Page 86 of Off the Wall

My fists clench a little when the guy in the tux puts his arm around her.

You really shouldn’t be here, man,I tell myself.

Meanwhile, happy hour continues, with caterers circulating among the guests, offering appetizers and champagne. One of them hands me a miniature pesto quiche on a napkin, but I’m too distracted by Nori to taste what I put in my mouth. I might as well be chewing cardboard. So I tear my focus away from her and force myself to take in the rest of my surroundings.

As out of place as I feel, the Spring Garden Terrace looks exactly how you’d expect an outdoor reception to appear just before sunset. The garden is fully decked with ribbons, flowers, and white lights. To the left of the archway where Hayden and Jasper took their vows, a string quartet is set up under a gazebo. They’ve been playing instrumental versions of songs from artists who were popular when we were kids.

Fall Out Boy. Black Eyed Peas. Destiny’s Child. Nickelback.

Yeah, I really shouldn’t be here.

Other guests, who do belong, drift from the folding chairs set out for the ceremony over to tables under a big white tent. I checked the seating chart earlier, and Hayden didn’t stick me with her husband’s cousins after all. Now I’m at a table with Keeley. She was friendly enough when I met her, but at this point, she probably knows I kissed Nori. And that I’m moving.

She may not be so friendly anymore.

I flick my focus back over to where Nori’s chatting with the bridesmaids. She looks up at the exact same time, catching my eye. Then she breaks away and heads toward me, stepping carefully through the grass. As she approaches, her gaze travels up from my dress shoes to my tie, which suddenly feels too tight.

“Hey, there.” She clears her throat. “You really should wear suits more often.”

“You think?”

She wrinkles her nose. “Probably not so practical for the OR. But I’m glad you were able to make it today.”

“Me too,” I tell her. This is not entirely true. In this moment, I couldn’t feel more awkward. But I’m okay with squirming in a suit if it means I can be with Nori for as many moments as we have left before I move.

She nods to indicate the tent. “So, I guess you’re seated at Keeley’s table now.”

“I saw.”

“Be sure to tell me what you think of Andrew later,” she says under her breath. “That’s Keeley’s boyfriend.”

“Ah.” I glance over at the two of them across the garden at the bar. Keeley’s got her head tossed back, laughing. Her boyfriend isn’t. “Not an Andrew fan?”

“I’ll let you form your own opinion.” Nori shrugs. “But I just … I can’t help thinking there’s someone out there who’s better for her.”

“Does Keeley know how you feel?”

“Hayden and I have dropped some hints,” Nori says. “But you know how it is. People don’t always listen to what they don’t want to hear.”

True enough.

I’m pretty sure Cullen and Lauren did everything they could to warn me about Daphne. Even my parents expressed concerns, and they love everybody. But that was a lesson I had to learn for myself.

“I think this is the quartet’s last song,” Nori says, yanking me back to the present. I follow her gaze over to the gazebo where the lady with the violin confers with the rest of the group. They launch into a new song, and I recognize the tune, but without the lyrics I can’t put my finger on it.

“I’m not sure I know this one.”

Nori sighs. “It’s ‘Someone to Watch Over Me,’ the old Gershwin song.”

“So not another Y2K hit, then. That explains why I didn’t recognize it.”

Nori’s lips curve into a smile, and she glances in the direction of the portable dance floor inside the tent. Behind it, a DJ is setting up in the corner. “Hayden booked a DJ to take over for the rest of the reception,” she says. “She and Jasperreally want people to dance, and they think a DJ will get the crowd going better. I don’t disagree with them, but I really like the quartet. And this song, in particular.”

I bob my head. “They are pretty good.”

Nori glances up at me. “Wanna dance while we can?”

While we can.

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