With the brides finally joining them, it was time to eat.
The vendor workers pushed open a long sliding wood door. The smell that greeted them made Matty’s mouth water.
As they went to get in line, Kerrie waved her over. She was at the long buffet table.
“Would you mind taking this to Kenny so we’ve got him settled?” she asked, holding a plate out to Matty.
“No problem.”
She was turning around with the plate when Kerrie grabbed her shoulder, stopping her, then pulled her into a tight hug. “Thank you for being here today. And not just today.” Her voice was thick with emotion. “You’ve been there for Kenny in ways I can never repay, and for me too. For all of us, really. You show up, Matty. You always do. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”
A large lump formed in her throat. She one-armed hugged her tightly back, suddenly unable to trust her own voice. “Tha—thank you. That means a lot.”
Kerrie gave her one last squeeze before letting go. “You’re family, you know that, right?”
Emotion rose so fast it almost made her dizzy. She nodded, not trusting herself to say much more, then took Kenny’s plate before she embarrassed herself by crying in the middle of the buffet line.
“Did you get Kenny sorted out?” Reese asked when she joined her in line.
“Yep, he’s very happy right now. His plate was loaded.”
It turned out to be a full spread of delicious dishes. Pulled pork, brisket, and smoked chicken thighs were in three heaping pans. The sides were also not skimped on. Green beans with seasoning meat, mac and cheese, coleslaw, and rolls. Just looking at the baked beans made Matty’s belly growl.
“I’ve never seen a wedding with such good food. Like it’s still hot and fresh,” muttered Reese as she scooped up mac and cheese onto her plate.
“I guess Kerrie wanted to make her one task a success.”
“I think she accomplished that.”
The food was delicious and the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement. Chatter filled the old barn as well as music. She was surprised at how many people were there that she knew. People from their local recovery scene were in high attendance. Kerrie had been involved for decades so she was well-liked and respected. Many came up to Matty to talk to her. It was nice to introduce Reese as her girlfriend.
After spending some time on the dance floor, they were just sitting down to take a break when a woman approached them. Matty knew she had seen her before somewhere but couldn’t place her. Maybe at the engagement party.
“Hi, you’re Matty Crew, right?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I’m Silvia Turner. I know this may be a little odd, but I thought I’d come speak to you in person since we’re both here. Bette works in one of my salons and recommended you for a full-time maintenance manager position I’m trying to fill. If you’re interested, I’d love to talk more about it.”
Matty’s eyes widened. What was this? Bette had never mentioned it. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’d like that.”
“Great. Here’s my card. Give me a call around nine on Monday and we’ll set something up.”
Matty took the card, then offered her hand to the woman. “Thank you. I will.”
When Silvia walked away, Matty turned wide-eyed to Reese, who was grinning. “Did that just happen?”
“That just happened. This is exciting.”
“It is. And it was really sweet of Bette to put my name out there.”
“She sees how hard-working you are.”
Matty didn’t know what to say. It was hard to see the steps she’d taken as anything really extraordinary. She was just Matty Crew. A woman who went to work, kept her head down, went to her girlfriend’s a couple times a week, and liked a routine. It was hard to imagine being someone worth suggesting for a good job like that.
“Hey,” Reese said softly, squeezing her thigh lightly. “You know you’re worthy of this, right?”
She looked up to meet Reese’s kind eyes with her own. “It’s weird. I’ve been alone and unsupported for so long that it feels unreal. I feel like for the first time... I have people who truly care about me and see me as a valuable person.”
