The Bridesmaid

Chapter 13

One year later, on a wet spring weekend, Joe and Kate were married in Seattle. Lisa stood up with Kate, wearing a lovely off-the-shoulder lavender gown, which Lisa proclaimed too plain and too predictable. The reception was held at a new venue: an industrial building that had been transformed inside to look like an art museum. Or maybe it was an art museum. Joe had lost track of the details.

He was happy. Happier than he thought he could be. He was frankly amazed at how damn happy he was.

Kate was happy, too. She was still amused and awed that things had happened as they had, that she’d met the man of her dreams on a flight diverted to Dallas. She was awed that she and Joe had both known, in just a few days, just knew, that they belonged together. What would explain that other than fate? Kate hoped that fate also had a big family in mind for them, now that she knew Joe wasn’t particularly put off by people wandering in and out of the house without knocking and raiding the fridge, as her family tended to do.

They stayed at the Edgewater the night of the wedding, and their lovemaking was spectacular. The next morning they made their way to Kate’s house, where the Firrettis and the Prestons had come together to dine on leftover wedding food for breakfast before the newlyweds headed off to Paris for their honeymoon. While they were dining, the clouds rolled in, swallowing up the sun.

Later still, when Colton drove them to the airport, the clouds were hanging even heavier. Kate and Joe joked about late spring blizzards and air traffic controller strikes.

The newly minted Mr. and Mrs. Firretti checked their bags. “Are you sure you want to carry that on?” Joe asked, looking at the enormous tote bag Kate was holding. “Yes,” she said. “It’s got everything we need. Books, iPad, toothbrushes, change of underwear—”

“Okay, okay,” he said. “Just please don’t tell me it has a tuna-fish sandwich in it.”

“No!” Kate said. “I’ll buy that at a kiosk or something.” She smiled at his look of horror.

They made it through security and wandered up to their gate. They glanced up at the board. Delayed, it said.

“Wait here,” Joe said, and walked up to the counter and spoke to the airline agent. He returned a moment later, a funny little smile on his face.

“So what’s the delay?” Kate asked.

“Indefinite. Seems there is an unexpected weather event in Europe and the plane coming in is being diverted.”

Kate blinked. And Mr. and Mrs. Firretti burst into laughter.