Andy and Sharon left the car and walked towards the entrance of the tent.
"Andy, take my arm," she asked.
"Oh," he replied, smiling down at her which she easily returned.
"Here we go then," he said as they entered the main room.
"I, I don't know what to say," Sharon uttered.
Andy looked across at Sharon. If she was beautiful in the church, she was stunning under the lights of the tent. The twinkling of the lights fluttered across her face, they made her eyes light up, and her smile wider.
"You did well Andy, and look they did order the flowers you chose."
"What?" Andy had to pry his eyes away from Sharon to take a look around at the tables. Sitting on each table was a flower arrangement made up of the white ranunculus and camellias he had suggested.
"They're beautiful Dad,"
"Nicole!" Andy reached out and hugged his daughter. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them he saw his son watching from the other side of the room. He smiled at his kid, now hardly a kid, Daniel was pushing thirty.
Sharon noticed the young man from across the room. There was no mistaking him as Andy's son. He had the same cheeky grin, and slightly anxious stance. Sharon looked back at Andy and his daughter, they seemed to be too caught up in their hug to notice the young man. So she decided to take the initiative. Stepping to the side of Andy and his daughter she waved her hand towards him. Eventually he saw her and cautiously waved back. She had to smile a bit wider, and wave her hand towards herself a little more enthusiastically, but eventually Daniel got the hint and made his way over to the group.
"Hi," Daniel said to Sharon.
The greeting was enough to pull Nicole away from her father. Sharon happily shook the boy's hand, introducing herself before motioning Andy towards him.
"Hey kid, it's been a while. How have you been?" Andy asked.
Daniel shrugged his shoulders and glanced over at his sister before looking at his father again. "Oh you know, keeping busy. You?"
"Yeah, pretty much the same," Andy replied, nodding and smiling like he was waiting for when he could stop.
"Dad, you know Daniel just got a promotion. He's going to be the lead designer on our latest project."
"Really? Congratulations kid," Andy carefully tapped Daniel's shoulder. "I mean I knew you were talented, both of you. I still can't believe you both work together, the way you used to fight as kids." he added, looking over at Nicole. "I mean what I want to say is — I'm so proud of you both, I hope you know that."
Daniel was quiet, he nodded once then turned his attention to Sharon. "So Sharon, how do you know my father?"
"Oh, we work together. I'm ah—"
"She's my boss," Andy added, "and friend of course."
"Of course." Daniel replied.
Both Daniel and Nicole looked at Sharon and Andy like they were trying to figure out a puzzle. Between the two of them they both started and stopped, trying to ask a question neither of them knew how to start.
"I'm glad you showed up Dad. We thought you might not. I mean—" Daniel started.
"I guess you must have heard me on the phone with your mother," Andy added.
Sharon smiled uncomfortably at Nicole, almost tempted to rub her own ear.
"I'm sorry you heard that kid," Andy added. "I… I don't know, I ah—"
"Yeah I get it ok. I'm not a kid anymore, you don't get along with her, don't try and sell it to me as anything more than that."
"Daniel, please not now." Nicole pleaded with her brother.
"Sorry Nic, never mind. I should probably go check that your new step-kids haven't gotten into the wedding cake yet." Daniel looked briefly at his father who had remained silent with his focus shifting to somewhere on the floor. "It was nice meeting you Sharon, enjoy the rest of the evening," he added, smiling at her and Nicole before leaving.
Sharon looked over at Andy, and gently prodded his arm. He looked up at her briefly to confirm he was ok, if slightly embarrassed.
Nicole looked between the two of them. Her eyes were soft and she looked down in her father's direction.
"Dad," Nicole said, "you know you owe me a dance."
Her father looked straight up at her. He wasn't sure he had heard her right. "A dance? Aren't you supposed to dance with your husband first?"
Nicole shrugged her shoulders. "It's my wedding, I can change a few traditions around if I want to."
Andy was starting to mumble a response, and Sharon bumped his arm. "Andy, when a woman asks you to dance, the appropriate response is to give her your arm."
Nicole and Andy looked over at Sharon. They were smiling in the exact same manner. She found the similarities between father and daughter amusing.
Andy presented his arm to his daughter, but he was still smiling at Sharon. The gesture did not go unnoticed by his daughter. Nicole took her father's arm and turned to see her mother looking at her from across the room. Her mother looked a little puzzled, and edged her neck out a little further to see Sharon standing with them. Shrugging her shoulders, she turned around and addressed the DJ to play something appropriate. Andy had missed the gesture completely, and walked his daughter to the dance floor.
"Have fun," Sharon said as they walked off.
Sharon watched as people stood aside allowing Nicole and Andy to take the floor. His daughter was incredibly thoughtful. She seemed to instinctively see when Andy was in trouble and was brave enough to take the initiative. Looking across the floor, she saw Andy's son watching them dance. She could understand Daniel's reluctance to trust his father. She only hoped that seeing him witness Andy with Nicole might spark in him a need to reconcile.
"My, my Andrew is getting old."
Sharon shook her head and looked to her side, then looking down saw an old lady who was looking at Andy while holding her glasses at least an inch from her face.
"You should sit with me dear. It looks peculiar you standing here watching my nephew on your own," the old woman added.
"Nephew? You mean Andy?"
The old woman placed her glasses properly on her face and looked up at Sharon. She blinked a few times before narrowing her gaze at her. "Andrew Flynn, I know who I meant. Now come sit down with me, and keep me company."
"Are you his Aunt Louisa?" Sharon asked, as she was being led by the old woman to the table behind them.
"Why yes I am," Louisa replied, nudging her chair from the table as loudly as possible, while glaring at the man behind her.
"Here, let me help," Sharon pulled out Louisa's chair for her, and waited till she was seated comfortably before returning to her own.
"So which one are you then dear? Therese? Angie? Patricia? Oh you aren't that blonde thing with a different hair do, are you?"
Sharon smiled with her lips, but her eyes were as wide as if she had just sat on a pin. "Ah, I'm Sharon."
"Sharon? No, no, that can't be right. Hmm on second thoughts you must be Sandra. You definitely look like Sandra, there's no fooling me."
"Hmm," Sharon began.
"So tell me, what has my Andrew been saying about me? Probably feeding you some half-ass bullshit about how religious I am."
"Um—"
"Just between me, you, and the lamp post I only go to church for the air conditioning. In winter I'm agnostic, but I need to keep that boy on his toes."
"Well the summers can be brutal in California," Sharon replied, not really sure what she could offer the older woman at this point.
Louisa leaned across the table. Her two sets of pearls bounced across the cutlery as she narrowed in on Sharon. "You don't look like a blonde. Katia always tells me my Andrew likes blondes. Were you blonde Sandra? I don't think you'd look good as a blonde. I don't care what Andrew prefers, you keep your hair that colour."
"Oh, okay," Sharon looked over at the dance floor. Andy had stopped dancing but seemed to be having fun laughing with his daughter.
"What are you doing to your ear? That's a most peculiar habit you have there."
Sharon looked at the hand cradling her ear, and placed it back on the table. "I'm sorry Ma'am, I ah—"
"Ma'am? Oh no that won't do at all. Call me Louisa, except when Katia comes around, then you must call me Mrs Flynn. She hates that— and it's delightful." Louisa chuckled in her chair. "So Sandra, how did you meet my Andrew?"
"Ah well," Sharon began, tucking her hair behind her ear. "We work together—"
"At the police station?! My, my you don't look like… I mean I just can't picture you in a uniform."
"Hmm," Sharon smiled, nodding her head. "Well I don't wear it often. I'm actually Andy... Andrew's commanding officer."
Louisa shuffled her chair closer to Sharon. The noise on the temporary wooden panels made such a disturbance that the table next to theirs looked up to check on the sound. Sharon just smiled at them as sweetly as she could, before turning back to Louisa, who seemed completely oblivious to the situation.
"Tell me dear, when you're in a dangerous situation do you get Andrew to fire the gun for you?"
"Hmm," Sharon began, pursing her lips she looked over at Andy. He was having another dance with his daughter, and seemed even more relaxed then during the first one. When she looked back down at Louisa, the older woman seemed to be hanging on the edge of her seat for an answer. "Oh, well I fire the gun, and sometimes if Andrew is well behaved, he gets to fire the gun too."
Louisa's eyes lit up with excitement. She tried moving her chair even closer to Sharon but gave up when even the noise the chair was making was starting to bother her. Leaning in the rest of the way she whispered, "is it fun?"
"Louisa, haven't you got a grandchild to torment?"
Sharon looked up from Louisa and saw Karen standing behind the old woman. Louisa huffed, turning around she glared at the other woman.
"Katia, why must you be so rude? No wonder Andrew left you."
Karen seemed completely unfazed by the insult. Rolling her eyes, she pulled out Louisa's chair and watched as the old woman grumbled her way to her feet. Louisa looked between Sharon and Karen before walking off in a huff.
"She's a character," Sharon uttered as soon as said character was out of sight.
"Oh yeah, a real gem that one," Karen said, as she looked to the seat Louisa had left. "Do you mind?"
"Not at all, Karen," Sharon replied emphasising the other woman's actual name.
"Hmm," Karen smiled. "I guess somethings don't change. Andy's taught you his signal." Karen leaned across the table, "I saw you rubbing your ear from three tables away."
"Oh," Sharon tapped her fingers on the table.
"You're not going to try it again? He might actually look over this time."
Sharon looked over at Andy. He was sitting down at a nearby table talking to his son. There was no one else with them, not even Nicole. At one point he saw the boy laugh a little, with his father joining in.
Karen saw what Sharon was looking at, and she had to stop herself from appearing surprised.
"You're wrong Karen. Somethings do change."
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tbc.
A/N: Thanks again for your reviews! I have one more chapter to post before this wraps up.
