Save the Date(41)

There were just too many people in the room.

My dad and J.J. were by the door, hunched over the alarm panel, which was still making the low, loud beeping sound. Linnie was standing at the island with Max. Mrs. Daniels and Aunt Liz were sitting at one end of the kitchen table, and the General was on the other end. He had a pair of reading glasses on and was methodically filling out place cards. If the sound of the alarm was bothering him, it wasn’t apparent to me, as he continued to write steadily. I didn’t see my mom or Rodney, which was a good thing, since I was pretty sure we were at capacity.

“What did you do?” Linnie yelled at J.J., her hands clamped over her ears.

“Nothing,” J.J. yelled back. “I’m trying to fix it.” He stared at the panel for a moment, then smacked the side of it. The alarm immediately shut off, the flashing lights on the panel going dark, but a second later, I realized I could still hear the eeeeee sound.

I looked around and saw the dog standing under the kitchen table, his head back, howling softly, making a noise that wasn’t exactly the sound of the alarm, but was more like he was harmonizing with it.

“Is that the dog?” Linnie asked, walking over to him, then promptly sneezing three times.

Maybe it was just Linnie getting closer, or maybe it was her sneezing, but at any rate, Waffles stopped howling mid-note and retreated under the kitchen table, near Mrs. Daniels’s feet, turning around twice before lying down, resting his head on his paws, and looking out into the kitchen, like he wasn’t quite sure about this place and wasn’t about to take his eyes off us if he could help it.

“Nicely done,” my dad said, clapping J.J. on the shoulder.

“It’s going to be fixed, though, right?” Linnie asked. “We’re not just going to rely on J.J. hitting this thing in the middle of the wedding?”

“The alarm company promised they’d send someone first thing in the morning,” my dad assured her. “It’ll be fixed way before the wedding.” Linnie nodded, then sneezed three more times.

“I thought you were only allergic to cats,” Danny said, crossing to the fridge and pulling out a can of Coke. “Is it dogs now too?”

“You’re allergic to cats?” Max asked, and Linnie nodded.

“But I’ve never had an issue with dogs. We were dog sitting for a friend last month, and I was fine.”

“Maybe you’re getting sick,” J.J. volunteered, and my dad shot him a look.

“I’m not getting sick,” Linnie said, glaring at him.

“Of course not,” Danny said, whacking J.J. on the back of the head as he came over to the fridge. “I’m sure it’s just . . . seasonal allergies.”

“Right!” I jumped in. “It’s probably just the . . . pollen.”

“You’ll be fine by tomorrow.”

The kitchen door swung open and Brooke stepped into the kitchen. “Danny?” she called, looking around. She had changed out of the outfit she’d been in when she arrived this morning and was now wearing a cream-colored dress with lace sleeves, her hair pulled up into a knot, and another pair of four-inch heels, this time in pale pink. My brother gave her a wave, and she started across the kitchen toward him, but stopped when she spotted the dog.

“Look at this puppy!” she said, her voice rising in pitch and her face lighting up. “He’s so precious! Hello, buddy,” Brooke said, bending down to meet him at his level. “Aren’t you just the cutest?” The dog looked at Brooke solemnly for a moment, like he was considering this, but then his tail started wagging very slightly. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen a dog with a poker face, but this one seemed to be coming close.

“Whose dog is this?” she asked, scratching his ears as she looked around.

“He’s a loaner for the weekend,” J.J. said.

“Wait, what?”

“Okay!” I looked over and saw my mother coming down the kitchen stairs, dressed in the black pantsuit she always wore when she was doing events or presentations. “We need to leave for the Pearce in ten minutes, so . . .” She stopped and looked around. “Why isn’t anyone ready?” she asked, throwing up her hands.

“I’m ready,” J.J. said, brushing some crumbs off his T-shirt.

My mother just looked at him. “No. Go up and change. You too, Charlie.”

“I was going to,” I protested.

“Then do it, please,” she said, shaking her head. I glanced at the kitchen clock and realized that I did have to get moving. I hurried out of the kitchen and was halfway across the front hall when there was a loud, insistent knocking on the door.

I pulled it open and saw Don standing there, his arms folded across his chest and his face redder than normal.

“I need to talk to your mother or father,” Don sputtered. “Because this is just unacceptable.”

“Um, what is? Dad!” I yelled toward the kitchen. “Could you come here?”

“I am retired,” Don said, shaking his head. “And I need a certain amount of peace and quiet. And—”

“Twice in one day,” my dad said as he joined me. “How nice for us. Did you need something, Don?”

“Yes,” Don said, pushing his way inside. “I need you all to keep it down over here or I’m going to call the police with a noise complaint. There are trucks coming and going, a dog barking, your alarm going off—”