“I’m putting you down, Amelia Bedelia,” said Pearl. She was laughing too.
Amelia Bedelia began laughing at herself and how ridiculous she must have looked in Pearl’s arms.
“What are you doing here?” asked Bob. “How did you get here?”
“A boat,” said Amelia Bedelia.
“I mean,” said Bob, “what brought you back down to the shore?”
“A car,” said Amelia Bedelia.
Bob smiled and shook his head. Amelia Bedelia smiled back. She was relieved, because so far, she hadn’t told any fibs. She looked at Pearl and opened her eyes really wide. Pearl nodded as if to say, Good job, and yes, this is so weird!
“Well,” said Bob, “I’m glad you’re here, whatever the reason.”
“We were afraid we were trespassing,” said Pearl.
“You are trespassers!” said Bob in his loud mean-man voice.
“It’s too late to scare us now,” said Amelia Bedelia.
Bob smiled. “Actually, this island does belong to me. It’s been in our family for generations. See that crumbling cottage? My great-grandfather built it by hand.”
“Wow,” said Pearl. “I’ve been sailing around here for years. It’s always deserted. I’ve never thought about someone owning it.”
“Well, you two stumbled across our little secret,” said Bob. He winked at the lady with the flashing earrings, and she smiled. “You’ve got to promise not to say a word to Mary about this.”
There was an awkward silence as Amelia Bedelia looked at Pearl and Pearl looked back at Amelia Bedelia. Then Bob hit his forehead with the heel of his hand, as though he had just remembered something important.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “Where are my manners? I’d like you to meet Anita Jackson. She’s my niece, the daughter of my older brother, Tom.”
Amelia Bedelia felt like a ten-ton weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
“It’s so so so so great to meet you,” she said to Anita. “I’m Amelia Bedelia, and this is my friend Pearl.”
“Come on into the cottage,” said Bob, holding back the thorny blackberry canes so they could pass. “I want to show you something.”
“This is where we got the blackberries for the cobbler,” said Amelia Bedelia. “The one Aunt Mary accidentally baked her ring in.”
“I found the ring with my metal detector,” said Bob to Anita.
“Metal Man to the rescue!” Anita laughed. “That’s our nickname for Uncle Bob,” she explained.
“Hey! That’s what we call him too!” said Amelia Bedelia.
“When I placed that ring back on Mary’s finger,” said Bob, “I realized that what I’d actually found was the one for me.”
Amelia Bedelia opened her eyes wide again and looked at Pearl. She wished Aunt Mary could hear this.
They gathered around an old table in the messy dining room. The table was covered with plans and drawings. “Anita’s an architect,” said Bob. “She’s drawn up the plans for a major renovation of the cottage. This is going to be my wedding present for Mary and Jason!”
Wow! Amelia Bedelia knew that her aunt and cousin would love that. Her stomach growled loudly.
“We’ve got some sandwiches,” said Bob, opening the picnic basket. “Let’s have lunch while Anita shows you the plans. We’re going to have solar power and . . .”
Lunch! Oh, no! Amelia Bedelia had told her mother that she’d be right back!
“My mom’s waiting for me,” said Amelia Bedelia. “But the cottage is great! Could we take two sandwiches with us instead?” She grabbed Pearl’s hand. “Bye and thank you! Nice meeting you, Anita!”
“Remember,” Bob called out. “Don’t breathe a word to Mary or Jason!”
“We promise!” yelled Pearl.
“Cross our hearts!” hollered Amelia Bedelia as she and Pearl raced back to the sailboat, sandwiches in hand.
Pearl and Amelia Bedelia sailed back to the marina in record time. It was not soon enough for Amelia Bedelia’s mother. She was standing on the pier with her hands on her hips. She did not look happy.
“I know, I know,” said Amelia Bedelia, tying up the sailboat with her first official knot, a round turn and two half hitches. She was thinking that if she owned up to making a mistake, her mother would be more understanding.
“Young lady . . . ,” said Amelia Bedelia’s mother.
Amelia Bedelia knew that this was not a good sign. Whenever a grown-up called her a young lady, it was the tip of an iceberg threatening to sink the good ship Amelia Bedelia. She and Pearl hopped out of the boat and onto the pier.
“Young lady,” said her mother once again. “Welcome back.”
“Thanks, Mom,” said Amelia Bedelia. She gave her mom a hug. Maybe she was going to get off easy after all.
“I hope you enjoy dry land,” said Amelia Bedelia’s mother. “Because you are grounded!”
“Mom!” wailed Amelia Bedelia.
“It was my fault,” said Pearl. “We were having fun, and I lost track of time.”
“You are a good friend, Pearl, and you’re a good sailor,” said Amelia Bedelia’s mother. “But my daughter needs to learn a lesson. She can’t just take off and not tell anyone where she is going or when she is coming back.”
Amelia Bedelia hung her head. She felt really bad that she had worried her mother.
“Sweetie, I was about to call the coast guard to search for you two!”
Now Amelia Bedelia felt like crying.
“We’d better head back,” called Aunt Wanda, jogging down the pier toward them. “Mary wants to stop by Second Helpings on our way to see if she can return the dress.”
Amelia Bedelia looked up. “Did Aunt Mary find a dress she liked better?”
Amelia Bedelia’s mother and Aunt Wanda glanced at each other, then back at Amelia Bedelia. “Sweetie—” said her mother.
“Mary changed her mind,” said Aunt Wanda. “There isn’t going to be a wedding.”
“No wedding!” said Amelia Bedelia. “But Bob has worked so hard!” She clapped her hands over her mouth.
“What about Bob?” said Amelia Bedelia’s mother.
“Did you see Bob?” asked Aunt Wanda. “Come on, you let the cat out of the bag. Spill the beans, already.”
Amelia Bedelia and Pearl looked at each other. “I didn’t spill any beans out of a bag with a cat,” said Amelia Bedelia.
“Would you excuse us for a second?” Pearl said. She grabbed Amelia Bedelia and pulled her down the pier. “We promised Bob not to tell your aunt Mary,” she said. “Can’t we tell your mom as long as she doesn’t give away the surprise? It’s our only chance to save the wedding.”
Amelia Bedelia agreed. The first thing she did was swear her mother and Aunt Wanda to secrecy. Then she and Pearl told them the whole story. By the time they got back to the parking lot to meet Grandma and Aunt Mary, they had a plan.
“I’m so sorry, Amelia Bedelia,” said Aunt Mary. “It’s such a beautiful dress and I know you were excited. But it’s easier to call off a wedding than a marriage. Believe me, I know.”
“You can’t do that, Aunt Mary,” said Amelia Bedelia.
“I’m so sorry, sweetie,” said Aunt Mary.
“You really can’t call off the wedding,” said Amelia Bedelia.
“Why not?” asked Aunt Mary.
“I can’t tell you,” said Amelia Bedelia. She glanced at her mother and Aunt Wanda. They both nodded.
Aunt Mary looked at them. She was frowning.
“This should be an interesting ride home,” said Grandma.
When Pearl hugged Amelia Bedelia good-bye, she whispered, “We survived the hurricane!”
Luckily for Amelia Bedelia, her mom, grandma, and aunts had barely touched their lunches. Everyone had a box of leftovers in the car.
Amelia Bedelia’s stomach was still growling a little.
“Want to dig in to my doggie bag?” asked Grandma.
Amelia Bedelia opened Grandma’s box
. “I don’t eat dogs, Grandma, but I’ll eat this grilled cheese,” she said. “And the pickle!”
After Amelia Bedelia had devoured most of the four lunches, she dozed off. Leaning her head against Grandma for a pillow, she dreamed of tying knots at ten knots per hour.
By the time they returned to Amelia Bedelia’s house, the wedding was back on. Amelia Bedelia, who had slept the entire way home, hoped that her mother and Aunt Wanda had kept the promise that Amelia Bedelia had made to Bob. Whatever they’d said had certainly worked.
“One last thing,” said Aunt Wanda. Everyone was still sitting in the car. “You’ll have less stress if you hire someone who does weddings for a living.”
“That’s a job?” said Amelia Bedelia. “Getting married?”
“You can’t make a career of being a bride,” said Aunt Wanda, laughing. “But planning a wedding is a big job.”
“Can you recall the name of that planner you were raving about?” said Aunt Mary.
Aunt Wanda shook her head and said, “Not at the moment, but she’s perfect.”
“Maybe I’ll have a destination wedding,” said Aunt Mary.
Amelia Bedelia’s mother sighed dreamily. “Yes! And go somewhere romantic!”
“Like Italy,” said Aunt Mary. “Maybe Venice. Or Florence.”
“That’s it!” said Aunt Wanda.
Aunt Mary laughed. “Is Florence your pick?”
“No, that’s the wedding planner’s name! Florence,” said Wanda. “She goes by Flo.”
“Flo?” said Grandma.
“Flo does everything,” said Wanda. “Her slogan is ‘Go with the Flo.’”
“Sounds like you can relax, Mary,” said Amelia Bedelia’s mother, “and enjoy being the bride.”
Aunt Wanda was not kidding. The very next day, Amelia Bedelia was playing catch with Jason in her front yard when a sports car skidded to a stop at the curb. The door swung open, and out sprang Florence, the wedding planner. She bounded up to the front door, her jewelry jangling. She looked and sounded like she was moving even when she was standing still.
By the time Amelia Bedelia and Jason got to the living room, Flo was pacing to and fro, lecturing Aunt Wanda, Aunt Mary, and Amelia Bedelia’s mother, who were squished together on the coach.
“Leave everything to me,” said Flo. “But as I warn all my brides—don’t expect perfection! Things will go wrong, as they always do. I guarantee it!”
“Oh, no,” whispered Jason to Amelia Bedelia. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“Years from now,” continued Flo as she swished back and forth across the living room rug, “you’ll look back and those little catastrophes will be what makes your wedding special and unique. I guarantee that too! And at the end of the day, you’ll be married.”
Amelia Bedelia whispered back, “Sounds wonderful. Even the goof-ups will be great.”
Flo handed out sheets of paper. There were questions to be answered and all kinds of diagrams and lists. “These are my Flo charts,” she said. “Fill these in, and they will keep us on track for the big day. First off, who is the maid of honor?”
Amelia Bedelia couldn’t believe it. A maid of honor?
Aunt Mary grabbed Amelia Bedelia’s mother by the wrist and raised her hand. “Here’s my matron of honor,” she said.
Aunt Mary is the best, thought Amelia Bedelia. Now Mom won’t have to clean up after the wedding!
“And who are your bridesmaids?” asked Flo.
Aunt Mary raised Wanda’s hand. “Here’s one,” she said.
Amelia Bedelia couldn’t imagine that! Aunt Wanda hated housework. Amelia Bedelia raised her hand. “I’m good with a vacuum,” she said. “I can help.”
Flo looked at Amelia Bedelia.
“You’d be a fantastic flower girl.”
“What kind of flower?” she asked.
“Wild,” said Flo. “I’ll bring you a bunch on the big day.”
The one thing, two things, that Flo the wedding planner refused to handle were the bachelor and bachelorette parties—the traditional parties for the groom and the bride, given by their friends.
Aunt Mary decided that she wanted an old-fashioned slumber party at her beach house. That was when Amelia Bedelia’s father said, “The best way to escape the bridal brigade is to go to sea.”
“To see what?” asked Amelia Bedelia.
“To see how many huge fish we can catch,” said her father.
Amelia Bedelia’s father planned a deep-sea fishing trip for the guys on the same night as the bachelorette slumber party. Captain Will was going to take them out on the Reel Busy.
Amelia Bedelia and her mother were sad to see them go, but also delighted to get rid of them for a night. They got busy in the kitchen making all of Aunt Mary’s favorite dishes, such as macaroni and cheese, lasagna, and chicken pot pie. For dessert, Amelia Bedelia’s mother arranged for a pastry chef to bring different wedding cakes and icings to sample. Aunt Mary wanted everyone to taste each cake and icing and vote on the most delicious combinations so that she could tell Flo what kind of cake to order.
“Eating cakes and grading them is the kind of homework I like,” said Amelia Bedelia.
Everyone sat around the living room sampling cake and telling stories. Amelia Bedelia’s mother told Amelia Bedelia’s favorite story about her parents. How they had rented a camper for their honeymoon and spent the entire time getting themselves out of one pickle after another, including mud puddles, a beehive, and an encounter with an angry moose.
“My brand-new husband kept his sense of humor throughout the whole ordeal,” said Amelia Bedelia’s mother. “He kept laughing, and he kept me laughing. That’s when I knew I had married the right guy.”
When Aunt Mary turned on her favorite romantic movie, something about couples getting mixed up on an ocean liner and the captain marrying them, Amelia Bedelia fell asleep.
Early the next morning, Amelia Bedelia, Amelia Bedelia’s mother, Aunt Wanda, Aunt Mary, and Grandma were having French toast and fruit when Amelia Bedelia’s father, Granddad, and Jason came home. They were tired but happy.
“How was it, guys?” asked Aunt Mary.
“We caught a whopper,” said Amelia Bedelia’s father as he kissed his daughter on top of her head. “We hooked this monster fish right away.”
“Yeah,” said Jason. “We took turns fighting it. We had to strap ourselves into a chair, or we would’ve gotten pulled overboard. It took us hours to land.”
“A whopper, huh?” said Amelia Bedelia’s mother. “Where is it?”
“Wow!” said Amelia Bedelia. “Can I see it?”
“It’s on its way to Japan,” said Granddad.
“Japan!” said Amelia Bedelia.
“It was a bluefin tuna,” said her father. “Once we got it aboard the Reel Busy, Captain Will alerted a fishing boat that buys high-quality fish for sushi.”
“It was really cool,” said Jason. “Bluefin tuna are so valuable that the people who buy them can afford to put them on a plane to Tokyo! They’ll auction the tuna off in the morning.”
Amelia Bedelia and her mother burst out laughing. Grandma, Aunt Wanda, and Aunt Mary were laughing too.
“Dad,” said Amelia Bedelia. “The only whopper is that story.”
“Pretty fishy,” said her mother. “You had me going for a minute.”
“Next time catch a flying fish,” said Amelia Bedelia. “It can fly itself to Japan.” She began giggling.
“I must admit,” said Amelia Bedelia’s mother, “you three had your story down. Good job keeping your faces straight!”
Granddad, Jason, and Amelia Bedelia’s father looked at one another, then back at the ladies. They weren’t laughing. They weren’t smiling either.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” said Amelia Bedelia’s father, pulling a wad of money out of his pocket. “Here’s your share, Jason.”
Amelia Bedelia had never seen a hundred-dollar bill before.
Her father began counting quie
tly. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and . . . ten.”
Amelia Bedelia and her mother were speechless.
“Thanks!” said Jason.
“And here’s your share, Granddad.” He began counting quietly again.
Grandma’s mouth made a perfect O.
Amelia Bedelia’s father handed the rest of the money to Amelia Bedelia’s mother. “Add this to your diamond necklace fund,” he said. “By the way, what did you ladies accomplish while we were gone?”
“We helped Aunt Mary decide which wedding cake to get,” said Amelia Bedelia.
“Don’t tell me,” said Amelia Bedelia’s father. “That’s my favorite kind of surprise.”
The wedding was all set for a Saturday afternoon. Bob and Mary had decided to get married on the beach, in the exact same spot where they’d first met and where Bob had proposed.
Mary’s beach house was close by, so it became headquarters for the event. Flo arrived early with a clipboard and pages and pages of checklists. She cleared the coffee and doughnuts off the kitchen table and spread out a huge diagram. There were checklists for events, menus, numbers and clocks, circles around names, and photographs of everyone involved—family, guests, and helpers. Red arrows were shooting every which way.
Amelia Bedelia Ties the Knot Page 3