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“Do you want to rescue him or should I?” I ask.
“You do it. I’ll come in as backup if needed.”
I walk over to Darren and loop my arm around his. Elaine doesn’t look pleased to see me.
“Come on, bae,” I say to Darren, “they’re seating the guests now, and your mom is waiting for us.”
He raises his brow at my use of “bae.” I pull him away from Elaine and over to Sharon, who gives me a quick smile. We find seats in the third row.
The ceremony, held under a canopy of shimmering gauze accented with bouquets of orchids and Siamese tulips, is breathtakingly beautiful. The bride looks stunning in a hip-hugging gown with a mermaid flare. At the end, over a dozen doves are released. I’ve only been to one wedding that I can remember, the marriage of Aunt Coretta’s eldest. It took place at a local Baptist church in Oakland, and the reception was held in a town hall. Although it wasn’t as fancy as the present wedding, it had heart and joy.
A separate reception area lit by torches and open fire pits has been set up on the beach as well. A five-course dinner is followed by dancing and live music. I sit at a table with Mr. Liao, Cheryl, JD, Amy, Sharon, Darren, and, thankfully, no Elaine or Yu-Jin. I get the chance to chat a little more with Sharon, whose polite aloofness seems to have warmed a little toward me.
A live band plays after dinner and takes a break when the wedding cake, a jaw-dropping spectacle of Swarovski crystals and gold dusting, is brought out. Per Chinese tradition, the bride is on her third outfit for the reception, a sexy golden qipao with slits on both sides.
“If I marry JD, I would want a wedding like this,” Amy whispers to me.
JD is busy texting on his phone at the moment. Sharon is on the dance floor with Mr. Liao. As is Cheryl. When JD is done, he grabs Amy to dance. I’m still finishing my slice of wedding cake when Elaine comes over, a drink in hand, and sits down next to me, where Amy sat. She leans over as if I’m not even there to talk to Darren.
“I heard your mother is leaving tomorrow,” Elaine says. “She was barely here.”
“She’s helping to take care of a relative in Singapore,” Darren replies.
“But to fly all the way here and only stay for two days?”
“It’s only two hours to Singapore.”
“Still. You know one of my nieces is getting married in wine country this September. You have any recommendations?”
“On what?”
“Anything. You’re not that far from places like Napa and Healdsburg, right?”
Tired of having Elaine’s perfume underneath my nose, I interject, “You want to switch seats?”
Elaine looks surprised to see that I exist. “Oh, sure.”
Darren frowns at me. “Finish that cake soon.”
I flash him a “good luck” smile and take my plate of cake. As she gets up and tries to scoot in front of me, part of her drink spills onto my dress.
“I thought you were going behind me,” she explains.
I can’t tell if it was an accident or not. Either way, I’m done with Elaine’s company and am glad to have an excuse to leave.
“I’ll go back to the villa and change,” I tell Darren.
“I’ll go with—” Darren starts, but is interrupted by Elaine waving over a young woman.
“Stella! Come over here! You should talk to Darren about your wedding.”
“I won’t be long,” I assure Darren.
I head back to the villa and think through which of my outfits is nice enough for the wedding reception. I guess the sundress will have to do. Just before I open the sliding door, I hear a sound behind me. So Darren managed to extricate himself from Elaine.
But it’s not Darren. It’s Joseph Mok.
His tuxedo is an ocean-blue jacket with black pants. He stands so close to me that I can detect the faint smell of alcohol on him.
