Page 37 of Tiger on the Prowl

He chuckled, then twirled her one last time and released her right in front of a thirty-something guy. “Young man, can you take this woman off my hands, please? I’m in no condition to dance anymore.”

“Of course, sir!” The guy beamed.

Olivia shot her father an annoyed look. There was nothing wrong with her father’s condition. He still surfed almost daily.

He winked at her, and Olivia had no choice but to dance and make pleasant conversation with the man. Luckily, the band announced a short break just after their dance ended, and Olivia was able to shake off her dance partner. Finally, she would be able to take photos. She glanced around to search for any white guy over forty, when she caught sight of her sister, who was speaking to Timothy. The groom didn’t look very happy, and a moment later, he disappeared among the guests.

When Olivia noticed her sister’s sad expression, she hurried over to her. “Grace?” She put her hand on her sister’s arm. “Is something wrong? I just saw Timothy—”

“Nothing to worry about, sis,” Grace said quickly. “Tim is upset because his mother left already. She couldn’t even be bothered to stay halfway through the evening.”

Olivia sighed. “Let me guess: she saw how happy her ex-husband is with his new wife and couldn’t stand being here?”

“Probably. Maybe we should have just eloped to spare everybody the family drama.” Then she smiled. “Don’t worry. Tim just needs to take a breather. He’ll be fine.”

Olivia put her arms around her sister and squeezed her. “I love you, sis.”

“I love you, too. Now go, have fun. Did I just see you dance with one of Tim’s college buddies?”

Olivia rolled her eyes. “Dad ambushed me.”

Grace chuckled. “It worked when he did that for me. Or I might have never met Tim.”

“I’m perfectly happy right now,” she said and meant it. After all, she had a handsome hunk waiting for her in her hotel room. “I should take a few photos with everybody here so I’ll have something to remember this day.”

Just then, Timothy returned, and put his arm around his bride. “Sorry, baby.” He kissed her, then looked at Olivia. “Hey, sis! You owe me a dance.”

“Band’s on a break,” Olivia said.

Timothy grinned. “Not for long. So don’t go anywhere.”

“I promise, but I might as well take pictures while we’re waiting.”

She pulled out her cell phone and went to work.