Page 29 of The Fool

After the ceremony, we head over to Cameron and Lily’s house which stands tall and grand in the middle of a well-to-do gated community. Bunting and wildflowers decorate the grounds, and I hear the little girl, Jess, proudly explaining that she and her mother made all the decorations themselves. She’s a carbon copy of her mother, apart from the color of her eyes, an icy blue, that makes her look all the more stunning with her dark features and long, mahogany-colored hair. Right now, she’s sticking close to the bride, completely in awe of her, which Lily indulges by taking hold of her hand and making her the chief bridesmaid. Cameron continues to look like the proud groom and can’t stop plastering Lily with little kisses, some being more passionate than others.

After a while, taking in all this romantic display of affection becomes too much, so I decide enough is enough and go to find my ‘date’ at the bar. To my utter delight, I discover Callie was right, this is a free bar. Someone is finally on my side for a change, so I walk over with gusto and a huge smile on my face. Alas, the closer I get, the more I can make out the figure of my ray of sunshine boss, Nathaniel. Of course, he is the best man, as well as the groom’s brother, so I was bound to run into him. I just wish it had been after a few glasses of Dutch courage.

“Hey, date,” Callie laughs with a glass of champagne already in hand. “You are looking shit hot!”

“Oh, my, Callie, how much have you had to drink?” I cannot help but laugh at her.

“Been drinking since ten this morning,” she replies with a cheeky grin.

“Well, you look beautiful, as do the happy couple. I love Lily’s dress,” I comment as I look her way again. “Everything looks so romantic.”

“Getting caught up in the moment are we, Miss Summers?” Nathaniel asks before taking a swig of his beer. “You never know, you might meet your future husband here; what a romantic story that would be.”

“Oh, hush up, Nate! Bea, you need to catch me up. Drink, drink, drink!” Callie chants at the same time as handing me two glasses of champagne.

“Where are they going on their honeymoon?” I ask to make small talk.

“Hawaii,” Helena chimes in as she walks over to the bar with her daughter, Jess. “Jess this is Bea; Bea, this is my little girl, Jess. She works with your Uncle Nate.”

“Mom, I’m not a little girl,” Jess laughs softly, and I can tell straight away that she shares a really close bond with her mother. “Hi, Bea, I love your dress.”

“Thank you,” I reply, “but I must say, you look stunning. The color of your dress really compliments your eyes.”

“Dear Lord, I need to get out of here,” Nathaniel mutters, then quickly ambles away.

I take a glance at Callie, wondering if I said something wrong, though I can’t imagine what. She simply shakes her head, then grabs my hand to begin walking us over toward the marquee, presumably where the wedding breakfast is about to be served. At least, I hope there’s some kind of food, otherwise, I’m going to lose my head with the number of drinks Callie is serving me.

Once inside, I lose my date again, being that she’s sitting at the top table with the wedding party. However, I’m still in good company with James, Mick, and Lily’s sister and partner. The atmosphere is laid back and the conversation extremely amusing, especially with Rachel’s dry sense of humor and Mick’s muttering obscenities every few minutes.

Sitting along the top table is the bride and groom, Callie, Nate, and both sets of parents. Callie soon offers me a wink and the eating begins. Against my better judgment, I eat very little. I can’t help it, I’m still feeling beyond nervous, so I drink instead. Callie keeps tabs by asking me which number glass I’m on, so I use my fingers by way of sign language. It’s no surprise that she is constantly in front of me by one or two glasses, demonstrating how much better she can hold her drink than I can. I would be a collapsed heap in bed if I had been drinking since ten in the morning.

At the end of the meal, the speeches commence. Lily’s father begins with a speech that is sweet in its own way, but you can tell showing public affection is uncomfortable for him, whereas Cameron’s father is openly proud and emotional about his son. He welcomes Lily to the family and ends up in tears. Callie’s speech is as you would expect but generally kept clean and appropriate for most of the audience. Jess occasionally asks her mother what Callie is talking about, to which Helena smiles shyly and tells her she will explain when she’s older. Her reaction makes me smile; I can remember being her age, wondering why the adults were laughing at things that didn’t seem even remotely funny.

When it’s Nathaniel’s turn, he stands and charms the room within an instant. He plays everyone like puppets; he will have no doubt planned when he wants the audience to laugh, gush, and applaud. To begin with, he tells funny anecdotes about Cameron’s misspent youth, such as getting into trouble with Mick and having to avoid girls who he had inadvertently wronged. To be honest, I try to avoid his face, which is unfairly gorgeous. Even his voice is smugly perfect, so I switch off to most of it. But then he says something that grabs my full attention:

Seeing as the happy couple is now married, I can admit that I once had a crush of my own on Lily, my now sister-in-law. One might have even said I was falling in love with her.

Lily looks painfully awkward at this point, while Cameron’s jaw ever so subtly clenches. It’s like watching a car crash, oddly fascinating, but oh, so terrifying.

However, I knew I wasn’t good enough for this wonderful woman. I am far too reckless with hearts, even my own. Besides, her best friend, aka American mommy, Callie, said it was a terrible idea for me to try and settle down; she was dead set against me trying it out with our dear Lily. Though we did decide that she needed some intervention; it is of no surprise that she was inexperienced with romance and…

The crowd sniggers when he theatrically coughs into his fist, meanwhile Jess is looking even more confused than ever.

So, I came up with the perfect solution; I decided this man here, my big brother, was the only man I knew that truly deserved her heart.

Cue a collective ‘ahh’ from the audience.

After all, unbeknownst to her, the both of them had history. And I think you’ll all agree with me when I say, Cam, you proved me right, for you make the most perfect couple. If I couldn’t have her, then I’m glad it was you who could.

Cameron’s clenched jaw has now eased and he’s standing to embrace his brother; their mother is in tears, and Lily is blushing brighter than a ripened tomato.

To the happy couple,he toasts, and to me, the forever bachelor!

The crowd either offers their laughter or throws a napkin his way.

Hmmm, interesting.

I never knew Nathaniel had feelings for Lily and I certainly didn’t know he’d been abstaining from relationships because he thought he would suck at it. I might have to discuss this little nugget of information with Callie, for I know they were in some sort of something before Lily paired up with his brother. Of course, it’s none of my business, but the champagne has made me incredibly nosey about it all.

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