“Jennifer, you look stunning.” He slipped inside the room, reaching out a hand, which I accepted.
“She really, really does.” Ashley fussed with the back of my dress. “I had no doubts. No doubts at all.”
That was a lie. She’d had doubts.
When Cletus and I had picked up his family in Seattle, she had taken one look at us and said what her entire family had been thinking, “What the hell happened to you two? Are you . . . did you get shipwrecked?”
The boat used to take everyone over to the San Juan’s was actually my boat, one I’d bought for myself. A month before the second wedding, we took a honeymoon trip. Cletus and I launched from New Orleans and navigated to the waters of Washington on our own.
As it turned out, I loved to fish. And when we’d picked them up, we probably smelled like fish.
I’d sold my father’s old boat, his house in the Keys, and a bunch of random investment properties, none of which I’d known existed until Leeward had detailed the extent of my late father’s holdings. After some investigation—because I couldn’t figure out where all the wealth had come from—we discovered my father had been siphoning money from my mother’s business during the entire length of their marriage.
One of the first things I did after reviewing the holdings with Mr. Leeward was sign back the farms my father had swindled. I also redistributed the monies folks like Roger Gangersworth and Posey Lamont had invested in my father’s farm stay scheme.
Of course, I couldn’t return the Miller place to Farmer Miller. Ultimately, I decided to send each of his three children a one-third portion of the fair market value and keep the place for myself. The house was in disrepair, but that was no matter. Cletus and Jethro were making plans to knock it down and build something new. But there was no rush. Maybe in another year or two. After I was finished fishing.
Presently, Billy rolled his lips between his teeth to hide his smile and looked at the carpet. “Uh, Ashley, you’re needed at the beach. I’ve been sent to collect Jenn. It’s time.”
“Oh!” She stepped back from me, her eyes studying my back before moving to my reflection in the mirror. “You are exquisite perfection. I am—” she glanced down at herself, at the blue dress and white shawl she’d chosen to wear “—also fine. Billy always looks great. Okay!” Clapping her hands together, Ashley gave me one last smile and darted from the room. “See y’all soon.”
Billy stood still, perfectly so, until he heard the door snick shut, then he released my hand and turned for the closet. “Just give me a minute.” Once there, he pulled out a navy blue bundle, shook it out, and unzipped a zipper at the front of it.
When I realized what it was, I gasped, and then I laughed. “That’s—are you putting on coveralls?”
He nodded. “Everyone else already has theirs on. Cletus waited until Ashley was in here with you. I just need to . . .” he trailed off, removing his stunning jacket and tie, laying both on the bed carefully. He toed off his shoes and stepped into the Dickies coveralls.
“He is—” I shook my head and laughed some more. “I love him so much.”
“Thank God for that,” Billy mumbled. He finished pulling on the coveralls, zipped it up, and now shoved his feet into rubber boots that had been stored under the bed. “If I’m being honest, I’m actually grateful to Cletus. I didn’t want to wear any part of that suit on the beach, or the shoes. These pants are old, I didn’t figure Ashley would notice.”
If my momma had been here, she would’ve had a conniption fit, and that thought made me want to both laugh and cry.
My mother was still a wanted woman. Even after everything that happened with Elena, she was still the prime suspect in my father’s murder. Cletus and I hadn’t been able to find the gun we were now sure Miller had hidden somewhere. If we did—no, when we did—I felt certain it would have Elena’s prints on it. Perhaps then my mother could come home.
Of course, that’s assuming she’d be willing to leave Jason.
I’d kept her house, but we’d put it up for rent. Also, about ten months ago, I’d officially handed over the day-to-day business of the lodge to my mother’s trusted second-in-command, Monsieur Auclair. He supervised the lodge’s renovations, I resumed running the bakery once I felt up to it, and we met over coffee and madeleines once a week to review accounts, status reports, and staffing decisions.
Cletus continued managing the dairy. He sometimes joined our weekly meetings, but usually only piped up when asked about the status of the cows. I suspect he just really enjoyed the madeleines, coffee, and listening to me give directions and be bossy.
The latter portion of this suspicion was confirmed when Cletus, dressed in a tailored suit, suggested we role-play one evening and gestured to a business outfit in my size he’d placed on the bed.
“You’re the boss, and I’m the subordinate,” he’d said with entirely too much twinkle in his eye.
This whole “subordinate” business lasted about three minutes before he took over and . . . yeah. I’m sure y’all can guess how that ended up.
Currently, I nodded, because what else could I do about the groomsmen wearing Dickies? Besides, I didn’t care. I thought it was kinda funny.
So I crossed to the bed and picked up my bouquet. “Well, shall we?”
“Just—just a minute.” Billy reached into one of the zippered pockets of his coveralls and pulled out a velvet box. He then walked over to me, his eyes looking proud as they conducted another sweep. “When my grandmother got married to my grandfather Oliver, she had no family there. She was an orphan, or so the story goes, and brought nothing to the marriage but herself. So my great grandfather gave her a necklace.”
He paused, opening the velvet box and revealing a white gold or platinum necklace, the chain comprised of delicate but wide filigree sections with diamonds set in star shapes at each of the links.
The necklace was so beautiful, I gasped.
I mean, I gasped like no one had ever gasped before.
I then coughed because I’d gasped so hard.
“I—I’m—sorry—sorry.” Even as I coughed I was careful to keep my neck perfectly still. It still gave me trouble.
Even after being discharged from physical therapy, I still saw an acupuncturist, massage therapist, and chiropractor for my back. My neck hurt sometimes. My legs ached right before a big rainstorm at night, but not during the day. We kept the special cabinets and countertop Cletus and Jethro had built in the bakery which allowed for wheelchair access, and sometimes Cletus would borrow my old crutches “for reasons.” I never asked why, not sure I wanted to know.
But I always ask him how his day was, because I always wanted to know.
Billy watched me as I choked and sputtered, his eyes full of concern, giving my back a tiny pat and rub. He walked over to the dresser to pour me a glass of water. “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to injure you moments before you walk down the aisle.”
“I’m okay,” I rasped, accepting the glass gratefully. Once I’d caught my breath and trusted myself to speak, I shook my head. “Billy, I can’t—I can’t accept this.”
“I don’t care if you accept it or not, Jenn. It’s yours.” He moved to step behind me, and in my periphery I saw him take the necklace out of the box before he disappeared. The next thing I knew, I felt him drape it around my neck.