The Wedding At Seagrove (South Carolina Sunsets Book 5) Read online

  “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?”

  She nodded. “There was this girl in high school - Elaine Draper. Yuck. She was the senior class president, homecoming queen and every guy’s dream girl. I couldn’t stand her. She was so stuck up, and everything came so easy for her. She started a rumor about me that I stole money from a teacher’s purse, which I didn’t do. I ended up getting suspended from school for the rest of the semester.”

  “Wow. Then you get it. Henrietta Bankston is my arch nemesis.”

  “Bankston… why does that sound familiar?”

  “She’s the mayor’s wife.”

  “Oh, that's right. So your arch nemesis is the mayor's wife? Did you get into a fight with her or something?”

  “Not exactly. She came in here and was very snotty. I didn't like it.” She looked back down at the dough and groaned under her breath, wadding it up into a ball again.

  “So you just didn't like the way she talked to you? And now you want to rip your own skin off?”

  “It might sound ridiculous to you, but I don't like being patronized. She thinks she can win this thing, and I'm going to prove her wrong.”

  “Does the lady even really care about winning?”

  SuAnn stared at her. “She's won the last twelve years in a row.”

  Darcy's mouth dropped open. “Yikes. I don't like your chances.”

  “You don't know me all that well yet. But, I always get what I want.”

  Darcy laughed. “I can see that. Well, for what it's worth, I hope you beat old Henrietta Bankston. And I hope there's big prize money in it for you.”

  “Thanks, dear.”

  Darcy walked across the room to wipe down one of the tables. “And just so you know, I got my revenge on Elaine Draper.”

  SuAnn looked up. “Oh yeah? What did you do?”

  “She had this beautiful long hair. Everybody wanted her hair. I may or may not have hidden behind her in the movie theater with a big wad of gum. It was so bad, she had to cut a bunch off,” she said, scrunching her nose.

  "You've got to be kidding! You made that poor girl cut her hair?"

  Darcy couldn't help but chuckle. “Maybe. She had to cut it really short and looked like a boy at prom. It wasn't pretty. Here she was with her long, flowing pink gown and a super short haircut that looked like she was entering military service.”

  “That's terrible!” SuAnn, waving her hand at Darcy as she tried not to laugh. “But I might need your advice on a few things if I can't get this pie to work. Keep that gum handy. Hen has a big bouffant hairdo.”

  Darcy nodded and grinned. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve, for sure. You just say the word.”

  SuAnn rolled her eyes, but secretly wondered if she might need Darcy’s help after all. It sounded like she was a much better friend than an enemy.

  “Come on! Let me do this for you. We’re long overdue for a big party anyway!” Julie said. Dixie rolled her eyes.

  “You just love planning shindigs, don’t you?”

  Julie smiled. “If it’s for my best friend in the world, yes. We need to celebrate your new marriage!”

  “Honey, you don’t have to go to all that trouble. I love you for offering…”

  “It’s no trouble. We’ll do it at the inn two weeks from Sunday. That will give Dawson time to get things back in order after the foster kids’ camp. Sound good?”

  Dixie shrugged her shoulders and laughed. “Works for me. I just don’t want to be a bother.”

  Julie put her hands on Dixie’s shoulders. “You’ve done so much for everyone in this community. Let us be excited and celebrate your new adventure, okay?”

  “Fine. Okay. But, please don’t spend a bunch of money. I’m not royalty or anything.”

  “Well, you’re our royalty around here. How’s Harry?” Julie asked as she wiped down the counter where they served coffee. A customer had spilled more sugar than they’d used.

  “He’s much better. The doc says his ankle is all healed up, and he’s currently down at the storage unit with William. They’re assessing what the boat needs. Harry has some experience in that area.”

  “That’s great. Janine told me what William is planning. I never would’ve expected that.”

  Dixie sat down at the bistro table with a cup of coffee. “Yeah, me neither. His daddy was big into fishing and boating, but William never seemed like the type to go into it as a career. Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of him for trying something new. I sure hope it works out. He’s had a heck of a time finding his place in the world.”

  Julie took the used coffee filter out of the machine and dropped it into the trash can before replacing it and starting the machine again. “Yeah, I understand that myself. I still don’t know what I want to do when I grow up.”

  Dixie laughed. “Life is all about endings and beginnings. As long as you don’t get stuck on an ending, you’ll do fine.”

  Julie sat down. “Maybe I am stuck on an ending.”

  “You mean Michael?”

  Julie nodded. “Where do I go from here? I just work, play with my grandbaby and date Dawson?”

  Dixie looked at her questioningly. “Do you want more?”

  “Don’t we all?”

  “Sugar, do you want to marry Dawson?”

  Julie sighed. “I don’t know. I said I never wanted to get married again. But, I don’t know if I truly meant it. I meant it at the time I said it…”

  Dixie reached over and squeezed her hand. “Julie, it’s okay to change your mind. Dawson loves you, and I know he wants a future with you.”

  “We’re in a good place right now. There’s no need to rush things.”

  “Are you saying that because you think it’s the right thing to say or because you actually feel that way?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “Do you want to date other people?”

  Julie stared at Dixie. She had never even considered that idea, actually. It wasn’t like she got divorced so she could play the field. Her plan had been to stay married to Michael forever, although she was happy that those prayers hadn’t been answered favorably.

  “Absolutely not. Dawson is perfect for me. If things don’t work out with him, I’ve lost all hope in love.” She wasn’t joking. Her relationship with Dawson was everything she’d ever dreamed of. All of those years with Michael, she’d thought she had a good marriage. Not perfect, but livable. Adequate. Looking back, she’d been settling for at least the last ten years of their marriage. There was no settling with Dawson. He was a good partner, a wonderful friend and a strong, steady presence in her life.

  “Honey, I believe you’re overthinking this whole thing. Look, I said I’d never get married again and now I’m sitting here with a big old gold band on my finger. When love comes along and knocks you right over the head, you can’t help but believe in second chances.”

  Julie smiled. “I’m so happy for you and Harry.”

  “Don’t change the subject. The question remains - would you marry Dawson if he asked?”

  “I…”

  The doorbell chimed just in time to stop Julie from having to answer that question. Miss Bessie, her favorite customer, was being wheeled in by her caregiver.

  “Hey there, old lady,” Bessie joked when she saw Dixie. “Where’ve you bee
n?”

  Dixie stood up and walked over to hug her. “Oh, I’ve just been doing some traveling with my new husband.”

  Bessie’s eyes widened. “You went and got married? You crazy old bat!”

  The two women had been friends for ages, and Julie loved to hear them rib each other. “I know, I know. But, he’s a good man. You’ll like him.”

  “Oh, you know I’m happy for you, old friend,” Bessie said, squeezing Dixie’s hand.

  “Maybe your Prince Charming is out there?” Dixie teased.

  “Yeah, well, he can stay out there. I’m too old to put up with any man’s crap!”

  Julie couldn’t help but laugh at their conversation. She imagined that she and Janine might have a similar conversation when they aged a few more decades.

  “Hey there, pretty lady,” she said as Julie walked over and rubbed her shoulder.

  “Good afternoon, Miss Bessie.”

  “Tell me something good.” She would always ask this when she saw Julie. It was her “thing”. She said hearing one good thing each day made for a beautiful, happy life. Julie believed her.

  Julie sat back down at the table, as did Dixie. “Well, I’m throwing this wonderful woman a big wedding reception in a couple of weeks, and I think that’s pretty dang good! And you’re invited, Miss Bessie. You as well, Amelia,” she said to her caregiver. Amelia smiled.

  “Oh, I don’t get out much to parties these days, but that sure is a good thing!”

  “What about you, Miss Bessie? What’s your good thing today?”

  She smiled slightly. “Well, darlin’, I found out this morning that my grandson is coming to get me.”

  “I’m not sure I understand?”

  “My grandson, Carl, lives in Tampa. He just retired from being a police officer, and he and his wife are coming to take me to live with them.”

  Julie was stunned and a little heartsick. She knew what this meant. Once Bessie left Seagrove, the likelihood of ever seeing her again was minimal. She was in her nineties, after all.

  “Oh, wow. Are you happy to be leaving? You grew up here, didn’t you?” Julie asked.

  “I sure did. Man, I ran around on these beaches my whole life. Raised my kids here too. But, life takes funny twists and turns sometimes, doesn’t it?”

  Dixie smiled. “I sure will miss you.”

  Bessie reached out and held her hand. “Honey, I know where I’m going one day, and I know I’ll see you both there.”

  “Let’s not talk about things like that,” Julie pleaded, her eyes welling with tears.

  “Dying’s all a part of living, honey. Live while you’re young! Do all the things you want to do, especially the ones that scare you half to death!”

  Something about what she said resonated deep in Julie’s heart. She literally felt it go through her, like someone had hit her in the chest with a heavy book.

  “When do you leave?” Dixie asked.

  “End of the week. He’s got a whole apartment set up for me. Amelia’s coming too!”

  Julie looked at Amelia. She’d been taking care of Bessie for years, according to Dixie. “Are you excited?”

  “I am. I couldn’t bear to leave Miss Bessie’s side. We’ve been together a long time,” she said. Amelia was getting up in age herself, but she was devoted to Bessie. It was heartwarming to see. Julie imagined Carl would end up caring for Amelia at some point too.

  “So this is your last visit to our little bookstore?” Julie asked.

  Bessie nodded sadly. “I’m afraid so, but I sure will think about y’all every time I get Amelia to read me a book.”

  “Well, what kind of book are you looking for today then?” Dixie asked.

  “I’d like to get some books about Florida. I need to know all about my new home state,” she said, smiling broadly.

  “I think we can help you with that!” Dixie waved her hand, and Amelia followed, pushing Bessie in the wheelchair. As Julie watched them go to the back of the store, it occurred to her just how quickly life could change.

  One minute, you think you’re happily married, and your husband comes home and destroys everything.

  One minute, your daughter is a college student in France, and the next minute she’s a mother.

  One minute, your favorite customer is sitting in front of you, and the next she’s moving to Tampa, and you’ll likely never see her again.

  Julie sighed. Life sure could turn on a dime.

  Chapter Six

  William stood back and looked at the boat. Even though he, Dawson and Harry had been working on it for a couple of weeks now, it still looked like a wreck, at least cosmetically.

  Thankfully, Harry had been able to fix a lot of the mechanical issues. It was definitely seaworthy now, and Tucker had been by a couple of times to help as well. The foster kids’ camp was taking up much of his time, which William totally understood.

  “I don't think people are going to want to get on this boat with the way that it looks. Personally, I would assume it would sink before we even got away from the dock,” William said. Dawson, the only person helping him today, laughed.

  “Which is why we're going to start painting it. Of course, we need to start sanding first. And you might want to consider replacing the flooring. I'm not sure there's much we can do with this.”

  William looked down at the warped wooden floors, holes sporadically scattered across the surface. “You don't think we could put a big piece of plexiglass and just say that it's one of those cool glass bottom boats?”

  Dawson chuckled. “Yeah, I'm gonna say no on that one.”

  “I didn't realize how much work this thing was going to take. Are you hungry?”

  “Starving. I worked all morning helping to set up for the camp, so honestly this was a nice break. Colleen is quite the dictator,” he said, sitting down on the dock and hanging his legs over the side. “She was getting a little stressed out this morning. I’ve never heard her raise her voice, so I got the heck out of dodge.”

  William pulled a cooler out of the boat and joined him, sitting down and putting it in his lap. He reached in and removed a couple of sandwiches, handing one to Dawson.

  “When I went by to see Janine this morning, Julie gave me these. She said they were your favorite,” William said, in a singsongy way.

  Dawson bumped William’s shoulder with his. “Don't be jealous. At least my girlfriend knows how to cook.”

  William laughed. “Well, you've got me there. Janine's great at heating up macaroni and cheese and the occasional cold pizza, but she’s certainly no chef.”

  “But you love her.”

  He nodded. “That I do. The fact that she's okay with me starting up this new venture and doesn't think I'm some sort of immature, adolescent boy is amazing.”

  “Yeah, I guess we're both lucky that way. We found two women who want us to dream big and do what we love. Not many of them out there.”

  William took a bite of his sandwich. “I don't know how Julie makes these taste so much better than regular sandwiches.”

  Dawson nodded. “I know, right? She’s a sandwich magician.”

  They sat there for a few minutes, devouring the sandwiches and potato chips that Julie had sent along. When they were finished, they each leaned back with their hands on the dock, staring up into the sky. “How are we supposed to work now? I feel like I'm about to pop!” Dawson said, putting his hand on his stomach and rubbing it.

  “I guess we better sit for a little bit and let our food settle.”

  “I suppose so.”

  “I’m really glad you're doing this. I know your father would be so thrilled right now.”

  “I sure wish he could be here,” William said. “There's not a day that goes by that I don't miss that man. He knew the answer for everything. I'm so afraid I'm going to screw this whole thing up.”

  “Listen, I was scared of that when I started my contracting business. I was scared of that when I started the inn. A little healthy fear never hurt any
body.”

  “I just don't wanna look like a fool. The last thing I want is for Janine to look at me at some point and know that I'm a failure.”

  Dawson slapped him on the back. “Stop thinking like that, man! This thing’s going to be successful. All businesses start off a little bit shaky, but when you do what you love every day, that really comes through.”

  “I guess so. It's just really different going from being in an office, wearing a suit all day to this,” he said, laughing as he looked down at his khaki shorts, bare feet and paint stained T-shirt.

  “Well, I told you not to start painting that railing before we sanded. What were you thinking?”

  William laughed. “This isn't exactly my forte, which is why I asked you to come over here.”

  Dawson stood up and stretched his arms high above his head. “Look, you have friends and family that will be here for you. You don't have to do this alone. We take care of each other, and I'll be sure to tell everybody who visits my inn to come take one of your charter trips.”

  William stood up and shook his hand. “I appreciate your support.”

  “Now you sound like a politician,” Dawson said, laughing. “Come on, let's get started on that sanding.”

  They climbed back into the boat, each of them picking up a piece of sandpaper. As they started working on the railings, they continued talking about life.

  “So, do you think you'll marry Julie?”

  Dawson stopped and looked at him. “Did Janine tell you to ask me that?”

  “No. We have never talked about it, actually. It just seems like the next logical step.”

  “Well if it's the next logical step, are you going to marry Janine?”

  “I hope so. One day. But, first I need to make this successful. I just can't go into a marriage without being able to support my family.”

  “I get that.”

  “Don't dodge the question. Are you going to propose to Julie?”

  Dawson shrugged his shoulders. “I would marry Julie in a heartbeat. The problem is, I don't think she feels the same.”

  “Are you kidding me? That woman is head over heels for you!”

  Dawson stopped sanding and leaned against the rail. “Maybe so, but there's a difference between wanting to date somebody and wanting to marry them. The few, very brief conversations that we've had about this topic, Julie has made it pretty clear that she doesn't want to get married again.”