Olivia saw that her wedding dress—a silk dress with a vivid print of melting roses—was spread across the bed. But Nell was pointing in the other direction. Olivia noticed her smile and followed her arm. Was she pointing at something on the wall? Near the wall? And then she saw the window that was filled with brilliant sunshine.
“You’ve got yourself a wedding day,” Nell said.
Olivia stepped toward her and took her hand. “You even managed this,” she said breathlessly.
“Let’s get you dressed,” Nell said. “Your groom is waiting.”
T
he grass was soaking wet. Nell stepped outside and immediately her high heels sunk into the soft turf.
Emily joined her and moaned. “This isn’t going to work.”
“We’ll go barefoot,” Nell suggested.
“You’re nuts,” Emily told her.
They both faced the garden. Sébastien had cleaned the area of debris from the storm and now the lavender, hyacinth, and poppies glistened in the sunshine. The sky, a vivid blue, was washed clean of clouds. Drops of rainwater on the leaves of the olive trees caught the sun and sent out sparkles.
“It’s perfect,” Nell said.
“Except that we can’t walk across the grass. What the hell do we do?”
“I’m serious,” Nell said. “No one will wear shoes. My mother was a hippie once. It’s a barefoot wedding.”
Nell tossed off her shoes and started walking up the path to the garden.
“It feels great!” she called back. The wet grass tickled her feet.
She was carrying the chuppah tucked under one arm, the eyelet material now sewn with clean edges and tied to the bamboo poles. She wore a pale yellow sundress, with spaghetti straps and a fitted bodice. Who cared about shoes?
In the center of the garden she found the spot where she wanted to set up the chuppah. She laid it down on a table and turned around, imagining the guests gathered beneath it. She felt nervous and excited—she couldn’t tell which emotion churned in her stomach. She looked back at Emily, who was still standing in place, her heels mired in the wet earth.
“Oh, come on,” Nell called. “Take the damn things off and get over here!”
Emily shrugged, pulled off her shoes and tentatively took a few steps. Then she giggled. “Feels so funny,” she said. She walked hesitantly toward Nell in the garden.
“Well, I guess your mother will have a hippie wedding,” she said.
“Do you have any idea if Jake will take the ceremony seriously?” Nell asked. She knew that her mother wasn’t crazy about the idea of Brody’s party-boy pal performing their ceremony. Jake had gotten his license online and Brody had promised that he’d do a good job. But as far as Nell could tell, the guy didn’t take much seriously.
“He doesn’t exactly seem like the minister type,” Emily said, “unless ministers are really into six-pack abs these days.”
“He is pretty hot for an old guy,” Nell said.
“Stay away from him,” Emily warned.
“Oh, I have no plans to fool around with anyone anytime soon.”
“You doing all right?”
“Yeah,” Nell said. “Gavin was a mistake I won’t repeat.”
“Let’s go tell everyone we’re having a barefoot wedding,” Emily said.
Nell rapped on Carly’s door. When the door finally swung open, Carly stood there, wearing a green dress, her hair hanging limply to her shoulders.
“Damn,” Nell said. “Into the bathroom. I’ll put your hair up. But we’re late. We’ve got like two minutes before we’re all supposed to meet in the garden.”
“I’m fine,” Carly said. “You don’t have to do this for me.”
“You look like hell.” Nell marched her into the bathroom and sat her down at the vanity. She pulled Carly’s hair up and twisted it into a knot at the back of her head, pinning it in place. She freed some strands from the bun and let them fall along the side of her face. “Better,” she said. “Let’s go.”
Carly sat there.
“It’s mom’s wedding day. Let’s do this for her.”
Carly nodded, and Nell let out a long sigh.
“I don’t know what you did with him and I don’t care.”
“I shouldn’t have gotten into the car with him. I had some idea that—”
“Why’d you call me, Carly? Why couldn’t you have taken a cab back from Marseille? I never would have suspected that you did whatever the hell you did. But you wanted me to know. Why?”
Carly hung her head. “I’m falling apart.”
“You don’t fall apart. The rest of the world falls apart and you just keep on working.”
“Maybe I can’t do it anymore.”
“Take a fucking time-out, then. You’ve been on your game every day of your life. Hit the sidelines. Be a slacker.”
“A slacker,” Carly said dreamily.
“I spent my childhood listening to Mom and Dad talk about the brilliant and astonishing Carly Levin. You have a lot to live up to, sister. I’ve got the easy job. No one expects much of me except a few more fuck-ups along the way.” She looked at her watch. “And if we’re late for this wedding it will be my fault. Not yours. So let’s move it.”
Nell turned and walked out of the bathroom. She could hear Carly blow her nose. And then the sound of her footsteps followed Nell down the hall and out of the house.
When they got to the garden, Fanny, Jake, Sébastien, and Emily were gathered there, all shoeless. The men had their pants rolled up to their ankles. Ulysse stood at Emily’s side, his tail wagging.
“I love it,” Nell said. “Hillbilly wedding.”
“You girls look beautiful,” Fanny said.
“Thanks,” they both said at once.
“I needed Nell’s help,” Carly said, smiling.
“Listen, here’s the plan,” Nell said. “This is a chuppah.” She lifted the material and bamboo rods from the table. “It’s a
Jewish tradition. I even found out what it means. It represents the home that the couple will create together. We hold it above them, like a canopy. Fanny, you’ll hold one pole, Emily will hold another, Carly and I will hold the other ones. Mom and Brody will stand underneath it during the ceremony.”
“Where do I stand?” Jake asked.
Nell thought of saying, “In the swimming pool.” But she shrugged and said, “In front of them. I don’t know if there’s room under the chuppah or if you’re supposed to be in there. So we’ll wing it on that one.”
“You made this?” Carly asked. She reached up and touched the antique fabric with her fingertips.
“I had a little help from Fanny,” Nell said.
“She found the material at the farmers’ market this morning,” Emily told them.
“It’s amazing,” Carly said, looking up as they all took the poles and spread the material above their heads.
“I’ll go get the groom,” Sébastien said.
“Turn on the music!” Emily called after him.
Nell could feel her heart racing.
“You did a wonderful thing,” Fanny said. “I love this hookah.”
Nell and Carly burst out laughing. Nell reached over and touched Fanny’s arm. “It’s a chuppah, Fanny. A hookah gets you stoned. A chuppah gets you married.”
“I’m very confused,” Fanny said, but she, too, grinned widely.
“My best friend’s getting married,” Emily said. They all looked at her. “In my garden. Look at this. Look at us.”
Jazz music filled the garden from speakers hidden in the
nooks of the trees. Nell couldn’t identify the song but she loved the sound of the flute, as clear and lilting as a bird’s call.
“Look at that happy guy,” Jake said.
They all turned toward the house. Brody had kicked off his shoes and rolled up the pant legs of his suit. He was marching down the path toward them, beaming.
“You stand right under the canopy,” Nell told him.
“It’s a chuppah,” Fanny said.
Brody leaned over to kiss Nell, then Carly, then Fanny and Emily. He stepped under the chuppah.
Sébastien joined them, standing behind Emily and Ulysse. Nell saw him touch Emily’s lower back, but she inched away. Sébastien’s hand drifted back to his side.
The music changed to something lovely and slow—a woman singing words in a language that Nell couldn’t identify—and they all turned toward the house again to see Olivia appear at the door.
She looked beautiful in her dress of roses, her hair falling in waves onto her neck. She lifted one bare foot and placed it carefully in the grass. Then she stepped forward with the other. She looked toward them in the garden, taking in the chuppah, the group of them watching her, the music and sunshine and the field of wildflowers, and she paused for a second to wipe at the corner of her eye. Standing there watching her, Nell noticed that her own rapidly beating heart had found an easier rhythm. Her mother was getting married.
Olivia walked toward them along the path, her smile spread from ear to ear. The late-afternoon light was silver and bright, casting long shadows.
When she reached the girls, Olivia leaned forward and kissed them each in turn.
“Stand under the chuppah,” Nell whispered. “Right next to your guy.”
“The chuppah,” Olivia said, her voice quiet. She looked up. Nell followed her gaze. The eyelet material let the sun shine through, sending down pinpoints of light. “Thank you,” her mother whispered.
She stepped to Brody’s side and he took her hand.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he whispered, and Nell felt her own heart fill.
Jake cleared his throat. He stood in front of the couple, just outside the chuppah. Should he be inside? Nell wished she had done a little more research. It doesn’t matter—does it? Suddenly she was nervous again. Why would Brody have chosen this guy to perform the wedding ceremony?
“I’m honored that my best friend asked me to officiate,” Jake said. “I’m not the obvious choice—I’ve avoided commitment all my life. Brody knows that. He also knows that I know him like a brother. And that as much as I need to run free this guy needs to share his life with someone he loves. Luckily, he’s found that someone, and I’ve never seen him happier. I’ve never seen him choose love over work and Wyoming and his horses. And now that I’ve gotten to know Olivia I understand how this happened. This tiny person in front of me is so much bigger than work and Wyoming and horses. She offers him love and two daughters. She opens her heart and says come on in. That’s big love.
“And I’m envious for the first time. I want some of that. I
can imagine what it might be like to share your life with someone when that person makes you so damn happy. Look at us here. We’re all just about bursting at the seams because your love spills over the top and finds its way into our own hearts.
“So this thing you’re standing under is a chuppah, I’m told. It represents the home that you’ll build together. But take a look at one thing. It’s held up by Brody’s mother, by Olivia’s best friend, and by your two new daughters. That’s what holds your home. You’ve got your family and closest friends holding you close and building a foundation for that new marriage.”
He paused and cleared his throat. “Ladies and gentlemen. We are gathered here today to witness … my debut as a wedding officiant.”
Everyone laughed. Jake smiled and took a deep breath.
“I’m going to read this next part so I don’t mess up. It wasn’t easy getting my online certificate of ministry from the Universal Life Church.”
Jake read from a paper in his hand. “By the power invested in me by the State of Wyoming,” he said, and he raced through the rest of the official declaration.
He stopped reading and looked at Brody and Olivia. Nell looked, too. The couple stared into each other’s eyes, their faces lit by the sun piercing the canopy above them. They held each other’s hands, Brody’s long fingers wrapped around Olivia’s. Nell could smell jasmine and something else—dog breath. Ulysse pushed up against her leg, trying to find a spot for himself under the chuppah.
Jake started to say something and his voice broke. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “I better wrap this up before I make a fool of myself.”
Nell saw that everyone had tears in their eyes.
“Would you kiss your bride already and get us some champagne?” he said, and everyone laughed as Brody took Olivia’s face in his hands. They looked at each other for a moment and then they kissed, long and hard.
“C
an I borrow your phone?” Carly asked Nell.
They were still gathered in the garden, champagne glasses in hand. Carly felt unmoored. She had found herself moved by her mother’s wedding ceremony despite herself. She still didn’t particularly want Brody in her life. Like a child, she wanted her father at her mother’s side. But Carly had never seen her parents gaze into each other’s eyes the way Olivia and Brody did.
“Where’s yours?” Nell asked with a frown.
“I left it in my room,” Carly said, surprised. She hadn’t even thought about bringing it down with her.
“You calling Gavin?” Nell asked, a bitter note in her voice.
“No!” Carly said, too loud. Emily and Jake, who were
standing nearby, turned to look at her. She stepped away from them.
“I have to call Wes,” she told Nell more softly.
“You going to tell him what happened?”
“Leave me alone, Nell,” Carly said. “You said we could drop this for a few hours. So drop it.”
Nell pulled her phone out of her clutch and passed it over. “Everyone’s going to make their toasts in a few minutes,” she said. “Don’t disappear.”
“I won’t,” Carly promised.
She took the phone and walked away from the gathering, tapping in Wes’s cell number.
“Nell?” Wes answered, his voice thick with sleep.
“I need to talk to you,” Carly said.
She wandered around the house and toward the pool. Her bare feet were soaked from the wet grass. She stepped over a fallen branch; something sharp pricked her heel. She couldn’t feel the pain of it, but when she lifted her foot, she saw blood dripping from a cut. She lowered her foot and kept walking.
“I’m trying to sleep,” Wes said. “Can this wait?”
“No,” Carly said. She looked at the lounge chairs—they were all drenched with rainwater. So she paced the perimeter of the pool.
“Where were you yesterday?” Wes asked.
“Nowhere,” she said.
“You’re always somewhere,” Wes said. “I bet you’ve never played hooky one day in your life.”