COURTNEY HURRIED ACROSS the hotel lawn, Pearl and Sarge keeping pace easily, as if they, too, had been worried. Quinn had called from the hospital and explained that his grandmother had slipped in a restaurant and twisted her ankle. She was going to be fine but had to take it easy for a few days.
At the front door of Joyce’s bungalow, she knocked once then entered, announcing herself as she did. She found Joyce sitting in a club chair, her wrapped foot propped up on an ottoman. When Courtney saw her, all her irritation fled. Joyce looked delicate and a little broken. Not at all the powerful woman who ran the hotel so successfully.
“What happened?” she asked as she hurried over. The dogs beat her to Joyce. Pearl nudged her arm to get a pat, and Sarge jumped directly onto her lap.
“I was clumsy,” Joyce said. “There was a bit of water on the floor. My foot slipped out from under me. I feel so foolish.”
Quinn stood by her chair. “She’s going to be sore and swollen for a couple of days. She has to stay off her feet until that ankle feels better, but she should be fine.”
Joyce pressed her lips together, as if holding in emotion. “I didn’t do it on purpose. I want to be clear about that.”
Courtney smiled. “No one thinks you deliberately fell just so I wouldn’t be mad at you anymore.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Quinn said drily. “I wouldn’t put it past her.”
Joyce stroked her dogs. “I am sorry about what happened and what I did. While I was lying there, waiting for the ambulance, all I could think was that I didn’t want you angry at me anymore.” Her lower lip trembled. “Courtney, you’re family.”
Courtney crossed to her and dropped to her knees. She hugged the older woman. “You are to me, too,” she told her. “I admire you and want to be like you.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“I’m not. I promise.”
They hugged again. Over Joyce’s head, she saw Quinn looking at her. She had no idea what he was thinking. Was forgiveness a sign of strength or weakness in his mind? He’d encouraged her to make up with Joyce, but was that just for her or something he genuinely believed? She supposed it didn’t matter. She loved Joyce and she couldn’t stay angry with her. If that made her spineless, she could live with the label.
* * *
“I have a surprise for you,” David said as he pulled his car into the garage of his town house. “I can’t wait to see your reaction.”
He sounded excited and happy. Sienna hoped she would feel the same when she found out what the surprise was. She’d been longing for a quiet Fourth of July weekend, but David had insisted he had special plans for her and had picked her up just after nine on Saturday morning.
“You’re not going to give me a hint?” she asked.
“Just a couple more minutes.”
They got out of the car. He came around to her side and took her hand in his. “I love you, Sienna. You’ve made me so happy. We’re going to have a great life together.”
She smiled because saying “I hope so” seemed mean and saying “I know” wasn’t exactly true. She had to remember that she was getting a second, or in her case, a third chance to make the right decision. She was going to simply keep moving forward and enjoy being with him. It wasn’t as if they were getting married tomorrow. In fact, David hadn’t said anything about setting a date for a couple of weeks now. They had time to figure it out.
He led her inside through the rear foyer of the town house and up the stairs to the main living floor.
“We’re back,” he called as they reached the landing.
She turned to him. “Someone’s here?”
He grinned and pointed. Sienna turned in that direction and saw a short, plump, middle-aged woman hurrying toward them. Her dark hair was styled in kind of a bubble, and she had on a lot of makeup.
“Finally!” she said, holding open her arms. Several charm bracelets jangled as she moved. “Sienna! Welcome to the family.”
David released her hand and Sienna found herself being hugged by the woman. “Who is she?” she mouthed over the other woman’s head.
“My mother,” he said with a laugh. “Linda. Mom, this is Sienna.”
His mother was visiting and he hadn’t told her?
Linda straightened but kept hold of Sienna’s upper arms. “Oh, my, you are tall! David said you were, but I wasn’t expecting all this.” She shook her head. “I hope your children aren’t going to take after you in that respect. They’ll look so peculiar in family photos.”
Sienna opened her mouth, then closed it. “It’s, um, very nice to meet you, Mrs. Van Horn.”
Linda released her, then waved a hand. “Call me Linda. Or Mom. We’re family now, dear.” She looked up. “Is that your natural color? The blond is pretty enough, I suppose. Now, we have so much to discuss. I’m only here for a couple days, and there’s all the planning to do before I fly back to spend the Fourth with our family.”
Sienna found herself guided into the living room, where a large suitcase lay on the floor. While she wasn’t usually afraid of luggage, she found herself sidling away from it as she moved to the sofa.
“Planning?”
“The wedding,” Linda said, settling next to her and smiling. “David keeps mentioning Christmas, but I just don’t see how that could possibly happen. Plus, the weather in St. Louis is a little iffy in December. Spring would be better, as long as there isn’t a tornado.”
“Or flooding,” David added.
Tornadoes and floods? “I didn’t know the weather was so bad in the Midwest,” Sienna murmured.
“You get used to it,” Linda assured her. “Once you’ve lived there a few years, you won’t think anything of it.”
Lived there? As in...lived there?
“Now, Mom, you know I told you that Sienna and I haven’t decided what we’re going to do about living arrangements.”
Linda shook her head. “Of course you’ll come home, David.” She turned to Sienna. “There are so many opportunities there for him now that he has the right kind of experience. Plus, St. Louis is a much better place to raise children than California. Everybody knows that.”
Instead of looking panicked, David seemed pleased. Had this been his plan all along? They’d talked about the possibility of moving someday, but she hadn’t thought it was anything but just that—talk.
“I had no idea you were coming for a visit. David, you’re just full of surprises.”
“Mom called me a few days ago.”
“I told him I had to meet the woman who had stolen his heart,” Linda confirmed. “With the long weekend, this seemed like the perfect time. I flew in last night and I’ll head home tomorrow. I’m such a jet-setter.” She smiled. “Oh, we need to take lots of pictures so everyone can see what you look like.”
“That will be great,” Sienna said faintly.
“Did I mention we’ve already set up a Facebook page for the wedding? Everyone is so excited. The entire family wants to be a part of things. Oh, and speaking of that.” Linda pointed to the suitcase. “That’s for you.”
“You bought me luggage?”
Linda laughed. “Of course not. Open it. Your gift is inside.”
Sienna stood and walked around the coffee table. David nodded encouragingly.
“Do you know what it is?” she asked.
“Not a clue.”
She knelt on the floor and unzipped the case, then slowly opened the top. Inside were several layers of tissue paper. She folded them back, then stared at what looked like a white dress. No, not a dress. A wedding gown.
“It was my mother’s,” Linda said proudly. “I was hoping I would have a daughter to wear it, but I only had boys.”
Sienna pulled out the dress. It was enormous and heavy, with long sleeves and a full skirt. Lace covered every inch of the gown, and as for it being the right size...
“My mother was a larger woman,” Linda said. “We might have to take it in a bit.”
A bit? Sienna stood and held the dress in front of her. It was at least eight sizes too large. It was also about six inches too short.
“You are tall,” Linda mused. “That could be a problem.”
So was the fact that the dress was ugly. Wasn’t the engagement ring enough? Why was she being punished?
“Did you wear this on your wedding day?” Sienna asked.
“Goodness no. I wanted something new. But you’ll like this, I’m sure.”
Sienna looked at David, who shrugged.
“We’ll consider it,” he promised. “But Sienna needs to make her own choice when it comes to her dress.”
“Of course,” Linda said. “Still, I’m sure she’ll also want to please her husband-to-be. Isn’t that right, dear?”
“More than words can say,” Sienna murmured before letting the dress sink back into the suitcase. “I’m going to get some coffee. Is the pot on?”
David nodded.
Sienna escaped to the kitchen, where she clutched the counter and told herself to keep breathing. There was no way in hell she was wearing that ugly dress. Even if she loved it, what would they do about it being too short? And what was with Linda’s obsession with her height?
Before she could do any more mental ranting, her future mother-in-law joined her. Sienna quickly pulled a mug from the cupboard, then forced herself to smile as she asked, “Would you like coffee, too, Linda?”
“I’m fine, dear.” Linda waited while she poured. “David’s father and I are so pleased he’s found someone to make him happy. A good marriage is a blessing—don’t you agree?”
“I do.”
“David tells me you’ve been engaged before and it didn’t work out. You’re not going to run out on him, are you?”
Talk about cutting to the heart of the matter, she thought. “Of course not. David is a great guy. I’m lucky to have him.”
“That’s what I thought.” Linda smiled. “I understand you work for a nonprofit and that you’re raising money to buy a bungalow. Is that right?”
The change in subject was confusing, but sure. “We are. We provide housing for women escaping an abusive relationship. It helps if they have a secure place to settle that’s some distance from where they were.”
“That makes sense. David’s father and I want you to know that we’ll be happy to contribute to your organization. After the wedding. The check will be enough to make sure the purchase can go through.”
Sienna got the milk out of the refrigerator, then poured a large splash into her mug. She stirred while she tried to figure out what to say.
Why on earth did David’s mother feel she had to offer a bribe? How could Sienna tell her no thanks without sounding ungracious? And shouldn’t she accept the check on behalf of The Helping Store? That was kind of her job. Not that Seth would expect her to sell herself in the name of raising funds. But if she was going to marry David anyway, did it matter?
She supposed that was what it came down to. Was she going to marry David? Because one broken engagement could happen to anyone, and two, well, they could be explained, but three was more than was normal. It wasn’t so much that people would talk, as how breaking this engagement would make a statement about her. But what was the alternative? To get married so people didn’t talk?
“You’re very generous,” she told Linda. “Thank you.”
Her future mother-in-law beamed. “I knew I was going to like you.”
“I feel exactly the same way.”
As Sienna sipped her coffee, she wondered if they were both lying, or just her.
* * *
Central casting couldn’t have done a better job putting together the perfect boy band, Quinn thought as the members of And Then arrived at his bungalow with Wayne on their heels. Bryan, the lead singer, was African American, Peter, the drummer, was blond and blue-eyed and Collins was mixed race leaning toward Asian. They were all close to six feet tall, lean and fit and good-looking enough to get girls across the world screaming every time they walked into a room.
He’d been interested in them because they were brilliant enough to make him overlook his usual band aversion, but the “it” factor sure didn’t hurt. The contrast between their prettiness and Wayne’s slightly bulldog appearance made him grin.
“Wayne bought us a house,” Peter said proudly.
“I didn’t buy you a house,” Wayne corrected. “I rented you a house.” He glanced at Quinn. “A vacation rental. I tripled the damage deposit.”
“We’re cool,” Bryan said. “We’re not going to trash the place.”
“Can I have that in writing?” Quinn shook hands with all of them. “You three ready to work?”
Peter looked startled. “I thought I was going to surf. The waves look good and I brought my wet suit.”
Collins patted his shoulder. “You can surf. Quinn and I are going to write. Bryan wants to help.”
“Will I be missing out?” Peter asked, sounding worried.
“Not on anything fun.”
“Okay, then I’ll surf.”
Quinn was pleased that order had been restored. Bryan walked over to the dining room table.
“These the plans for the studio?” he asked. “It’s big.”
“It’s a warehouse.” Quinn walked to the table. “Recording studios here. Rooms for writing here. Offices and a couple of places to crash upstairs.”
Peter wandered over to Wayne. “You want to go surfing with me?”
“No.”
“You sure? I could teach you.”
Wayne shot Quinn a help me look, but Quinn figured the big, bad marine could handle the kid himself.
“No, thanks.”
“We could go to dinner later. You know, hang out.”
Wayne’s brows drew together. “Why?”
“To just talk about stuff.”
Quinn held in a smile. Despite their good looks and success as a band, when he’d discovered them, they’d been living in a van. Each of them was dealing with a difficult past. Peter had been born a crack baby and had lived in foster care all his life. Bryan had lost his mom in a drive-by shooting. Collins had never much talked about his past. None of them had ever known a father, and for reasons that made perfect sense to Quinn, they had adopted Wayne. While they worked with Quinn, they wanted to hang out with his assistant. Wayne’s was the opinion that mattered.
Wayne sighed heavily. “I’ll meet you for dinner later,” he grumbled.
“Count me in,” Bryan said quickly.
“Me, too,” Collins added.
Quinn chuckled at Wayne’s kill me now look as he stalked out of the bungalow. This was shaping up to be a very good day.
* * *
Rachel hesitated before going into the coffee shop. While her self-actualization plan was moving forward, she felt as if her newfound strength was a lot more flash than substance. She was doing a great job walking every day, and she would say she was about eighty percent on her new food plan. Her pants were looser, her stomach a little flatter, and most important, she felt better about herself.
But she suspected it wouldn’t take much to derail her. The evening with Greg was proof of that. After their kiss, she’d felt shaky and fragile for a couple of days. She’d just gotten over that when Courtney had texted her, yet again, suggesting they get together to talk.
Avoiding her sister seemed so much easier than discussing what had happened, but the truth was, with their mom getting married, avoidance, however cheerful a thought, wasn’t an option.
Which was why she found herself wanting an extra shot of mocha syrup with her latte. Sugar could always be counted on to help her be brave.
She took her drink—sans chocolate—to one of the small tables to wait. She was a few minutes early. She and Courtney had exactly thirty minutes to solve their problem. Then both of them had to meet Sienna at the bridal shop to pick out bridesmaid dresses. Last she’d heard, there were two choices on the table. The same style in different colors, or different styles in the same color.
Betty Grable had sent several pictures for them to consider. Rachel sipped her coffee as she scrolled through them. The styles weren’t bad, but the colors... Seriously? Shades of pink? Did they have to?
“Hi.”
She looked up as Courtney sat down across from her. Her baby sister looked both anxious and hopeful. Fierce love flooded Rachel, washing away the hurt. For so many years, she’d been the fill-in mom for her youngest sister. She’d been the one to make Courtney’s lunch and make sure her homework was at least attempted. She’d tried and tried to help Courtney learn how to read, but nothing she’d done had worked. It had taken a reading disabilities expert to make that happen.
Rachel knew her sister being left behind two grades hadn’t been her fault, but she still felt guilty about it. Ridiculous, but true.
“I’m sorry,” Courtney told her. “I should have told you. At first I was afraid to tell anyone because I was so sure I was going to be a disaster. That I wouldn’t be able to even get my GED. But then I did and my teacher suggested I apply to community college. That floored me. So I got the idea of surprising everyone with a diploma. It just kind of grew from there.”
She swallowed. “It’s just that I spent so long being the problem child. You know? I wanted to be the successful one. Just once.”
Rachel knew her well enough to read between the lines. She remembered all the times she’d tried to comfort a devastated Courtney when her sister had come home from school, crying because the kids had called her stupid or retarded. She’d been so incredibly frustrated herself—unable to understand what was wrong. What must her sister have gone through?
“I know I hurt you,” Courtney continued. “I’m so sorry about that. I honestly never thought about it from anyone’s perspective but mine.”
Rachel stood and held open her arms. Courtney rushed to her and hung on so tight, Rachel could barely breathe. But that was okay. Better to have a sister than air.
“I’m sorry, too,” Rachel said. “But also happy and proud. Really proud. Look at you.”
Courtney drew back, her expression apprehensive. “What about being mad?”
“I’m still a little mad, but I’ll get over it.”
Courtney got a latte for herself, then rejoined Rachel at the table. They smiled at each other.
“Better,” Rachel admitted. “With everything going on, I’ve really missed you.”
As soon as she spoke, she wanted to call back the words. Courtney wasn’t the only one keeping secrets. Rachel had yet to share with anyone how her feelings for Greg confused her. She wasn’t sure if she should start now or not.
“What’s going on?” Courtney asked.
“Nothing. Everything.” Rachel looked at her coffee, then back at her sister. “I’m losing weight. Walking and eating better. That’s good. There are still times I would kill for a muffin, but even when I eat one, I tell myself it’s okay, as long as I get back to my program.”
“Good for you. I should eat better.” Courtney wrinkled her nose. “Or exercise.”
“Your job is exercise.”
“Kind of. But you’re on your feet, too.”
“Standing, not moving around. There’s a difference. Anyway, that’s part of it. I’m also having trouble with one of the baseball moms. She’s not showing up when she says. It’s frustrating.”
“Have you talked to her?”
Rachel laughed. “You mean in a mature, mother-to-mother kind of way, telling her why I’m upset that she’s not doing what she signed up to do?”
“I’m guessing that’s a no.”
“It is. I’ve tried, but she always has an excuse. So I hate her in my heart and glare at her. I’m starting to think I might have some serious passive-aggressive issues.”
“You think?”
“Hey! You’re still in trouble. You have to be nice.”
Courtney grinned. “I think you’re more aggressive than passive.”
“I hope so.”
“So what else is going on?”
“Just stuff. It’s summer. Josh has a million activities and either Greg or I have to take him there. Thank goodness he’s a social kid. He’s also hanging out with his friends a lot, so that’s good.”
She tried to speak as casually as she could so Courtney wouldn’t suspect that the real problem was her ex rather than her son.
“Greg’s helping?”
Rachel picked up her latte. “Uh-huh. He’s, um, coordinating his schedule to be around as much as possible, which is great for Josh. He needs his dad, especially as he gets older.”
Courtney’s blue eyes focused on Rachel’s face. “You two are getting along?”
“Sure. We always have.”
“Not after you first threw him out.” She hesitated. “What Greg did was horrible, but I always felt bad that you two couldn’t have worked it out. You were so good together. The way he would look at you when you weren’t paying attention...” She sighed. “I always envied that.”
Rachel had no idea what she meant and didn’t know how to ask. “We married young. He wasn’t ready to be a husband and father, and I wasn’t interested in giving him room and time to grow up. I’m not sure we weren’t doomed from the start.”
“That’s too bad. At least you’re getting along better now.”
Rachel thought about the other night, when Greg had shown up at her house to make sure she understood he wasn’t dating anyone else. They were divorced. Why should he care what she thought?
“We are,” she murmured, then glanced at her watch. “We need to get going. Sienna’s meeting us at the store. We have to make a decision today. Betty told me that all the dresses we’re considering are available in different stores around the country, so they’ll be here in time, but we don’t want to wait any longer.”
Courtney sighed. “Okay—here we go. Into the dress lion’s den.” She frowned. “That sounded a lot better in my head.”
Rachel laughed. “I know what you mean. Don’t worry.”
They walked out together and headed around the corner to the dress shop. Sienna hurried in behind them.
“Oh, good. I’m not late,” she said and hugged them both. “Thank God. Normal, rational family. I’m so grateful.”
Rachel raised her eyebrows. “What does that mean?”
Sienna covered her face with her hands, then dropped her arms to her sides. “David’s mother flew in for a couple of days over the holiday weekend. It was horrible. She’s obsessed with my height and I don’t know why. David is a few inches taller than me. But she kept going on and on about it. Worse, she brought me his grandmother’s wedding gown. It’s hideous and huge and too short and she expects me to wear it. David said I didn’t have to, but still. It’s there. In his house. I hear it mocking me every time I walk into the living room. Oh, and she’s set up a Facebook page for the family and she expects us to move to St. Louis.”
Sienna paused for breath. “It’s not that he isn’t a great guy and all, it’s just I’m so confused about everything.”
“Including whether or not you love David?” Rachel asked, recognizing the panic in her sister’s voice and eyes.
Sienna stared. “What? No. I love him. At least I’m pretty sure I do. I mean, of course I do. It’s just everything happened so fast and there’s the haunting dress to consider.”
Rachel patted her arm. “It’s a little early to drink, but I think come five o’clock, you need some serious margarita time.”
“Tell me about it.”