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“Yes,” he admits.
“Your secret is safe with me,” I say. “Just copy me. Stand up straight. We’re going to do sun salutations.”
We both wave our hands slowly to our sides, up into the air, reaching before diving down to our feet. While I am bent over, rear-end up in the air, he repositions me again. I am now bent over, facing the ocean.
“Better,” he says.
Our mats are laying off kilter now, but I will go with it. I plank out, lower my body, and come up in a cobra. As I push back into a downward dog pose, I see people filing down the slope from the inn. They’re dressed like Jack is, with mats under their arms. I rise to my feet, standing straight like a beanpole, staring blankly.
“What is happening?” I ask.
The scene before me is so unreal that I wonder for a split second if I am possibly hallucinating. People are lined up in rows as if they will be joining us for yoga. It is so surreal that my first thought was that Jack had somehow managed to make holograms of the various people from my life.
“What?” I ask again.
I can see that they are all real. There are Jordan and Clive,the judge?The man who acted like I was a juvenile delinquent?The clerk of the court?She’s holding forms and smiling at me. There is Nick, who nods with what I am guessing is humility and hopefulness that all is forgiven. Rory, the guy on the bulldozer. Brody with some woman standing next to him; I assume they are together. There’s Zuma Jay. There’s Denise Landis from the café.
And Steve Greggs. I have mixed feelings about his presence. It turns out he was somewhat involved in convincing people to sell. Although he might have thought he was helping because Jack was making above-market offers, as Mayor, he should have worked harder to keep Dove Point together. I hope he sees what a mistake that was.
“Oh, my word,” I say, overwhelmed.
The judge breaks rank and works his way to the head of the patio in front of Jack and me. Two surfers came ashore.Gretchen and Todd.
My sisters burst out onto the deck, dressed in church clothes. I gaze at them, stunned. They are no longer young girls starting college but are about Jack’s age and beautiful.
“Did we miss it? The taxi driver got lost,” They always sounded alike to me. I haven’t seen them in so long. They muscle through the crowd rather than go around it to get to me. I am excited to see them and wonder how we’ve lost touch over the last few years.
“You look beautiful,” my sister Sharon says to me. She is the oldest of us three. Mara, the middle sister, whispers that she has missed me. We group hug.
I am shaking. I now know what’s going on.
“Okay now,” the judge admonishes. “This is a Saturday. Let’s get this show on the road.”
“Yes, his Honor is going through golf withdrawals,” Jack jokes.
The crowd erupts. Todd and Gretchen stab their surfboards in the sand.
“Wait,” Todd says, taking me by the arm. “I get to give her away.”
Jack and the judge roll their eyes, but I let Todd guide me back up to the inn so we could walk a formal wedding walk, him in his dripping wetsuit, back to where I was initially. He releases me with a kiss on the cheek. He winks and dashes to Gretchen’s side.
“I expect the paperwork to be filled out after the ceremony, or this is void,” the judge grumbles.
“Yes, your honor,” Jack says with a nod.
My head is a whir with how? And who? And when did Jack put this all together? Gretchen likely took care of most of it.
The judge reads his wedding script from a card. “We’re here today to witness the union of John Huntington Houston, III, to Brynne Casey in marriage.”
“Marigold,” Sharon calls out.
Everyone turns to her for an explanation. I blush. My parents gave us each flower names for middle names – we always joked our mom was a closet gardener – so it was SharonRose, MaraLily, and mine,Marigold,which I am not so fond of. At least my parents didn’t choose nasturtium.
“Brynne Marigold Casey,” Sharon clarifies.
Adorable,Jack mouths.
“Oh,” the judge amends. “To Brynne Marigold Casey. Today, John and Brynne, you begin a new life together that should be founded on love, laughter, honesty, respect, and friendship. Though this commitment is being made quickly, it should not be taken lightly. A marriage is more than a gathering of friends and community; it is a binding contract before the universe.” I suddenly like this judge.
