Page 11 of Slap Shot Surprise
I blinked. It couldn’t be.
I leaned forward, my vision going a little fuzzy at the edges.
It had to be some trick of the light. Some figment of my imagination. Some crossed wires in my brain that conflated a memory from yesterday with what I was seeing now.
Joe Lupo was groomsman number four.
Was this God’s idea of a joke?
As if I’d summoned his attention, he suddenly looked straight at me. Our eyes locked. And there was no doubt about it—it was him.
His brow furrowed slightly, as if trying to place me. Then the corners of his mouth twitched.
“Oh no,” I whimpered. Pretending I had an issue with one of my contact lenses, I looked at my lap and fussed with my eye. Then I whispered frantically to Ari, “Change places with me. Hurry.” Taking her by the shoulders, I started squeezing behind her so she would be on the aisle and I could hide behind her girth.
“Mabel, what on earth?” Ari struggled to get around me.
“Don’t ask.” I ducked down behind her, although shewas in flip-flops and I was in heels, making it awkward. “I’ll explain later.”
The bride arrived at the altar, but I didn’t dare peek at her dress or her veil or her bouquet, details I normally loved to obsess over. Instead, I fished my oversized sunglasses out of my clutch and put them on.
Ari stared at me. “Why are you wearing those?”
“It’s very bright in here,” I whispered. “Do you happen to have a big hat?”
She looked at me like I was nuts. “No! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” But I wasn’t. A quick look at the back of the program confirmed that Joe Lupo was indeed a member of the wedding party.
How could I be so unlucky?
My face was on fire. Sweat trickled down my chest. For the rest of the ceremony, all I did was concentrate on leaning and slouching in whatever way would keep me blocked from Joe’s view. After the bride and groom were pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Foote, the guests all cheered and the newlyweds made their way back down the aisle.
I clapped along with the rest of the crowd, but I kept my eyes on the floor and my chin tucked. When our row was dismissed, I followed closely behind Ari, my head down, until we made it outside. Then I made a beeline for the car.
“Mabel, where are you going? I can’t move that fast!”
“Sorry.” My leg bounced nervously while I waited for her to catch up. The wedding party was standing on the pavement in front of the chapel, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Joe scanning the guests spilling down the steps, like he was looking for someone. Quickly, I turned around so he’d see only my back.
When Ari reached me, she was out of breath. “What is going on with you?”
“He’s here,” I said through my teeth.
“What?”
“He’s.Here,” I said a little louder.
“Who’s here?”
“Joe Lupo,” I stage-whispered. “The hockey player guy. The hot stranger from the plane. He’s agroomsman.”
“Stop it.” She immediately looked over my shoulder toward the chapel lawn and gasped. “Oh my God! I think I see him!”
“Ari! Don’t be so obvious!”
“Dang, you were right. Heishot.”
“I have to get out of here. I think he spotted me during the ceremony.”
