Do You Take This Man (10)

“Hey, it’s the lawyer I like the most!” Trevor reached out for my hand and smiled widely.

“I’m the only lawyer you like,” I joked, volleying back. “Are you two ready?”

Veronica wrapped an arm around her fiancé’s waist and rolled her eyes. “We could have been done with this months ago with a quick ceremony at the courthouse.”

“I wasn’t going to face the wrath of my daughters,” Trevor said, motioning across the room to his three daughters, all in their early twenties, who huddled together around . . . him.

One woman touched his arm, giggling, and the other two stood close, which he didn’t seem to mind. Typical.

Lear said something to the three women and they all laughed, then he stepped between them, striding toward us.

“And we heard Penny’s good news,” Veronica continued. I realized I hadn’t been listening, focused instead on Lear’s shameless flirting.

“Oh,” I said, shifting my gaze back. “Yes! Wonderful news.”

“Hi, RJ.” Lear gave me the same smile he’d been giving the daughters, and I returned it with a tight grin. “Okay, you two,” he said, turning to the couple. “You ready?”

I prickled. This was a rehearsal for the ceremony, and usually I led things.

“Obviously I’m stepping in late with Penny’s absence, but she tells me RJ is an absolute pro.” He flashed another smile my way, and my annoyance faded.

It was possible I was being too hard on him. We hadn’t worked together before and he didn’t know how this went, but his compliment was kind and maybe he’d back up and just let me take over.

“Thanks.” I opened the ceremony booklet. “Before we start—”

“Actually,” he said, “let’s head up front. Easier to get everyone’s attention from there.” He motioned toward the space that would serve as the altar, and Veronica and Trevor nodded, following him.

Um . . . I was in the middle of a sentence.

Lear turned to me with a sheepish look and an apologetic smile. “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt, just wanted to move them before you got going.”

“Sure. I usually like to check in with the couple on a few things before everyone is involved.”

“Sorry about that,” he said, returning a wave and smile from one of Trevor’s daughters walking by. “But we can do it up there, right?”

He’s Gretchen’s friend. He’s Gretchen’s friend. “Sure.”

The wedding party was small and, as expected, everyone gathered around as soon as the couple made it to the front. I made a note in the book to adjust my plan without the early check-in. “Okay,” I said, “let’s get this show started. First things first, where—”

“Thanks, RJ. Can we start with a few introductions, so we know who is who? Carolyn mentioned you don’t all know each other.”

The tallest of Trevor’s daughters, a lithe redhead, beamed at the attention, batting her eyes at the wedding planner, who was quickly becoming my least favorite person. I’d been an attorney for a long time and was on social media, so that was a significant designation.

I tightened my grip on the ceremony binder. “Yes, that’s where I was heading.”

“Great!” He motioned to the group and, I swear, Trevor’s daughters all winked at him in sync. “Why don’t you begin?”

He’s Gretchen’s friend. He’s Gretchen’s friend. As predicted, with no guidance for introductions, every person took far longer to introduce themselves than needed, and Lear periodically and subtly checked his watch. I gave him a pointed stare, which I was sure he missed. As the last person wound down, I stepped forward, physically taking over the space. “Wonderful. Now, I’d like to line everyone up so you know where you’re standing.”

I was sure I’d get an interruption from Lear, so I didn’t pause before guiding Veronica and Trevor to their places.

“Aren’t we going to practice walking in?” One of the other daughters raised a hand, directing the question to Lear. “Lear, we really are lost on who walks when.”

Your dad talks about you a lot and I know you’re earning a graduate degree in physics from MIT. I seriously doubt you’re flummoxed by taking turns walking in a line.

“That’s not a bad idea. Why don’t we begin with the processional, RJ?”

“This works better,” I said with a forced smile.

“Please? I’ll feel so much better if I know how this part works.” Violet spoke to Lear again, a hand on his biceps, and a few others around them nodded, murmuring agreement.

“This way they can practice coming down the aisle and knowing where to go at the same time. Win-win,” he said to me as if he’d just figured out the secret to doing this and was ready to educate me. I was about to give myself the same refrain I had been: He’s Gretchen’s friend. He’s—

“Everyone, gather at the back. I’ll get you organized.”

He’s dead to me.

By the time everyone moved to the back of the space, we’d wasted another few minutes, and once Lear had everyone organized to practice walking in, time was running shorter, especially because I had to place each person at the front of the room, instead of them knowing where to go as I’d planned. Luckily, my “colleague” did not comment on the placement up front. If he had, I might have laid hands on him.