by Cora Wilkins
I had to admit I was really looking forward to the wedding, because I loved getting all dressed up and having a few champagnes while watching a couple celebrate their love. I took a quick glance at the weather report in the paper when I got home, and the forecast for the next week predicted great weather. Hopefully that perfect weather would last until the wedding, so Mrs. Barnaby and Mr. Armstrong could have their perfect day… although to be fair, Mrs. Barnaby seemed so happy with the engagement that she probably wouldn’t even be upset if there were clouds in the sky on the day anyway. I couldn’t think of a single thing that could go wrong at their wedding that might ruin her good spirits.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t have predicted the course of events that would transpire within the two weeks…
***
A few days later, I was strolling down the main street on my way back to the Sweet Shoppe. I’d had to run some errands, so Kaye was taking care of things there while Tori and another young worker were taking care of the cupcake store. As I went to cross the street, a familiar dark head and chiseled profile caught my eye through the window of Zara Keilson’s flower shop.
What the…? What was Chris doing here?
I was about to go in when I noticed how close they were standing to one another. Zara was smiling seductively, her lips painted a carmine red, and one eyebrow was arched. Chris was leaning in, and it looked like they were whispering even though no one else was in the store.
A pang of jealousy cut to my core as I watched them, my mind whirling with confusion. Was Chris flirting with her? Also, what was he even doing in town? He definitely hadn’t called me to tell me he was coming to visit today. Zara tossed her straight blonde hair over her shoulder and smiled at him again, and my inner green-eyed monster really came out to play. I couldn’t help it. I had to admit, Zara was very beautiful, especially considering how in her mid-forties she could still easily pass for a much younger woman. With her petite frame, alabaster skin and wide grey-blue eyes, it was no wonder so many men in town had fallen under her spell.
I’d never had a problem with her up until this moment, but obviously something weird was going on, so I finally strode into the store to find out what it was. The two of them sprang apart like scalded cats when they saw me, and Chris’ eyes went wide.
“Oh…Anne! I…uh… um…I was going to come and see you at the cupcake store soon,” he said, fumbling with his words like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
I plastered on a saccharin smile. “Really? I had no idea you were in town.”
“Well, it was going to be a surprise,” he replied, flashing a grin at me; the same heart-melting grin he’d given me on the day we met.
“I see. So, err… what are you doing in here? By the way, hello, Zara,” I said, trying to keep my voice as light and airy as possible.
She smiled and returned my greeting, and Chris had the good grace to at least look flustered. “I…err…I thought I’d drop by here to get you some flowers as part of the surprise.”
Zara hastily grabbed a nearby bouquet of daffodils and pressed it into my hands.
“Yes, here you are,” she said. “Lucky girl!”
“Well, I better run,” Chris said. “I was planning on making a few quick business calls before dropping in to see you. See you soon, sweetheart.”
With that he pecked me on the cheek and dashed out of the store, and I was left gritting my teeth and standing with Zara. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, as if she knew she’d been caught doing something wrong.
“So, how’s things, Anne?” she asked, obviously trying to mask the awkwardness with polite conversation. “I had one of your cupcakes the other week. It was divine.”
“Thank you,” I replied. “Things are good. Busy as usual. How about you?”
I wasn’t exactly keen on chatting with her after what I’d just witnessed, but I didn’t want to be rude, either. She sighed.
“Oh, it’s just one thing after another with me. I’m sure you heard about my old assistant trying to sue me?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I did hear about that.”
“Well, they’ve thrown the case out, thank the lord, but the whole thing was just more stress I didn’t need. And now I’m having trouble with my daughter Mia. You’ve met her, right?”
“I think so, yes. She really likes my caramels, if I recall correctly.”
“Yep, that’s her.” She sighed again. “We’ve been having trouble for a while. She’s a very headstrong young lady, just like I was when I was her age. Anyway, we had a huge fight last night, and we both said things we didn’t mean, myself especially. I just said these things in the heat of the moment, and then she stormed out and hasn’t returned my calls since. It’s always been a struggle with her…well, since Tom and I divorced, anyway.”
Despite how annoyed I was with the woman for flirting with Chris, my heart went out to her. She looked so sad, and from what I’d heard, she didn’t have a whole lot of friends around town aside from the men she dated. No wonder she was pouring her heart out to me about her daughter, even though I was barely more than a mere acquaintance.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said. “I’m sure she’ll be fine. Just give her a few days to calm down.”
“Thanks, Anne. You’re right. I’ll try calling her again in a few days and see how things go. By the way, have you heard about Mrs. Barnaby’s wedding to Mr. Armstrong?”
“I sure have. I’m making a giant cupcake tier for the reception.”
“That sounds amazing!” she replied. “I’m doing all the floral arrangements for the reception. She and Mr. Armstrong are so cute together. Are you actually going to the wedding? They told me anyone’s welcome, so I’ll definitely be making an appearance.”
“Yes, I’m going,” I said. “I was going to invite Chris.”
“Oh, that’s great. I’ll see you two there! Anyway, I better get back to work. Thanks for the chat, Anne.”
She didn’t react strangely at all at the mention of Chris, and I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. Like I’d said to Mrs. Barnaby the other day, Zara was probably just trying to be friendly. It wasn’t her fault she was so stunning and caused the rumor mill to run into overdrive.
Then again, why had Chris behaved so suspiciously when I walked in here? The more I thought about it, the more I wondered if my initial instincts had been correct. Maybe there really was something going on with them.
There was one person who’d be able to help me figure the whole thing out – Kaye.
I said goodbye and headed back to the Sweet Shoppe, and as I entered, Kaye was scooping out strawberry clouds and sherbets into a paper bag for a group of giggling school children. I busied myself wiping down the counter, and when the children had left I beckoned her over and filled her in on what I’d seen with Chris and Zara. She grabbed my hand and chuckled.
“Oh, Anne, you’re just being paranoid. You’ve said yourself that Zara is just overly-friendly with customers. I’m sure it’s harmless.”
“Yes, I know, and I really want to believe that, but why were she and Chris standing so close and whispering? That doesn’t seem like something two people who have nothing to hide would do.”
She squeezed my hand again. “Trust me, I don’t think anything’s going on. You’ve been so busy with the shops and all the orders we’re getting that your mind is in overdrive. I bet you a million dollars everything will be fine.”
“Oh yeah? You’ve got a million dollars to just throw around like that?” I asked with a grin.
“No, I just know I’m right,” she said, sticking her tongue out.
She was probably right. I was just being paranoid.
***
With Mrs. Barnaby’s wedding only three days away now, I treated Kaye and myself to a manicure and pedicure at the local beauty parlor. We couldn’t exactly go to a wedding with our nails looking chipped and ragged, could we? Mrs. Barnaby wasn’t working at the parlor at the moment, as she’d taken the last
week off to plan the wedding. Two of her employees began to buff our feet, and I glanced across at Kaye and sighed with content.
“Ah, why can’t every day be like this?”
“Tell me about it,” she said. “Maybe I’ll quit helping you at the stores and become a lady of leisure. Facials and cocktails every day…”
I grinned and tossed a cotton ball at her, and she laughed before suddenly stopping, her face contorting in a frown. “Oh, wow. What’s going on out there?”
The door to the beauty parlor was open to let fresh air in, and sounds from the main street were carrying inside. Zara’s flower shop was right across the road, and we craned our necks to get a better look. Zara was standing outside the shop with a young woman I recognized as her daughter Mia, and they were glaring at each other and shouting.
“You know, I thought if I gave you a few days to calm down, you’d be more likely to listen, young lady,” Zara said.
Mia rolled her eyes. “Why should I be the one to calm down? You’re the one who needs to calm down! God, Mom, I’ve told you this a million times. You’re such an embarrassment! Do you know what everyone in town thinks of you with all those men you carry on with?”
Zara’s face fell, but she kept her ground. “Mia, I might not live the way you expect me to as your mother, but I’ve done everything I can to take care of you and give you everything you ever wanted. Do you know how hard I’ve worked?”
Mia tossed her hair over her shoulder and folded her arms, practically spitting venom at this point. “Oh yes, Mom, you’ve done such a good job, blah blah blah. Just because you’ve made a ton of money with your business doesn’t make you a good mother. I don’t care about your money! I just want you to stop embarrassing me and acting like such a...tramp! Amy’s boyfriend was practically half your age; I went to school with him, for Pete’s sake!”
Zara mirrored her daughter and crossed her arms. “Fine. If you despise me so much and don’t need my money, then I won’t give you any more. Good luck financing that little startup of yours and paying your rent without me.”
She turned away, and Mia called out after her. “So what, you’re just going to cut me off? Well, fine. May as well call your lawyer and get him to cut me out of your will, too.”
Zara turned back, her face red with anger. “Maybe I will do that, then! Maybe I’ll retire early and spend all my money on a lovely cruise around the world instead of paying for all your stuff.”
“You wouldn’t do that. I’m all you have, mother. Although the cruise might be a nice idea. No one here likes you enough to miss you.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, darling. And plenty of people like me.”
Kaye and I watched the scene unfold with horror. Mia might have been ashamed of her mother’s not-so-stellar reputation, but the way she was speaking to her was just plain awful. And in public too! It was utterly shameful.
Mia stormed away, and Zara stood by the door to her flower shop, a forlorn expression marring her otherwise pretty features. She turned and pulled the door shut and locked it, obviously not in the mood to work any longer.
“Should we go and talk to her?” I said to Kaye in hushed tones. “I feel kinda bad for her. Her daughter is vicious!”
“Hmm…I don’t know. After that display, she probably just wants to be alone for a while.”
“I guess so.”
Once our manicures were done, we checked in on the stores to make sure everything was running smoothly and then headed to one of the local dress clothing boutiques. While getting our nails painted, we’d decided we may as well go all out on our day of luxury and pamper ourselves with new dresses for the wedding.
I selected a few mid-length floral patterned dresses to try on, and Kaye grabbed a pretty satin dress in an emerald green color.
“Am I too old for this type of material?” she asked, wrinkling her nose as she inspected it.
“Of course not. That color would bring out your eyes, too. Want to go try it on?”
We headed into the fitting room and entered separate cubicles, separated by dark red curtains. I slipped into my first choice and then vetoed it. It was a little too short, even for a spring wedding. As I was unzipping it, I heard the curtain on another cubicle swish open, and a vaguely familiar voice speaking in a hushed tone.
“There you are. I knew I saw you come in here.”
“Amy, what are you doing here? Can’t I try on a dress in peace?”
I recognized the second voice as Zara, and I stopped still and listened. She’d referred to the first voice as Amy…it must have been Amy McNamara, her ex-employee.
“You might have gotten my case thrown out, but I’m not letting you get away with the rest of it,” Amy said, her voice dripping with anger. “You think it’s okay to just steal everyone’s boyfriends?”
“For God’s sake, Amy. I’ve tried explaining this to you a hundred times! I had no idea that man was your boyfriend. We met at the pub one weekend, and that was it. I loved having you work for me, and if I’d known he was already taken by you, then I wouldn’t have gone near him. Please just listen to me for once.”
“Oh, that’s a load of bull. You just can’t keep your hands off any of the men in this town. Young…old...it doesn’t matter to you. Well mark my words, Zara, I’m going to get you back for this. Just wait and see.”
My God, the poor woman was being attacked from left, right and center today! First Mia, and now Amy. There was a heavy sound of footsteps as Amy marched away, and I slipped back into my clothes before quietly exiting my cubicle. Kaye emerged a second later as well, and we exchanged a glance before peering into Zara’s cubicle.
“Err… Zara? Are you all right?” I asked, my eyebrows knitted in concern.
She sniffed and turned away, trying to mask her teary eyes. “I’m fine.”
Kaye and I looked at each other again.
“I have an idea,” Kaye said. “Why don’t we go grab some hot chocolates at Jerry’s? You’ve had a bad day, Zara. I think you could use a chat and a warm drink. What do you say?”
She turned back to us, her face pale. “I suppose that would be nice. Thank you.”
The sales assistant raised her eyebrows at us as we escorted Zara out of the store, but she said nothing. None of us had bought anything, but our dress shopping would have to wait. Zara had been publicly attacked twice in just a couple of hours, and I felt terrible for her. Sure, she had a reputation, but that didn’t mean she deserved all the hate she was getting.
We found a booth at Jerry’s café and ordered three large hot chocolates, and Zara was silent for a long time.
“I barely even know you two,” she finally said, looking up at us. “Why are you being so nice?”
“Well, that’s not true. We kind of know each other,” Kaye said. “And besides, like I said, you’ve had a rough day. You could use some friends.”
She gave us a watery smile. “I don’t have many friends around here. Most of the women in this town don’t want much to do with me.”
Neither Kaye nor I knew exactly how to respond to that, and Zara sighed.
“It’s okay. I understand why. I’ve dated quite a few men over the years, so I’ve practically been painted with a scarlet A. They all think I’m after their husbands or something. But it’s not true.”
“So you really didn’t know about Amy’s boyfriend?”
“Of course not. She was a wonderful worker and I even considered her a friend. I’d never hurt her. I knew she had a new boyfriend, but I’d never met him, and she hadn’t told me his name yet. He’s the one who decided to go out and cheat on her, yet I’m the one who gets all the disgusted looks and rumors spread about me.”
Kaye reached across and patted her hands. “That’s small town life for you, Zara. People like to gossip, and word gets around in five minutes flat. So if Amy is spreading rumors about you because she’s angry, then every second person is just going to believe it without question.”
Zara nodded s
lowly. “Yes, I know. You’d think I’d be used to it by now. I’ve lived here for almost my whole life.”
We all paused to take a sip of our drinks when they arrived, and Zara furrowed her eyebrows.
“I know why no one trusts me. It’s because I never married again after Tom and I divorced, and just casually dated instead.”
“Why is that?” Kaye asked. “If you don’t mind my asking.”
“Tom wasn’t exactly very nice. He used to hurt me. So I got out of there and took Mia with me, and thankfully he soon moved far away. After that, I just never felt like I could really commit to a man again. I was scared they’d turn out like him. I mean, he seemed nice enough before we got married, but he wasn’t.”
“I see. That makes a lot of sense,” Kaye said. “But regarding the rumors Amy is spreading about you, don’t worry. If there’s one thing I can guarantee about this town, it’s that people will have something else to gossip about within a month.”
That was true, but none of us had any idea just how true it would soon turn out to be.
***
The wedding was upon us faster than I’d anticipated, and Kaye, Tori and I had almost run ourselves ragged preparing all the cupcakes in time. Red velvet cupcakes required a lot of red food dye to give them that deep crimson shade, and every time I poured some into the cake batter, I’d feel a little sting of remorse as I thought of Mr. Frobisher. Red food dye had been the cause of his death, and I was glad that Rosie was behind bars now and unable to hurt anyone else.
First thing on the Saturday morning, we delivered the cupcake tier to the white marquee in the park which had been set up for the reception, and then we went back to my house to get ready. Tori was coming along to the wedding as well, seeing as her mother was a good friend of Mrs. Barnaby, and she helped tame my wild chestnut hair into presentable waves.