Page 22 of Bumping into You

Studying Gwen, I see how tired she is. She’s running herself ragged. Maybe Greg was right, and I can help her bring a littlecraicand a lot less stress into this week.

At a quarter to seven, I leave my room. I don’t want to be late to dinner, and this cruise ship is huge. Gwen had left the balcony earlier, so I hadn’t asked if she wanted to go together.

The main dining room is at the back of the ship and is full of people talking to their tablemates, waiters bringing drinks and taking orders. There’s a soft din of noise as I am led to our table.Our group is so big we get our own little corner of the restaurant. With windows lining us on one side, it’s actually quite cozy.

“Oh, Niall, how nice to see you again.” Mrs. Kenton stands to wrap me in a hug. The Kentons have always been nice to me. They came up to Boston a few times during college, so I got to know them well, having been in the dorm room next to Greg and Trent since our freshman year. I haven’t seen the Kentons in years, but whenever they visited Greg in college, they always made me feel like one of their own. Mrs. Kenton reminds me so much of my mam. I hold onto her a little longer than normal. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten a mother’s hug, and I didn’t realize how much I missed it. A ping of sorrow hits me hard at the thought, but I brush it off and give her a big smile.

“It’s lovely to see you again as well,” I say as she moves aside for her husband.

“I was sorry to hear about your mom,” says Mr. Kenton, giving me a squeeze on the shoulder.

“We’re always here for you if you need anything,” says Mrs. Kenton.

Realizing I’ve started to feel melancholy, I plaster a smile on my face and brush off their concern. “No worries. My mam wouldn’t have wanted me sulking around in sadness. She’s always been one to celebrate those who’ve gone, but I thank you for your kind words.”

As I turn to take my seat, Holly introduces me to the older couple sitting next to her. “Mom, Dad, this is Niall, or Sully, as Greg and Trent refer to him. He’s our other groomsman. Niall, this is my mom and dad.”

“Pleasure,” I say as I tip my head in their direction, taking a seat next to Greg. Gwen walks in alongside a small family.

“Grams and Papa!” exclaims a little lassie.

“This is our granddaughter, Maggie,” says Mrs. Kenton. Maggie runs right up to her grandparents, overflowing with joy.They sweep her up in a big hug.

“And this is our daughter Gillian,” says Mr. Kenton, “and her husband Miles.”

“Nice to meet you all,” I say.

We all adjust our seats some, and before I know it, Gwen is situated between me and the others. Holly’s other sister, Vivian, soon joins us and sits just to the side of Gillian. The two must know each other already from their animated conversation that starts the second she sits down.

The Kentons regale us with their road-trip experience. Traffic from multiple car accidents, an unexpected detour, and a flat tire practically kept them from making the boat. Luckily, as Gwen already explained to me, they made it just before the cruise stopped letting people board.

As we finish dinner, some of the group heads out while the others sit and catch up. Vivian jumps up excitedly and rushes over to embrace another woman. It isn’t until they break apart and a crowd of people passes that I notice who it is. Tammy.

Instinctively, I reach over and place my hand on Gwen’s forearm. My touch shocks her, and she snaps her head in my direction only to see Tammy and Bradley standing off to the side waiting to be seated.

Gwen grips my hand roughly. “Help,” she whispers to me. “I can’t handle another run-in with them today. I just need time to process that he is here and he’s engaged. Not to mention,” she gestures to the rest of the wedding party, “I’m not sure who knows my ex will also be around for the wedding, and I don’t want this dinner to turn into something it shouldn’t.”

I nod. I can imagine Greg would not take kindly to seeing his little sister’s ex. Then I stand and say, loud enough for the rest of the group to hear, “If you’re done eating, Gwen, would you mind walking me to my room and going through the wedding agenda and the next few days of plans, since I haven’t been caught up tospeed on everything yet?”

“Of course,” Gwen says, jumping out of her seat and almost knocking her chair over.

“See,” says Holly, “I told you she was your girl.”

I smile and then gesture for Gwen to head out first. We say our goodbyes and manage to take a wide route out of the dining room without catching Vivian, Tammy, or Bradley’s attention.

“I still can’t believe he is Tammy’s plus one,” she says, shaking her head.

I eye her curiously. “What do you mean?”

“Vivian, instead of bringing a date for her plus one, brought a friend, Tammy. Which by itself wouldn’t have been an issue. But then earlier today, I found out that Tammy also brought a plus one.”

“Bradley, right?”

“Yes, Bradley!”

I process that information for a minute. “So if Vivian is the bride’s sister, and Tammy is her guest, and Bradley is Tammy’s guest, then that would mean—”

“That would mean,” says Gwen, “that I’ll be seeing my ex and his fiancée on this cruise way more than I had originally hoped.”

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