Chapter 114

Michael Warner was the first person to greet his daughter when she entered the room. He saw the look of trepidation beneath her façade of excitement and hugged her tightly.

“You look lovely,” he whispered. “I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of you.”

The stories of Hailey’s prep school escapades had caught her father off guard. He had seen the photos of her traipsing around in a bikini that resembled a handkerchief and had seen story after story on the television and in the newspaper that chronicled his daughter’s rise from prep school terror to the fiancée of the city’s most eligible young bachelor. Anything he missed from its original source he caught in the form of whispers from paralegals or the associates (or even partners) at his firm.

He had been hurt and appalled by what he’d learned of his daughter’s teenage years – and angered that his inaction had permitted her to grow up without any source of moral direction except her mother. While Hailey had stopped responding to Hannah’s television interview, Michael had made it a point to ensure that those reporting the story understood exactly what sort of person Hannah Kramer was.

He had also absorbed his share of the blame for how Hailey behaved during those years (or more than his share in his daughter’s eyes). She found strength in her father’s embrace and offered a genuine smile when he pulled back to let Beth take his place.

Beth’s hug was just as enthusiastic as Michael’s had been. While Michael had been front and center defending his daughter and her reputation, Beth had worked behind the scenes to make sure the worst perpetrators understood there would be a price to pay for their actions.

The news anchor on Channel 3 resigned when a sex tape she made in college suddenly found its way to the Internet and several other promising careers were cut short when word leaked out about how they behaved in college. The lifestyle editor of the Calder City newspaper had come under fire when news that her daughter had supplemented her college income by working as a dominatrix and one of the most irritating bloggers in the city found himself the target of an FBI child pornography investigation after Ron Farragut found some very disturbing pictures and videos on the man’s computer while rooting around for information to discredit him.

The Friday of the engagement party, there had not been a single negative mention of Hailey Warren or her upcoming nuptials from any of the city’s major news sources. Of course, everyone was too busy that day to notice.

Throughout the two weeks, as Michael and Beth went in their directions, David Warner had been a pillar of strength. He had spent hours at the apartment and had sat down with Hailey to help her go through china patterns and bridesmaid’s dresses (two things that held little to no interest for him). He had no real goal in mind other than to show Hailey and Phil that he supported them both and he always would.

He gave Hailey a kiss on the forehead when Beth let her go. He didn’t offer any words of encouragement. He had spoken those through the evenings he spent at the apartment. Hailey had always known Beth approved but David’s continued happiness at the engagement meant a lot to her.

“You better grab your seats,” he said with a wink. He kept an arm around Hailey as he gave his son a heartfelt hug. “If we don’t get some real food to mix with all the alcohol these lushes are putting away we’re going to have half the guests passed out by midnight.”

“Good point,” Phil laughed. The couple greeted people as they made their way through the crowd to their table. Hailey made it a point to veer toward Emma Thomas and Taylor Ramsey, both of whom were a little star-struck to be seated at a table with a television actor and his wife. She saw Tiffany’s father sitting beside Molly’s cousins, Sean and Susan O’Malley, and made her way over to give both of them a hug.

Several of Phil’s teammates from the college baseball team were standing with Terrence Williams and his mother. Terrence broke away for a moment to sweep Hailey into a warm hug.

“Mind if I dance with yo’ date?” he asked. Only this time the joke was to Hailey and not to Phil.

“Uh, OK,” she said with a laugh. “But he’s not my date. He’s my fiancé.”

“You’re still no fun,” Terrence replied, the smile wide across his face. “Congratulations, Hailey. I’ve never seen Phil as happy as he is when you’re around.”

“Thanks,” Hailey said, as she felt tears come to her eyes. “Will you introduce me to your Mom? I want to tell her what a great son she raised.”

“If you’re going to heap praise upon me, I’d be happy to,” Terrence replied. Phil stood back and watched Emelda Williams talk to Hailey. He spotted Courtney Hollings a few tables over and made his way across.

“No one wants to talk to you!” she joked. “We’re here to see the star of the show.”

“Yeah, well, you know how it is,” Phil replied with a laugh. “Your best hope is that she spots me over here and comes to join me.”

“I guess we’ll put up with you then,” Courtney said. Phil went around the table shaking hands first with Courtney’s date and then with the others seated nearby. Soon after, Hailey made her way across and the scene repeated itself.

“It’s why you have to stick together!” Lisa Finley said with a giggle. She had insisted that she and Scott be seated with Courtney Hollings – because she knew it would make her husband uncomfortable (and likely silent) for most of the night.

It took the couple almost half an hour to make their way to where Tiffany, Molly, Katelyn, Bob, Beth, David and Michael sat. Stacy Thomas was seated beside Michael since Ted was still in basic training and unable to attend. The close friends gave Hailey pecks on the cheek – even Bob, Phil noted. As soon as Phil helped Hailey into her chair, the waiters and waitresses made their way through with the first course.

Phil turned and craned his neck to find where Amberleigh and her date were seated. He hoped she was enjoying being on the other end of a nice dinner for a change. He had expected a debate over her inclusion on the list but had received nothing of the sort. Hailey had even included a handwritten plea in the young woman’s invitation that said that having Phil’s best friend from childhood at the event would mean a great deal to them both. Amberleigh and her date were seated with Joe and Annette Pepper because Annette had a knack for making people feel at ease and Joe was a natural politician who always knew the right things to say to get a conversation started.

Between courses, others from the far side of the room made their way across to where Phil and Hailey sat. The Bartons came en masse with William and Kathleen, Phil’s grandparents, in the lead and Danielle and Madison bringing up the rear. Phil’s uncle and aunt were in the middle of the small parade.

Phil’s close friends from SouthPointe, Ann and Rachel and Mitchell and Ron, came soon after.

“They got you into a tux!” Hailey enthused as she gave Mitchell a hug. It was the first time she had seen him awake without a baseball cap perched on his head.

“It wasn’t easy,” Ann said from where she held hands with Rachel. “He’s got his ballcap tucked under the table.”

“I’m not that bad,” Mitchell answered before he introduced his college girlfriend to the group. The young woman looked slightly shell-shocked. Like Mitchell, she came from a farm family and wasn’t used to such opulence. She was slightly startled when Hailey hugged Mitchell and even more startled when Hailey greeted her with a hug.

Phil was more surprised at Ron’s date. He was the quintessential nerd but the woman with him resembled a supermodel. He introduced her as a fellow student at MIT and Phil shook his head in wonder as they wandered away hand in hand.

The party moved to the front of the ballroom after the dessert remnants were cleared away. People broke up into groups – some obvious and others random – and Hailey started to make her rounds. Phil broke away and stood on the sideline with his father and father-in-law to be.

“She is completely in her element,” David noted with a grin.

“Pretty much always,” Phil agreed. “‘She’s so smart that she can talk to one group about the economic impact of the New Zealand railway strike and explain the infield fly rule two seconds later.”

“You need to make your way over there,” Michael said with nudge to Phil’s ribs. “The next group has my firm’s partners. Louise Akers’ husband is an asshole and if he’s had too much to drink, well, Hailey might knock him on his ass.”

“I’ll give her a heads up,” Phil promised.

“Screw that,” Michael said as he and David joined Phil on the way across the room. “I figured you’d want to be close enough to enjoy it when she did. I know I do.”

It seems someone had clued Beth in on the situation, too, because by the time Hailey reached the group of lawyers, she was surrounded by her family and friends. Michael could only chuckle to himself as the only noticeably drunk person in the room was shuttled to the back of the group where he could neither be seen nor heard. There would be no fireworks that evening.

The mingling wound down about 10 p.m. and a small group moved to the raised dais for the purpose of the evening. Hailey was a bit surprised when David and her father took center stage instead of Beth.

“Before we say a few words about Philip and Hailey, we have some people who couldn’t make it tonight but who wanted to send their regards,” Michael said into a microphone. “These started arriving last week and we crafted them together into a small montage for everyone.”

The lights dimmed and a video appeared on the far wall. Phil and Hailey recognized Ted Billings immediately.

“Greetings and congratulations from Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois,” Ted said with a grin. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to help celebrate your engagement. Stacy and I want to wish you both a lifetime of happiness. You both deserve nothing but the best and we’re both so happy that we can call you friends.”

A few other faces popped up on the screen, including Susan LeMott, who was in the Air Force stationed abroad. Most of the room didn’t recognize the first group of well-wishers but soon a face popped up that almost everyone knew – or at least everyone younger than 60.

“That’s Randi Raver!” Hailey whispered. “How in the hell did you get Randi Raver to send a video greeting?”

“Shh,” Phil urged. He had no idea how it had happened either.

“Phil and Hailey, I’m sorry I couldn’t get away to attend your big night,” the young singer-actress told the room. “Hailey, I know the past few weeks have been rough but stay strong. I’ve learned that the smallest minds always search for the lowest common denominator. You’ve got a good guy to lean on. Phil, don’t ever forgot what a prize you’ve found in Hailey. I wish you nothing but health and happiness in your future. Oh, and Hailey, I hope you enjoy the engagement gift I sent.”

“Gift?” Hailey whispered again. “We specifically said no gifts.”

“Shh!” Phil tried again. The next video had two faces and a hum of excitement came from Phil’s college teammates. There was a young man on the screen with his arm around a young woman. “From a newlywed to the newly engaged, Meredith and I wish you a lifetime of happiness. Phil, when you find the right one, you just know it and you’ve found a keeper.”

“Hailey, I know we’ve never met but my name is Meredith Miller,” the redhead said from the screen. She rolled her eyes to the man next to her. “My doofus here seems to think he needs no introduction but I’m not so sure. He’s Brock Miller, my loving husband. The only advice I can offer is for you to stay true to yourself. I know how easy it is to lose yourself in everyone else’s expectations. I hope you’ll always know that the only expectations you have to meet are the ones you set yourself. Oh, and Phil, you should know that the only expectations you have to meet are the ones Hailey sets for you.”

The room laughed as the woman on the screen gave a wide smile and wink before the scene changed to a new well-wisher.

“Who was that?” Hailey asked.

“Brock Miller,” Phil said.

“Uh, yeah, I got that when they said their names,” Hailey answered with a poke in Phil’s ribs.

“He’s a baseball player for the Dodgers,” Phil told her. “He was the one that made that great catch in the World Series last fall.”

“Oh, the one who knocked the shit out of himself,” Hailey muttered. “Yeah, don’t ever do that. But you might want to listen to his wife.”

“Yes, dear,” Phil told her as he kissed on the cheek.

The last video tribute came from the former governor. The man sat in his study with a row of books behind him and a single picture frame in front of him. He smiled in a grandfatherly manner and turned the photo around to face the camera.

“I was married for 41 years to the most wonderful person I’ve ever met,” he said as he picked the photo up and looked at it for a moment before turning his attention back to the camera. “We married in 1969, just before I left for the war in Vietnam. I was 20 and she was 19. It is truly a rare thing when you find the one you’re supposed to be with at such a young age but I was lucky. Now it is your turn to experience the luck – and the love and joy – that I was blessed with for so long. My wife was my partner; she was my conscience; she was my motivator; she was my solace. She was the best part of who I am. When she passed away two years ago, I lost half of what makes me whole. I do not say that to make you sad. I tell you that so you will grasp each day and live it to its fullest. May you never take the other for granted and may you always remember that love is the thing that will conquer all foes in the end. You have my warmest wishes that you have a love that spans the ages. Congratulations on your engagement and may God bless you as he blessed me for so many years.”