by Tonya Kappes
I looked back and saw Patrick. His head was bobbing back and forth, first finger pointing, then rubbing his hands together and finally nervously running his hands through his hair.
“I love you. This is right. You and I both know it.” He assured her, (I’m assuming her was Juliette).
I’d heard of cold feet before, but I never experienced it. My only issue when I got married was not having my parents with me.
Evidently, Patrick made it all better with more words because when I turned back around, they were in each other’s arms, playing kissy face. I couldn’t see Juliette’s face, but I could see the smile on Patrick’s face. It was the first time that my intuition told me that he was really in love. I turned back around to watch Oscar’s feet bob up and out of the water from all his diving.
“Boys will be boys.” Juliette appeared next to me.
“Hi,” I said. The line between my eyes creased. There was no way she’d had time to walk from the palm tree to here within seconds.
“You look confused.” She laughed. “Juliette. I just met you back there.” She pointed behind her.
“Yes. I know. Weren’t you just. . .” I blinked my eyes a couple of times. I noticed the bag in her hand. “Where have you been?”
“Looking for treasure.” She giggled.
“Treasure?” I asked, a little curious.
“That’s what I’m told by Peter.” She held up a map that had been drawn by what looked to be a child. “He claims his dad told him about it. He insisted we go up to the volcano and look for it. Since Patrick was going to play around here, I thought I’d go and play with Peter.”
“That is so sweet.” I noticed Peter was looking through his own bag of treasure. He pulled out a bottle of chocolate milk and sat in the sand to drink it. “Well?”
“Well what?” she asked.
“Did you find any treasure?” I asked.
“He found some beautiful treasure, didn’t you, Peter?” Juliette’s smile was tender and caring. “Put down your milk and show Mrs. Park what you found. He loves chocolate milk.”
“June,” I corrected her. “You can call me June.” I gulped realizing more than ever that I had taken on the same attitude as Darla and how she didn’t like to be called anything but Darla.
I sat up on the edge of the beach chair and watched the pride on Peter’s face as he gently took out of the bag different colored shells.
“Treasure.” He held out a beautiful piece of lava rock that had solidified.
“That’s beautiful.” I pushed myself up a little more to get a better look.
“He had the most beautiful shell collection from all the times his parents had brought him here, but lost it all in the fire.” She rubbed a loving hand down Peter’s back. He didn’t seem to pay much attention to it.
My heart warmed. It was good to see Juliette taking on the mothering role for her soon-to-be brother-in-law.
“I hope you find a lot of treasure,” I said to him and looked over when I heard the sand shuffling behind me.
“Treasure?” Violet asked as she stood behind us.
“Yeah.” Juliette laughed. “Peter thinks there is treasure near the volcano.”
“The volcano is off limits.” Violet didn’t find the cute treasure hunt at all cute. “Gene should’ve told you that when he took you to your villa.”
“He did, but we were fine.” Juliette drew back.
“If it weren’t off limits, then we would take you. Stay away from the volcano.” Violet’s voice was stern, not at all wavering.
“Chill out.” Juliette shook her head.
“Everything okay here?” Patrick jogged up. He looked at Juliette with the dead eyes I’d seen before.
“It’s fine.” Juliette kissed his lips. His eyes wandered to Violet and the look of love glistened in them as he looked at her.
“It’s not fine.” Violet turned on the balls of her bare feet and trotted off.
Patrick and Juliette strolled off. Juliette kicking the surf water up at Patrick as he grabbed her, picked her up and cradled her in his arms.
“This is when I tell my father that sometimes it’s best to just shut down the island.” Anger spilled out of Violet’s mouth. She had returned and sat next to me. In the sunlight, the freckles danced across her nose and even along the tops of her shoulders.
“It’s a beautiful treasure not to share with the world.” I dragged my bag across the sand and took out my sunscreen.
“People like her will make it not so beautiful.” Violet’s eyes narrowed. “Plus, Patrick should’ve told her because he and his family have been here so many times that they know what is off limits.”
Her displeasure of Juliette was apparent and I wasn’t so sure it was the fact that Juliette had gone past the preserve and to the volcano that was the true source of her hatred or the fact Juliette had snagged Patrick.
“That smells good.” She turned her attention to me and adjusted the elastic of the strapless dress underneath her armpits. “What is it?”
I held out the lime green potion bottle.
“It’s sunscreen. Homeopathic sunscreen.” I had to tell her something due to the fact it wasn’t bottled in the normal sunscreen plastic containers.
“Homeopathic?” Her head tilted. She took it from me and got a closer inspection. She even popped the cork to get a smell. “What is the SPF?”
The question swirled in my head. The potion was specifically made for me and it took on the SPF that my body and skin needed.
“I’m not sure. I have been testing it out for years and it’s something I make for me so it’s not the same for you.” I shrugged hoping the answer would satisfy her.
“Interesting.” She turned the bottle around and got a look at it from all sides. “Can I try some?”
“Sure.” I backed up in the chair and started to relax. The ocean was calm and bright blue with a hint of green every so often. In the distance a family of dolphins took turns jumping in and out of the water.
The water flowed beyond the horizon while the baby blue sky blanketed above us with a few puffs of white clouds that looked as if someone had pulled apart a cotton ball and placed them there. The chirp of the seagulls echoed as they flew overhead and the sound of the waves lightly rolling on the packed sand was so soothing to the soul.
As much as I hated to admit it, the Order of Elders did send us to a wonderful island for our honeymoon and I was not disappointed.
“This is wonderful.” Violet had taken it upon herself to pour some of the sunscreen in her hands and apply it to her bare shoulders. “Silky smooth.” Her hands slid along her arms. “Are you a scientist?”
“Not really.” I had never really thought about it, but I would say the mortals might call me that. I dug back in my bag and took out my round brush. It made the most perfect curl at the end of my bob. “You know healing medicines?” She nodded. “Well, I’m a homeopathic scientist, I guess you could say. I make my own cures for things.”
“Do you sell them?” She handed the bottle back to me. Curiosity sat in her eyes.
“I do. Back home in Kentucky I have a shop called A Charming Cure.” My stomach tickled with excitement. I hadn’t really left Whispering Falls enough to brag on my business since opening it. “It’s mostly word of mouth and I also have a little line in Head to Toe Works.”
“Oh. I love those stores.” Her eyes lit up. “You must be famous.”
“No, not really.” Only in the spiritual world, I thought, knowing that I used to be the Village President and the chosen one at one point. “But I do love my job.”
“Oscar is too?” she asked.
“Oh no.” My nose curled. He’s a wizard; I smiled as the thought breezed along my brain. “He’s a cop. For the same village.”
“You live in a village?” She continued to hammer me with questions, making me think that I should’ve used more common names.
“Small town in Kentucky. It’s really a tourist town set in the foothills
of the caves and mountains.” I leaned my head back on the lawn chair and closed my eyes, hoping she’d take a hint and leave.
“That is wonderful.” She paused. “My father never has taken me to the states.”
“Really?” I was a little shocked. “You know how to run a nice business for never leaving.”
“When I was younger, his excuse was that the world would swallow me whole. It scared me, but really he needed the help.” She smiled. “I got my education right here. I learned to sew.” She ran her hands down her sundress.
“You made that?” I asked.
“I did and I love it. In fact, all the suits and clothes we wear on the island are made by me.” She nodded. Pride was written all over her face.
“I love your dress.” I noticed the detail in the stitching and the perfect hemline. The side seams were evenly matched with the chevron pattern. “Did you do the monogramming too?”
She ran her hand across the monogram on the small pocket on the chest.
“I did.” She smiled. She pointed to my brush. “That just made the perfect curl.”
Without asking, she ran it through her hair a couple of times, leaving the end turned under.
“How on earth?” she smiled.
“As seen on TV.” I lied. Chandra had given me the brush and it was special. No matter where I was, I could run the brush through my hair and it would look perfect after every stroke.
Her flip phone buzzed and she walked away to answer it. In the distance I could see Patrick and Juliette walking down the beach. He looked over his shoulder and back at me. I guessed I wasn’t interesting enough, because his eyes drew behind me.
I looked over my shoulder to see what he was looking at. Violet disappeared behind the palm tree where I’d seen Patrick talking to someone. When she peaked around, the pair of eyes the person Patrick had been talking to was Violet not Juliette. My mouth dropped and my stomach knotted.
I dragged my bag across the sand back to me and stuck my hand in. I pulled out the foil covered Ding Dong and opened it. As soon as my teeth cracked the hard outside shell of the delicious treat, I couldn’t help but think of what I’d heard Patrick say and it wasn’t to Juliette.
I love you.
Chapter Seven
“I’m telling you something is going on.” I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut as much as I wanted to. I had to tell Oscar exactly what I’d seen. “He is with another woman. And it’s Violet.”
“That’s ridiculous, June.” Oscar was in the shower while I stood at the mirror putting on makeup for the rehearsal dinner for Patrick and Juliette. “He was all gushy about them getting married while we were in the water.”
“I’m telling you I saw it with my own eyes. He was kissing Violet. He told her he loved her. And Juliette can’t marry him like that.” Even though I didn’t really know them and I really shouldn’t be sticking my nose into their business, I was still a woman that wasn’t about to sit around and watch another woman destroy a marriage that hadn’t even begun yet. “I’d rather her know now instead of years down the road.”
The eyes.
“June,” Oscar stepped out of the shower and toweled himself off. “This is none of our business. In a few days we will never see these people again.”
“But. . .” I protested.
“But nothing.” He walked over and kissed the top of my head. “Did you see Violet and Patrick actually kissing? Her full face?”
“No.” I wanted to tell him that my intuition told me and that her eyes told me and his face told me, but then he’d say I was using my gift and that I was supposed to have left it at home.
“We are on our honeymoon. They have nothing to do with us. If you can’t handle that then we will do our own thing tonight.” He pulled back and looked at me.
“No. I told Juliette we would go.” Not that I was desperate to keep my word, I was desperate to find out what was going on with Violet and Patrick. I dug through my bag looking for my brush. “Why would he marry Juliette if he is in love with another woman?”
“June.” Oscar put on a blue button down and buttoned it from the bottom up. I gave up on finding the brush and walked over and turned his collar down. “Honey, please let it go. This is none of our business and you aren’t home to make a potion to find out.”
“Potion,” I whispered.
“No. No magic.” His brows lifted. “You promised.”
I rubbed the pad of my finger and thumb together. “No potions.”
But I never said I wouldn’t touch Patrick with my new finger spell gift from Aunt Helena and give him a little jolt of a love spell to be in love and stay in love with Juliette.
I never said no magic. I smiled and curled up on my toes to give him a kiss. He hesitated and looked deep within my soul through my eyes, then gave in.
“And this night snorkeling is going to be a lot of fun.” His eyes danced with excitement.
“Yeah.” There was trepidation in my voice. “I think I’ll let you go and I’ll hang here to enjoy the nighttime view.”
He smiled and kissed the top of my head. He knew I wasn’t going to go. I had never been fond of doing things outside of my surroundings, especially in the middle of the night in a big dark ocean. The Jaws theme song played in my head.
“Da-duh, da-duh.” I teased Oscar doing my best Jaws impression as he flailed his body like he was being attacked. We laughed as I grabbed my bag and he waited by the door.
Tulip Island was just as magical at night as it was in the daylight. The stars blanketed the sky like all the fireflies that dotted the night in Whispering Falls. The ocean and breeze played around in a flirtatious motion, in sync with one another.
My soul had settled down a little since the first day was almost over and there wasn’t anything that sent my gut on high alert. I’d taken a sneak peek at A Charming Cure through Madame Torres. She was happy sitting on the table looking out at the ocean during the day, so she was very accommodating to my request without a snarky attitude. She even showed me a very grumpy Mr. Prince Charming sitting next to The Gathering Rock while Patience Karima tried to lure him with the fresh head of a salmon. Little did she realize, Mr. Prince Charming hated all things fishy. Or any cat food for that matter.
“Do you regret the impromptu wedding ceremony we had?” Oscar asked once the view of the rehearsal dinner was in our sights. He paused and continued as though he were trying to change the original question. “I mean, like the wedding you always dreamed of?”
“This isn’t what Juliette said she always dreamed of.” I pointed to the white tent that was set up on the beach. White twinkling lights covered the top and the poles, so much so that you couldn’t even see the material the tent was made out of.
Mr. Victor and Violet were standing on the outside of the tent talking with a couple of the people in the wedding party. He made eye contact with me and acknowledged it with a little nod.
“Patrick said it was her dream.” Oscar refused to believe what she’d told me.
“I told you that she said it was his because he’d come here so much with his family and it was to honor them. But I don’t care about them.” I hooked my arm in the crook of his elbow and pulled him to me. “I had the most beautiful wedding.”
“That wasn’t my question.” Oscar stopped. The full moon was like a spotlight on us. “God, you are beautiful.” He ran the back of his hand down my cheek. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too.” I snuggled my head up against his chest and held him for a few minutes.
“Are you enjoying your honeymoon?” Violet walked up behind us.
“We are,” Oscar answered her while I continued to enjoy the moment of his sentimental side. It was nice not to have the guarded cop personality like he’d have at home.
“Wonderful.” She swayed side-to-side. I pulled away from Oscar. “June, you really should come to get a spa treatment.”
“You can come with us!” Juliette had snuck up on us. “I’m having a tr
eatment for the girls tomorrow.”
“Come, come, everyone.” Mr. Victor waved us over. “It’s time for the wine tasting and for Patrick to pick the wine for the bride.”
Everyone gathered around and watched as Mr. Victor did his unusual wine opening ritual where he poured, swirled, smelled, swirled again, and then took a sip before swirling another time. After he sipped and swirled, he spit into the spittoon. Violet wasn’t as dramatic as her father, but she did the same thing before they let Patrick spit and swirl until he came to the conclusion that the fifth wine they tried was the perfect one.
“I have some pretty shells.” Peter appeared out of nowhere and he pulled a few shells from the pocket of his pants along with some sand. “My mom and dad always loved to go shelling here. Well, not here.” He pointed out to the ocean. “There. Sparkly shells.”
“I see you made a new friend.” Patrick walked up to us. He handed me a glass of wine. “I hope you enjoy the sweet floral notes. Juliette loves a sweet wine so I knew she’d enjoy this one.”
A sneeze escaped me.
“Here.” Patrick pulled out a handkerchief. “Bless you.”
“Thank you.” I waved the monogrammed hanky away. “I don’t need. . .achoo!”
“I insist.” He forced me to take the hanky and I couldn’t help but notice it was the same stitching Violet had used on her dress.
“I couldn’t use your monogrammed hanky.” I held my finger under my nose, feeling yet another sneeze.
“I insist.” He refused to take it back.
“Please take it.” Juliette rushed over. “He has so many at home. I keep asking him where on Earth did he get them, but he keeps saying that he doesn’t remember.”
“I’m sure my mom had them made.” His voice was reserved. His eyes shifted. “Go on Peter. It’s probably your bedtime.”
Peter glared at Patrick and shuffled his feet in the sand.
I noticed how he’d dismissed Peter. Peter hung his head and walked away. While Patrick made small talk, I watched Peter walk over to one of the tables and sit down. He lined his shells up on the table in front of him by size. Biggest to smallest.