“Don’t be ridiculous,” she told herself as she sorted through the mail and bills that had piled up in the past few days. She’d been fine before and she would be fine again. Ulrich was simply a little emotional vacation from her regularly scheduled life. Yes, he was great and yes, she would miss him when he was gone, but she would go on as before.
For a second, she allowed herself the fantasy of him asking her to go back to England with him. Of him telling her he couldn’t stand to be without her. He would take her in his arms and...and...
Okay, sure the sex would be easy and great all that, but then what? Would she really leave everything she knew behind and move halfway across the world for a man she barely knew? Technically she made most of her money with sales of her buttons, which she could ship from anywhere, and the internet meant staying in touch with customers and family would be relatively easy, but still. She was a self-actualized woman. She didn’t need a man to be successful or complete herself. If she were to get involved with anyone, she planned on a true partnership. Could that happen with a duke who owned a five-hundred-plus-year-old estate?
Not a problem she had to solve today, she told herself.
She made quick work of her bill paying, then started opening the packages that had been delivered. There were dozens of buttons to sort—a few sets looked to be exciting finds.
She forced herself to go through everything before she started on her research. She’d just begun her first internet search when Atsuko walked into her shop.
“I’m looking for giraffe inspired buttons,” the gallery owner said. “I’m going all out for the event. If you have actual giraffe buttons, that would be perfect. I have a couple of jackets in mind.”
While Violet offered to change out buttons for local customers, some people preferred to do the sewing themselves. Atsuko had a flair for the dramatic, a stunning wardrobe and mad sewing skills.
“I think I might have some giraffe shapes,” Violet said, thinking about her inventory. “I know I have some buttons that could be considered giraffe inspired.”
She pulled up her inventory program and searched the database. Three different buttons popped up, along with their location in her storage closet. She quickly found the boxes and set them on the counter.
The first had three giraffe-head-shaped buttons. They were carved ebony and from the mid-eighteen hundreds.
“The work is beautiful,” Violet said, as she pulled on white cotton gloves, then pulled the buttons out of the box. “But they’re so dark, it’s difficult to see the detail.”
Atsuko put on gloves as well, then picked up a button. “I don’t think I have a jacket with only three buttons. And you’re right about them being dark. I do have a gold jacket that might work. I’m not sure.”
The second box held painted buttons. The brown and tan pattern was very giraffe-like but the buttons themselves weren’t overly inspired. The third box held six amber-and-onyx buttons.
“From the seventeen hundreds,” Violet said, placing one button on her palm. “Italian. They’re edged in gold, so not cheap, but they’re beautiful.”
The work was exquisite and detailed, and the pattern matched Millie. These buttons had been a find from one of her buyers in India. The woman had sent a huge jar filled with dozens of buttons. Most had been cheap or broken, but there had been a few treasures—these six among them.
“I want them,” Atsuko said firmly. “While I’m not taking a commission on Ronan’s piece, it won’t be the only thing sold. I plan to have a good night.” She smiled. “These will bring me luck.”
“They’re going to look lovely,” Violet told her as she put the buttons back in their box.
A happy sale, she thought as she wrote up the receipt. Her mortgage was paid for the next two months and she had money left over to buy more buttons.
Atsuko took the receipt and the box, then put both in her Prada handbag. She started for the door, only to turn back. “By the way, your English gentleman friend got in touch with me this morning. Apparently he’s sending over a little something for the auction, as well. Something from his estate back home.”
Ulrich hadn’t mentioned anything to her. “Did he say what it was?”
“No. I was hoping you’d know.”
“Sorry. I don’t have a clue.”
“Then we’ll find out next Thursday.”
Atsuko waved and left. Violet thought about asking Ulrich when she saw him, then decided she preferred to be surprised. For a second she fantasized that he’d asked his grandmother to ship over one of the family’s fabulous diamond rings. He would drop to one knee and...
“You’re being ridiculous,” she told herself out loud. “It’s something giraffe-like. Nothing more.”
Oh but how she wanted it to be more. Much more.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CAROL HAD ALWAYS thought of herself as the more sensible of the sisters. While Violet always looked so pretty and put together with her accessorized outfits, Carol was more concerned if she could get grass stains and grazing animal poop out of her clothes.
She’d been fine with that. She loved her work and never in a million years could imagine herself happily sorting through huge jars of buttons or tying the perfect scarf for the right outfit. But surrounded by lace, tulle and a very stunning wedding gown, not to mention gorgeous shoes, she found herself wondering if she was just a tiny bit too utilitarian. Even more troubling, she felt the first ping of wistfulness. Until this very moment she’d never thought about being a bride.
Oh, sure, she’d thought about getting married, but that was different. That was about being in a relationship, about finding someone to love who would love her back. That was about family and future and having babies and all that kind of stuff. She was talking wedding.
Cakes and invitations and showers and receptions and rings and yes, an amazing lace-covered, fitted wedding gown that made Maya look like the most beautiful woman in the world.
“There aren’t enough words,” Carol admitted, walking around the bride-to-be. She took a couple more pictures before carefully setting the veil in place and adjusting it. “You’re stunning. Del is going to faint when he sees you.”
“I hope not.” Maya bit her lower lip. “I wouldn’t mind him being blown away, but I’m not that excited about him fainting.”
“Good point. He’ll have trouble catching his breath. How about that?”
“Perfect.”
They were at Mathias’s house. One of the smaller spare rooms had been converted to wedding central. Maya had asked Carol to come by and help her with a few last-minute details. One of them was to take some pictures of her in the dress so she could send them to their friends in China.
Carol passed over the phone. Maya scrolled through the photographs and nodded happily. “Exactly what I wanted. Thank you so much for helping me this morning.”
“Happy to do it. This is fun.”
Later, when she was alone, Carol would allow herself a few minutes of wedding fantasy. Nothing overly detailed—just her in a dress and the man of her dreams waiting at the other end of the aisle. Mathias would look so—
Her brain slammed on the brakes and then quickly backed up. Mathias wasn’t the man of her dreams. He couldn’t be. They were friends and that was it. He wasn’t a man who had romantic relationships and she wouldn’t settle for anything less. As for how she felt about him...best not to go there.
Carol unfastened the long line of buttons so Maya could step out of her dress. Together they put it back on the oversize hanger, then fluffed and straightened so it hung perfectly. A sheet was draped over the dress to protect it from accidents and prying eyes.
They went into the kitchen where Maya fixed tea, then they sat on the sofa by the window. Sophie joined them, obviously hoping for some kind of cookie. She settled next to C
arol, leaning on her heavily before finally slumping down with her head on Carol’s lap.
“I think I’m ready,” Maya said as she passed over a cup to Carol. “Can I say that? Do I jinx myself if I do?”
“You seem really prepared. I think you’re safe.”
Maya flashed her a smile. “Thank you. You’ve been so great. I want to say I’m sorry Mathias roped you into helping, but I’m not. Every time we had a videoconference, you were so engaged while being totally calm. That helped a lot.”
Carol was surprised by the assessment, but also pleased. “I was happy to help. A lot of my friends are in the wedding business.” She made air quotes with one of her hands. “But I never get really involved in any of the weddings. This has been fun for me.”
“Me, too. To be honest, it’s hard to imagine how it’s all going to come together. Pallas has been fantastic, handling the details.” She sipped her tea. “This is the lull before the storm, as they say. Your fund-raising event is Thursday night, the rehearsal dinner is Friday and then the wedding is Saturday.”
“When does your family arrive?” Carol asked.
Maya shook her head. “I don’t really have any blood relatives. I have friends coming in from Fool’s Gold. Eddie and Gladys are my stand-in grandmothers. They’re going to be flower girls, which I totally love. Mayor Marsha is going to perform the ceremony. Elaine, Del’s mother, and I are close, so she’s going to be standing in for my mom as I get ready that morning. Other people I know are coming. It will be great.”
Carol thought that it said a lot about Maya that even though she’d lost her biological family, she’d created a family of the heart for herself.
“How do you get along with Ceallach?” she asked, curious about the man who had such an influence on his sons.
Maya’s expression turned cautious. “How much do you know about him?”
“As a person, not much. As someone who has met several of his sons, I can’t decide if I’m going to shake his hand or slap him upside the head.”
Maya relaxed. “Okay, so you know what to expect.”
“Not exactly but I plan to be braced and on guard.” Not for herself, she thought. But for Mathias.
“Ceallach is practically a legend,” Maya told her. “He’s brilliant and famous and difficult. Elaine worships him. I wouldn’t want their marriage, but it works for them and I guess that’s what matters. As for how he deals with his sons... Del and Aidan got ignored and the other three had too much attention. I guess it’s safe to say each of them are scarred, in their own way.”
Maya leaned toward Carol. “I can’t figure Ceallach out. It’s not just that he has to be the center of attention, it’s that he needs others to be suffering. I don’t know if that makes sense.”
“It does.”
“I’ve done some reading. Sometimes I wonder if there’s something wrong with his brain. I don’t believe that being that gifted means you have to be crazy or anything, it’s more about the way he treats people, especially his sons. He has no empathy, no sense of anyone but himself.” She shook her head. “Sorry, I am way out of my area of expertise here. I should simply tell you to smile and keep your distance.”
“That was my plan.” And to watch Mathias’s back.
* * *
SOPHIE TROTTED HAPPILY at Mathias’s side, stopping occasionally to sniff or mark her territory with a quick squat. When his mother had first dropped her off, he’d been convinced taking care of the dog was going to be a disaster. Instead, she’d grown on him and he had to admit, if only to himself, that he was going to miss her.
“You’re not half bad,” he told her.
Sophie looked up and wagged her tail, confirming what must be obvious.
“On the bright side, when you’re gone, I’ll get to eat my entire breakfast by myself.”
She gave a low woof, as if asking why he would want to do that, when sharing with her was so much more fun.
They continued down the road. Mathias told himself they had no destination, then thought it was dumb to lie to himself. It wasn’t as if he didn’t already know where he was headed. Because despite everything going on, or maybe because of it, there was only one place he wanted to be.
Five minutes later, he was on Carol’s front porch, ringing the doorbell. She answered a couple of seconds later.
She’d already changed from her work uniform into jeans and a T-shirt. Both were soft looking, kind of like her. She was barefoot. Unlike most of the women he knew, she didn’t paint her toenails. Funny how seeing them without any color made her appear more vulnerable somehow.
“Hi,” she said, stepping back to let him in. “How’s it going at your place?”
“It’s crowded.”
She laughed. “You only have Del and Maya to deal with. Okay, and the dress, but it’s pretty quiet. What are you going to do when the rest of the family arrives?”
“I have no idea.” Aidan and Shelby were getting a room in town, but his parents would be staying with him. A nightmare he would deal with when it happened.
She led him out to the back patio. “You two sit here. I’ll be right back.”
Mathias did as she requested, taking a seat at the table. After he unclipped Sophie’s leash, the beagle jumped onto the chaise and stretched out in the last rays of sunshine. Carol returned in a few minutes. She had two open beer bottles along with a bowl of chips and guacamole.
She set everything on the table before settling into the chair next to him, her foot tucked under her butt. She touched her bottle to his, then said, “What’s going on?”
“I’m good. How the countdown to the event?”
“I’m nervous,” she admitted. “There’s a lot on the line. Atsuko is confident, so I try to be, too. She’s handling everything—I just have to show up and talk about Millie.” She glanced at him. “You’re going to be there, aren’t you?”
“With bells on.”
She laughed. “Where, exactly, will those bells be?”
“You’re going to have to wait and see.”
He thought about the glass pieces in his studio. He’d completed the one of Millie but was still refining the Carol statue. If he got it right in time, he might bring it to the event...to continue the giraffe theme. It wouldn’t be for sale.
The late afternoon was warm, the breeze light. In Fool’s Gold fall would have arrived with cooler temperatures and brilliant colors.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“I miss the changing colors of the leaves. The desert is beautiful in its own way, but there’s something to be said for the mountains.”
“Regretting your move?” she asked, her tone light.
“No. Coming here was the right decision. This is home now.”
“How did you decide to leave in the first place?”
“Ronan needed to get away and I needed to go with him.”
“For him or for you?”
“Both.”
“What was it like before?” she asked. “When you were twins?”
Her voice was kind, as was her gaze. He could feel her concern. Carol would never ask for the sake of knowing. She wasn’t like that. Funny how, at the end of the day, he trusted her. Whatever was going on, he knew that she would do the right thing, be it for him or someone else she cared about. Because he knew she did care about him. They were friends.
“I don’t remember not being Ronan’s twin and him being mine,” he admitted. “We shared everything. Mom used to talk about us sleeping in the same crib when we were babies. I always thought it was because we couldn’t be separated, but looking back I’m guessing it was because when she took Ronan in, she didn’t have another place to put him. She hadn’t actually been expecting another baby.”
“I’m still amazed she was willing to take him in th
e way she did. I couldn’t do it.”
“Not many people could. She’s the complete opposite of my father. He only thinks of himself and she only thinks of him. At the risk of being too cynical, I’ve never believed the story about her knowing the second she saw Ronan that she had to raise him. I think it was because he was a part of my father and Ceallach has always been the center of her universe.”
“But you said Ronan was her favorite. How do you explain that?”
“I can’t.”
All the brothers had known it. Mathias never knew how everyone else felt. Personally he hadn’t minded because he’d been a part of Ronan’s inner circle. The two of them against the world. Everyone else had come in second.
“We were in the same class at school, we played the same sports. When one of us got sick or injured, the other stayed home, too.” He smiled. “We never liked the same type of women, though. When we were in high school, we tried dating sisters. That didn’t go well.”
“Then it all hit the fan,” she said softly.
“It did.” He still remembered the shock—not wanting to believe the words. How could Ronan not be his twin brother?
“It was hard on me,” he continued, “but worse on him. I was still Elaine’s son while he wasn’t. We both had to deal with all the years of lies but he had to figure out who he was.”
“Has he?”
“Hell if I know. These days we barely speak. He’s pulling back more and more.” He reached for a chip. “When we first moved here I thought we’d figure it out. We still worked together in the studio. We’d even rented a house together. Then he found that place up in the mountains and once he moved, he started withdrawing.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. We’ll get through this.”
At least he hoped they would. Bad enough to have lost his twin, but to end up losing his brother...
“What can I do to help?” she asked.
Let me take you to bed. A phrase only to be thought, not spoken, because she would think he was trying to make up for what had happened before. Even though he did want a do-over, today wasn’t about that. Not that he could explain that to her.
Second Chance Girl--A Modern Fairy Tale Romance Page 19