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“Cheers!” we all recite to the happy couple.
As we sit and eat our seafood salad, our waiter makes his way over to us. “Good afternoon. For your entrée, we have four choices. First, we have a petit filet with a demi-glaze served with smashed potatoes and asparagus. Next is Jerk chicken served with coconut rice and a fruit salad. Then we have grilled pork tenderloin with Romesco sauce served with roasted root vegetables, and finally, a he recites from his handheld menu.
“What’s a Romesco sauce?” I ask.
“It’s made from roasted almonds, roasted garlic, olive oil, and fire roasted red bell peppers.”
“What would you like?” Chase asks, his fingers strumming my back.
“I think I’ll try the fish,” I answer.
“I’ll have the filet, medium, and…” he turns to me, “do you want wine or champagne?”
“Wine is fine.”
“And a bottle of your finest New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc,” he tells the waiter.
The waiter nods and moves down the table.
Looking over at the other tables, everyone is immersed in conversation. Our table is isolated since it’s a long rectangle, with Chase and I on one end of the table, Justin and Miranda on the other, and Amanda and Nathan in the middle.
Nathan and Amanda are in their own little bubble, with wedding guests coming up to wish them well in life and congratulate their new nuptials. Chase excuses himself to go talk to Justin, so I sit here and people watch while sipping my wine.
You can definitely tell this is a wealthy wedding. Everyone has on designer dresses and shoes, even though it’s a beach wedding. Without this designer bridesmaid dress on, I would feel even more out of place. It’s amazing what people do with their money. Even if I had the money, I don’t think I could spend what I know Amanda’s parents did on this wedding.
“Where are you?” Chase asks from behind me, kissing the back of my neck.
“I’m here, just thinking.”
“Don’t. I know where your brain is taking you. Stop worrying and have a good time.” Chase turns my chin slightly, bringing my eyes to his.
“How did you know—”
“You get this little crease on your forehead right above your nose when you’re thinking too hard,” he says, answering before I can get my question out as he touches my forehead, “and it’s usually about money.”
“It’s just…I grew up so different from this.”
“I know. I want to give you things you never even knew existed, because you deserve it.” Chase brushes his lips against mine. “I love that look you get when you’re excited, when you see something new. I want to see that look every day, and I will if I have my way.”
As Chase sits back down, the waiter comes to clear our appetizer plates and places a purple heirloom tomato and mozzarella Caprese salad in front of us.
“I have had an amazing weekend,” I say to Chase, gazing over the water as I pick at my salad. The view is simply spectacular. Chase eyes me speculatively.
“I know how much you love the beach,” he declares. “I want to take you to every single one.”
“That’s a lot of beaches,” I say with a giggle.
“We have nothing but time,” he says softly.
“C’mon and dance with me!” Miranda says, grabbing my arm and yanking me out of my chair.
Looking up at me, Chase can’t do anything but laugh. “Bye,” he chuckles.
Miranda drags me to the middle of the dance floor so we can dance to the Cupid Shuffle. I kick off my shoes—there is no way I can shuffle with heels on—and Miranda follows suit. As the music gets going, a few more people join us on the dance floor, and Amanda comes running over, yelling, “Wait for me!”
Seeing how much fun we’re having, the DJ decides to go all nightclub on us and plays Wobble. The only people dancing are the three of us and a couple of Amanda’s friends from college. This is not the typical music you’d play at an elite wedding.
After a few songs, I get tired and decide to sit back down. Once the crowd disperses from the dance floor, the music changes to something a little classier. Chase and the guys had gathered together, watching us while we danced like fools. Seeing me walk off the dance floor, he pulls away from their huddle and saunters over to join me. Putting his hands on my neck, he murmurs near my ear, “Having a good time?”
