Walker Bride

by Bernadette Marie

  His sister’s cheeks had become rosy with whatever she was thinking. “I’m heading that way. I can drop them off for you,” she offered and then the smile peeked through.

  What the hell did she think she knew? The truth was, she knew nothing.

  “That would be great. I got stuff to do at home,” he said wiggling out of whatever fantasy his sister had about him and Pearl. That would teach her to stick her nose in things.

  “Then why are you here?” The smile was wider now.

  “I took her home last night, and I wanted to make sure she had a ride to work. That’s all. I’m a gentleman, remember. Mom would kill me otherwise.”

  The woman handed him the box and he, in turn, handed it to his sister. “Here, you take them to her.”

  “Are you sure? Did you need to see her?”

  He shrugged. “I did what I needed to do,” and with that, he left his sister in charge of the box that would have given him five more minutes with Pearl. All the more reason to head back home. Pearl was becoming a distraction.

  Chapter Seven

  The strawberries were defrosting on a plate. The champagne flutes were set out. And because it was before noon, a glass pitcher of orange juice chilled with the champagne to make mimosas.

  Dresses filled the rack in the bride’s size and, according to the interview, as to what style suited her.

  Pearl had wanted everything to be ready so she could spend just five minutes with Tyson and realize that her giddy buzz from earlier had just been a lack of sleep. That too had been his fault as she’d replayed that kiss in her head all night.

  But, she knew what he was like. He was temperamental, unsocial, and a Morgan. That too wasn’t fair. Wasn’t she considering going into business with a Morgan? There shouldn’t even be a pause anymore when she thought about it. Morgans weren’t bad people. Her father had been the idiot that caused the problems, and the riff between families started with her grandfather and Tyson’s grandfather. It had nothing to do with them.

  When the bell over the door rang, her heart rate kicked up again. There was something more to all this, she realized. Otherwise, she wouldn’t act so foolish.

  She checked herself in the set of mirrors in front of her. Pushing back her shoulders, she gave herself a smile and headed to the front of the store to get the order from Tyson.

  Surely the zap of disappointment that filled her showed on her face when she saw Lydia standing in the doorway with the box of pastries she’d sent Tyson for.

  “Oh, hi. I wasn’t…”

  “Expecting me,” Lydia set the box on the counter. “I ran into Tyson at the bakery and told him I was coming this way.”

  “Oh good,” she stammered. “He was probably busy.”

  “I think he was. I think he was busy trying to get your attention.” Lydia smiled a brilliant smile.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Lydia placed her hands on her hips. “I think you do, and I think you owe me an explanation over drinks when you get done. I’m staying in town tonight at my mom’s. I’ll meet you at Sam’s at four. Don’t you dare stand me up.”

  With that, she walked out of the store still grinning.

  What was there to explain? Pearl didn’t know what was going on herself.

  It was nearing four o’clock, and Pearl was ready to lock up when a woman walked into Pearl’s store. She had a garment bag in her hand, and mascara streaked down her cheeks. Pearl had seen her share of upset brides before, but something told her this one was different.

  “How can I help you?” she asked, but the woman sobbed as she looked up at her.

  “I need to have my dress altered. Can you do that here?”

  “Yes, I have a woman that does that for me. I send the dresses out and…”

  “No. I need it now.”

  Pearl forced the smile to remain on her face, but inside she wished she’d have locked the door earlier. “When is your wedding?”

  That caused the woman to break down in harder sobs that stole her breath and shook her body. Pearl turned to the counter and pulled a few tissues from the box and handed them to her.

  “Thank you,” she said dabbing at her eyes and nose. “My wedding isn’t planned for six more months. I was just planning on coming in next week to look at dresses. Then this morning, well, everything changed.” She sucked in a hard breath.

  Pearl moved toward her and took the bag. “Why don’t we sit down for a moment?”

  She escorted her to the small love seat in the viewing area. The room was dark, but the woman seemed comfortable with that.

  “Can I get you something to drink?”

  The woman shook her head. “I’m fine. I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s okay. Wedding planning can have this effect on people.”

  She shook her head. “No. I was ready for that. I wasn’t ready for the news I got today.” Dabbing at her eyes again, she looked up at Pearl. “My father has stage four lung cancer. They don’t expect him to live out the next few weeks.”

  Pearl’s heart sank. “I’m so sorry.”

  “He has to give me away. He has to see me get married.” The tears were back. “The dress is my mother’s. She’s taller than I am, and well, I probably weigh ten pounds more than she did when she was married. But I want to get married in her dress tomorrow.”

  A battle brewed inside of Pearl. This wasn’t her problem. She could sympathize, but…

  “Let’s look at the dress and see what we can do for you,” the words escaped before she could think about it.

  The woman’s eyes lit up. “You’d do that for me?”

  “Every woman deserves to have her father walk her down the aisle if she wants him to. It sounds as though you and your father have a very wonderful relationship.”

  She nodded. “Oh, we do. I don’t know what I’ll do when he goes.” The tears were back. “He’s been my rock all my life. You know?”

  Pearl ground her teeth together. No, she didn’t know what it was like to have your father be your solid rock. Her father was more the rock that was thrown through someone’s window or a rock around your neck when you were drowning.

  “I’m going to call my seamstress and see if she’s available. I can do a lot of things, but she can do them better.”

  “I’m Sunshine,” the woman held her hand out to Pearl.

  “Pearl.”

  “It’s wonderful to meet you.”

  “Likewise. Sunshine? I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone with that name.”

  “Oh, yes, it’s unique. My daddy named me. It was a gloomy day when I was born, and I brought the sunshine to everyone around.”

  Now Pearl felt the tug of tears in her throat. “That’s precious.”

  Sunshine laughed. “That’s my sister’s name.”

  Of course, it was.

  Luck seemed to be on Pearl’s side. Emily, her seamstress, was able to join them at the store. Sunshine had taken the dress from the bag, and Emily had swooned at it. Not only had it been her mother’s dress, but her grandmother’s dress from 1960.

  There would need to be many alterations to the dress, but Emily was happy to make them. They had both seen Sunshine’s cheeks pink when they began the fitting. It felt good to do something so wonderful for someone.

  Pearl knew that she’d be lucky if her father even showed up for her wedding. He’d missed most of her birthday parties as a young girl. He’d even forgotten to attend her high school graduation. At the moment, she couldn’t remember where he’d been, but it had been important to him—not to her.

  Chances were that if Byron Walker were dying, he’d never even tell Pearl. She’d only learn of his passing when her sister called. He was much closer to Audrey—and that wasn’t saying much.

  Her sister Bethany had asked him to walk her down the aisle when she married Kent in a few months. He’d taken the time to think about it, which annoyed Pearl, but had agreed. A father shouldn’t have to think about it.


  Lydia had texted and then called when Pearl hadn’t shown up for drinks. Though she had pried for information when Pearl canceled, she made her promise to meet her for coffee tomorrow.

  Though she’d grown up with Lydia, she couldn’t have called them friends before—from childhood. However, now, she’d refer to her as one of her best friends. It was nice to have a friend she could count on.

  Then her mind wandered to Tyson. Could she count on him too—as a friend? Something told her she could.

  Sunshine had filled the afternoon with stories about her father and the amazing things he had done. He’d been in the Navy and had met President Reagan when he was younger. She told them of living in Italy and then in Germany. Precious was going to be a doctor one day, and Sunshine was a nanny. She loved to take care of children and be there for them.

  Her fiancé was a teacher. A high school history teacher.

  Sunshine’s eyes lit when she spoke of him. They’d been together for only a year, but she said there was nothing like meeting your soul mate and falling head over heels in love.

  They’d been planning on getting married since their fourth date though there was never a need to rush things—until now. She said it had been her fiancé’s idea to get married on Sunday. Many of his friends and his family would miss the wedding, but that didn’t matter. Knowing that Sunshine’s father walked her down that aisle to him—that’s what mattered.

  Pearl listened intently and at times found herself swooning over the men in Sunshine’s life. What could she possibly say to someone if they ever asked her about her father?

  Three hours after Sunshine had walked through the door, she walked out with a wedding dress fit for a princess—and yet unique to her as it was still a beautiful hand-me-down.

  Emily had refused payment from Pearl—and Pearl had refused payment from Sunshine. Once in awhile it just felt good to give.

  At eight o’clock, Pearl locked the front door to her store and walked to her car. The day had certainly taken a detour from where she’d thought it was going. It had started the moment she’d opened the front door and Tyson Morgan stood there.

  His eyes had been dark as he looked at her. All six-foot-four inches of him had seemed small when his shoulders rolled forward as if he were not sure what had drawn him to her house.

  It was endearing, she thought.

  And then the kiss she’d planted on him the night before wandered into her mind as she opened the door to her car and slid inside. She pressed her lips together.

  Had it meant anything to him? Or had he written it off as something Pearl Walker just did?

  As she started the car, a sudden sea of loneliness washed over her. She’d missed drinks with Lydia. After work, Audrey was usually too tired to want to do anything—not that Pearl had asked too many times.

  She sighed. Was that all she could think about when it came to keeping company?

  Susan had moved out to Eric’s and Bethany and Kent—well they didn’t need her sad company.

  Sunshine crossed her mind. Certainly she was probably with family. They were planning a wedding for tomorrow.

  At that moment, Pearl knew she needed her mother to take away this loneliness that filled her heart at that moment. Even that might be a stretch, but she had to try. She just didn’t want to go home and be alone.

  Chapter Eight

  When Cassandra Walker opened the door, a large glass of wine in her hand, her face didn’t exactly register excitement seeing Pearl standing on the porch. Concern shadowed her gaze before a smile finally surfaced on her lips.

  “Is everything okay? You didn’t call first. Is your sister okay? Are you sick?”

  “I’m fine, Mom. Can I come in?”

  “Oh, yes.” Her mother stepped back, and Pearl walked through the door.

  Any other child might have an open invitation into their parents’ houses, but Pearl still knocked on the door as if she were a typical guest. She didn’t even have a key.

  “I’m having a glass of wine. Would you like one?”

  Pearl considered it for a moment but decided against it. “I’ll get myself a glass of water if that’s okay.”

  “Of course.”

  Pearl walked to the kitchen, her mother close behind. She opened the cupboard, which housed only four glasses, four plates, and an array of tea cups.

  She took a glass and moved to the refrigerator to use the water dispenser. All the while her mother watched her as if she might put something in the wrong place.

  “You’re sure everything is okay?” Her mother’s voice had softened to a warm level. Pearl had been sure it would come. Her mother had to be eased into everything. As horrible as it might be, she could sometimes understand why her father felt the need to stray during their marriage.

  “I just had a strange day. I wanted a little company.”

  That moved her mother. She could see the glistening in her eyes. “That’s very sweet that you came by.”

  “Can we sit?” Pearl asked motioning to the kitchen table.

  “Yes. Please.”

  Pearl pulled out a chair and waited for her mother to do the same before she sat down.

  “A woman came into the store just as I was getting ready to close,” she began her story. If she didn’t just dive in, the awkwardness of working her way into the conversation might take an hour. “She had been planning on getting married in six months, but she had just learned that her father had stage four lung cancer and might not live but a few weeks. She wanted her dress altered so she could get married tomorrow and he could walk her down the aisle.”

  Her mother nodded slowly as if she were trying to figure out the meaning of her story. “Did she buy the dress from you?”

  “No. It was a hand-me-down dress she needed to be altered.”

  “She thought you could alter a wedding dress over night? I don’t understand people.”

  Pearl winced. No, she most certainly didn’t understand people.

  “It wasn’t a problem. It was sweet that they wanted to get married so he could be there. She’s very close to her father.” It nearly hurt to say that.

  “I wonder where they will get married. Churches are busy on Sundays.”

  Pearl stared at her mother. If it weren’t a damning phrase to herself, she’d label her mother a typical dumb blonde.

  She watched as her mother nearly downed the glass of wine she’d been carrying around. How in the world had she thought this was going to be comforting?

  The thought then zipped into her head that she should have driven all the way out to her Aunt Glenda’s house. Glenda Walker was the epitome of a caring mother. Next time she’d consider that. The longer drive would be nothing compared to the discomfort she was feeling in her mother’s house.

  Pearl decided this would be an opportunity to soften the conversation by including her mother—that usually seemed to work.

  “I’m sure they’ll work her in, or she’ll get married at her house or something. But it got me thinking about how devastating it would be to lose a parent—or expect to lose one.”

  Her mother nodded. “I can’t imagine my mother or father dying,” she said. “Daddy set up that trust fund all those years ago. I don’t know if your grandmother would know how it works.”

  And at that moment, Pearl was sure she’d been adopted. Seriously, how could her mother be so shallow?

  “I’m sure grandma would figure it out.” She drank down the water in her glass. “Would you like this in the dishwasher?”

  Her mother looked perplexed. “Yes. Alexa will find it there when she comes to clean.”

  “Alexa?”

  “My housekeeper,” she said as if she’d had the same conversation with Pearl a hundred times. Yet Pearl had never heard of Alexa.

  “Why do you have a housekeeper?”

  “Don’t you?” She looked offended.

  “No. I clean the store and my house.” Pearl stood, and her mother followed. “Thanks for letting me stop by.”


  “Oh, call ahead next time. I must look a fright,” she said, leaning in to kiss Pearl on each cheek, but at a distance.

  “I will.”

  Pearl left her mother’s house, and once she was only a block away, the tears began to stream down her cheeks. She understood that her father was a mess of a man. And the older she got, she understood her mother was a perfect match for him.

  Her brothers’ mother, Naomi, wasn’t quite the wreck of a woman Pearl’s mother was. Perhaps out of the three women her father had children with, Naomi was the sanest.

  Was it too much to wish that she’d been born on the other side of the Walker family?

  Even though Eric wasn’t Glenda’s blood son, she treated him as she treated her other four boys. They were loved and cared for. She was concerned for them, and their future and she wasn’t afraid to show them how much she loved them—even as adults.

  Glenda doted on her husband, Everett. She had even become a very intricate part of Susan’s catering company, and Susan had yet to marry her son.

  Even as a child, Pearl remembered wishing that she lived out in the house on the Walker land. A part of her felt as though she belonged there.

  But it was more than just a name. It was a feeling when she was at the house.

  Glenda baked cookies. Her mother drank wine. Glenda didn’t have any girls, so when Pearl and Audrey were around, they’d even play dress-up. Again, her mother drank her wine.

  Glenda had made a cake, salad, and bought a gift when Pearl graduated from high school. Her father had forgotten to show up, and her mother drank wine.

  Maybe it wasn’t too late to ask to be adopted.

  The thought made her laugh and she desperately needed to laugh.

  By the time she’d returned home the tears had dried. There was a reason she lived alone in town and owned her own business. It proved that she could be her own person and didn’t need the Walker name or her parents to help her with anything.

  Soon, she and Lydia would be business partners, and it would be one more notch in her success belt. They were going to pool their resources and buy a venue that would house all elements of bridal planning. There would be a kitchen for Susan to work out of. Bethany had agreed to give floral design a try. There was a banquet hall where they could have receptions and a quaint garden where they could have wedding ceremonies.