Authors: Kristin Wallace
Marry Me (10 page)
Since she'd arrived in Covington Falls, Julia always seemed to be running late. In her previous life as a business executive, she'd prided herself on being punctual. Had been rather fanatical about it, in fact. Like her career, those days seemed to be over.
It was only 8:30, but already Julia was behind schedule. Tires squealing, she pulled into a parking spot in front of The Old Diner where she was supposed to have met Meredith Vining for breakfast twenty minutes ago. Every establishment in town must have one of those annoyingly cute bells over the door because the one at the restaurant heralded her entrance loud and clear. Heads turned, and two dozen pairs of eyes sized her up. She gulped, feeling like the new kid in school.
As its name implied, the restaurant was designed like an old-time 50s diner. Black-and-white checkerboard tile set off walls displaying photographs of silver screen icons. A long counter with swivel seats ran down the length of the dining area, along with a row of red vinyl booths against the windows.
Meredith was already seated in one near the back. As soon as Julia slid into her seat, a plump blonde in a pink, polyester dress and white apron sidled up to the table. She looked pointedly at Julia.
Meredith took the obvious hint. “Sally-Anne, this is Grace's stepdaughter, Julia.”
“Why, aren't you the prettiest thing?” Sally-Anne said. “I already know Meredith is getting the French Toast Special. What can I get you?”
“A couple of fried eggs and toast would be good,” Julia said. “Some coffee, too. Make it strong, please. I had a long weekend.”
Meredith grinned as Sally-Anne left to put in the order. “I heard about your bee encounter on Saturday.”
“I'm not surprised,” Julia said. “Grace told me the news was all over church yesterday.”
“No one could talk about anything else. Especially the impromptu wedding ceremony at Lisa's bedside, which is the sweetest thing I've ever heard.”
“Even I cried a little, and I'm a committed cynic.”
Meredith took a sip of her coffee. “I also heard you turned into an emergency room doc.”
“Please. All I did was stick a needle in Lisa's leg,” Julia said, rolling her eyes.
“So you didn't whip out a portable defibrillator and restart her heart?”
“What? Give me a break.”
Meredith placed her cup back on the table and leaned back in the booth. “I didn't think the CPR part was true, but it made for a great story.”
“Good grief,” Julia muttered. “Pretty soon they'll have me performing open-heart surgery right there in front of the rose bushes.”
They chatted more about the wedding and Meredith's job as the Music Director.
A few minutes later, Sally-Anne arrived with breakfast. “Two eggs, fried with toast, and the FT Special.”
Sally-Anne filled Julia's coffee cup and turned to leave, only to pause and turn back. “That was a real brave thing you did yesterday, Miss Julia. Real brave.”
“Thank you.”
The waitress hustled away, and Julia turned back to her companion. “Not to change the subject, but I'm still rather curious as to why you're here instead of making records?”
Meredith shook her head. “You're someone who likes to get right down to business.”
“I can't help it. I've been wondering about it ever since we met.”
“My whole life, all I ever wanted was to be a singer,” Meredith said after a long pause. “I wanted to be on stage in front of thousands of screaming fans.”
“I saw you in a musical back in high school. Even then you were good. Special.”
“Perhaps. My parents were horrified at the prospect of having a daughter in the rock music business, which in hindsight was probably part of the lure. You see, for all the so-called talent, it was always my younger sister who got the attention. Especially from my mother. Amy was her entire world.”
Julia paused with her fork in the air. “I met an Amy at Grace's house. Tiny blonde with matching everything?”
A small grin played around the corner of Meredith's mouth. “Right.”
“She cornered me in the kitchen and gave me the third degree about living so close to Seth. I got the feeling she thought I wasn't above sneaking over to the garage apartment and seducing him.”
Meredith was taking a sip of coffee, and she nearly spit it out. “Yep, definitely Amy. She's had a crush on him since she was about six.”
“I had no idea she was your sister. You two look nothing alike.”
“A fact which was pointed out to me by my mother on a daily basis,” Meredith said, cutting through her French toast with a bit more force. “Anyway, music became my way of trying to stand out. Then it became my dream, and when I was seventeen the opportunity to escape moved in right across the street.”
Julia jabbed a piece of toast at Meredith. “A boy, no doubt.”
“Got it in one.” Meredith dipped her head. “Nick came to live with his aunt and uncle when I was a senior in high school. He'd gotten into some trouble, and I guess his parents hoped some time here would straighten him out."
“I'm guessing it didn't work.”
“Of course not. Nick was brooding and gorgeous, and best of all he was a rock musician. Before long, he became my whole world. I dumped my boyfriend. Rebelled against everything my parents stood for, including God. The day I turned eighteen, I ran away with him to New York.”
“Pretty brave of you⦠leaving everything behind to pursue your dreams.”
“It was stupid, but all I cared about was making it big. I didn't need God in my life. I could do it all on my own.”
Julia nodded. “That's always been my philosophy.”
A long look from Meredith followed before she continued. “Anyway, for a while it seemed like everything was working out. I got a manager. Scored some good gigs. Unfortunately, Nick wasn't so lucky.”
“Was he jealous of your success?”
“Yes, but there were other problems. He was possessive in every way. If I so much as looked at another guy, he exploded in a fit of rage.”
Something in her eyes made Julia queasy. “Did he hit you?”
Meredith didn't answer, but looked down and fiddled with her napkin.
“Why would you stay with someone who abused you?” Julia asked in horror.
“I loved him.” She dropped the napkin. “At least I thought I did. I'd turned my back on everything for him.”
“How long did this go on?”
“About two years.”
“Two years!”
“I know, I know,” Meredith said, holding up a hand in surrender. “I did leave eventually, but I didn't come to my senses. Then I drifted through one meaningless relationship after another.”
“So, what finally changed? Something dramatic must have happened to make you come back here.”
Meredith waved her fork. “Actually, it wasn't so dramatic. I was sitting in bed one night â next to the latest meaningless relationship â and I looked at him and started sobbing.”
“Why?”
“I didn't know at first. I only knew I felt like I was dying inside. I had let myself drift so far from everything I'd believed in, and I was so empty. I'd tried to fill the emptiness with everything else. My music, with men, with fame, but none of it worked.”
“So you came home?”
“Let's not forget how stubborn I am,” Meredith said, with wry humor. “It still took me a long time to acknowledge God knocking on my heart. Then one night I was walking home and passed this little church. The doors were open, and I could hear the choir practicing, so I went in. It had been so long since I'd heard gospel music, let alone sang it. I sat there for the entire hour, weeping and praying. Then I went home and started packing.”
“Just like that?”
“Well, “just like that” plus ten years.”
“What was your reception like when you came back?”
“No one rolled out the red carpet, I can tell you,” Meredith said, with a grimace. “Not much had changed. My mother was still obsessed with Amy. My father, before he passed away, chose to stay out of it. I had changed though, and I knew I'd made the right decision. Other things had changed. Seth had moved back to town and offered me the job as the Music Director. I even reconnected with my ex-boyfriend, and we're engaged now.”
“He forgave you for breaking his heart?”
A smile lit up Meredith's face. “He did. I wasn't sure he'd ever speak to me again.”
“And you're happy, even though you gave up your dream?”
“No, this is my dream. Where I'm supposed to be. Where God wants me to be.”
Hmm, there seemed to be a theme going here,
Julia thought. If she wasn't so stubborn she might start to listen.
****
Meredith was still very much on Julia's mind as she walked down the block to Marry Me. She still couldn't get over Meredith giving up a promising career. Julia sensed a peace in her new friend, which intrigued her.
When she stepped inside, three heads swiveled around in unison. She only recognized one of them. Betsy was sitting at the desk, with two other women. One older and one younger. The older woman had brown hair, while the younger had strawberry blond.
Julia froze. “Hi⦔
Betsy immediately sprang up from her chair. “Julia. Right on time. Marsha and Patricia got here a few minutes ago.”
Since Julia hadn't known they were supposed to be here, it was a good thing she'd arrived at all. She had to get a better handle on the schedule.
She gave the two women a bright, confident smile. “Hi. I'm Julia, Sarah's stepsister. Hopefully, Betsy has already explained about the family emergency, and you know I'm filling in for Sarah for a while.”
“I did tell them,” Betsy said, with a matching we've-got-it-covered grin. “Julia, this is Patricia Amonds and her mother Marsha.”
“Nice to meet you, ma'am. Patricia.”
“Oh, please call me Patty,” the younger woman said.
Mrs. Amonds gave Julia a long, searching look. “Of course I already knew about dear Sarah's predicament. It surely did give us pause when we heard someone new was going to be taking over, though I've heard good things about you. Everyone is still talking about the near tragedy at Lisa's wedding and how you saved the day. Maureen Ashley's mother has done nothing but sing your praises at Bible Study, too.”
“Nice to hear.”
“We're in the planning stages of Patty's wedding right now,” Betsy added. “We're trying to pick out her color palette for the wedding.”
Julia knew she should understand what picking a color palette meant. “Great.”
She glanced down. Fabric swatches in all colors were spread across the desk. She stared at the pile and gulped.
Please tell me no one expects me to know what to do with those.
“Most weddings have color themes,” Betsy said. “This helps in the choosing of bridesmaid dresses, flowers and decorations, table linens. Often we'll have a mix of colors. Maybe different shades of the same color or complementing colors. I was showing Patty these swatches so we can narrow down our choices.”
Betsy directed all this explanation to the clients, but Julia knew it was more for her benefit. She adored Betsy.
In any case, choosing a color palette seemed simple enough to handle. “Sounds like a good plan,” she said. “How are we doing?”
“Well, Patty keeps gravitating toward pink,” Mrs. Amonds said, with a pointed look at her daughter. “But I keep telling her it will clash horribly with her hair.”
Patty heaved the long-suffering sigh of a thoroughly put-upon daughter. “But I like pink.”
Julia looked at all the little swatches. “Any other choices?”
“The greens are awfully pretty and they'd go beautifully with Patty's coloring,” Betsy suggested.
Mrs. Amonds wrinkled her nose. “Green washes me out completely.”
Julia thought the day was supposed to be about the bride and not her mother.
“What about this one?” Julia asked, pointing to a royal-blue square.
Mrs. Amonds' shrill objection made the hair stand up on Julia's arm. “Oh, no! Blue is so depressing.”
“Yellow?” Julia asked, waiting to hear why yellow wouldn't do either. She didn't have to wait more than half a second.
“Do you want Patty to look like she's got jaundice?”
Julia folded her arms. “Orange.”
“
I'll
look like the one with jaundice.”
“Red.”
“If this was a Christmas wedding, I might agree, but then we're running into the issue of Patty's hair again.”
“What about your basic black? I read an article the other day that said it's actually quite a trend in weddings now.”
Julia had no idea if such an article existed, but at this point, she didn't care.
Mrs. Amonds' face turned red with horror. “Like a funeral? My dear, maybe in the big city they like to go
avent garden
â”
“
Avant-garde
.”
“I'm sorry?”
“It's
avant-garde
,” Julia repeated.
“Yes, that's what I said. As I was pointing out, we like tradition here in Covington Falls.”
Julia turned to Betsy, who responded with a helpless shrug. The bride, meanwhile, looked ready to sink right through the floor. Julia decided it was time to get the Color Police out of the room.
“Mrs. Amonds, have you started looking for your dress?” Julia asked.
“I've drawn up what I want, of course, but I haven't spoken to Karen yet,” Mrs. Amonds said after a confused blink.
“Karen is the one next door, right?” Julia asked, directing the question to her assistant.
Betsy nodded.
“Well, why don't I let Betsy take you over there right now, and you can make arrangements with her?” Julia said. “I'll stay here, and Patty and I will hash out this whole color business.”
Mrs. Amonds hesitated. “Oh, but I should help Pattyâ”
Betsy, being a smart girl, sprang out of her chair. “What a perfect idea. Come with me, and we'll have you looking like the best mother-of-the-bride this town has ever seen.”
Betsy managed to pull the woman out the door. Julia turned back to Patty, who promptly bursts into tears.
Oh great. Now what?
“Patty, it's not so bad,” Julia said, hoping she didn't sound too desperate. “We'll find the right colors.”
“It's not the colors,” Patty said, through a shimmer of tears.
“What is it then? I can tell your mother is a bit difficult, butâ”
“She's not the problem either.”
“Then what's wrong?”
Patty let out a deep sigh. “I'm not sure I want to get married.”
Julia dropped into the chair with a thud. “What?”
“I know. Talk about bad timing,” Patty said, wiping her eyes.
“If you don't want to get married, why are you going through all this?”
Patty's eyes filled again. “I'm just so confused. Jim and I dated for two years. Everyone assumed we'd be getting married. I even assumed we'd get married. So, when he asked I was thrilled, but lately I've started to panic. What if I'm getting married because it's expected?”
Great, Julia thought. She was so not the person to handle this.
“Have you talked to anyone about this?” Julia asked. “Maybe your friends or parents? Your fiancé?”
“Are you kidding?” Patty asked in an incredulous voice. “Tell my mother this might all be a mistake? She'd have a heart attack.”
“Well, if you want out, don't you think it's best to do it now?”
“I don't
know
if I want out or not. What do you think I should do? How do I know if I'm truly in love?”
Julia wondered again how she kept getting into these situations. Oh right, she'd agreed to run a wedding planning business.
“Patty, I'm the last person you should be asking about this.”
“But you're a wedding planner. Love is your business.”
“To tell you truth, I've never worked as a wedding planner before.”
Patty's eyes widened. “You're kidding.”
“Sadly, I'm not. I'm probably the least romantic person you're ever likely to meet. I'm a cynic through and through.”
“You're
kidding
.”
“I should probably tell you it's cold feet, and that it's natural to be nervous when you're making such a big change in your life, but the truth is I'm not sure I believe in true love.”
By this time Patty's eyes were about to bug out of her head. “Wow, are you in the wrong profession.”
Julia's laughter was tinged with bitterness. “No kidding.”
“You don't believe in love?” Patty asked, tilting her head like a curious puppy.
“I don't know.”
“How can you live without even the hope of love?”
“I've been doing pretty well.”
Patty sighed.
Julia echoed the exhalation. “Listen, here's the only advice I can give. Take my personal feelings out of this. In fact, take everyone's personal feelings out of this, and decide what's going to make you happy. Don't get married because it's expected or because you're too afraid to back out of it. I do know too many people treat marriage lightly. They decide they're bored, or there's someone better out there, or they don't love the person the way they used to. The ending of a marriage hurts everyone involved. If you go into this with doubts, you'll only end up in a disaster.”
“You think I should call off the wedding?”
“No, I'm only saying, be sure,” Julia said. “Try and imagine yourself ten years from now. Will you regret settling for someone everyone expected you to marry, or will you regret walking away from the best thing that ever happened to you?”
Patty stared in amazement. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Whether you know it or not, you're pretty good at this advice thing. I was picturing myself ten years from now, and I automatically saw Jim and I, and it felt right.”
“You mean I helped?”
Patty nodded.
Julia looked down at the desk and the multi-colored fabric swatches. “Does that mean we
do
need to sort out this color situation?”
“Preferably before my mother comes back.”
“I'm up for it if you are,” Julia said, with a grin.
I think I might be able to handle this wedding business after all.