Loving David (28 page)

William scoffed. “Dear Charlotte, by the time I’m through, I’ll have them thinking you’re getting married in J-Lo’s backyard next month.”

Charlotte laughed and kissed William on the cheek. “Excellent!”

The houselights dimmed, and ushers moved through the throng, herding everyone inside to the theater. David looked over and saw that Ivanka had ordered another martini. He clamped a hand on William’s shoulder.

“We’ll save you a seat.”

William nodded his understanding, and Charlotte shot William a sympathetic look before David guided her toward the theater.

“When is William going to stop wasting his time with these coat-hangers with hair?”

“Probably not till they roll him into the grave and maybe not even then.”

Charlotte and David sat in reserved seats near the front, and the theater began to fill rapidly. Darkness descended, and a hush fell over the crowd. The lights dimmed, and the screen went ablaze with David’s name. Charlotte let out a little squeal and squeezed David’s knee, who kissed her forehead in return.

Charlotte loved the movie, though it was hard to watch him make out with his beautiful co-star. She held her breath during those scenes, watching them through semi-closed eyes. David grasped her hand and snuggled closer to reassure her. The audience seemed to adore the movie as well, screaming with laughter during much of it. When it was over, David and his co-star and eventually the rest of the cast and the director stood to thunderous cheers and applause, and Charlotte’s heart swelled with love and pride. David really was a phenomenal talent.

They mingled at the after-party for about an hour, one well-wisher after another coming over to gush all over David’s performance. There were still more pictures, to take and Charlotte even chatted with his co-star, Jillian, and her hunk of a husband, both of whom turned out to be lovely people. Charlotte saw Ivanka sulking in a corner, still pounding martinis and having a one-sided conversation with one of the busboys, whose head kept darting around in search of an exit. William was a few feet away, glad-handing a studio head. The party was in full force, but Charlotte was tired. She tickled the inside of David’s hand, her signal to him she was ready to go home. He squeezed back, and they said their goodbyes, making William their last stop.

Charlotte kissed William on the cheek. “We’ll see you soon.”

William winked. “You got it, sweetheart.” He shook David’s hand and clutched his shoulder. “Good job… I’ll be backing the money truck up to your front door tomorrow.”

“See ya… and tell Ivanka it was nice to meet her.”

The two men nodded and laughed at each other, and Charlotte and David ducked out a side door where they’d instructed their limo to pick them up.

Charlotte leaned against David’s shoulder. “What a night. I’m so proud of you.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Proud enough to become Mrs. David King day after tomorrow?”

“And then some. I know we wanted to head up to Lake Arrowhead first thing in the morning, but it’s not going anywhere. How about we sleep in and hit the road around noon?”

“Whatever you say, Mrs. King-to-be.”

CHAPTER 15

Charlotte stood in front of the window and gulped coffee. She smiled at the lush needles dripping from the redwood trees around the lake. Had it been only mere months when she’d seen the first bursts of green spring forth from those trees as a single woman? And now she was moments away from becoming Mrs. David King. Funny how the world worked.

Charlotte slurped down the last bit of java and started humming to herself, bracing herself for the onslaught of “help” that would be arriving soon. Hendra, Emma, and Karen had appointed themselves as her court, insisting they would help the bride get ready to walk down the aisle. Charlotte really couldn’t think of anything she needed. Her manicure and pedicure from the spa a few days earlier had held up, and she planned to pile her curls atop her head---- befitting, she thought, for an afternoon wedding at the lake. Her dress was pressed and ready to go and she’d go for just a touch more than her usual minimal make-up. Certainly not enough to warrant a gaggle of hens clucking over her.

Charlotte’s phone rang, and she smiled when she saw it was David. The ladies had insisted on housing him in another cabin overnight.

“Don’t tell me. You decided you’d rather run to the justice of the peace instead.”

“Bite your tongue, Mrs. King.”

“Not yet! T-minus two hours to go.”

“Can’t get here fast enough.”

“I know. I tossed and turned all night. I couldn’t wait for the sun to come up.”

“Do me a favor and look outside the door.”

Charlotte frowned and shuffled over to the cabin door; she opened it, and looked down. Sitting on top of the welcome mat was a blue box from Tiffany’s swathed in signature white ribbon.

“Come on, David. What is this?”

“You mean to tell me you have no idea what to do with a gift-wrapped box with your name on it?”

Charlotte snatched the box, undid the ribbon, and yanked off the top. She opened the snap of the small blue pouch inside and pulled out a sterling silver necklace with a charm dangling from the end.

“What? Oh,” Charlotte gasped, her eyes brimming with tears.

“I take it you’re not going to take me to task for this.”

Charlotte bit her lip, the tears running into her mouth. “It’s beautiful, David.”

“I’ve told you. You saved me.”

Charlotte fingered the lifesaver charm and shook her head. “You really do think of everything.”

“I’ll see you soon, Mrs. King.”

“Not yet!” Charlotte said with an exasperated giggle. David merely laughed and hung up. Charlotte darted into the bathroom and smiled at the lifesaver charm again before undoing the clasp and securing the necklace around her throat. She swirled the charm around until it was nestled against her chest. She grabbed for a Kleenex and dabbed at her eyes, unable to take her eyes off the charm.

Someone started banging on the front door moments before Charlotte heard it fly open.

“Hello? Is someone getting married today?” Karen bellowed. Charlotte laughed and ran into the living room where Karen, Hendra, and Emma had gathered.

“
Jeez.
What does a girl have to do around here for a little privacy?”

Karen flopped down on the couch. “Not get married.”

“Stay on my good side, Charlotte. I’m trying to be a good Southern belle and forgive you for bewitching my man away from me,” Emma drawled, and Charlotte giggled.

“I’ll try to remember.”

When Hendra clapped to get the ladies’ attention, it elicited a roll of the eyes from Karen and a smirk from Emma. “Come now. We didn’t come here to lollygag. We’ve got to get Charlotte ready to walk down the aisle.”

“You know, Hendra, I actually don’t----”

Hendra held up a hand in her infamous traffic-cop motion. “It’s settled. We’re staying and we’re helping.”

Charlotte slammed her mouth shut as Karen snorted.

“Guess we should get started then,” Charlotte mumbled.

The next hour was a flurry of preparation bordering on the preposterous. Emma, ever the women’s magazine editor, appointed herself stylist for the proceedings, which meant reclining on a kitchen chair and telling Hendra and Karen what to do. Former model Karen took it upon herself to apply make-up to the face of a nervous Charlotte, who was surprised at how stunning the end result was. Hendra fussed over the bouquets and the marriage license and made sure that there were plenty of handkerchiefs on-board.

Finally it was time for Charlotte to slip into her wedding dress. Her breath stopped cold in her throat as she examined herself in the bedroom’s full-length mirror. The voices and images of the other women bustling around her fell away as Charlotte saw only marrying David. Her tears snapped her back to reality and she signaled to Hendra for a handkerchief.

“I didn’t realize how emotional I’d be,” Charlotte said as she wiped away her tears.

“Weddings will do that,” Karen said as she adjusted her own dress, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she admired her form.

Hendra’s frantic clapping broke the mood. “We’re not done yet. Charlotte---- living room.”

“Oh dear,” Charlotte mumbled but followed orders. Hendra pointed to the kitchen chair Emma had been sitting on earlier, indicating that Charlotte should now take up residence there.

Hendra cleared her throat and looked at Charlotte with laser intensity. “It’s been quite a journey, hasn’t it?”

Charlotte nodded. “You could say that again.”

“Well, we just wanted you to know how much we love you and how happy we are for you,” Emma chimed in. “Not every day one of us marries a movie star,” she winked, and Charlotte blushed.

“Now you know I’m not one for tradition, but the Southern belle here tells me we’ve got to do the whole old, new, borrowed, and blue thing.” Karen handed Charlotte a glittery gift bag. “So here goes.”

Charlotte reached beneath the folds of silver tissue paper until her hand closed around an oblong box. The telltale pink stripes caused Charlotte to burst into laughter.

“This better not be a thong,” she said as she opened the box and pulled out a blue garter. Emma and Hendra howled while Karen smirked.

“Wouldn’t you know they were fresh out of blue thongs?”
“I’ll have to settle for this then!”

Emma extended her hand toward Charlotte. “Your something old.” Charlotte peered into Emma’s hand to see a chunky silver bracelet. “I was never much into diamonds---- except my wedding ring, which I don’t wear anymore. Anyway, my dear departed Edmund always gave me a piece of silver jewelry for our anniversary. He gave me this bracelet on our twenty-fifth. My wish for you is to have that many years and more with your movie star.”

Charlotte’s eyes shone with tears as she clamped the bracelet around her wrist. She reached out and pulled Emma into a fierce embrace. “Thank you.”

Hendra tapped Charlotte on the shoulder. Charlotte tried stop tears from cascading down her face.

“Oh God, Hendra. I don’t think I can take much more.”

“Nonsense. Something borrowed.” She thrust a red velvet pouch toward Charlotte, who undid the drawstrings to find a flower-shaped brooch studded in crystals.

“This brooch was given to me by my mother-in-law on my wedding day. It was passed down through her family, dating back to the 1700s to hear her tell it. Every bride in our family has worn it as she went down the aisle, and we like to think it’s a good omen for a happy marriage. And so now you’ll be a part of our family tradition.”

Charlotte shook her head. “I don’t know what to say.”

Hendra pinned the brooch on Charlotte and stepped back. “I’ve heard
thank you
is a good way to go.”

“Ah. My manners. Thank you!” Charlotte held out her arms to her friends, her surrogate family, and they all embraced.

“I’m so lucky to have you all. And thank you for being here today and for your lovely gifts. Most of all, thank you for letting David stay here last spring!”

“We do deserve some of the credit, don’t we?” Emma mused.

“Alright, alright,” Karen clucked. “Enough with this love fest. Let’s get this show on the road.”

#

The sun shone high and bright in the sky, and birds chattered incessantly, to Charlotte a sure indication they were as happy as she was. She peeked around the corner to the small cluster of chairs planted on the lush grass in front of the lake, the guests filling them looking at David, who stood ramrod straight at the makeshift altar. Charlotte tilted her head to the side, drinking him in. He wore a dark blue morning suit with a shiny gray shirt and matching tie. He kept fidgeting, rare for the normally confident David. It made Charlotte smile. William stood next to him in an equally dashing suit, though he seemed his usual relaxed self.

“Marry Me” by Train began to play softly in the background courtesy of a local DJ and Karen adjusted her dress one last time.

“You ready, Charotica?”

“Stop that. Now come on. It’s almost time for you to go.”

“See you on the other side,” Karen said as she squared her shoulders and began her march down the aisle. Charlotte closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

It was time.

Charlotte stood at the top of the aisle as everyone rose and turned to look at her. As soon as David saw Charlotte, he couldn’t stop smiling. She winked at him and gave him her own small smile before she made her way toward him. She ignored all the eyes on her; David was her sole focus. As she got closer, he held his hand out to her. She placed her fingers in his palm and joined his side. The music stopped, and Minister Lloyd, a friend of Karen’s, cleared her throat and began. Charlotte didn’t remember hearing her welcome everyone. She tuned back in long enough to hear Emma’s reading of “I Promise.” She zoned back out again as Minister Lloyd talked about the power of love. Charlotte just couldn’t stop staring at David and thinking how soon, they’d be husband and wife.

“Charlotte?”

She blinked and realized the minister was calling on her to say her vows. Everyone tittered, and David squeezed the hand he hadn’t let go of the entire time.

“Sorry,” Charlotte blushed and cleared her throat. She plucked the tiny square of paper she’d pinned to the underside of her bouquet and unfolded it, the creases sticking together. She opened her mouth to read when she realized the flowers were in the way, so she turned and handed them to Karen. She looked back down at the paper, her voice quivering.

“David… I thought I had it all figured out. I was an independent woman who didn’t need love. In fact I had decided my chance for love had passed me by, and I was okay with that. At least I thought I was. And then you jumped into the back of my Jeep, of all things, and suddenly all my preconceived notions about, well, everything, changed. When you came into my life, you showed me how to love. How to be loved. You brought life into my life. And I thank – and will continue to thank – God, every day for the gift of being loved by you and the honor of loving you.” Charlotte folded up the paper and looked at David. “I look forward to loving you, David, for the rest of my life.” she whispered.