A New Hope (11 page)

“Mother!” Grace said with a laugh. She looked at Ginger. “There won’t be furs to store,” she said. “My mother was very fond of them, overly fond, but we agree there is no use for furs here. We’ll keep her warm.”

“But you’ll keep at least one to remember me by, won’t you?” Winnie asked.

“Absolutely,” Grace said. “If it will make a good rug.”

“You’re incorrigible. I spoiled you as a child and what has it gotten me?”

There was a light tapping at the door. Mikhail poked his head in. “There is time before the vows and a groom is pacing out here. Put his mind at ease, my dove. Tell him you still agree to this marriage.”

“Is he showered and dressed?” Grace asked. “Because no one touches me unless he is showered and dressed.”

“I’m showered and dressed!” Troy yelled from the other room.

“He has the nerves. Come and soothe him,
pupsik
. He’s making me want a drink.”

Grace walked out to the great room where she noticed that Sam and Rick were sitting patiently on the sofa while Troy appeared to be pacing. When they saw her, they jumped to their feet.

“What in the world is the matter?” she asked him. “Are you having second thoughts?”

“Me? God, no! I just want to get this done before you come to your senses!”

“Well, I was all settled until I met your family and now...” She grinned at him. “I’m thinking I could be better off with young Sam.”

Sam grinned hugely. “Awesome.”

“Don’t even joke about that,” Troy said. “He has no morals.” Then he reached for her hand. “Come with me.” They walked outside onto the deck. Below them on the beach they could see the wedding activities—Carrie’s buffet tables, the bridal arch, people beginning to gather.

She smoothed his collar; he wore the shirt she had ordered for him, a black linen Tommy Bahama beachcomber style, a stark contrast to her white. He ran a finger around the low-cut cowl neck of the wedding gown. “You’re so beautiful,” he said. He pulled a box out of his pants pocket. “Let’s see if this works.”

He opened the box to her gaze, and she sighed. It was a beautiful string of pearls. “It couldn’t be more perfect.”

“I had a little help. I asked the girls. Do you like them?”

“They’re beautiful. I feel bad, Troy—we’ve been so rushed, I haven’t gotten you a gift.”

His hand slid down over her tummy. “Oh, I think you have.”

“It’s going to be the gift that keeps on giving, too,” she said with a little laugh. She turned so he could fasten the pearls around her neck. Then he put his lips there. She leaned back against him for a moment.

“Tired, honey?” he asked, his arms circling her waist, holding her.

“When this is done, I’m going to sleep for a month.”

He turned her to face him. “Did you eat anything?”

She nodded. “I know how something like this will go. I might not get a chance to sample our own wedding food.”

“We’re going to have a nice big plate made up and I’ll sneak it into the house for later. We can have a picnic in bed.”

She laughed and touched his cheek. “Your favorite kind of picnic.”

“Luckily, the bride and groom get to sneak away. We don’t have to be the last to leave.”

“Iris and Seth are going to take the arch and van back to the flower shop and Carrie assures me there is nothing for us to help with—she’s got it covered. She has a little help. Once we go down there, we’re off duty.”

“Except for Winnie. Rick has Cooper’s little Rhino all cleaned up and parked in the garage. He’s going to be in charge of getting her up and down the hill. Lin Su is going to come to the beach for a while, then she’ll help Winnie settle in for the night. You can start your month of sleep right after you promise to love me forever.”

“I think I did that already.”

“Gracie, I didn’t think I could be this happy. Thank you. I love you.”

“Took you a while to get right with that idea, didn’t it?”

“A couple of days, maybe. You haven’t doubted me since, have you?”

She shook her head. “Not for a second. You ever doubt me?”

“No, Gracie. Not for a second.” He glanced at the beach. “In fifteen minutes the judge will be here, everyone will be ready and we can do it. Should I pull the trigger on this event?”

“Do it,” she said.

He left her on the deck and went inside. He told Rick to deliver Winnie to the beach where a comfortable chair waited for her—she insisted there would be no wheelchair at her daughter’s wedding. It wouldn’t do much good in the sand anyway. Iris got her flowers and handed a beautiful bouquet to Grace. Ginger and Mikhail got ready to make their way down all those stairs.

“Showtime,” Troy said.

* * *

Ginger wept a little when the vows were exchanged, but not because she was seized by sadness from her own past. Just the opposite. She’d never been to a wedding quite like this. It was more than a union of lovers, almost as if best friends were joining together to make a perfect family life. She was so moved by the loving exchange between Grace and Troy, by the joy shared among the guests, a tear or two escaped. And she was hardly the only one. As she glanced around she saw that many shared her sentiment. They were indeed a beautiful bride and groom.

The only person who didn’t seem to be completely charmed by the casual beach wedding was Ray Anne. “I don’t go to weddings in flip-flops,” she groused. “I can’t even move in these shoes.” Quite a few of her friends and Al found humor in the fact that if Ray couldn’t dress up and wear her spike heels, it put her out of sorts. Everyone else seemed to be delighted by the circumstances. Even the bride was soon carrying her sandals in one hand, lifting her gown with the other. But Ginger noticed that before long Al was carrying Ray Anne across the beach to the stairs to Cooper’s bar where his truck was parked.

Ginger enjoyed the goings-on. Children ran and played and there were lots of children—Troy’s nieces and nephew and tons of local kids whose parents were at the wedding. People gathered around the few picnic tables, on beach chairs, enjoying an endless supply of drinks and delicious finger foods. She had on a strappy sundress she’d found in her closet from years ago, something she hadn’t fit into in a long time but had always loved. It was flattering with a jagged hem that fell in an asymmetrical pattern below her knees, like many overlying scarves. The straps crisscrossed in the back. It was an emerald color that really brought out her green eyes. And the late-afternoon sun and breeze gave her a rosy glow. She started out in sandals but in no time she was barefoot like so many others.

She enjoyed the party, brief though it was. Sam flirted with her. Well, Sam flirted with everyone and a couple of hours into the reception he seemed to have found himself an interested young woman. Ginger didn’t know if she was a guest or one of the many who happened down the beach and took advantage of the party. She was wearing a summer dress so Ginger guessed—guest. This was by far the largest gathering she had attended so she was able to visit with new friends and meet a few people for the first time. The couple who had once worked for Winnie and had later trained Grace in the flower business were there. Cooper had taken it upon himself to tend bar, assisting Rawley and Carrie. All her new women friends had their men present—Lou brought her husband, Gina was with Mac, the former town deputy. The Grants were there and Spencer, Devon and the kids. All the usual suspects.

It was around seven, the sun barely lowering in the sky, when the crowd began to thin. Winnie was whisked away in the Rhino, Mikhail was climbing the stairs to her house, the bride and groom were saying goodbye, the bridal arch was carefully loaded into the flower van. Cooper and some of the men were taking charge of trash while Carrie was packing up the little remaining food and Rawley dismantled the serving tables. They were drifting away in all directions—some going up the stairs to Cooper’s because there was a parking lot behind the bar, some heading down the beach to the marina lot, some taking off in their beach-mobiles or vans.

Since Ginger had come from the flower shop in the van with Iris, she was on her own. Iris offered to drop her at home or the shop, but Ginger was quite content to walk slowly across the beach and just enjoy the early evening. The beach was a beautiful place, in all its moods—gray and chilly, stormy, sunny or wet. She strolled, kicking along the cold water’s edge.

When she got near the marina, she saw a familiar face. He was leaning against the front bumper of his truck, one leg crossed over the other, holding a bottled water, watching her, smiling. Matt.

“Let me guess. You’re stalking me,” she said.

“Nah. Just happened to be in the neighborhood.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I wondered how you’d feel after the wedding. You wouldn’t go to Peyton’s ceremony. Memories, you said.”

“You should have told me you wanted to drive down. I could’ve invited you. I was allowed a guest.”

“I knew you’d be busy,” he said. “Working.”

She tilted her head to one side. “What if I’d been with a guy?”

“If you’d planned that, you would have mentioned it. I don’t know everything about you, Ginger, but I know you’re honest. And up front. You’ve told me a lot more about your issues than I’ve told you about mine.”

“I noticed that. So, you’re here because...?”

“You might want someone to talk to,” he said with a shrug. “How was it?”

“It was perfect,” she said, smiling. “Very informal and perfect. It was almost like a bunch of people were having a party on the beach and two broke away from the gathering to get married. People were standing around, visiting, having a drink. Then the judge—the same judge who married Iris and Seth, I take it—stood by the arch, cleared his throat and it began. Troy and Grace stepped up in front of him, the traditional vows were repeated, they said a few sweet things to each other and that was it. A kiss—extralong, I think. Then it was back to mingling and enjoying the day.” She looked up and around. “Perfect day for it.”

“It does seem perfect. Want to go for a ride?”

“Where?”

“Up the coast a little bit. Or maybe down the coast. Just to a lookout to watch the sunset.”

“Sure. You came a long way on a bet. I might’ve been busy.”

“I know. In fact I thought you might be. I thought maybe it would go on for hours. Or maybe you’d be out with friends from the wedding or something. It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing.”

“And if I was busy? You’d turn right around and go back?”

“I could. Or I could call Peyton and see if she’d put up with me for the night. She has mysteriously stopped lecturing me. I suspect Scott.”

With a hand at the small of her back, he directed her to the passenger side of the truck and helped her up and in. Then he got in the driver’s side and buckled up. “Do you care where we go?”

“You decide. We could just go to Cooper’s.”

“I thought after a day full of people you wouldn’t mind a little quiet.”

“Good idea,” she said. “I’m tired, that’s for sure. It was a packed week of work, sewing, trying to keep track of wedding-day details to help Grace, lots of flowers. Iris and I decorated the arch they used—it was so beautiful. And it’s such a funny place—Thunder Point. They invited a few people and everyone else heard about it or saw it and just came. Grace was ready for that,” she said with a laugh. “She and Troy ordered up enough food and drink to accommodate a huge crowd.”

“In my family, if one person has an event, there is no possible way to keep it small. If you’re invited and don’t go, you better be prepared to bring your X-rays to prove you had a broken bone. And if you’re not invited, you’re obligated to start a riot within the family. Nothing like a good feud.”

“Does that really happen?” she asked.

“You must have a very small family, if you have to ask.”

“It’s just us, mostly. The extended family is shrinking. All of Ray Anne’s immediate family have been gone a long time and she never had children. My grandparents are gone. My folks are in their sixties, my brothers almost forty...”

“All it takes is one renegade who decides to have a bunch of kids and suddenly you’re a country,” he said.

She laughed. “In the Basque culture, that’s not really a renegade, now is it?”

“My generation hasn’t been as prolific as some. Most of my brothers and sisters want a reasonable couple of kids. Except Ellie—she already has five and wants more. She started real young. Peyton wasn’t going to have any—then she met Scott and got knocked up before the wedding. But she doesn’t have time for too many. Plus, she loves that little clinic. She’s not going to trade off her medical profession for the mommy track.”

“What about you?” she asked. “Do you want children?”

“I certainly did,” he said. “But I’m a little old-fashioned. First I’m going to have to find a happy marriage. And just like you, that’s not going to happen soon. We’re stung, Ginger. We’re both still in recovery. Bad time to try to partner up with happily ever after in mind.”

“I suppose it is,” she said.

“This looks like a good spot,” he said, pulling into a wide lookout. He maneuvered the truck around and backed in.

“It’s going to be kind of hard to see like this,” she said.