the groups reunite in the buffet line

"Hey gorgeous!" said a cheerful Phil as he met up with Staci in the buffet line.

"Mm, hiya handsome." Staci wrapped her arms around her husband-to-be, and planted a firm kiss on his lips. "Your beard is ... delicious," she added with a smile.

As the two groups intermingled at the buffet, Staci took it upon herself to introduce everyone.

"Some of you all are in the wedding party. You should get to know one another."

"We're all doing the boat thing later, right?" asked Danny.

"Yeah," said Phil. "Not everyone's here ... and not everyone can do the boat. But it's all good."

Phil and Staci took the lead on bringing the groups together. Phil presented Danny, Rick, and Arthur to Melanie and Emily. Abbie and Jake offered their greetings as well. The vibe was a little unusual in that they all knew there had been more than casual chitchat amongst them. Emily got a little shyer looking back at Abbie. Danny, on the other hand, seemed to have let go of whatever had happened with Jake, and was talking idly with Rick about sports again.

As they collected food, Staci and Phil and their friends scattered the area a bit, mingling with other family members, other friends they hadn't seen in a while. Jake and Abbie finished filling their plates, and as they meandered a bit looking for a place to eat, they stopped at one of the tall tables that stood along the perimeter of the room, presumably for people to stand at.

From that vantage point, they were able to see the full ballroom. And they noticed that just about everyone was caught up in small group conversations, mingling together, laughing, talking. It was a party, after all!

"Do you ever just sort of watch what people are like?" asked Abbie.

"How do you mean?" said Jake.

"When people don't think anyone's looking at them, their behavior is fascinating."

Jake smiled. He wondered whether Abbie had ever looked at him when he didn't know it, and realized that she probably had. "Some people here probably know they're the center of attention -- like Staci."

"Right," said Abbie. "But others ... like over there."