Chapter Seventeen
“Dad, where’s Mom?” Summer asked as she threw her purse on a coat hook by her parents’ front door. She dropped a binder onto the small table that held her dad’s keys and various coffee-table books.
Her dad stood a few yards away, his hands on his hips. “She’ll be home shortly. Come on in.” He waved her toward the living room.
“What were you up to today?” she asked her dad.
He rolled his eyes. “Nothing. Well, I went golfing with the guys this morning. Speaking of which, I need to see if Jake wants to join me this Sunday,” Hudson said, reaching for his phone and likely sending him a text.
“He would love that, if he can get out early enough. The store’s been super busy for him.” Summer eased down on the couch, sinking a couple inches into the plush fabric. The house was air-conditioned, and she was chilled in her capri tights and tank top.
“Other than that, I sat around reading a thriller on the deck, until I couldn’t handle the heat anymore. What a summer we’re having,” he said.
“And the smoke. I hope it doesn’t last,” Summer said. Selfishly, she was worried the smoke and fires around the upper east corner of the country would affect her yoga festival next weekend. On a larger scale, she’d heard that thousands had been evacuated around Maine and into New Hampshire, as well as in the northeast corner of Vermont.
“It’s not getting better.” Her dad looked worried. “It’s crossed the border, and the fire’s growing daily.”
“What are they doing about it?” Summer asked.
“The National Guard’s involved, and every firefighter in the area is helping keep it under control. It’s taken out a few towns already. Canada has sent a bunch down to help as well. Let’s hope we finally get some rain.” Hudson was sitting on the opposite sofa’s arm, looking way too overdressed in khakis and a polo.
Summer didn’t like the sounds of things. Already, the air was getting thicker, and it was becoming harder to breathe outside. She’d never seen it this bad. She’d have to remind Jake to bring home some masks from work. “Everything will be okay, right, Dad?” she asked, suddenly feeling like a ten-year-old, needing her father’s protection from the world around her. Not only did she have the festival, but she and Jake had their weekend apart, then a wedding. The current state of the fires could put a damper on their plans.
Summer didn’t always need control of everything, but this was different. She made a silent prayer to anyone listening to watch out for the people in the fire’s path, and for it to be quickly doused. She grabbed her cell phone and looked at the long-term forecast. It showed no rain for the next four days, followed by small amounts of precipitation two after. She showed her dad, and he nodded.
“I hope that comes true. We need it.” He got up and pointed to the kitchen. “What can I get you, honey?”
“An iced tea?” she asked.
“You got it, Sunshine.” He left the room, and no sooner than five seconds later, the front door opened, revealing a frazzled-looking Barbara. Her mom let out a deep sigh as soon as she shut the door, her back resting against it for a moment before she seemed to spot Summer. She had a large white box wrapped in her arms, and she let it slide down, settling against the wall.
“Hi, Mom,” Summer said. “Long day?”
“Long is an understatement. I’m glad Haley was there, because I had to drive to one of my suppliers in Montpelier today. The lobster supply chain is broken. Can you believe it? The fires are wreaking havoc on all the logistics from Maine. The highways and interstate are blocked off, and have been for two days now.” Her mom crossed the room, dropped her purse on the floor, and did something out of character. She reached for her husband’s crystal scotch decanter and poured three fingers’ worth into a matching crystal tumbler.
“Is it that bad?” Summer asked, her voice small. She moved anxiously in her seat, crossing her legs on the cushion.
Her mom took a sip and nodded. “It is.” She sat down beside Summer; their proximity on the sofa pulled Summer toward her mom. “I had to change the menu, since we couldn’t get lobster or crab. I even tried the markets in the city, but there was nothing to be found for a few miles. Everyone was thinking the same thing as me, just sooner.”
“I’m sure you can just change the menu temporarily,” Summer offered as her dad entered the room with two tall glasses of iced tea.
“I made them Long Island style. I hope you don’t mind,” her dad said with a wink.
Summer wasn’t in the mood to drink, but after hearing about how bad the fires were out there, she accepted and took a long sip. “Thanks, Dad. Mom, are we still good to go over the wedding stuff? We can do it another time if you’re not up to it.” Her mom looked tired. She’d been a little more withdrawn since Garrett had moved away, and Summer had tried to give her space after her attempts to spend time together had been pushed away with weak excuses.
Barbara pulled a few hairpins out, lettering her golden curls fall around her face. Even through the exhausted mask over her mom’s face, Summer saw the beautiful woman sitting beside her. Her dad seemed to think the same thing, and he walked over to his wife, putting a hand on her shoulder and brushing her hair back.
“Honey, we don’t have a lot of time left, but I’m never going to be too tired to talk with you,” she told Summer.
“I’ll leave you two alone. Baseball game’s on in five minutes. If you’ll excuse me,” Hudson said, backing away and leaving the room.
“I’ll come say goodbye before I leave,” Summer called at him.
“You better,” he said from the next room.
“Can you give me a moment? I need to freshen up,” her mom asked.
“Sure. I’ll move us to the table.” Summer got up and watched her mom leave, heading upstairs. Barbara looked worn down, even from behind. Her shoulders had a slump her normally perfect posture would be angry with. She decided to take it easy on her mom tonight. Even if they had things they disagreed on with the final planning, she was going to let her mom get away with it.
All Summer wanted was to be married; she wasn’t as concerned with the actual day as much as the rest of her life after it. She took the binder and set it on the table, then moved their drinks, along with the mandatory coasters Barbara kept in all areas of the room. She placed her mother at the end of the table, where she always sat, and scooted her own chair in to be closer.
“Is there anything else we need?” she asked herself aloud. That was when she remembered the white box she’d seen in her mother’s arms when she’d entered the house. And she’d been in Montpelier that day. It was her wedding dress!
Summer headed over to it and saw the label from the wedding boutique. Her heart raced in excitement as she picked up the large box and carried it over to the dining room.
Just as she was about to open it, she heard her mom’s voice carry over to her. “Summer, don’t!” Barbara shouted, but it was too late. The box had hinged open. It wasn’t her dress inside. Summer felt silly for opening someone else’s dress for a moment, but when she saw her mom’s face, she knew it wasn’t what she’d thought. It was indeed her dress.
“What is this?” Summer’s voice was cold, oddly calm, with a hint of gravel behind it.
Her mom aged five years with a single look. “Honey, I can explain.”
Summer pulled the dress from the box with a flourish. “Mom, this is a mermaid-style dress! I ordered the A-line dress!” Her calm demeanor had dissipated, along with her patience for her mother. The dress was nothing like the one she’d wanted. This one had no lace; instead, it had a sheen to it, a beaded pattern Summer hated, and a tight-fitting upper half that fanned out at the knees.
“I wanted you to have the same happy wedding as I did. It’s a duplicate of the dress I wore marrying your father.” Her mom’s words weren’t their usual calculated pace. She was clearly frazzled, which didn’t happen often. “I changed it when I paid, the last time we were there. It was only recently that I realized what I’d done. It was too late to change it. I was still trying to figure out how to tell you.”
Summer wanted to scream at her mom. The woman had booked the Little Blue Church, an hour from the Pines, because she’d been married there. She’d dismissed any of Summer’s real suggestions, and the one thing Summer thought she was getting to make a decision on had been swiped from her fingertips. It was unforgivable.
Her dad appeared in the doorway. “What’s going on in here?”
They both looked at him, tears now falling down each of their faces. No one answered him.
“What is it?” he asked again, this time quieter.
“I screwed up, Hudson. I changed Summer’s dress.” Barbara sat down on a chair at the other end of the table, elbows touching on the surface.
“You did what?” Hudson asked, his own voice rising now.
“I wanted it to be just like our wedding. It was the best day of my life, dear. I only wanted you to have the same experience,” her mom said.
Summer was trying to not yell or to run from the room. They didn’t have time for this. The wedding was in three weeks, and she was busy every day leading up to it.
“Do you not care about what I want? What I feel? God, Mom, you’re so selfish. It’s not your wedding again. It’s mine.” Summer was standing, and she fell to the chair, the energy of the fight seeping away as she looked at her deflated mother.
“Barbie, how could you?” Hudson asked. He walked over to his wife, and she leaned into him.
“Summer, I know I messed up. We can try to get the right one aired in. I’ll make it right,” her mom said.
Summer took her drink and swallowed half of it. She let it sink in, as if that would somehow help. It didn’t. She counted to five and took a deep breath. The fight was gone now.
“I love you, Mom. In your own strange way, you were trying to help. Now let’s get ourselves together and go over the plans, because we don’t have time to argue and throw things at each other.” Summer couldn’t help but tear up as a look of relief washed over her mom’s face. The perfect woman, her role model growing up, was as flawed as any of them, and it almost made Summer feel better about everything.
“Honey, I won’t let you down again.” Barbara was up now, and she came over to Summer’s side, reaching out her arms. Summer wasn’t quite ready for that yet, but she got up and hugged her mom anyway.
“Good. Then let’s make sure the rest of the wedding is mine. We’re going to call the florist and change the bouquet.” Summer smiled faintly, knowing she was going to have at least some of her own touches in the wedding.
They spent the next three hours finalizing things, and Barbara was left with a long list of items to go over the next morning. Summer, despite all the agonizing, tried on the dress before leaving, and found she actually loved it. It flattered her figure much more than the one she had picked out. How did that woman always know what looked good? She smiled to herself in the mirror, knowing she wouldn’t admit how much she liked it until after the wedding day. It was only fair.