Page 31 of My Stepbrother's Wedding
Applause broke through the hall. I couldn’t help but cheer with the crowd. Despite all the rivalry we’d had as teenagers, I was proud of Will. He’d mastered living in this strange place and even won over a girl I never imagined he’d find. I clapped my hands as they sat on their thrones right in front of the massive wedding cake.
One of the waiters lit the sparklers on the cake, and the guests rushed to ignite the ones they were holding. I waved mine overhead and shouted congratulations, when I noticed …
The cake was on fire.
My mouth fell open. I deduced the paper border decorating the cake had inadvertently caught as the flames spread higher and higher. None of the other guests seemed to notice as they cheered and waved their sparklers. Not even the waiter who’d lit the cake noticed. My stepbrother pointed to the flames and mouthed something with urgency. He was ignored until the flames engulfed the entire cake. A gasp echoed through the room when the wedding guests finally realized what was happening.
As the waiters turned to extinguish the cake, every sparkler in the room burned out, filling the atmosphere with a noxious gray smoke that made me choke. The fire alarm sounded, and a hasty exodus through the main doors ensued through a chorus of coughs and gags. I covered my mouth and ran outside.
Dad and Elizabeth retreated to a spot on the lakeside promenade. I joined them, and we huddled together as billows of thick smoke poured out the open doors. Inside, one of thewaiters fired an extinguisher on the flaming cake. The rest of the staff rushed across the floor with napkins over their mouths, trying to open all the windows and set up a portable fan. Fortunately, one of them shut off the fire alarm, and the chatter of wedding-goers replaced the blaring noise.
“I guess we should be used to this stuff by now,” Dad said, shaking his head with a smirk on his lips.
I chuckled in agreement. “It was certainly the most memorable entrance I’ve ever seen at a wedding reception.”
“It was still beautiful,” Elizabeth said. “Ralphy Bear, seeing this makes me want to renew our vows.”
Dad raised his brow. “If we do it here, I don’t think we’ll survive.”
I laughed. Elizabeth slugged Dad playfully on the arm, then cuddled next to him. The other guests continued as if nothing unusual had happened, even as the fire department arrived. Mira was right. The most important thing was that we were together, not that everything, or everyone, was perfect. Besides, we had a lifelong memory we would cherish forever—how Will’s wedding turned into a four-alarm fire.
Not everyone was having a good time though. Petrush and Miranda were crammed into a lakeside booth, palpable despair in their expressions. Miranda fought back tears, andPetrush shook his head in frustrated intervals. Whatever they were upset about before had not been resolved, and the fire had certainly not improved their situation.
I spotted Mira and pushed past the partygoers to talk to her. “What’s wrong with Irena’s parents?” I asked.
Mira took a deep breath and grimaced. “Miranda lost her purse.”
“That’s terrible. Did she leave it at home?”
Mira shook her head. “No. I saw her with it at the church. The worst part is, she had all the money to pay for the reception hall in that purse.”
My hand covered my mouth to muffle a gasp. “Really? All five thousand dollars?”
“Yes, and now they can’t pay for the reception.”
I shook my head, reeling from the shock of one calamity after another. It was supposed to be a day of joy and celebration, not disaster and disappointment. A thought crept into my mind. I resisted it at first, but a little voice deep down inside told me what had to be done. Besides, I still longed for a chance to redeem myself after the previous night. I turned and started toward the villa.
“Wini, where are you going?” Mira asked.
“I have something I need to do,” I said, adding urgency to my voice. “I’ll be right back.”
Chapter 13
The ten-minute walk from the reception hall to the villa gave me time to reflect on my next move. Irena’s parents needed five thousand dollars to pay for the reception. I had exactly five grand hidden in my suitcase. The right thing to do couldn’t be more obvious. The problem was, I had plans for that money. I was supposed to meet Karen in Croatia and spend the rest of the trip sipping piña coladas on a Mediterranean beach, being waited on by some hunk with a foreign accent. Of course, I was already at an exotic European destination, but that was beside the point.
I’d spent all summer slaving over the pool snack bar to escape this wedding. Now, in a moment of emotional vulnerability, I wanted to throw that away and give the money to people I barely knew. Foolish. They were Will’s in-laws, not mine. I had no responsibility to any of them.
Or so I almost convinced myself.
I made it back to my room and pulled the cash from its hiding spot. I sat on the bed, counting it one last time as the angel of selfish indulgence and the angel of softhearted charity battled for control over my next decision. The money was all there—five thousand dollars. I counted it again, putting off returning to the party.
“You know what to do, Winifred,” I told myself. I did, too. Will had never been my favorite person, but he was family, even if by unusual means. His new wife and her relatives were also part of my family now as well. Besides, they’d accepted me even though I’d proven myself a fool the night before. Mira’s words came back to me.The most important thing is that we’re together, not that we’re always perfect.Sighing, I stuck the wad of cash in an envelope and headed back to the reception hall.
I wish I could tell you the march back was easy or that I felt a sense of moral resolve that made it effortless. In reality, I didn’t want to give the cash away. When I returned to the reception hall, the smoke had cleared, but the guests hadn’t gone back inside yet. Irena’s parents were still sitting at the same booth, despair painted across their faces. No one else sat with them, so I plopped down across from Petrush.
“I want you to have this.” I fished the envelope from my purse and slid it across the table. A selfish itch lingered in my fingers as I pushed the money toward him.
Petrush and Miranda smiled at me vacantly, not understanding a word I’d said. Petrush picked the envelope up and stuck it into his jacket pocket without looking at the contents. He said something in his language and gave a short bow.
