CJ did a twirl in front of the mirror in her tiny house. She’d borrowed the mirror from Mags and propped it against the wall. The full-skirted wedding dress billowed out around her. She felt like a princess.
“I have a question that’s been nagging me for a while now,” Mags said. “Oh, you look beautiful by the way.”
“Thank you. So do you.” She did, too. Mags looked quite lovely in her purple flowing gown. CJ stopped twirling and wondered when her friend was going to marry Uncle Larry. “What is it?”
“Why did Eric propose twice? Didn’t you say yes the first time?” She raised her eyebrows.
“Of course, I did. He said he wanted to make sure I meant it and didn’t say just yes because we were jumping off a cliff running from those bad guys at the time.” She grinned. “Sometimes, my brave park ranger is a little insecure.”
“Well, you are a flighty little thing.”
“I am not. I’m as steadfast as they come.”
She shrugged. “Does this mean you’ll stop solving local mysteries?”
“Most definitely.”
Mags’s face fell. She did enjoy the excitement of a good mystery even if it involved near death. “I suppose you’ll want children now. Noisy things that they are. I’ll have to find another way to inject adventure into my life.”
“Of course. Eric is already making plans to combine our tiny houses into one small house.” I couldn’t wait.
Uncle Larry, Mags’s boyfriend and my only living relative, entered the room. “Gorgeous.” He kissed my cheek and handed me a jeweler’s box. “A gift from your soon-to-be husband.”
I opened the box to reveal a diamond tennis bracelet. “It’s beautiful.”
“Make sure you keep it away from that diamond-loving dog of yours.” He grinned.
“Oh, I will.” I held out my hand so he could place the bracelet on my wrist. Caper, the dog I’d inherited from my grandmother, did love her diamonds. “Thank you for watching the dogs and cat for us while we’re gone.”
“Not a problem. Ready?” Uncle Larry crooked his arm as Mags handed me a bouquet of purple roses and baby’s breath, taking the smaller one for herself. “You’ve an anxious groom waiting by the lake. The whole community is there, plus some curious campers.”
Excitement over sharing my special day with so many people put a bounce in my step. I couldn’t wait to lay eyes on my handsome groom and board our flight to Hawaii for our honeymoon.
Mags, acting as matron of honor, stepped from the house first. When the door opened, I heard the first recorded notes of the “Wedding March.” My heart threatened to beat free. My breath came in pants.
“Don’t pass out on me.” Uncle Larry patted my hand. “Breathe nice and slow. This is a good day. The sun is shining, God is looking down from Heaven, and you’re marrying the man of your dreams.”
He was right. It was a glorious day. My breathing returned to normal, and I stepped into the bright sunshine of an early spring day and took my seat in the golf cart.
A white carpet runner paved the way to the glass cathedral in the trees I’d spent so many hours renovating. An arch overflowing with purple roses and white streamers outlined Eric’s form in front of the simple wooden podium. The guests stood, blocking him from my view. No matter. Good things were worth waiting for.
Smiles and claps greeted me as I moved slowly to the end of the rows of white folding chairs, finally laying eyes on Eric. Handsome in a black tux, his smile rivaled mine. Detective Davis acted as best man. Sitting calmly next to him was Caper and Eric’s lab, Hershey. The day wouldn’t be complete without them.
Uncle Larry placed my hand in Eric’s, then took a seat in the front row. I no longer had eyes for anyone or anything but the man I was about to marry.
Eric leaned forward, his breath tickling the tendrils curled along my neck. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
My face flushed. “You don’t look so bad yourself.” I couldn’t believe we were finally getting married. We turned to face the preacher.
“Clarice Josephine Turley, do you…”
I must have responded correctly when prompted, but I don’t remember much of the ceremony. My gaze never left Eric’s face, though.
~
The next morning, I changed into a white and purple sundress and hurried back outside to meet Eric by the car. Our honeymoon was upon us.
In the car, he leaned over and kissed me. “Hello, wife.”
“Hello, husband.” I grinned so wide it hurt my cheeks. “Maui awaits.”
He chuckled and drove us to the airport. “I’ve some rough drawings of my idea for our house in the glove compartment if you’d like to take a look. Our house will be about five-hundred square feet.”
“Positively huge.” I laughed, pulling a large sheet of paper from the glove compartment. “Bigger kitchen, bigger living space, two bathrooms, and two bedrooms. We’ll be positively spoiled with all that space.”
He gripped my hand. “That second bedroom will come in handy when we have a child.”
My face heated. “Yes, it will.”
A two-hour flight to Dallas, then another eight hours to the mainland, before taking a smaller plane to Maui left me with a lot of time to dream of our future. I stepped off the plane, fully rested, to be greeted by a woman with shiny dark hair.
“Aloha.” She smiled and draped the fragrant lei around my neck, then did the same for Eric. “Enjoy your honeymoon, courtesy of your uncle.” She handed me a letter.
Bless him. He’d paid for the entire hotel bill for the week of our stay as a wedding gift. Since he owned the tiny house community and the land the campground sat on, I guess he could afford it. “Did you know about this, Eric?”
“No, but it doesn’t surprise me. You’re a very beloved niece.” He took my hand and led me to the waiting jeep that would take us to our hotel on the beach.
A small tropical hut with all the modern conveniences would be our home for the next five days. Waiting for us inside was a welcome basket of fruit and champagne on ice.
“What do you want to do first?” Eric poured us both a flute. “To us.” He raised his in a toast.
“To us.” Let’s sit on the porch, I mean lanai, and watch the water for a while.”
“Sounds perfect.”
We sat in white wicker chairs and watched as windsurfers skimmed across the waves. Their sails dotted the ocean with every color of the rainbow. Families strolled along the shore looking for shells. An old woman in a peaked cap picked up seaweed while a man in a matching hat skimmed a box across the water’s surface looking for flounder. Other than the mountain lake I lived by, I’d never seen a more idyllic sight. I couldn’t wait to see the sunset over this same stretch of beach.
I glanced to the hut next to us. A pretty young girl with a sad look on her face leaned on a railing draped with beach towels. When she caught my glance, she ducked back inside, pulling a silk kimono tight around her. Even in paradise, a teen girl could be moody. Shrugging, I sipped my drink and watched the happy vacationers.
A man’s loud voice boomed from next door, right before the young girl darted back outside and raced for the beach. The man, most likely her father, ordered her to come back. The girl kept running.
I set my glass on a table next to my chair and stood.
“Stay out of it, sweetheart. Unless he turns violent, we pretend nothing is happening.”
“You’re right.” I sat back down, determined not to let anything ruin our honeymoon. “She just looks so sad.”
“A family squabble.” He pulled me close for a kiss. “I’ll never get tired of the feel of your lips against mine.”
“Honeymoon?” The man next door asked.
“Yes.” Eric lifted his head and smiled.
“I remember mine. We went to Greece. Best week of my life. Name’s Joe Landon.”
“Eric and CJ Drake.”
How I loved the sound of that. I smiled a greeting and turned my attention to where the young girl sat on the sand near the water. “Teenagers, right?”
Joe laughed. “Yes, this one is quite strong-willed. Lacey!”
She glanced over her shoulder and slowly returned to the hut. Without a word, she stepped inside, her long blonde hair hiding her face.
“You look familiar, Mrs. Drake.” His eyes narrowed. “Have you been on television or in the newspaper?”
“A bit.” I didn’t elaborate. He either knew I was the nosy one of the Ozarks, as some called me, or he didn’t
“Enjoy your stay, folks.” Joe followed her inside.
“I wonder where the wife is,” I said. “Isn’t it strange that she didn’t come out when her daughter took off?”
“Don’t make a mystery out of nothing. You promised.”
I nodded. What I promised was not to get involved in any more crimes. I didn’t say anything about helping a girl in trouble. But, since I didn’t see any bruises or other evidence of abuse, Eric was right. It was none of my business.
Later that evening, I changed into a bright yellow sundress and matching sandals, then strolled with my new husband to a small outdoor diner for supper. A waitress in a grass skirt and bathing suit top handed us menus.
“Oh, the mango salmon sounds delicious,” I said. “I’ll have that.”
Eric ordered the same. “I’m looking forward to snorkeling tomorrow. I saw the perfect spot right off our beach. When the tide goes out, the pool is surrounded by coral.”
“Good.” I’d mentioned to him my fear of sharks and barracudas, a warning mentioned on the paper we signed in order to rent snorkeling equipment. “Do you still want to go to Molokai Island?”
“One of the days we’re here.” He laughed. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything eat you.”
“I know I’m being silly, but…” I glanced up in time to see Joe usher Lacey into a waiting SUV.
The girl’s eyes widened. Was it my imagination or did her lips form the words “Help me,” as she was shoved inside?
- Publisher : Winged Publications
- Publication date : October 14, 2020
- Language : English
- Print length : 232 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1952661269
- ISBN-13 : 978-1952661266