Always A Bridesmaid (Left At the Altar) (16 page)

"Really? I kind of thought you two were close. I mean, the way you were at the wedding--"

"It didn't work out."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. I really like Dani."

He closed his eyes.
So do I.
He had to end this call.

"I'll touch base with you in about a week so I can give my client an update on the progress of the new system."

"Sounds good," Todd replied, all business once more. "I'll speak to you then."

Zach disconnected the call and set the phone on his desk. He'd known from the first time he'd seen them together in the sun room on the third floor of Camp's rented house that there was the distinct possibility their relationship could grow into something far more serious than friendship. A picture of Dani curled in Jonny's lap tormented him, refusing to go away.

At least he knew Jonny was a good guy and would treat her well. He'd had his chance and he'd blown it.

Still, knowing she was with someone else hurt more than he could have ever believed possible.

* * * *

Dani couldn't believe it when Chantal's name popped up on her call display. What on earth could she possibly want with her?

She answered the phone with trepidation. Despite her feelings for Chantal, she was curious.

"Hello?"

"Dani, hi, it's Chantal. It's so good to hear your voice!"

She sounded way too cheerful. Exactly what did she want?

"Why are you calling me, Chantal?"

"To see how you are, of course." She sounded hurt. "Can't a girl check up on her friend?"

She felt immediately contrite. Maybe she was trying to change.

"I'm sorry. How have you been?"

"I've been great, wonderful actually! I'm getting married!"

"Married? To who?" Dani held her breath.
Dear God, please, please, please don't let it be Zach.

"To Harry, of course, silly. Who else?"

She let out her breath in a long exhale.
Thank God, thank God, thank God.

"I hope the two of you will be very happy," she said.

"We will be, I'm sure of it. And I want you to be part of our happiness. This time I'll make sure you get a dress in a size that fits you perfectly."

"Wait. You want me to be your bridesmaid again?"

"Of course. I've got my eye on some designer bridesmaid gowns in dark blue--"

"Chantal, I'm sorry, but I can't be your bridesmaid."

"Don't be silly. Of course you can. I harbor no hard feelings over the way you behaved with Zach at Fiona's wedding. There's no reason we can't work together again."

"Are you kidding me?" The nerve of the woman! "You insulted me the entire weekend and propositioned Zach right in front of me. Why would I consent to be in the same room as you, let alone act as your bridesmaid?"

"Dani, we both know that thing between you and Zach that weekend was a complete farce, so please, don't insult me by pretending it was real. Now, can we please talk about your dress? I was thinking navy blue taffeta this time, perhaps knee length--"

"No!" The word erupted from deep inside her.

"Don't be silly, you're my friend. I need you. Of course you'll be my bridesmaid."

"No! No I won't! Whatever we are to each other, Chantal, we certainly aren't friends. Maybe we were at one time, but not anymore. I wish you good luck with your marriage. Goodbye."

"But--"

Whatever Chantal had been about to say was lost as Dani hung up. Her hands shook as she set the phone on the table. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. And then she started to smile as she realized that, for the first time, she'd actually said no to Chantal. Actually, it was the first time she'd ever said no to anyone who asked her to be a bridesmaid. Had she been so desperate for people to like her, so afraid of losing their friendship that she said yes to every request?

Well, nuts to that!

She let out a breath in relief. Everybody didn't have to like her, any more than she had to like everybody else. From now on she'd surround herself with the people she really cared about and wanted as friends.

Halleluiah! She'd finally said no and the world didn't come to an end.

Damn it felt good!

* * * *

Dani sat in her parents' kitchen, her hands wrapped around her mug of tea. Her mother bustled around, preparing all of Dani's favorite dishes for dinner. Visiting her parents had definitely been a good idea. Even though she hadn't told her mother about Zach, Rose DiPietro had known instinctively that she was hurting and had set to work to make her feel better in the best way she knew how--by feeding her. She just had to be careful not to let all that comfort go to her hips.

Her father entered the kitchen through the back door, smiling when he saw her at the kitchen table.

"Daniella,
cara!
It's nice to see you! About time you visited your old folks. We haven't seen you since Christmas Day."

Dani kissed his weathered cheek. "Hi, Papa. You make it sound as if Christmas was months ago. It was only last week."

She'd spent a lovely Christmas with her family. The midnight mass at the church, the decorations and food at her parents' home, and the excitement of her nieces and nephews as they waited for Santa, made Christmas as special as it was to her every year. But this year she'd felt something, or someone, was missing. She'd thought about Zach every hour of every day, wondered what he was doing over the holidays, even though she'd promised herself to forget him and move on.

He was proving a hard man to forget. She wasn't sure if she even wanted to.

Francisco DiPietro enfolded his wife in a loving embrace while Dani watched. Ever since she could remember, her parents had openly expressed their love for each other with tender kisses and loving touches. On many occasions they'd embarrassed her and her brothers by smooching in front of their friends. Though it had mortified her as a teenager, she found it comforting and endearing as an adult.

But at the same time, her parents' relationship had never quite made sense to her. As much as she loved them both, she'd never understood the attraction between them. Her father was tall, dark, and even in his sixties, he was still a handsome man. In the old photographs, he'd been extraordinarily good-looking, much like her brother Tony. In fact, all her brothers had inherited their father's good looks in varying degrees.

But as much as she loved and adored her mother, Dani would never describe her as physically beautiful. Where Frank Sr. was tall and slim, Rose DiPietro was short and round. Her most striking features were her large dark eyes and long lashes. Unfortunately, her lovely eyes were obscured by her heavy prescription glasses. Her hair was beginning to turn grey, but had once been a mousy brown. Dani had always been grateful she'd inherited her father's thick, dark hair.

That had been the only thing she'd inherited from him. In every other respect, she was a chip off her mother's genetic block.

Lucky me
.

"Frank, something is bothering Daniella, but she won't talk about it," Rose said as she poured him a cup of tea. "I think she has man troubles."

"Man troubles, eh?" Frank Sr. looked at her over the rim of his cup with compassionate dark eyes. "Do you want me to have a little talk with this fellow who made you unhappy?"

Dani laughed. "You sound exactly like Tony. No, that won't be necessary, Papa. I'm fine, really."

Her parents exchanged a look that told her they weren't buying it for a minute. Rose put her hand on her husband's shoulder.

"We just want you to be happy,
cara.
We want all our children to have the kind of relationship we've been lucky enough to be blessed with."

"I know, Mom. I want that, too, but what you two have is a rare commodity."

"I know, but--"

The telephone rang, and Rose left to answer it. From her mother's side of the conversation, Dani gleaned that her Aunt Aurora, her mother's sister, wanted to talk. Dani heaved a sigh of relief. From experience she knew that when Aunt Aurora wanted to talk, it could take a while. She was grateful for the reprieve because she didn't feel up to spilling her guts to them just yet.

Rose took the cordless phone with her into the living room, talking in a rapid fire mixture of English and Italian. Dani heard her shout instructions from the next room.

"Daniella, turn off the pasta!"

Dani obediently complied, then filled the sink with water and washed the dishes her mother had used. Frank Sr. picked up a dish towel and began to dry. As she placed the last dish in the drain board, her curiosity overcame her reluctance to discuss personal affairs, both her own and her parents'.

"Papa, when did you know Mama was the one for you?"

He smiled fondly. "Oh, I think I knew from the first time I met her."

"Really? What attracted her to you?" What siren song had her mother played for her father?

"She wasn't like the other girls I'd known. They were only interested in showing off and primping and teasing. Rose was much smarter than that."

"Well, sure. She was the first in her family to go to university." Her mother had taught school before her children were born, and after taking some time off to have her family, had resumed her career when Dani entered kindergarten. But that had never stopped her from being at all the soccer games and dance recitals. Or preparing the best lasagna in Ottawa.

"That's true, but it's not what I mean. Your mother was never into playing games. She was honest and straight forward. She has always been the best woman I've ever known. And the most beautiful."

She smiled and covered her father's hand with her own. "That's really sweet of you to say, Papa."

Frank Sr. set down his cup. "You think I'm kidding, don't you?"

"You know I love Mom. And you know I look exactly like her. I'm well aware that neither of us is a beauty queen."

"
Piccolina."
He hadn't called her 'pretty little one', his favorite pet name for her as a child, for years. He squeezed her hand. "To me, your mother is the most beautiful woman in the world. When you love someone as much as I love her, beauty is all you can see."

She stared into his kind eyes. Had Zach really meant it when he'd told her she was beautiful? He wasn't in love with her the way her father was in love with her mother.

But that didn't mean he hadn't been sincere.

"You are as beautiful as your mother," her father said. "I wish you could see that."

She felt a sting of shame. Her planned breast reduction would make her look different from her mother. Was that like saying she hated her mother's looks, that she was ugly? That sounded so disloyal. Along with the traits she wasn't so crazy about, she'd inherited many good things from her mother, like her intelligence and her sense of humor. Her mother was the best woman she knew, too.

Her feelings took her by surprise. She hadn't expected to have second thoughts about the surgery she'd been wanting for so long. Perhaps she needed to think about it a little longer, or talk to someone about it. So far, she'd kept her plans to herself, not wanting to be talked out of it.

But for now she'd just enjoy being with her parents.

"You are a lovely, lovely man," she said, winding her arms around her father's neck and pressing her cheek to his. "I love you, Papa."

"I love you, too, Daniella."

The whole situation felt surreal. Less than eighteen months ago, he was on the verge of marrying Chantal. Now he was in a small church in Ottawa with his mother and Chantal's family, waiting for her to walk down the aisle and marry someone else.

What would his life have been like if they'd actually gone through with the wedding? Would they have been happy or would they have made a visit to divorce court by now? His money was on divorce court.

Zach couldn't even imagine a life with Chantal anymore. He rarely thought of her, probably because for the last three months, one week and five days, the only woman he thought about was Dani. She filled his thoughts every day and every night. He wondered how she was, what she was doing, who she was with.

Did she ever think of him?

Todd sat next to him, examining the leaflet about the bride and groom and the wedding party that had been handed to them when they entered the church. Zach knew he should leave it alone, but he had to know. He leaned over and whispered, "How's your brother?"

"Good. Very happy, I think, for the first time, really."

His heart plummeted. "I'm glad for him. And for Dani."

Todd turned to him and frowned. "Dani? What do you mean?"

"You said they were happy together."

He stared uncomprehendingly for a moment before asking, "You think they're together? A couple?"

"Well yeah, aren't they? You said she visited him in Toronto." He hadn't found the courage to ask Todd about their relationship since he'd first mentioned it.

"Dani and Jonny are friends. She stayed at Jonny and Kevin's place a few weekends ago. But they're not together, not the way you're thinking."

His mind whirled with confusion. "They're not? Who's Kevin?"

"Kevin is Jonny's boyfriend. He's gay, Zach. Right after my wedding he worked up the courage to tell our mom and dad. He can finally stop pretending now. That's why he's so happy."

Zach stared at him. "Your brother is gay?"

"Yes."

"Your brother Jonathan? The best man at your wedding?"

Todd chuckled. "Yeah, that's the one. He's the only brother I've got."

"Does Dani know he's gay?"

"Yeah, she's known all along. Jonny told me he confided in her at the wedding."

A thousand questions burst into his head, begging to be answered. Why hadn't she told him the truth? If she'd told him Jonathan was gay, they'd be together right now.

Why didn't I believe her when she told me she and Jonathan were just friends? If I'd just believed her, I could be with her right now.

Zach closed his eyes in agony. What had he done?

At that moment the groom and his attendants emerged and the organist began playing Pachelbel's "Canon in D". The doors of the church opened and a girl he didn't know walked up the aisle in a navy blue bridesmaid gown, followed by Fiona who wore an identical dress. Next, Chantal began the walk up the aisle on Foster's arm. When she reached the front of the church, Foster passed her to Harry. But before the minister could begin the ceremony, Harry dropped Chantal's hand and addressed the congregation.