CHAPTER THIRTEEN A — THE GUEST LIST
Andrew thought the worst part of Hannah’s plan was the speech, until Denise showed him a separate list of requests that had never appeared in the printed schedule.
The requests were buried among perfectly ordinary instructions about vegetarian dinners and accessible seating.
One line asked the hotel to reserve three seats at the main family table for Hannah, Ethan, and Rebecca after the closing announcement.
Another requested that Andrew’s name be removed from the room assignment for the second night.
A third asked that a photographer remain in the ballroom for thirty minutes after the retirement program.
“Who submitted these?” Andrew asked.
“Your wife,” Denise answered.
“I assumed you had both discussed the arrangements because she used the family booking reference.”
Andrew looked at the request for the photographer.
“Was she going to photograph the moment she replaced me at my mother’s table?”
Denise folded her hands.
“I can’t say what she intended, but I can cancel every additional arrangement.”
“Cancel them,” Andrew said.
“Then send me a list of who was told they were approved.”
Denise hesitated.
“There’s one other person you should speak to before Saturday.”
She explained that the photographer, a woman named Nadia, had been asked to prepare a short interview corner for former students who wanted to talk about family transitions.
The assignment had sounded unusual for a retirement party, but Hannah had described it as a project about Lillian’s legacy of helping people begin again.
“Nadia thought she was recording stories about your mother’s teaching,” Denise said.
“She may already have contacted guests.
”
Andrew walked with her to the terrace where Nadia was setting up a camera and two chairs.
The photographer greeted him brightly.
“Mr. Mercer, I was hoping to find you,” she said.
“Hannah said you’d give the opening interview.”
Andrew felt a familiar drop in his stomach.
“What questions were you asked to prepare?”
Nadia checked her clipboard.
“The first is about the hardest lesson your mother taught you regarding relationships,” she said.
“The second is about how a family can remain loving when a marriage changes form.”
Andrew took a long breath.
“Nobody has asked me to participate in that interview.”
Nadia’s expression shifted.
“She told me it was your idea.”
“It wasn’t.”
“Then I’m very sorry,” Nadia said.
“I would never interview somebody under false pretenses.”
She opened her phone and showed him the message confirming the assignment.
Hannah had written, Andrew has agreed to speak first because it will make the rest of the family feel comfortable.
Andrew recognized the exact method now.
Hannah hadn’t merely planned to surprise him with a speech.
She had arranged tasks for other people that depended on him accepting a decision he had never made.
“Please tell everyone you contacted that the interviews are canceled,” he said.
“You can still photograph the celebration if my mother wishes.”
“I’ll do that right away,” Nadia answered.
Andrew walked back into the building with the unsettling sensation that he was following an invisible trail of promises made in his name.
He found Claire arranging name cards in the ballroom.
“We have another problem,” he said.
She looked up from the table.
“How many more?”
“Hannah reserved a place for Ethan beside my mother after the announcement,” Andrew replied.
Claire stared at him.
“She planned to move you out of your own seat?”
“She asked the hotel to move me to another room for Saturday night as well.”
Claire put down the cards.
“That’s not just a lie about what happened,” she said.
“That’s an attempt to make you live inside the lie once everyone is watching.”
Andrew nodded.
“And I keep wondering whether she thought I’d be too shocked to object.”
“She may have counted on your instinct to protect Mom’s celebration,” Claire answered.
“You’ve always tried to keep the peace.”
“I don’t want that instinct used against me anymore.”
“Then don’t make yourself responsible for everybody’s embarrassment,” Claire said.
“Hannah made these choices.”
Andrew examined the name card bearing his mother’s name.
“She should have had an ordinary retirement dinner,” he said.
“We can still give her one,” Claire replied.
They moved the cards until the tables reflected the guests who were actually invited for the celebration, rather than the future Hannah had tried to arrange.
