You Say It First
Page 63

* * *
THE PANELS LINED the ballroom, creating the illusion of an off-world location. With the subdued lighting, every reflective surface shimmered. The glass orbs seemed to glow from a mysterious power source and the origami masks added to the otherworldly air.
Pallas stood by the door, waiting for the music cue. Next to her was Atsuko in slim black pants and a traditional Chinese jacket in purple and teal. The unexpected combination blended perfectly with all the decorations and colors.
Behind her were the bridesmaids in deep purple and teal dresses. The gowns themselves were simple, but the gauzy, floating overlays added dimension to the style. Beads lined the V-neck and tiny stars dotted the skirts.
Their bouquets were traditional earth flowers, enhanced by Violet’s buttons. Their headpieces were small, simpler versions of Nova’s hair.
Nova and Tim were last in line. Tim had gone with a tuxedo while Nova stunned in her amazing, painted gown. Even in the unflattering light of the hallway, she was a vision of color and beauty. As she moved, the gown seemed to twist and glow with a life of its own.
The music quieted, then the first of three songs started. Pallas nodded at Atsuko, who started down the center aisle. The bridesmaids followed. Right before Nova and Tim started for the archway, Nova reached out her hand.
“I can never thank you enough.”
Pallas blinked away tears. “You already have.”
* * *
THE CEREMONY WAS FLAWLESS, the dinner delicious and the sun set right on time. Pallas allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief. There was still the first dance by the bride and groom, the father-daughter dance, which should make everyone cry, then cutting the cake. Only a couple more hours until she could know everything had gone perfectly.
Pallas was about to relax when she saw Alan heading toward her. His purposeful stride made her want to whimper.
“What?” she demanded. “Just say it. Don’t hint, don’t try to make me feel better, just come clean.”
“You can be very bossy.”
“Alan!”
“Your mother is here, and your grandpa Frank.”
Her mother? What on earth?
“Your look of shock tells me you didn’t know. Nova invited Grandpa Frank and I’m guessing Libby’s his plus-one. That’s all I can think of.”
“It’s been three hours. How could I not have seen them before?”
Alan patted her arm. “You’ve been busy. It’s all right. We’re all here. You’ll be fine.”
Her mother at the wedding? Her mother had never come to one of her weddings before. Why now? Why this one?
She pushed the questions from her mind. She had enough to deal with. The last of the details, the fact that Nick was still here and making her want to fling herself at him every time she saw him. Not that she wanted him to go. She liked knowing he was in the room even if they weren’t together anymore. Which probably made her in need of therapy, but it was true.
“Thank you for the warning,” she said. “I’ll do my best to stay out of her way until all this is over.”
“Good plan. If I see her heading your way, I’ll try to run interference.” Alan flashed her a smile. “I’ll ask her to tango.”
“That will certainly get her attention.”
The music quieted, then the first dance song began. Joel and Nova walked to the wooden floor put down by the front of the open space. Behind them twinkle lights flashed and the orbs Ronan had created glowed. Everyone collected to watch the happy couple.
When they were done, Tim approached his daughter. But instead of starting to dance, he picked up a nearby microphone and began to speak.
“Thank you all for being here to witness my daughter’s marriage to Joel.” He looked around at the guests. “I know what you’re thinking. How awful you feel because I’m dying. But you’re wrong. It’s not awful. I have the gift of knowing how much time I have left. I have the privilege of knowing nothing will go unsaid. I tell my daughter I love her every day. I hear the words from her. I spend time with my friends. We talk about our passions and loves. We talk about life. I am blessed in every way possible.”
He turned to Pallas and smiled. “I want to give a special thank-you to everyone who worked so hard to make this wedding come true exactly how Joel and Nova imagined it. Pallas, you’re a miracle worker and I will always be grateful for the privilege of walking my daughter down the aisle. You’ve made our dreams come true.”
Pallas mouthed, “You’re welcome,” all the while fighting tears. Tim was right. Love was what mattered most. Caring and being cared for—knowing there were those who needed you in their day to make things better.
“Thank you all for being a part of this special day,” Tim concluded, then handed the microphone to Joel and began to dance with his daughter.
Pallas cleared her throat, then went to check on the cake.  What a wonderful family, she thought. Thank goodness she’d taken on the project. How very sad if she’d refused the challenge—she wouldn’t have known this was what she was meant to do. In her own small way, she would spend the rest of her life making dreams come true.
“Pallas?”
She turned and saw her mother approaching. Alan hurried up behind her, waving his arms as if he was going to distract Libby, but it was too late.
“Hi, Mom.”
Pallas told herself she would give her mother exactly two minutes to tell her everything that was wrong with her, then excuse herself to see about the cake. “Did Grandpa Frank bring you?”
Her mother nodded, then surprised Pallas by blinking away tears. “That man...Tim...what he said. It was so wonderful. I’m sure your grandfather cared about me, but never like that. He had seven daughters. We had to be interchangeable.”
“Mom, no. Grandpa Frank loves you. He’s a good guy.”
“Oh, I know that, it’s just...I never felt special. Not with him and not with—”
She stopped speaking but Pallas could fill in the rest of the sentence. Not with your father. Because he hadn’t married Libby for the right reasons. He’d wanted an in with the bank.
“I always thought if I did better,” Libby continued, “if I was smarter or more successful, then I would have his attention. If I was everything I was supposed to be. But it was never enough for him.”
Pallas didn’t know which “him” they were talking about. Grandpa Frank or her father. Then she realized it didn’t matter. Libby had suffered at the hands of all the men who were supposed to love her best. Perhaps intentionally, perhaps not. At the end of the day, the pain was still there.
“That’s why I was so hard on you,” her mother told her. “To make sure you were everything you could be. But what you said before, about how I was supposed to love you unconditionally, that hurt me. Only I began to wonder if you were right.”
They stared at each other. Pallas sensed she was supposed to say something but she had no idea what.
“I do love you, Pallas.”
Unexpected words that were oddly comforting. “I love you, too, Mom.”
“Maybe if you came to work at the bank we could—”
Pallas shook her head. “That’s not going to happen. This is what I do. I love my work and I make people happy. There’s not going to be any bank for me.”
Her mother pressed her lips together. “You’re probably right. We’d fight all the time anyway and Drew would take your side, which I would find annoying.”