Chapter 12
Sean made notes in his planner.
From time to time, he would glance over at Jeanie. Once they were airborne, she
fell silent staring out the window. The fiery oranges gave way to shades of
blue falling gracefully into dusky purples as the sun set thousands of feet
above the clouds. However, he had a feeling that, while she might be looking
out the window, she wasn’t seeing a thing.
The weekend was a total loss.
Photos were taken, but not for the magazine layout as planned. Instead, Sean
photographed A.J. and Lindsay’s small, private wedding on the beach at sunset
Saturday night. The only people in attendance besides the minister and hotel
wedding coordinator were Jeanie and Meg, Kevin and Nick, Sean and, of course,
the bride and groom.
Sean wasn’t sure when she’d
slipped back into her self-imposed prison, but she had. She smiled and was
polite and friendly, but sad and almost despondent as if she’d lost heart. She
and Kevin avoided any interaction whatsoever, but Sean noticed with interest
that Nick would unconsciously squeeze her shoulder or touch her cheek as if he
was trying desperately to reassure her. It was also apparent that Kevin was
keenly aware of the attention that Nick was paying to Jeanie.
Sean had planned on flying back to
L.A. with Megan. When Lindsay’s plans changed, Meg suggested he return to
Dallas with Jeanie. They made the excuse that he could do the photos in Dallas,
but the real reason he was accompanying her back was that Megan was worried.
She didn’t want her alone for a minute.
It was obvious to everyone that
some had happened, but what? She refused to confide in anyone…she just kept
forcing a smile.
*****
The afternoon was crazy. Jeanie
had never seen Linds as happy. The wedding coordinator frantically worked to
pull together the tiny wedding. She made necessary phone calls to the
courthouse to have the paperwork started. Hopefully, by the time A.J. and
Lindsay got there, they would only have to show I.D. and sign on the dotted
line. The kitchen staff rushed to make a small cake and have a private dinner
for the wedding party afterward. Flowers were ordered.
The hotel shuttled Linds, Jeanie
and Megan as well as Nick, A.J. and Kevin into Nassau. As soon as A.J. and
Linds picked up their license, the girls and guys split up…each in a frantic
search for rings and something to wear.
It was probably the best wedding
that Jeanie ever had the honor to be part of. A.J. and Lindsay clearly loved
each other and their love and spontaneity was infectious. It was almost like a
scavenger hunt to see which “team” would come up with everything on their list
first.
Jeanie spent a good part of the
day reassuring Lindsay that everything was fine. Linds was as shocked as
everyone else when Kevin showed up. She kept asking Jeanie why he was there.
Her only reply was, “I don’t know, sweetie.” Jeanie refused to tell a soul why
Kevin had come. He ruined her life, but she was hell bent and determined he
would not ruin A.J. and Lindsay’s wedding day.
She made it pretty good until the
ceremony. All she knew to do was keep her head down. Tear drops hung
precariously from the tip of her nose and chin as she stood, head bowed, partly
in prayer that God would help her through this, but most from shame. She
couldn’t look at anyone. Megan said that Kevin cried. But then again, so did
Nick and A.J. and Lindsay.
The last thing Jeanie said to
Lindsay was, “No matter what happens, just remember that I love you. You know
that, right?”
That’s when Sean realized that
Megan was right to worry. Something was terribly wrong. The last thing Jeanie
needed was to be alone.
*****
“Hey lady,” Mac folded his arms
around Jeanie as they entered. She could tell by the way he held her, Megan
called. “How’s it going, man? Pete McNamara,” he shook Sean’s hand.
“Hey, yourself. Lindsay and A.J.
did it…” she whispered and flashed a tiny smile. “Where’s the baby?”
Sean followed Jeanie and Mac over
a baby gate and into the den. It was decorator-perfect unless you looked down.
The floor was littered with toys and evidence of playtime with Uncle Mac. Madi
rolled around in her walker, bumping into furniture.
“Oh man! Wait…check it out Mom!”
Mac sat Jeanie down in a nearby chair. He rushed over and plucked Madi up.
Standing about four feet from Jeanie, he carefully lowered her to the carpet,
holding her tiny hands.
“Okay, kid…strut your stuff…”
Madi stood for a moment then fell
flat on her diaper-padded backside and giggled. Mac stood her up again. “Don’t
make Uncle Mac look like fool…” he grinned.
With that she found her center and
took one wobbly step, then a second…
“You go girl…go to Momma…” Mac
whispered.
Jeanie’s chin quivered
uncontrollably and tears flooded down her cheeks as Madison took one tiny step
after another only pausing to get her balance.
Jeanie slipped from the chair to
her knees and held her arms open for Madi. “Good, Madi, come on…I love you,
Madison…” she wept. Her guard was down…emotions exposed…and totally unaware
that Sean was quietly documenting everything that was happening.