Chapter 14 - Mr. Graham Stood Between Us and Her
The music didn't come back on. I could hear my own breathing in the microphone before the DJ reached over and turned it down with one finger. My hand was shaking around it. Mom's hand was around my other hand, tight.
Mr. Graham was still standing near the white-linen table where Vanessa had left him. His jacket was open. He looked at the big screen, which was frozen gray, then at the DJ booth, then at me.
He walked toward us across the white dance floor. His shoes made a soft sound. Nobody talked. I could hear the chandelier buzzing a little above us, and ice moving in somebody's glass.
Vanessa stepped sideways like she wanted to cut him off. "Graham," she said. "Don't do this in front of everyone."
He held up his hand without looking at her. He kept walking until he stopped a few feet from Mom and me.
He bent down a little so his eyes were level with mine. I had never seen a grown man in a suit do that except for my principal.
"Lily," he said. His voice was low. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you sooner."
I didn't know what to say. Mom's thumb moved across the back of my hand.
He looked up at Mom. "Claire," he said. "I'm sorry. You tried to tell me back there, and I waved you off. That was on me."
Mom swallowed. "We just needed somebody to see it," she said quietly.
He nodded once. Then he stood up straight and looked at the DJ. "Do you still have the file?"
The DJ glanced at his laptop. "Yes, sir. It's on the laptop and her phone sent it through the cable. I didn't delete anything."
"Make a copy," Mr. Graham said. "Right now. On that laptop and on a second drive if you have one. Don't play it again yet. Just save it."
The DJ nodded and his fingers started moving fast. I could see the little bar fill up on the screen. My phone was still plugged into the side of the table with a white cord.
Vanessa laughed, a short sound. "You're really doing this? You're copying a child's video like it's evidence?"
Mr. Graham turned to her then. "It is evidence," he said.
He looked past her to the two staff men in black vests standing near the drapery. "I need you to keep the doors as they are," he said. "No one needs to leave yet. The guests here saw what played. I'd like them to stay as witnesses until this is sorted."
One of the men nodded. "Yes, sir."
A murmur went through the tables. A woman in a dark dress put her hand on her husband's arm. Nobody got up.
Vanessa's face went pale under the lights. "Graham, this is our wedding," she said. Her voice shook. "You can't talk about witnesses at our wedding."
He walked a few steps toward her, but he stayed between her and us. I could see the back of his jacket. Mom pulled me a half-step behind him without letting go.
"Vanessa," he said, steady. "The wedding cannot continue as planned."
The room got very quiet. The fairy-light curtain behind the DJ booth kept glowing.
"What?" she whispered.
"I mean it," he said. "Not the first dance. Not the toast. Not until this is dealt with honestly. I won't stand up in front of these people and pretend tonight is fine."
Her hands balled up at her sides. The lace on her sleeves pulled tight. "You would humiliate me because she —"
He cut her off. "No," he said. "You need to step off the dance floor. Give them space."
Vanessa stared at him. Then at Mom. Then at me behind him. Her eyes were wet but angry.
"Sir," the DJ said softly. "Copy's done. Two copies."
Mr. Graham didn't turn around. "Hold them," he said. Then, to Mom, quieter, "Stay right here with Lily. I'm right here."
Mom nodded and moved me closer to her leg. I pressed my yellow cardigan against her dress. The microphone was heavy now, so I let it hang down by my side. The DJ reached out and gently took it from my fingers.
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"It's safe," he whispered to me.
Mr. Graham lifted his arm slightly, making a wall with his body so Vanessa couldn't come closer. Vanessa stood alone near the edge of the white floor, with all the tables watching her.
