Cut to the Chaise
Page 25
“We were all at the Blue Moon when your message for Brett came in. Your dad and Dom are still there probably pacing the floor. Why didn’t you call me and tell me you were coming out here?”
“Because we weren’t supposed to see each other after midnight,” she answered reasonably.
With a roll of his eyes, Grant tipped her chin up and whispered, “It’s not midnight yet.” When he kissed her, Caprice finally let the fear and panic go and reveled in the strength of her husband-to-be’s arms.
Epilogue
The following day, Caprice’s and Grant’s wedding day, Caprice stood in the dressing room at St. Francis of Assisi church along with her mom, Grant’s mother, and Nana. Bella, Nikki, and Roz readied themselves to walk down the aisle. Bella finished dressing first and fussed with Caprice’s veil to make sure the headband fit just right in Caprice’s upswept hair.
“I’m surprised you don’t need more makeup,” Bella said. “Everything that went on last night and then giving your statement to the police should have caused black circles under your eyes. Did you get any sleep?”
Roz joined Bella at Caprice’s side and adjusted the pink sapphire necklace that Grant had given her as a wedding present. It matched the earrings he’d gifted her with for Christmas as well as her engagement ring. While she’d given her statement at the police station, Grant had sped to his townhouse, fetched the necklace, and given it to her right at the station. The reason? He wanted to make sure he left her by midnight. He had . . . about two minutes before twelve.
When Caprice had returned to her house, she and her aunt had talked for a long while. Still she’d managed about five hours of solid sleep and she felt wonderful this morning.
“It’s a shame all your plans and decorating are wrapped up in crime scene tape at the events room,” Nikki said, adjusting the train on Caprice’s gown. “You are so fortunate to be Ace Richland’s friend. With his connections he built you a wedding reception venue right in his backyard overnight. I’m not going to tell you what it looks like because I want it to be a surprise.”
“I don’t care what it looks like,” Caprice maintained. She glanced at her mother, who was attaching a corsage on Nana’s dress. “I’m just so thankful Ace offered when Mom called him.”
Finished with the corsage, her mother now came closer, adjusted the flutter of one of Caprice’s sleeves, and slid her hand over the ruching at Caprice’s waist. “I was afraid I was overstepping, but Ace didn’t even hesitate. I just asked him if we could borrow some picnic tables and arrange them in his backyard. But he took over.”
Grant’s mom carefully arranged the lace-edged cathedral-length bridal veil over Caprice’s train. Finished, she came around Caprice and asked hesitantly, “Can I give you a hug?”
Caprice was surprised but so delighted. She opened her arms wide and didn’t care if she wrinkled anything. As Diane hugged her, her mother-in-law-to-be whispered in Caprice’s ear, “I always wanted a daughter.”
Tears brimmed in Caprice’s eyes, and all she could say was, “Thank you.”
Nana brought Caprice her peony-and-rose-laden bouquet. A tear rolled down her cheek as she hugged Caprice and whispered, “Be happy, tesorina mia.”
Roz opened the door so they all could enter the vestibule of the church. There Brett waited to escort Grant’s mother down the aisle. Brett gave Caprice a thumbs-up then did his duty admirably.
Roz, Bella, and Nikki lined up in front of Caprice while Vince walked Nana and his mother to the front of the church. Caprice’s gown swished around her as she made her way to her dad who offered her his arm.
As organ music swelled, Caprice walked down the aisle on her dad’s arm toward Grant.
* * *
Grant had arranged for a horse and buggy to transport him and Caprice from the church to the reception. Caprice wouldn’t have cared if they traveled by bobsled or hot air balloon. She was just so happy to be married to Grant she couldn’t stop grinning.
She and Grant sat close, holding hands as the horse clomped along a back road to Ace’s estate. At the security gate, the driver of the horse and buggy tapped in the code to open the gate.
“Are you sure Ace won’t mind the buggy messing up his lawn?” Caprice asked as the horse was led around to the back of the mansion.
“Ace is the one who told us to do it,” Grant offered. “He’s been so terrific about everything.”
“I’ll have to decorate Marsha’s house for free.”
The driver of the open buggy stopped at the fire pit where Grant had proposed to Caprice. “This spot will always be memorable,” Caprice murmured.
“I’m sure Ace will let us borrow it now and then,” Grant assured her.
Grant exited the buggy first, then held out his hand to help Caprice step down. When she did, she faced Ace’s yard. “Oh, my gosh,” she said to Grant. “Look at the tents and the flowers! It’s my color scheme.”
“Now that’s all important,” Grant remarked with a chuckle.
“But it is. It’s what we were supposed to have in the events room down to the smallest detail.”
“Ace cares about you and your family. He wouldn’t let you down.”
And he didn’t. Ace even played Master of Ceremonies, announcing Grant and Caprice under the flowered arch, escorting them to the wedding party’s table. There were two wedding cakes—the more traditional one had layers with edible flowers drifting from the top layer to the bottom layer, as well as a groom’s cake that was covered in chocolate frosting with two cocker spaniels who looked remarkably like Lady and Patches as a cake topper.
The wedding party had been introduced before Grant and Caprice. Her family and his were waiting for them, and there were hugs all around. Holden and Grant’s dad even let her hug them. Not very long hugs, but it was a start.
Grant kept his hand at Caprice’s waist as if he was afraid she’d flutter off if he didn’t hold on. While all the guests were finding their seats, Brett tapped Caprice’s shoulder. “Do you want to be brought up-to-date or do you want to forget everything except your wedding reception?”
When Caprice glanced at Grant, he gave a nod. After all, he did know her very well. “Catch me up,” she murmured.
“Leon confessed. He calmed down after he came to and we had a doctor check him. He insisted he wasn’t paying out of his pocket for a lawyer.”
“Did you find out why he murdered Travis?” Grant asked.
“It all had to do with the classic cars,” Brett explained. “Leon murdered Travis because Travis discovered he wasn’t using authentic car parts in the restored vehicles. Leon claimed that he was so he could charge more. His business and his life would have been ruined if word got out. Leon was also the one who hired the teenager to ruin Rambling Vines’ wine.”
“What did Neil have to do with it?” Caprice asked. “And how is he?”
“The bullet went clear through Neil’s shoulder. It will heal after some physical therapy. He apparently knew about the unauthentic auto parts so he was blackmailing Leon for a cut when Leon sold the vehicles for Michelle. Leon even confessed to sending that virus to Caprice’s computer through a website on the dark web. That adds terrorist threats to the charges of assault with a deadly weapon and second-degree murder. My guess is that Neil Allen will dispute Leon’s claim that he was going to be blackmailed. It’s a he-said, he-said situation and no crime had been committed yet. Neil is planning to move out of state.”
Suddenly Fred and his wife, Agnes, appeared by Caprice’s side. She hugged them both and introduced them to Grant.
The first thing Fred asked Caprice was, “Do we have to sign anything to keep Grayson? Because we definitely want him. That pooch has been essential to Agnes getting well.”
Caprice was delighted with the assessment. “I suspected the three of you would get along. No, there’s nothing to sign.”
“I have other news, too,” Fred said. “I’m going to be making wine at Rambling Vines. Michelle and her mother-in-law ar
e going to run it, and they want me to create the wine.”
“That’s wonderful news!”
“When Michelle called me this morning, she said you’d invited her to the wedding but she wasn’t going to come. She said something about starting to put her life back in order.”
Caprice guessed that meant bringing Dion Genet into her life more fully.
All at once, everyone began clapping and laughing.
When Caprice looked in the direction of the pool and pool house, she spotted the reason.
Ace waved to them, stooped, and let Patches and Lady off their leashes. The two cocker spaniels made a beeline for Grant and Caprice. Before she’d left for the reception, Bella had helped her change veils and detach her train so she could move around more easily.
Now she stooped down to pet both dogs and Grant did the same.
“If Ace could figure out how to bring Mirabelle and Sophia here, he would have,” Grant told her. “Ace said he had a talk with them and they preferred to stay at home.”
Before Grant and Caprice could stand, the guests began clinking their spoons against their glasses.
Caprice knew what that meant, and she smiled. Grant stood first and put his hand under her elbow to help her straighten. Gazing into those gray eyes that had always mesmerized her, Caprice wrapped her arms around his neck. Then Grant kissed her. She knew she’d never forget this moment. . . this day. Perfect happiness didn’t come around that often. She was going to savor it while she could.
ORIGINAL RECIPES
Three Cheese Rotelle and Pepperoni Casserole
1 pound ground beef
½ cup chopped onion
½ teaspoon salt
teaspoon black pepper
1 clove garlic, grated
24-ounce jar spaghetti sauce (I use Prego Flavored
with Meat)
3 cups Rotelle #124
2 ounces pepperoni (I use turkey pepperoni)
1½ cups grated Monterey Jack Cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown ground beef and chopped onions in a frying pan. Add salt, pepper, and garlic. Add the jar of spaghetti sauce and heat on medium high until the mixture begins to boil. Then turn to simmer until the pasta is ready. Cook pasta according to package directions, then drain. Put ½ in a 2-quart casserole. Mix in ½ of meat sauce. Top with a layer of pepperoni. Sprinkle ½ of each cheese on top. Spread in the rest of the pasta and cover with the remaining meat sauce and the remaining cheeses.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Serves 4
Gourmet Chicken Salad
1 boneless whole breast
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ teaspoon salt
teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon orange rind
⅓ cup chopped celery
⅓ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup pine nuts
teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
⅓ cup Ranch dressing
In a small roasting pan place chicken breast with chopped onion, salt, pepper, and enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1½ hours, until the meat pulls apart easily.
Tear chicken into small pieces in a bowl. Add orange rind, chopped celery, dried cranberries, pine nuts, garlic powder, mayonnaise, and Ranch dressing. Mix together. Refrigerate.
Serve in your favorite bun or on a bed of fresh garden greens.
Serves 4
Caprice’s White Cake with Mascarpone and Strawberry Topping
White Cake
½ cup vegetable oil
1½ cups granulated sugar
5 egg whites
1 whole egg
½ cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ cup 2% milk
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2½ cups flour
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13” pan.
Mix oil and sugar. Add eggs, then vanilla and sour cream. Add milk, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and flour. Beat well and pour into pan.
Bake 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clear.
When cool, top the cake with mascarpone and whipped cream topping.
Mascarpone and Whipped Cream Topping
8 oz heavy whipping cream
8 oz Mascarpone
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
½ teaspoon almond flavoring
1 cup sliced strawberries (for topping)
In a chilled bowl, whip heavy whipping cream until thick. Add Mascarpone and whip with the cream until smooth. Add almond flavoring, then add powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time. Spread this mixture over the cake. Spread sliced strawberries on top.