To Love and to Perish - By Lisa Bork Page 0,82

and disbelief before moving to kiss him.

Everyone applauded.

Cassidy ran forward from where she had been waiting at her grandmother’s side, her curls bouncing and her crinoline and taffeta rustling. She stopped in front of Isabelle, pressing her palms together. “Are you surprised, Mommy? Are you surprised?”

“I sure am, baby.” Isabelle crouched and hugged Cassidy tight. “I sure am.”

The three of them started around the room to greet the guests. Everyone stayed in place, waiting to be received. Isabelle and Jack made it around to us at last.

Jack shook Ray’s and Danny’s hands. “Good to see you. Thanks for coming.”

He leaned in to kiss my cheek. “Thanks for keeping the secret. I know it must have killed you.”

That was putting it mildly.

Isabelle’s eyes met mine. She started to cry.

I hugged her.

She whispered in my ear, “I’m such an idiot.”

“No, no. He must have been planning this for months. He was keeping a secret from you, just not the one you thought.”

“Let me steal Jolene for a moment, Ray.” She took me by the hand and led me toward the bar. “I feel so stupid. You know, when you and Ray split, it was right around your ten-year anniversary. I was so sure you two were meant to be together forever. Your separation rocked my confidence. Then when Jack started acting secretive, I assumed …”

She pressed her hand to her nose and sniffed.

I tried to ease the moment. “Well, you know what happens when you assume.”

She laughed. “I do now.”

The band started to play “From This Moment On,” Shania Twain’s big hit from the late nineties, and the song Jack and Isabelle had chosen for their first dance at their wedding. Jack approached from across the room, took Isabelle by the hand, and swept her onto the dance floor in front of the band. Her smile was radiant.

Ray appeared next to me. “Nice party. Isabelle looks stunning.”

I sighed with happiness. “Yes, she does. Where’s Danny?”

Ray waved vaguely over his shoulder. “He’s discussing the merits of about a hundred different Playstation 3 games with Isabelle’s nephew.”

Other couples moved to join Isabelle and Jack on the dance floor. Ray crooked his arm. “Care to dance, Mrs. Parker?”

“I’d be delighted, Mr. Parker.”

The evening passed in a whirl of filet mignon, wine, and chocolate mousse cake. By ten, I felt bloated but satisfied. Danny, finished with his Playstation discussions and bored to tears by the music and dancing, agitated to go home. The party seemed like it was just getting started, but I told him to wait by the front door while I bid Isabelle goodnight and rounded up Ray from his conversation with the men by the bar.

Isabelle hugged me tight. “This was amazing. I’m so glad you came.”

I squeezed her back. “Me, too. Where’s Jack? I want to compliment him for a job well done.”

Isabelle waved toward the men’s room. “He’s making room for more wine.”

“Oh. Well, tell him the party was wonderful.”

Ray and I found Danny slumped on a bench in the lobby. The coatroom attendant had disappeared. She must have been taking a break because her tip jar sat unguarded on the ledge. We waited a few minutes but she failed to return to her post.

Ray gazed at the claim tickets in his hand. “What coat did you wear?”

“My white one. I’ll help you look.”

We entered the coatroom and started up the first aisle, checking the hanger numbers against our tickets. We rounded the bend into the back aisle.

And came upon Jack in a clench with another woman.

She spotted us first and tapped him on the shoulder. He spun to look at us.

Ray looked at the tickets in his hand. “I think those are our coats you’re leaning on. Could you pass them this way, Jack?”

Jack swallowed and obeyed.

I gazed at him, my mouth hanging open. He couldn’t meet my eyes. The woman appeared unrepentant. I had no idea who she was.

Ray put his arm around my shoulder and nudged me toward the door. “Great party, Jack. Take care.”

He pushed me along. I resisted, tempted to go back and claw Jack’s eyes out. “Keep moving, Jolene. It’s not our affair.”

A poor choice of words on Ray’s part.

He moved me into the lobby and placed my coat around my shoulders. “Danny, let’s go, buddy. Time to go home.”

I stared at the coatroom then tried to locate Isabelle in the party room, willing her to come and witness this for herself. I didn’t want to be the one to tell her and break her