This is the twelfth part in a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to read Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII, Part VIII, Part IX, Part X, and Part XI before continuing.
“I would like to raise a toast to my baby sister on her wedding day.” Hugh stood, raised his glass, and waited for everyone else in the reception hall to follow suit.
“Many of you know that my sister and I haven’t always had an easy time of it. She was still a kid when we lost our parents, and I had to take over, not only as head of a business I had only begun to understand, but as her guardian. If you think being a parent is hard, try raising a younger sister who thinks she already knows everything there is to know.”
He paused and the guests obliged him with soft laughter.
“And then Chris walked into our lives. And not only did he turn out to be the perfect companion for Sandra, but he has also been indispensable as an aid to me and my business.”
Sandra felt her hackles raise at the words “my business,” but she forced herself to keep the sweet smile plastered on her face as her brother complimented her new husband. She knew her time would come soon enough.
As if he could read her mind, Hugh said, “I call it ‘my business,’ but once Sandra came of age, it became our business. And now that Chris is a member of this family, in addition to being a hardworking employee, it seems only fitting that he should get a share of the business.”
There were gasps and even some applause from the guests. Sandra wondered too late if she should have acted surprised. She glanced at Chris out of the corner of her eye, but he was just smiling at his new brother-in-law as Hugh pulled a fat envelope out of his inner breast pocket.
“Obviously, we’ll have to finalize this with our attorneys, but since it’s rude to come to a wedding empty handed, I wanted to give this to you now so you can review it before we finalize anything. Welcome to the family, Chris.”
The guests burst into applause as Hugh placed the envelope in front of the groom. Chris took it and smoothly tucked it into his own breast pocket with his left hand while reaching out with his right to shake Hugh’s hand. It was all done so seamlessly that even Sandra might have missed it if she hadn’t been watching the envelope like a hawk watches its prey.
To be continued…