Destination Wedding ~ A Novel (3 page)

"This is just all so sudden…"Claire began, not sure where she was headed. But Steven interrupted her.

"I know. I realize that it is. And the timing isn't perfect, I understand. I know how preoccupied you are with the upcoming trip and wedding. I only wanted you to know my intentions before you left for the Bahamas. I wanted you to know how I feel, and that I want our relationship to continue to grow. I'm serious about us, Claire, and I need you to know that."

Claire looked down at the ring still strangling her finger. She had the terrible urge to shake it off. But why? Steven was a good man. He was hardworking and stable. What was it about this ring that made her feel like she was wearing a noose?

"I just need some time to think about it, Steven," she finally said. "You're right. I do have a lot on my mind with my daughter's wedding and the trip. And this was such a surprise. Would it hurt your feelings terribly if I think it over?"

Steven smiled sweetly at her. "No, it won't hurt my feelings. I knew going into this that there was the possibility you might say no, so the fact that you want to think about it gives me hope. Take all the time you need. I know you'll make the right decision."

Claire wondered if he thought the
right decision
meant the best decision for her, or for him?

She started to slip the ring off her finger to hand it back to Steven, but he shook his head.

"Wear it awhile. Get used to feeling it on your finger. Hopefully, the ring will help you make your decision." Steven picked up the velvet ring box from the table, closed it, and handed it to Claire. She wasn't sure what to do, so she left the ring on throughout dinner to make Steven happy, but all the while she wondered, did it make her happy, too?

Much later, as Claire lay in her bed beside a soundly sleeping Steven, she picked up her left hand and looked at the ring glinting in the darkness. After bringing Claire home, Steven had asked to stay, and made love to her as a way to celebrate the marriage proposal that he was sure she was going to eventually accept. Their lovemaking was nice, always had been, but it lacked the spark, warmth, and passion that Claire would have liked to feel. Or maybe it lacked a deep love commitment. Did Claire actually love Steven? Did she love him enough to promise to spend the rest of her life with him? Or was love even necessary at their ages when stability and honesty were much more important? She didn't know.

Love, passion, and a deep connection were all things that Claire had already experienced in her married life the first time around, and where did that get her? She'd ended up alone when that passion had faded and Jim had left her. Maybe love and butterflies in the stomach and passion was overrated. Maybe what she had with Steven was mature and realistic. Maybe, just maybe, when she returned from her daughter's wedding in the Bahamas, she'd be ready to say yes.

Chapter Three

Monday morning found Claire in a state of panic as she arrived at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport by cab. It was only six o'clock a.m. and the airport was fairly quiet, the first flights of the day just starting to take off. As Claire stepped out of the cab and retrieved her carry-on bag and suitcase from the driver, she prayed she'd packed everything she needed. If she hadn't, it was too late now.

Claire stepped through the automatic doors and began looking around for the others in her group. When her eyes fell upon her soon-to-be son-in-law, Craig, one of the tallest in the group, she sighed with relief, and headed over their way.

Soon, the entire group was gathered together and the checking of the bags commenced. Each person was bringing a carry-on with their wedding clothes in it so if their luggage was lost, at least the wedding would go off without a hitch. Somehow, Mandy had stuffed her beautiful wedding gown into her small carry-on, and Claire hoped and prayed it would make the flight with as few wrinkles as possible.

It wasn't until after everyone had checked their larger bags that Claire had a chance to look around at their group and assess who was there. She knew Mandy and Craig were here, then there was Craig's parents, Janice and Carl, standing stiffly at the edge of the group. Kaylie and her boyfriend, Mark Carlson, and the best man Cameron Anderson and his wife Angela were all standing with Mandy and Craig. There were nine of them in all, counting Claire.

Claire frowned. She had been dreading seeing Jim and his wife, but as she looked around, she noted that they were missing from the group. She hurried over to Mandy and pulled her aside.

"Have you seen your father?" Claire asked. "He isn't here yet."

"Oh, with all that was going on I forgot to tell you," Mandy said. "I got a call from Dad on Saturday. He was in Chicago for work and he had to change his flight. He's flying out of Chicago this morning and meeting us in Miami."

"Oh. Diane, too?" Claire asked.

Mandy nodded. "I'm guessing she's with him. He didn't say otherwise and he didn’t say we should expect her here."

As the group headed over to go through security, Claire let out a sigh of relief. At least she wouldn't have to sit and watch Jim and Diane throughout the three-and-a-half hour flight to Miami being all lovey-dovey and cuddly. The thought of it made her stomach sick.

Everything went smoothly and the group landed in Miami on time. Once there, though, they had to run, quite literally, to catch the small plane to Marsh Harbour on the Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas. There, they met up with Claire's brother and sister-in-law, Glen and Lisa Goodwin, who'd just flown to Miami from San Diego.

"Uncle Glen! Aunt Lisa!" Mandy called with delight when she saw them at the gate. "I'm so happy you're coming along."

Glen smiled as he hugged his niece. "I wouldn't miss my only niece's wedding. You know that." He winked over to Claire. "Especially when it's in the Bahamas."

Hugs and introductions were dispersed all around and then they were hurried outside on the tarmac to board the tiny plane. Again, Claire hadn't seen Jim or Diane. Maybe his plane from Chicago was late. Maybe they'd have to come on a later flight to the Bahamas. Claire secretly hoped so.

The group squeezed down the tiny aisle of the plane and found their seats. All the carry-ons were given to the attendant since there were no overhead compartments. Claire was the only person in the group who had to sit with a stranger since everyone else had come in pairs. Mandy and Craig sat in the seats in front of her, Glen and Lisa were behind her, and Kaylie and Mark where across the aisle from her. An elderly gentleman with a white beard and wearing tropical colored clothing sat in the window seat beside Claire. She smiled over at him when she sat down.

Mandy was just taking her seat when Claire saw her smile and wave at someone at the back of the plane.

"Dad made it," Mandy said to Claire. "He's in the back."

Claire forced herself not to turn around and look.

The flight took off and everyone settled in. The aisle was too narrow and the ceiling too short to get up and walk around comfortably, so everyone stayed seated for the hour-long flight.

After a time, Claire's curiosity got the better of her and she turned slightly to catch a glimpse of Jim in the back of the plane. He sat on the aisle, like her, so she could see he was dressed casually in khaki pants and a green polo shirt. His hair was cut perfectly, long enough to show off the waves, but short enough not to look shaggy. And he was already tan. Claire wondered how a man who worked indoors and lived in Minnesota could be tan in the winter. Obviously, he went to a tanning salon. It was probably Diane's idea. Claire couldn't get a view of Diane in the window seat beside Jim. Claire was certain Diane would be dressed brightly in a tight outfit and have a golden tan of her own. After all, she was only thirty years old. Jim had married her when she was a mere twenty-six and he was forty-one. It was obscene.

Jim raised his hand and waved at Claire, making her turn around hastily. Her face burned red. She hadn't realized she'd been staring at him for so long. Claire grabbed her charm bracelet and began twirling it around her wrist. She felt stupid for being so obsessed with her ex-husband. In truth, she shouldn't give a fig about him or that woman he married. But being around them still made her so nervous, she tended to act like an idiot.

Four years ago when Jim left her for Diane, it had taken Claire by utter surprise. She'd literally been the wife who was the last to know her husband was having an affair. She'd thought their marriage was fine. They'd been together for twenty years, raised a daughter, and both had interesting careers that they enjoyed. At the time, Claire's boutique was still getting off the ground, but making a small profit and growing. Sure, Claire had spent many hours there, sometimes all day and into the evenings to save on employee expenses when she was first starting out. Often, Mandy worked there, too, after school and on weekends. But Jim had been working a lot of overtime, too, so Claire hadn't felt bad about it. They were building their lives like couples do, or so she thought. She had no idea that Jim had decided to build his life elsewhere, with someone else.

For Claire, the day Jim told her he was leaving her seemed just like yesterday. It was still fresh in her mind and her heart. How could someone who vowed to love you forever suddenly want to leave? Maybe that was why she was still nervous around him and Diane. And now, she'd be spending the next seven days on an island with the two people who she least wanted to spend time with.

As the rest of the wedding party chatted around her, Claire closed her eyes and focused on staying calm. "I can do this, I can do this, I can do this," she chanted softly to herself.

"Mom."

Claire's eyes flew open. Mandy had turned in her seat and stared directly at her.

"What are you doing?" Mandy asked, frowning. "Are you okay?"

Claire stopped rocking in her seat and sat up straight. She hadn't even realized she'd been doing it. "I'm fine, dear. Sorry," she said, sheepishly.

Mandy pursed her lips. "Mom, you have to get ahold of yourself. You're scaring that poor gentleman beside you." With that, Mandy turned around in her seat again.

Claire grimaced. She looked over at her seatmate. "Sorry," she told him.

The elderly man smiled. "No worries," he said. "Are you afraid of flying?"

Claire shook her head. "No. Flying is fine. More like afraid of spending the next week with my ex-husband and his new wife." Claire tipped her head in the direction of the back of the plane and the elderly gentleman turned and looked at Jim through the separation between their seats.

"Oh, I get it. Do you want me to kiss you passionately and make him jealous?" he asked with a sly grin.

Her hands flew over her mouth as Claire stifled a laugh. "No, thank you," she said through her smile. "But it was a kind offer."

The man winked and turned back toward the window.

Claire took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The old man's silly offer had helped her relax. But, inside her head, she was still chanting,
I can do this, I can do this.

***

From his seat at the back of the plane, Jim could watch everyone in the wedding party. He'd purposely boarded the plane early so he could get on without any questions from Mandy. Soon enough, he'd have to explain why Diane wasn't with him. He just wasn't sure yet what he was going to say.

To admit to his daughter that he'd failed at his second marriage after leaving her mother for Diane left a lump in his throat. What an idiot he'd been. The grass hadn't been greener on the other side. In fact, it had been brown, prickly, and downright nasty. When he'd left Claire to start a new life with Diane, he'd thought it would be a life full of love, laughter, and carefree fun. Boy, had he been wrong. The minute he'd said "I do," Diane ran over him like a steam shovel. She wanted a brand new house, brand new furniture to fill it with, and expensive vacations. She wanted to change the way he dressed, the way he cut his hair, the way he ate, and even the way he walked. What the hell was wrong with the way he walked? Diane became a living nightmare. And the fact that they worked in the same office and that he was her superior didn't help matters. She thought she could reign over him at work like she did at home. But the worst part of all, she'd done everything she could to keep him away from his only child. That had hit Jim hard. When Mandy began planning the wedding, Diane flat-out refused to go on the island vacation and attend the wedding. They fought over it endlessly. He literally had to bribe her to agree to go to the engagement party by giving her a ridiculously expensive diamond necklace. It was all too much for Jim. When Diane refused to go to the wedding during their umpteenth argument six months ago, it was the final straw for Jim. He gave her an ultimatum. Go to the wedding with him, or leave. She chose to leave, thank God. As bad as it sounded, he'd actually been relieved.

Jim looked up in time to see Claire staring back at him. He gave her a small smile and a wave, which made her turn around instantly. Jim sighed. He'd really screwed up his life the day he'd left Claire. True, their marriage had been faltering and it had seemed like their work life had become more important than their relationship. Looking back, however, he realized that it had been his fault completely since he'd let himself become distracted with a younger woman at work while Claire had stayed true.

Jim watched the back of Claire's head as she seemed to be rocking in her seat and chanting something. Then he saw Mandy turn around in her seat and say something to her mother. Jim wondered what Claire had been doing. She seemed nervous. He'd secretly watched her as she'd boarded the plane with the rest of the group and was amazed at how young and vibrant she looked. She'd grown out her sandy blond hair a little and she looked like she'd lost a little weight. Not that Claire had ever been overweight; she'd always looked neat and trim. But today, she looked amazing in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Since the day they met in college, Claire had always been a smart, confident woman who knew what direction she was heading. Jim had always envied that about her. But today, she looked nervous, almost vulnerable. He wondered if she was, or if it was just his imagination.