A Wedding at the Orange Blossom Inn(75)

“Come sit by William and me, Dawdi,” Lena said. “William has kittens. He can tell you all about them.”

Samuel winked at Emma. “I was just thinking that I needed to hear about some kittens. Move over, Lena, and hand me one of those paper plates, too.”

As Rachel took the chair next to Annie and reached for a slice of cheese pizza, Emma met Jay’s gaze. His eyes were filled with patience and understanding, making her realize that she wasn’t simply feeling hope; it was something far stronger.

She had just fallen in love for the second time in her life. That was surprising enough in and of itself.

What was even more miraculous was that she didn’t feel a single drop of guilt about it.





Chapter 24


Today was the day.

A large white tent stood erect in the back of the Orange Blossom Inn. Inside the voluminous structure lay at least twenty tables and four times that many chairs. The tables, chairs, and even the plywood floor were painted white.

And now, some of Beverly’s friends were in the lodging business, too. Winnie and Sadie had graciously taken in some of Tricia’s and Ben’s relatives. Even the Kaufmann family had opened their spacious home. In fact, it now served as a home base for Edward and Beverly’s other siblings and their parents. Other guests from Charm and Walnut Creek were staying at local hotels and inns. It seemed an October wedding in Sarasota, Florida, was an excellent excuse for a weekend getaway.

Or maybe it was the chance to see two young people who had overcome their share of hardships celebrate a most glorious day.

Standing in her kitchen at five in the morning, Beverly wondered how it was possible to feel so tired. And then she recalled just how frenetic the last week had been. She had been entertaining relatives, soothing Tricia’s nerves, cooking every spare minute in between . . . and making the most glorious cake.

She’d been working on it for three days now. It was five layers, filled with an orange ganache, and iced with thick buttercream frosting. She’d also made delicate white-chocolate leaves and arranged them on the top around a small bouquet of real, pale orange roses. It was the prettiest cake she’d ever made and it was her gift to Tricia, her way of letting her niece know that she loved her and was genuinely happy for her, too.

But all the cooking and wedding preparations weren’t the only cause of her jangling nerves. No, the cause of that had much to do with the man who had arrived yesterday afternoon and been given the best room in the inn.

Eric Wagler—her boss, her friend, her pen pal, her support system—had returned.

She’d known he was coming to the wedding, of course. He’d promised he would, even if his house still hadn’t sold. And she’d been slowly learning that Eric kept his promises. No matter what.

Her hands shook as she poured herself another cup of coffee and attempted to tell herself that the trembling had everything to do with too much caffeine consumption. It didn’t take but a moment to realize that excuse was a fantasy, for sure.

They’d all been sitting in the living room last night—Tricia and Ben, Jay Hilty, Edward and Kathleen. Frank and Ginny Kaufmann had been there, too, along with Leona and Zack Kaufmann. They’d been laughing at a story Kathleen had told about Tricia when she was a little girl. It seemed sweet, impetuous, energetic Tricia had been fond of mice and was constantly trying to save them.

Since mice and barns were not necessarily a good combination, their barn cats were kept very busy. But one of the barn cats had the unfortunate habit of always, always bringing her catch directly to Tricia. No matter where she was or how the other family members might have praised the cat. And every time, Tricia would squeal and run and cry and insist on a mouse funeral.

“Every. Single. Time,” her older sister Kate had said as they’d all laughed.

“Tricia, what are we going to do with our kitten?” Ben asked.

“Hope it’s lazy,” Kate had said.

Which, of course, had made all of them erupt into even more gales of laughter. Beverly had started crying, she was laughing so hard.

And that was the scene Eric had walked into.

“Eric!” Tricia had said before running over and giving him a welcome hug. “You’re just in time to save me.”

He’d tossed his green canvas duffel on the ground, cast a concerned glance Beverly’s way, then wrapped his arms around Tricia. “Save you? My favorite bride-to-be? What’s going on?”

Pulling away, she smiled at Ben and then at her parents. “I’m getting teased about my, um, childish love for mice.”

Eric had thrown back his head and laughed like it was the best thing he’d heard in a year. “This is why I couldn’t wait to return,” he declared. “I missed this place.”