by Patricia Fry
"Why?" Jake asked.
"There are children here, Jake," Michael said gently. He looked at Rags. "And a very nosey cat."
"My stuff's up in my room," Jake huffed, "and there's a gate to keep the kids down here. What's your problem, man?"
"What's the problem?" Roxy repeated. "For one, my son sleeps upstairs." She demanded, "Jake, what else do you have in your room?"
"None of your business," Jake mumbled.
When he reached for the sock, Michael held tightly to it. He offered, "Let me get you something a little safer to keep these in, then I want you to put them either in your closed duffle bag or on a top shelf in that room. And Jake, keep your door closed, will you? We don't want the cats going in and out of there."
"Can't you keep that cat in a cage?" Jake spat.
Michael looked Jake in the eyes and took a few short breaths, finally saying, "My house, my rules."
Hearing that, Jimmy left the table and took his brother by the arm. "Come on, Jake. Let's do as Michael says. He's right, you know."
"About what?" Jake asked.
"About everything." Jimmy said, "Michael, go ahead and put those in something safer, will you? Thanks." He said to his brother. "Now, finish your lunch. Everything's okay. No harm done."
Jake started to walk back to his chair, but stopped. He glared down at Rags, who sat near the bottom of the staircase, and he growled, "You'd better stay out of my way, cat. That's all I can say."
****
A little while later, as most of the children napped and the men shared stories on the wraparound porch, the women chatted around the dining room table.
Savannah was first to break away. "I'd better get my shower and do my hair before Lily wakes up. She wants her hair curled today, and I don't know how much drama that's going to create."
Melanie rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it. Misty is so fussy about her hair these days. Yeah, Vannie, wait until Lily turns nine." She asked Belinda, "Is Belle a little prima donna?"
Belinda shook her head. "Not yet, thankfully. Belle's pretty easygoing." She stood up. "Hey, I'd better go make sure Joshua's watching her. I should start getting us cleaned up, too. Before leaving, she asked Roxy, "Where's Nate?"
Roxy laughed. "He's napping with Belle in your RV." She grinned. "Didn't you know? I guess he negotiated that with Jimmy. Jimmy said he'd keep an eye on your RV from the porch."
"Where's Joshua?" Belinda asked. "He's supposed to be staying with Belle."
"I think he and Adam are out on the porch playing a board game," Savannah said.
Belinda frowned. "I'd rather Joshua sit inside with her when she naps."
Savannah blurted, "Like Roxy said, the guys can see the RV from the porch. She knows where to go when she wakes up, right?"
"I hope so. It's just that Joshua promised to…" Belinda started.
"Lighten up on that boy, will you?" Melanie carped. "Let Joshua have some cousin fun."
Belinda looked at the other women, then walked toward the side kitchen door.
"Hey," Roxy called after her, "if Nate's awake, send him back in here, will you?"
Belinda waved dismissively.
Rose rolled her eyes. "She's a nice girl, but she has some odd ideas sometimes." Changing the subject, Rose stood up and asked, "Anything we should do before we get dressed?"
"I don't think so," Savannah said. "Can you think of anything, Mom?"
Gladys shook her head and Savannah continued, "Food's not coming until after the ceremony, the tables are all set up, plates and utensils are ready, the champagne is chilling. I think we're good to go."
"Okay then," Gladys said, standing up. She looped arms with Rose. "Let's go get ready, shall we?"
"Let's do," Roxy said, walking up the stairs with her mother and her aunt. She stopped. "Oh, wait, here comes Nate. Hi, honey. I'm going to get dressed. Want to go with me or hang out with Daddy?"
The boy thought about his options and said, "I'll go to the porch."
Roxy threw him a kiss, and continued making her way up the stairs.
Moments later, just as Savannah was about to step into the shower, she heard a shrill scream. She quickly slipped her robe on and ran out into the hallway.
"Upstairs," Blake said, awkwardly unfastening the gate and taking the steps two at a time. "It's Roxy." He ran into the hallway and saw his wife standing in the center of their room, her hands covering her face. He glanced around. "What happened?"
"My dress!" Roxy wailed, pointing at the bed where her dress lay. "My beautiful new dress. It's ruined. Blake, who would do this?"
By then Savannah had cautiously entered the room, as had Gladys and Rose. Savannah gasped. "Oh no," she said, feeling weak-kneed.
"What happened?" Michael asked from the doorway. "Is everyone okay?"
"No," Roxy wailed. "No, I'm not okay. Look what someone did to my new dress."
"What is that on there?" Michael asked more quietly.
"Looks like fingernail polish," Rose muttered.
"Or paint," Michael said. He moved closer and sniffed the substance. "Yes, paint," he confirmed.
"Who would do this, and where did the paint come from?" Blake demanded.
Michael thought for a moment, then said to Savannah, "Hon, why don't you help your cousin find something else to wear? I want to go check on something."
Savannah watched him leave, then she approached Roxy. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened. Honey, if Michael's right and that's paint, there's nothing we can do to fix it without ruining the fabric." She asked more gently, "Did you bring something else you can wear? Or maybe one of us has something…"
Roxy stopped crying for a moment and looked Savannah up and down. "Yeah, are you going to offer something from your closet? Oh, Vannie, that's cruel," she howled
Her husband moved closer. "Babe, Vannie's only trying to help." More energetically, he said, "You brought that blue dressy blouse of yours. That looks really good on you."
"It's to wear with my jeans," Roxy spat. "I can't wear jeans to a wedding."
Rose put her arm around her daughter. "Come with me, hon. Between Gladys's wardrobe and mine, I'm sure we can outfit you."
"Old-lady clothes?" Roxy complained.
"We could call Bri," Gladys suggested. "Surely she has something."
Roxy looked at her mother, then at her aunt. "Let me see what you two have before I bother Bri on her wedding day."
"That's my girl," Rose said, walking with her into Gladys's room.
Moments later, Michael caught up with Savannah in their bedroom. She asked, "So, how do you think that happened, I mean to Roxy's dress? Who would do that?"
He shook his head. "I'm not sure, but it could be any one of three guys, including Belinda's boy."
"Joshua?" Savannah exclaimed. "Why would you blame him?"
"That paint came from a can I had in the shed. Those three people are the only ones who knew it was there. They were all involved with helping me fix the arbor this morning."
"But why?" Savannah insisted. "Why would they or any one of us do something like that?"
"Think about it," he said, "we don't know anything about the family dynamics between Rose's kids and Ray's kids. Maybe there's something going on there that facilitated that sort of action—you know, a vendetta or something." He shook his head. "It's the only thing that makes sense to me. He looked at his watch. "Hey, we'd better get ready. Want me to wake the kids? I can get Teddy dressed."
"That would be great, but let's not wake them yet. I want to finish doing my hair, at least."
****
"That arbor is more beautiful than the original," Gladys said as guests and family mingled and visited in eager anticipation of the wedding.
"It's a stunning setting," the groom's mother, Edith, said. "Just stunning."
Savannah smiled at one of her best friends in the world, and said, "Iris is a miracle worker."
Iris chuckled. "It was all Michael and Damon, and whoever else worked on that thi
ng. I just provided the roses."
"Hey, is your cat supposed to be out?" Margaret asked.
When Savannah saw Rags sitting on the porch railing staring out at their guests, she said, "No. He's supposed to be in his pen." She sighed impatiently. "I'll be right back."
"He escaped?" Adam asked, running up to Savannah as she approached Rags. He picked up the cat and said to him, "Cats can't come to weddings, just people can. What are you doing out here, anyway?"
"Good question," Savannah said. "I guess someone opened his pen, huh?"
"Probably," he said, walking through the kitchen door with Rags in his arms while Savannah held it open. He stopped and looked down at his feet. "What's this?"
"What now?" she asked.
"Look," he said, moving out of the way, "I think it's…"
"Teddy's bow tie," she said. "Dang, he must have taken it off again. He doesn't like his tie."
"Maybe Rags was bringing it to him," Adam said, "and he dropped it. Where is Teddy?"
"Outside there with Dad." She picked up the bow tie. "Thank you, Rags. Now, tell us how you got out of your pen."
As the duo drew closer to the pen, they had another surprise.
"Glori!" Savannah squealed. "How'd she get inside there?"
"Did they trade places?" Adam asked, confused.
"Vannie," Gladys called, entering the room, "they're about to start. They need you out there. What's going on?" she asked walking closer. "Why did you put Glori in the cage?"
"We didn't," Savannah said, "but it appears that someone did."
"Yeah, it's a mystery," Adam said. "An unsolved mystery."
Just then Iris walked in, fussing with a button on her blouse. "There you are, Savannah. Do you have a safety pin? One of my button holes is giving me trouble."
"Oh, Iris," Margaret complained, joining the others, "just let it hang out. We're all used to seeing what you've got."
"This is a reverent occasion," Iris insisted. "I can't be showing skin at Bri's wedding."
"Going to wait for the reception, huh?" Margaret teased. When she saw Glori, she frowned. "What's she doing in there? I've never seen you lock her up like that, have I?"
"No," Savannah said, lifting Glori from the pen. "We don't know how she got closed in." Savannah explained, "Adam put Rags in here earlier and just now we found Rags outside and Glori inside." She watched as Adam eased Rags into the pen and fastened the latch.
"You mean they switched places or something?" Iris asked.
"That's what appears to have happened," Savannah said, walking swiftly into the kitchen, where she rifled through a drawer.
"What are you doing now, Vannie?" Gladys asked. "They want you outside. They're going to start the wedding."
"I'm getting a safety pin," she retorted. She handed it to Iris and closed the drawer, saying, "All ready? Let's go."
"That's a strange place to keep sewing supplies," Iris said, taking care of her minor garment repair.
"When you have small children, you never know where you'll find things," Savannah explained. "I'm always shoving something here or tucking something there on my way to doing something else. This drawer is kind of my catch-all. Don't you have a catch-all drawer?"
Meanwhile, Margaret gazed at Rags. "So the pen gate was latched and Rags got out and Glori got locked inside?"
"Uh-huh," Adam said. He stared down at the pen, muttering, "I sure don't know how that could happen."
Savannah smiled at the boy, then said, "Not only that, Auntie, I don't know if you heard, but someone let the horses out, and they wrecked the arbor and the roses last night while we were at the rehearsal dinner. We had to redo all of that this morning."
"Holy cow," Margaret said.
"What's going on around here?" Iris asked, "Is it unchained angry spirits or something?"
"I certainly hope not," Gladys grumbled.
Savannah grimaced, then said, "Well, Rags is where he belongs now." She looked at Iris's blouse and chuckled, "Your girls are where they belong. Let's go to a wedding, shall we?"
Chapter Three
"What a beautiful wedding," Iris said later while the guests mingled. "No one would ever know the horses ate the roses and broke the arbor."
"Thanks to you," Savannah said. "I appreciate you coming to our rescue. It really is more beautiful than the original."
"Well, don't get attached," Iris said. "Those are my roses and trellises. I'm taking them home after this shindig."
"I know," Savannah said. She smiled. "Here comes the happy bride."
Brianna grabbed her sister's arm excitedly. "Can you believe I finally did it? Look," she said, showing off her rings, "I'm married!"
Savannah hugged her sister. "Yes you are, and to a wonderful man." She looked around. "Where is Bud, anyway?"
"He's showing the cake artist where to put the cake." Brianna shimmied. "It's so amazing. Come look at it." She invited, "Come on, Iris. You're not going to believe this cake. We'll leave it on display for a while before we cut it just because it's such a gorgeous thing." More dramatically she said, "An artistic marvel."
Savannah glanced at the afternoon sun and winced. "You won't leave it out for too long, I hope. The frosting might start to melt."
"Oh, I didn't think about that," Brianna said. "Well, we'll keep an eye on it."
The three women joined a group of onlookers, all watching as the baker unveiled and assembled a simple but elegant tiered wedding cake.
"It's amazing!" Savannah gushed.
"Oh my," Iris murmured. "I must get that baker's card!"
"Cake artist," Brianna corrected rather haughtily. She giggled. "Isn't it beyond grand?"
"I want cake," Lily said, walking up with Iris's granddaughter, Rosemary.
"Sure, we'll all have cake in a little while, okay, punkin?" Savannah promised.
Brianna hugged Lily. "You and your brother did a fabulous job."
Lily looked down. "Mommy said 'don't throw the flowers.'"
"That's right. You did just perfect, and you look so beautiful."
The child patted her head. "I have curls, Aunt Bri."
"Yes you do," Brianna said, smiling. She patted her own head. "Like Auntie Bri. I have curls today, too."
Lily stared at her aunt for a moment, then sidled up to Savannah. "Can I have cake, Mommy?"
Just as Savannah stooped down to talk to her daughter, they heard a screech, a clatter, and a thud.
"Oh nooo," Brianna shrieked. "The cake!"
Savannah pulled Lily and Rosemary back away from the commotion as most of the others stood staring down at a mound of cake and frosting. "Oh my gosh!" she yelped. "What happened? Did someone bump the table?"
"No," Bud said. "The table collapsed. Leigh had just finished setting it up. She walked away and…" He put his arm around Brianna. "I'm so sorry. I don't know how that could have happened. I'm positive that table was sturdy enough to hold the cake. I checked it myself."
"And I double-checked it," Michael said, joining them. He scratched his head. "That was some fluke accident." He kneeled and lifted the tablecloth, muttering, "Or was it?" After examining the table legs, he announced, "Here's the problem. It looks like the screw that was holding that leg on was loose, and with the weight on there, it gave way. See, the leg came right off."
Damon took a closer look. "So I guess Bud didn't give the thing the pressure test." When Michael looked at him, Damon continued, "You know, he didn't press down on the table and look underneath to make sure all the legs were sturdy."
Michael shook his head. "I'm pretty sure he did. And I can tell you that I did. That's our table. It's been a while since we've used it, so I made real sure it was in good repair. More quietly, he said, "Damon, I think someone messed with that table after we set it up." He glanced around the yard, saying through gritted teeth, "And I think I know who did it."
Brianna cried, "Now what?" She stomped one foot. "Oh, this is just the worst!"
Roxy moved closer and put her arm around her
cousin. "No it isn't, Bri." When Brianna looked at her, she said, "At least your wedding dress wasn't vandalized by who in the hell knows. You didn't have to wear your aunt's old-lady clothes in front of all the people you care about most."
Adam glanced at Roxy, then said to Brianna, "I don't see a problem. I see a—what's it called—an opportunity."
When the others looked skeptical, he pointed. "There's a bunch of the cake that didn't fall on the grass. It's still clean. We could each take a spoonful of the cake." When no one spoke, he asked, "Where are the spoons? I'll get them." He turned to Joshua. "Want to help me pass out spoons?"
When Joshua hesitated and looked down at his little sister, who played nearby, Misty said, "I'll help."
"Me, too," Aaron said.
"Let's eat cake!" Adam shouted.
Michael smiled at his son.
Brianna glanced one more time at the cake and said, "Oh, it's just too painful to look at. I can't stand seeing that beautiful cake in ruins."
"Then close your eyes, Aunt Bri," Adam suggested.
"Come on, Bri," Bud said, "let's have a bite of our wedding cake." He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. "You know you'll regret it if you don't."
She dabbed at her eyes, took a deep breath, and asserted, "Yes, I would. Okay, where's my spoon?"
Meanwhile Damon asked quietly, "So Michael, you think someone sabotaged that table? Who would do that?"
Michael nodded.
"Let's go after him," Damon suggested. He looked around. "Who is it, anyway?"
"Not now," Michael said calmly. "I don't want to cause any more commotion. I'll get him aside later." Just then he saw something else. "Uh-oh," he said, quickly heading toward the house.
Damon watched Michael trot away, then realized he was chasing Rags. "He's out again?" Damon muttered to himself. He chuckled.
"What are you laughing at?" Jake asked. "You're not a relative, are you?"
Damon shook his head and held out his hand. "No, I'm Damon Jackson, a friend of the Iveys. My wife and I have known both Brianna and Bud for several years now."