“I love watching you be a grandmother. I wish I could've watched you be a new mother,” Dawson said, offhandedly.
“Me too,” Julie said, softly. Colleen suddenly felt like she was sitting in the middle of a conversation where she didn't belong.
She loved her father, although sometimes he made it difficult. But, there were times that she looked at her mother and Dawson and wished they could've had more years together. Dawson would've made the best father she could imagine. He was protective, kind and fun. Some kid would've really benefited from having him as a dad. It made her sad to think that he lost his only child and would never get that chance again.
“Well, I'll leave you ladies to it. Colleen, if you need anything, I'll be out back. I'm building a new table for the breakfast room.”
“I’ll come back and see you in a minute,” Julie said, smiling at him as he walked away.
“You guys are too cute,” Colleen said, giggling. Julie bumped her shoulder.
“Stop it.”
“You know he wants to marry you, right?”
Julie froze in place and then looked at her daughter. “Did he say that?”
“Not in so many words. But, I think that he thinks you wouldn’t marry him.”
Julie sighed. “It's not that. I just don't know if I'm ready for that, or if I'll ever be. No offense to your father, but that whole thing really took it out of me. I couldn't go through that again.”
“He's not daddy. Dawson would never hurt you like that.”
“I know. Let's not talk about it right now. Besides, I have a secret plan I need to run by you.”
“What do you mean?”
“What if we throw a big wedding reception for Dixie and Harry? We could do it at my house or even here at the inn once the camp is over.”
“That's a great idea! But, you're going to have to plan that one. I'm all planned out after this camp,” Colleen said, putting her head down on the table. Julie patted her on the back.
“Oh, I’ve got big plans.”
Chapter Five
Meg took a bite of her sandwich and stared off into the distance. Vivi was finally down for the night, and it had been a long one. Her mother had kept her until class was over, and then Meg had gone to pick her up. She went home, fed her dinner and waited for Christian to get back from work. When he finally did, it took them hours to get Vivi to sleep. She wasn't sure, but she had a feeling that her mother had given her chocolate ice cream because she had seen the empty carton in the kitchen. Either that, or her mother had a really big sweet tooth.
“You look exhausted,” Christian said as he walked into the kitchen. He sat down beside her, rubbing her arm.
“I am exhausted. Between school and being a mom, I'm starting to feel a little bit like a failure. Or a zombie. Or maybe a zombie failure.”
Christian chuckled. “You're doing fine. It's hard, and even harder for you. I get to be at work all day, and I know you're struggling with keeping up with your schoolwork and taking care of Vivi. But it's all going to pay off.”
“I know. And I love my daughter more than anything in this world. I wouldn't trade this life for any amount of money.”
Christian leaned over and kissed her. Lately, that was kind of rare, not because he wasn't romantic. He was French, after all. But their time together was limited, usually reserved for late nights when Vivi was either still awake or they were both too tired to even bother with hugs or kisses or anything else.
“I want to ask you something,” Christian said. He seemed a little nervous, and she couldn't imagine why.
“What?”
“Have you thought anymore about what we talked about a few days ago?”
“You mean getting married?”
“Yes. It's all I've thought about all week.”
She smiled and rubbed her thumb across his cheek. “You're so romantic.”
“I try. I want us to get married, Meg. Make it official.”
“I know. And I want that too. But, right now I couldn't possibly enjoy planning a wedding and all of that.”
“Then we can go to the justice of the peace.”
She stared at him. “Christian, I'm only going to get married one time in my life, and I don't want it to be in front of the justice of the peace.”
“I know, my love. I'm sorry. I just want to be able to tell people that you're my wife.”
“And I want people to know that you're my husband. I realize we did this whole thing out of the traditional order, having a baby first. But I want a special wedding day. I want to do all of the planning with my sister and my mother. I want to pick a dress, a venue, taste test all of the wedding cakes I can get my hands on…”
Christian smiled. “You’re right. All of that is important.”
“Right now, I can't even keep my head on straight between math class and teething. I couldn't possibly enjoy the process of planning a wedding.”
“Then we will wait. When you feel ready, I am here. Always willing. You say the word.”
She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “I promise that I will marry you. Just let me get through these next few months of school, and then we’ll start planning. And we will have the most magical day any two people could ever have.”
SuAnn rolled out the dough for the umpteenth time. No matter how many times she followed the recipe, she couldn’t seem to get it just perfect. Although the pie tasted divine, it had to look perfect, like something out of a magazine. She was determined to beat Henrietta Bankston if it was the last thing she did.
“How many more times are you going to bake this pie?” Darcy asked as she walked out of the back room with more cupcakes from the fridge.
“As many times as it takes, I suppose.” She continued staring down at the dough as she carved the thin slices of it to lay over the top in a lattice design.
“What’s the big deal about this contest anyway?” Darcy asked as she pulled herself up onto the counter.
“I told you to quit sitting up there. You’re not a child,” SuAnn scolded. Begrudgingly, Darcy jumped down and leaned against the counter, her arms crossed.
“Fine, Mom,” she said, sarcastically. SuAnn still wasn’t sure she liked Darcy all that much, but she gave as good as she got and was okay with the customers for the most part.
“If I was your mom, I’d teach you better manners,” SuAnn said, looking back down at the dough.
“Is there big prize money or something?”
SuAnn looked up. “You know, I have no idea.”
Darcy chuckled. “Then why all this fuss?”
“Have you ever had an arch nemesis?”
“An arch nemesis? Like in superhero movies?”
SuAnn shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know anything about superheroes. I mean someone who just gets under your skin like a piece of fiberglass insulation and makes you want to rip off your own flesh?”
Darcy shook her head. “You really have a vivid imagination.”
“Surely you have someone who just rubs you the wrong way?”