"It'll be fine. They love me."

“Locking my keys in would figure,” said Emma as she caught herself right before the door slammed. She reached back in, grabbed the keys, slammed the door and hightailed it into the dockside restaurant.

The hostess was busy, so Emma cleared her throat enough times behind the large party ahead of her that they glanced back at her, opening a lane through. She rushed ahead and asked the girl which direction the rehearsal dinner party was. 

On her way back to the reserved room, she smoothed her hair and hoped everyone hadn’t been served yet. Bridesmaids, she was pretty sure, usually weren’t this late. “It’s fine,” she told herself. “Kate knows me. She’ll laugh.”

They hadn’t been served yet. The waiting staff was lined against the back wall, appearing to enjoy the video of the happy couple, and the atmosphere was festive enough that nobody noticed Emma slide into the open seat next to Kate’s little sister Evie at the bridesmaids table. She didn’t know the other girls—all of them were his sisters or Kate's college friends, probably—so Emma ignored them and nudged Evie.

“Did I miss anything?”

Evie didn’t take her eyes from the screen. “Everyone told stories about Kate and Kyle. It was good.”

Emma considered that. She had a huge note on her phone with several of the best stories from when they were kids, all the way up to last year when she and Kate had hiked and gotten lost in the Smoky Mountains. Disappointment welled up in her eyes and she tried to just focus on the video Kate’s mom had made for the couple.

Halfway through dinner, Kate and Kyle went around to all the groomsmen and bridesmaids and gave them each a huge gift bag. Emma couldn’t wait to peek inside. Thankfully, Evie opened hers immediately, so everyone got to see—it was a lilac colored…life jacket.

The room got silent as all the other attendants opened their gifts and found identical life jackets. 

“Surprise!” Kyle and Kate said together. “The wedding is taking place on an island out there, and the bridal party entrance will be by boat!”

Apparently the couple knew their friends well. Everyone, including Evie and Emma, erupted in enthusiasm as the group headed for the beach to see how this unique wedding would work.

This beach wedding would have no other guests than the bridal party, but Kate and Emma had planned this since they were little girls. Kate had always wanted to get married on the beach, even if it meant that no one except close friends and family could attend.

Kyle agreed that it was a great idea. He told them how he'd planned the boat rental and the island surprise for months. Emma was impressed what a perfect couple they made.

After the wedding rehearsal stretched late into the night, Emma stayed out on the beach with the group much longer than her jet lag appreciated.

The next morning, she rushed from the hotel and drove from appointment to appointment. She was only fifteen minutes late for the wedding, and the photographer had been able to start getting pictures of the family since Emma wasn’t there to complete the bridal party.

Even though she didn't know anybody but Kate's family, Emma was impressed how relaxed everyone seemed. The group cheered as the man with the boat arrived.

The bluetooth speakers started Canon in D and the bridal party started filing down to the boat, lilac life preservers on every one. Kate and Kyle were over on sea dos with the photographer snapping pics from shore.

Then Emma remembered. 

Her life jacket was back at the hotel. Thirty minutes away.

Emma rolled her eyes. Smacked her head. Fell in the back of the line and hoped no one would notice her life-jacket-less appearance.

The boat, which would barely fit half the group at a time, left with Kate’s and Kyle’s parents and siblings, and the rest of the bridal party waited for the boat to return for them. In the distance, the island was barely visible on the horizon.

When the boat returned, Emma searched for a familiar face. Her heart sank as she saw not one person she knew.

She'd been hoping Evie or someone on there would vouch for her. "Oh yeah, that's Emma! That's Kate's best friend! She loves her! She's spacey, but she helped Kate dream of this day all their childhoods." But nope. Nobody.

“Can I help you?” 

Emma pasted on her best blonde apologetic grin. “I’m Emma! Kate’s childhood best friend. Sorry, I was late last night. And you are…?”

“I own this boat. Sorry, you can’t get on.”

Emma frowned. “Oh sorry, but yes I can. I’m a bridesmaid. I just forgot my life jacket in my hotel—“

“You can’t get on.”

“I can swim!”

“You can’t get on. No life jacket, no ride. Sorry, lady.”

She hated that Kate’s and Kyle’s college friends or whoever were all staring at her red-faced nightmare, but she would fix this.

“No, I’m getting on. I know you have another life jacket on here.” She tried to move forward, but his strong arm blocked the way.

“You can’t get on. Only those in the pink life jackets. You don’t have one.”

She rolled her eyes. Where did they find this guy? “They're lilac. And I. DO. HAVE. ONE. Let me on.”

“Why aren’t you wearing it?”

Faster than she knew he could, he jumped into the boat, started it, and shot into the water. The other bridesmaids didn’t even look back. 

And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.

Matthew 22:11-14