The night before his wedding, Gershwin had dinner with Lilly and five of her aunts and uncles, twenty of her cousins, two great aunts and uncles and four of her friends, including the waitress from Bentley’s who once teased Gershwin for not having the courage to ask Lilly out.
Dinner was at the King Edward Hotel, in a restaurant that looked like an outdoor garden. It would cost Gershwin exactly half as much money as the actual wedding, which was still a considerable sum. Lilly spent most of the night talking excitedly with her friends and every time Gershwin found her with his eyes, she was seated or standing in a different part of the restaurant, though always with the same glass of red wine in her hand, which he assumed she was too distracted to drink.
When Lilly caught Gershwin starin
