figured they’d match whatever dress you chose.”
Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined this Cinderella scenario.
“You ready?” Kelly asked.
Moira sucked in a breath and nodded. They approached the tent, and Micki and Ben were finishing their first dance—with Alexis cuddled in her daddy’s arms between the two of them. Moira gritted her teeth, wishing she could have photographed that. But then she saw Craig waiting for her, and her heart soared. Well, that was a good sign, wasn’t it?
The DJ tapped his microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, let’s hear it for our bride and groom.” Lots of clapping and whistling followed that. “And now let’s have a big round of our applause for Fitz and Moira and the biggest romantic do-over of the decade.”
The guests rose for a standing ovation as Craig stood on the dance floor, holding a corsage in his hand, waiting for Moira to approach. She came up to him wishing she could calm her heart.
“You look amazing,” he said.
“So do you.” Her eyes flicked up and down him. “In your own way. I didn’t go to prom, but I don’t imagine anyone wore powder blue.”
“I’m doing my best to embarrass myself.”
“You’re doing a good job with it.”
“And you almost told another joke.” He looked at the spray of roses in his hand. “Oh, I got this for you.” His hands hovered over her breasts and everyone laughed.
“Let me.” Not that she’d ever done it before, but after a few tries she got it attached to her dress.
Then the music started playing. More of those lovely coral-pink petals showered from the ceiling, and bubbles floated in the air. Craig held out his hand and she took it, letting herself be led around the dance floor. He didn’t try any fancy moves, just slowly turned her around the dance floor to It Had To Be You. She shivered, thinking how appropriate the words were.
“This was our prom song,” he said.
She nodded. “I remember. Did you have fun with Lacy?”
He rolled his eyes. “She was drunk when I picked her up, and threw up half way through the dance. Yet they still crowned her prom princess.”
“Sounds about right.”
He pulled her closer, snaking his hand across her shoulder, up to the back of her neck, rubbing his thumb along her skin. “I was thinking about you that night. How I would’ve had more fun with you.”
She almost tripped. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. I wasn’t kidding when I said I liked the pictures. I remember thinking how pretty you were. And how nice it would be to get to know you.”
She hoped the look she gave him showed her disbelief.
While still dancing, he reached in his pants pocket and pulled something out. “I still have one of those pictures.” He handed it to her.
She stopped dancing and examined the picture of her and Craig with the crowns on their heads. She looked up at him—and saw two video cameras behind him. But she didn’t care. “You really kept this all those years?”
He nodded. “I just never imagined I’d have the chance to make things right. At least, I hope I’ve made it right.”
Nodding, she blinked back tears. “No one’s ever done anything like this for me, Craig.”
He kissed her head. “I’m glad to be the first. So don’t you think you should be calling me Fitz by now?”
She shook her head. “You were Fitz in high school. You’re something so much more now.”
He pulled her close, when she felt something on her head. She reached up and realized Micki had slipped a crown on her. Ben had put one on Craig.
“Long may your love reign,” Micki said, before splitting a gut with laughter. Then she turned to the crowd. “And the rest of you. If you believe in love, get on up here!”
Couples scattered from their tables, filling the dance floor. Moira nestled her head against Craig’s chest. “So, I take it this means you’ll be going out with me on that date?” he asked.
She looked up at him. “Oh, no. This is the date. That’s it.”
He looked stunned, then laughed. “Next decade’s joke?”
“Delivered a bit early, I know.” She laughed and let him take her in his arms. She wondered how they’d look in a picture right then. She wished she could take it herself. But she shook the idea away. She didn’t need a picture to remember this. She’d never forget it.
Happy couples filled the dance floor all around them, many of whom she’d photographed at their own weddings, in their own love story. So this is what it feels like.
“I took your advice,” he said.
That snapped her out of her daze. “About what?”
“I’m buying another rental. Ever since I saw you again, Moira, I’ve wanted more for myself. You know, professionally.”
She smiled. “And ever since I’ve seen you, I’ve wanted more for myself personally.”
“See? We are king and queen.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Of do-overs.”
She laughed and tipped up on her toes to kiss him, fairly certainly she’d see that on camera later.
Micki and Ben waltzed past. “That was awesome you guys! The producer says our episode will win for sure. With the live ice sculptor and the skywriter’s message after the vows and now you two? They were impressed. And they say to give them a call when you get married.” She winked at them.
Moira blushed, but Craig said, “We will.”
Kelly and Liam were dancing close by. “We’ll lend you our peacocks,” Kelly offered.
Moira scrunched her nose. “Maybe not.”
So many smiling, happy couples whirled around them. Justin and Samantha took a break from their catering truck for a quick dance. Even Craig and Miranda left rose duty for a moment for a spin on the dance floor. Oh, how she wished she could be photographing it all.
It was like Craig was reading her mind. He laughed. “One thing’s for sure—we’d never be able to find a good enough photographer.”
Moira smiled at him; then fireworks crackled overhead and Micki said, “Right on cue!” The guests all bustled outside to see, but Craig and Moira stayed in their embrace, and he caught her up in a kiss that brought on it’s own round of fireworks.
Then he whirled her around the room and kept her out well past dawn, just like any good prom date would.
***
Also, check out other Flirts! collections—Flirts! 5 Romantic Short Stories, Beach Flirts!, Holiday Flirts!, Fairy Tale Flirts!, More Flirts!, Reunion Flirts! and Fairy Tale Flirts 2! You might also enjoy Lisa’s romantic novella, Spouse Hunting. The first two novels in her Willowdale romance series, No Foolin’ and Man of the Month are now
available.
From Lisa Scott, the Author
I hope you enjoyed reading this story. I’m a former TV news anchor who now enjoys making up stories instead of sticking to the facts. I’ve dreamed of writing professionally ever since penning my first creative writing assignment in second grade. I know—that dream sure took a while to sprout.
When not begging my husband and two kids for a few minutes of peace to write my stories, I work as a voice actor and putter around in my koi pond and garden in upstate NY.
If you liked this story, please tell a friend—I’m trying to spread the word that short stories aren’t short on fun! And if you enjoyed it, please leave a review. I always love hearing from readers at [email protected]. If you like “Read Lisa Scott” on Facebook, you’ll get the latest news on upcoming releases. Occasionally, I blog on my website, ReadLisaScott.com. Stop by and say hi!
