by Linda Apple
“I only have one thing to say.”
“What?”
“Stan Montgomery, will you marry me?”
He took my coffee cup from me. “Are green tomatoes fried?” He leaned over to kiss me, but I threw my hand over my mouth.
“Nope. Morning breath! I have to lay down the law about kissing before toothpaste.” I rolled off the other side of the bed and rushed to the bathroom to brush my teeth.
Stan laughed. “Noted. When you are done, get dressed. I have breakfast ready.”
Breakfast? I squeezed a generous amount of toothpaste on my brush. Eat your heart out ladies. And won’t you be surprised tonight? It was then the little devil on my shoulder whispered an idea in my ear. I laughed out loud spraying soapy specks all over the mirror. I rinsed my mouth and hurried to collect my kiss and tell Stan my idea.
He sat at the table reading the paper, with none other than her highness nestled on his lap.
“Well, well. If that don’t beat all.”
Stan glanced up from his paper. “What can I say? Women just cannot resist me.” He lifted Gypsy and settled her on the windowsill. Then walked over and wrapped his arms around me. “Now may I kiss you?”
I didn’t give him a chance, pulling him toward me, I made his wait worthwhile. When we finally broke free, he blew out a breath. “Man, how soon can we get married?”
“Oh, I think I can have everything planned in a few weeks. Are you game?”
“Oh I am. Believe me, I am.” He lifted the calendar off the wall, flipped the page to December and ran his finger across it. “How about the 14th?”
“Excellent. I’ll call in the troops.” And then my idea for devilment came to mind. “Speaking of the troops. I have to warn you, tonight you will get the grilling of your life.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, by Lexi mainly. She is on an all men are scum rant.”
Gypsy sat by the door and stared at us. “Mrrreow?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I went to the door and opened it for her to go out. The sun shown bright in the topaz sky, and the air felt deliciously cold. “Stan, it’s such a gorgeous day. How about us taking a walk around the town square? I want you to see how it has changed and show you my shop. And while we are walking, I’ll tell you about the little trick I want to pull on the girls.”
“I like the sound of that.” He helped me shrug on my coat. “Partners in crime again, right?”
“Absolutely.”
We walked along Main Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard. I pointed out my shop. “On the way home, we’ll stop in, and I’ll give you the best scone you’ve ever put in your mouth. And you’ll get to meet my granddarlings, too.”
“Do I need to be worried about them hating me?”
“Naw, they’ll love you. Everyone will love you.”
“As long as you love me, I’m a happy man.”
I squeezed his hand three times. “That will be our signal. I. Love. You.” He squeezed my hand four times. I glanced up at him. “What did that mean?”
“I. Love. You. Too.” He lifted my hand to his lips.
We passed the court house and crossed Magnolia Drive. When we came to the entrance of Moonlight Lake, Stan nudged me to the left onto Leslie Lane. “Where are we going?”
“I wanted to see the old Norton place. I remember when I was a boy wishing I lived there.”
“Me too. I used to hide in the azalea bushes and watch Mrs. Norton’s tea parties.”
We neared the corner of Leslie Lane and Nightingale and the elegant antebellum came into view. Beautiful as always. The two-story house had four columns across the front reaching from the ground to the roof. The entry was a double door with a cut glass circle-top window above it and cut glass sidelights. The second story door was exactly the same, and it opened onto a balcony. The first floor had an east and west wing with columns supporting the wrap around covered porch that spanned the front and sides of the mansion.
Behind the west end was a sunroom leading into another two-story building. The back yard had a beautiful courtyard with a wrought iron gate. On the other side of the gate was a large pool with a pool house at the far end. The place was spectacular. The grounds were breathtaking. It made my green thumbs itch.
I caught a glimpse of some kind of sign partially hidden by one of the rosebushes. A realty sign? I blurted out, “Look. It’s for sale.” Turning to Stan in disbelief I said, “I didn’t think the Nortons would ever let this place out of the family. I wonder what happened.”
Stan bobbed his eyebrows. “I’ve never seen inside. Have you?”
“Why, no. I haven’t.”
“Want to?”
“Of course I do.”
He checked the number listed on the sign. “Well, well, Lela Blodgett. Haven’t seen her in a while, thank goodness.”
“She hasn’t changed one iota.”
“Great.” He punched in the number. “Hello? This is Stan Montgomery. Yes. The Stan. I’m moving back to town and saw the Norton place is for sale. I’d like to see it. When? Now if possible. Okay, I’ll wait. See you in a few.” He turned to me. “Prepare yourself.”
In no time, Lela came roaring down the street in her black Kia. Before she even got one foot out of the car, she had already started yapping, “Why Molly Kate, shame on you. You didn’t say a word about Stan being in town.” She tossed her bleached-blond hair and looked Stan up and down.
Never cared much for Lela.
Someone needed to teach her how to apply eye shadow and what shades to choose. The shocking blue eye color she used made the wrinkles on her lids look like the tide was rolling in. But worst of all was her thick black Cleopatra eyeliner. Tacky, tacky, tacky, for a woman pushing sixty.
Lela clicked her tongue. “My, my, don’t you look fine? So you want to see this house huh?” She stroked Stan’s arm. “Honnnneeeey, you must be one successful fella. Are you single?” She put out her well-manicured hand. “Just teasing.”
I’ll bet you are.
When Stan could get a word in, he said, “Nice to see you too, Lela. And no, I’m not single.”
I bumped his side with my elbow. If he said a word, the whole town would know about us before I could get to the sidewalk. And I wanted Carli to hear about us from me.
Lela pursed wrinkled red lips. “Awwww, that’s too bad.” She leaned over at me. “Isn’t it Molly Kate? Unless…?”
I feigned disinterest. “Yeah. Too bad.” Nice try Lela.
“Oh well, let’s go in and have a gander.”
Forty-five minutes later we walked out the front door. I had never seen such a house. Six bedrooms, six and a half bathrooms, a library, a dining room, two living areas, a sunroom, and a kitchen large as the entire bottom floor of my home. And the two-story building attached to the sunroom was another house entirely. It had a large kitchen, living room, three bedrooms, an office, two and a half bathrooms, and a greenhouse porch. Lela said Mr. Norton had built it for his parents.
Then there was the pool house. It had a kitchenette, bathroom, bedroom, and living area. And all of this for a tidy sum of just over a million dollars.
When Lela finally left, Stan and I sat on the front porch rockers. He reached over and took my hand. “Like it?”
“Like? I love it.”
“Then, how about it?”
“How about what?”
“Let’s buy it.”
Did I hear him right?
“Buy it? Are you kidding me? How? It’s over a million dollars. And even if we could afford it, what ever would we do with all that room?”
Weaving his fingers with mine, he hesitated before saying, “Now I don’t want this to sound wrong, but honey, I don’t want to move into your house and live off the income of your business.”
He stood and held his arms out wide. “Look at the place. While walking through town, I thought about how it is turning into a tourist get-away.” Excitement filled his voice. “Wouldn’t this make a great B&B? Just think, I c
ould run it. You keep the bakery and supply the baked items for our guests. And I can pursue my cooking passion while I run the business. We could live in the house off the west wing and make new memories there. Our memories. What do you think?”
“I love the idea. But how could we ever afford it?”
“I already have most of it. When I sold my chain of pharmacies, I invested. And I can sell the farm. I have developers breathing down my neck all the time. I’m sure I’ll get enough to pay cash for this place.”
“What about my home?”
“Now that’s something you’ll have to decide.” He took both my hands in his. “I will support you in whatever you want to do.”
I stared at the towering magnolia trees in the yard and remembered how excited Randy and I were when the Washington Avenue house came up for sale. A lot like today. We fell in love with the house. Only it took us years to pay it off. We brought our newborn daughter home to that house and raised her there. It is where my granddaughters had spent their growing up years visiting Noni and Poppa. Randy had died there.
At that moment, I understood what Stan was saying. Washington Avenue was mine and Randy’s house. Our history, our life, our memories. I gazed into Stan’s kind eyes. He was my future. This house on the corner of Leslie Lane and Nightingale was our future. I could see me living here, decorating for the seasons, hosting guests, and building new memories. Of course Carli wouldn’t like me selling the house and moving.
Out of the blue, an idea came to me. I could give the Washington Avenue house to her. Like an early inheritance.
“I want to run something by you first.”
“Shoot.”
“What do you think about me giving my house to my daughter? It is where she grew up, where her dad died. It holds all her childhood memories. The twins as well.”
“I think that is an inspired idea.”
“You don’t mind? I mean, I won’t make much of a financial contribution to the Norton house.”
“You are bringing the heart into it. And believe me, at a B&B, we will work our tails off, but have fun doing it.” He hugged me close and said, “From now on, this is the Montgomery house.”
I held him tight and squealed. “I can’t believe this.”
“Come on, Miss Molly. Let’s go buy a house.”
We made it home in time to freshen up before leaving for Lexi’s. We had our plan all set. I chuckled all the way there. This would never do. I had to get a grip, or our little charade would be birddogged out in less than a second. I bit my lip while we walked up the porch steps and knocked on the door. It swung open and Lexi pushed on the screen door.
“Come in, ya’ll. It’s so good to see you again, Stan.” She stuck out her hand. “Remember me? I’m Lexi. One of Molly Kate’s oldest friends.”
“How could I forget? You were one hot ticket then.” He eye-balled her with lecherous appraisal. “Even hotter now. I always liked redheads.”
Lexi slapped a glare at me. I just shrugged, and we walked inside. My insides ached holding the laughter at bay. “And you remember Avalee, right?”
Stan let out a long, low whistle. “Helllloooo, baby.” He turned to me. “She sure didn’t let herself go like you did.” He took Avalee’s hand. “You are one sexy lady.” Avalee jerked her hand from Stan’s and narrowed her eyes before turning a questioning look at me. Again I just lifted my shoulders and let them fall.
“And this is Jema.”
“Hellllooooo, gorgeous. You must have not gone to school with us, otherwise I’d sure remember you.” He grinned and stepped away from me. “Molly, I’m not so sure about us any longer.”
Lexi stomped her foot. “That’s it.” She stabbed her finger toward the door. “There’s the door. Get out of my house, you—”
Stan put out his hands. “What? Just because I appreciate beautiful, sexy women?”
I couldn’t stand it. I burst into giggles. Stan joined me, and we laughed until tears ran down our faces. When I could breathe, I held up my left hand with the blinding solitaire. “Gotcha.”
Lexi, Avalee, and Jema stared at the stone and then at Stan. He wiped his eyes. “Sorry girls, but Molly put me up to it.” He placed his arm around me and held me close. “This lady is the most beautiful woman in the world as far as I am concerned, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life worshiping at her feet.”
“Well,” said Lexi. “After I slug you both, I’ll make you a martini. Geeze Louise.” When she returned with our drinks, she looked at the ring again. “For a stone that size, you are forgiven.”
Jema nudged in for a look. “When? Have you chosen a date? And where? Have you decided on a honeymoon spot?” She clasped her hands under her chin. “Oh, go to Italy, to Florence. I’ve always wanted to go there.”
“We do have a date.” I held my hands up. “Now brace yourselves. December 14th.”
Avalee opened her eyes wide. “This December 14th? Girl, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Nope. And you haven’t heard it all,” I said. “He bought me a new house.”
Lexi frowned. “But you have a house.”
“I’m giving it to Carli. Stan and I want to start fresh together.”
“But, you are staying here in Moonlight. Right?” said Jema.
“Yep. Our new house is just across town.” I smiled up at Stan. “He bought the Norton place for me today.
A glass shattered. Lexi stood stock still, her hand poised as if she still held it. When she found her voice she said, “Well, Stan, I guess you pass inspection.”
Avalee clapped her hands. “We have a wedding to plan. And what better place than the new Montgomery Mansion? I’ll take care of the flowers, and Ty will take pictures.”
Lexi joined in. “I’ll handle all the announcements, invites, things like that.”
Jema raised her hand. “And I’m sure Cladie Mae is going to want to cook for you, so I’ll help her.”
Stan grinned. “And I’ll stay out of the way.”
“I have another request.” I took my friend’s hands. “Even though Stan isn’t going to have anyone stand with him, I want you all to stand with me. It only seems right.”
Lexi smirked. “Just don’t make us wear stupid-looking dresses. Okay?”
“Don’t worry, Lex. I’ll make sure they have plunging necklines.”
Jema mocked horror. “You can’t do that, it would be too expensive.”
Lexi tilted her head. “Expensive?”
“Yeah,” said Jema. “I’ll need to get a boob job.”
I waved her off. “Pffft. Yours look just fine. In fact, we all do. We are goddesses.”
Stan laughed. “And I’m honored to be in your temple.”
In the past couple of days, my life had been transported into a fairy tale where everything was happily ever after. What could possibly go wrong?
Chapter 17
AVALEE
Visitors
Monday morning Jema knocked on the door and called, “Anybody home?”
“I’m in the kitchen.”
She lumbered inside, loaded down with empty bowls and casserole dishes. In each one was a piece of candy. “My momma taught me to never return an empty dish. This is the best I could do.”
“Oh, you silly.” I unburdened her from her load. “Coffee?”
“Yes, thanks. I’ve only had one pot.”
We sat at the table under the laughing tomatoes, smiling carrots, grinning celery, and smirking onions.
Jema looked around the room. “I see everything is back in order since our Thanksgiving feast. As usual, the meal was delicious. I’m still stuffed.”
I sipped my coffee. “Well, Momma said it was the first time she’d cooked Thanksgiving dinner with such little thought. Molly Kate’s wedding has trumped everything, seeing how it’s only a few weeks away.”
Jema stared dreamily over her cup. “I know. Isn’t it romantic?”
“Sure is. I’m calling in a lot of favors from New York City, includ
ing the services of my dear friend Scott. He’s flying in tomorrow. I can’t wait to see him. Except I dread him seeing me.”
“Whatever for?”
“He’ll be horrified to see how much weight I’ve gained.”
She waved me off. “Oh pashaw. You look exactly the same. Only better.”
“Ten pounds better.” I stood to refill my cup. “Oh well, when he tastes Momma’s cooking, he’ll remember how good it was when she cooked for us in New York. Hopefully he’ll give me some grace.”
I leaned against the counter. “But you haven’t heard anything yet. Guess who else is coming.”
“Who?”
“Nathan Wolfe. He’s coming today.”
Jema’s lips parted in a sly smile. “Lexi is going to die.”
“I know. But it gets better. He emailed and said he couldn’t find a room in a hotel anywhere within a fifty mile radius of this—well, I won’t repeat what he called our little town—because everything was full for the holidays. So I invited him to stay here. The problem is I offered before I knew about the wedding. I’m afraid he’ll have to be on his own.”
“I guess we could see if Lexi will entertain him.” Jema giggled.
“Wouldn’t that be interesting?”
“Very.” She frowned and cocked her head. “Why is he coming?”
“He’s investigating something.” I held out the pot. “More?”
“Definitely.”
“Seems there is a missing millionaire, or billionaire, can’t remember. Something about his being kidnapped, I think. Anyway, someone has picked up on a paper trail close to here.”
“Oh.” Jema studied her cup. “Do you know this man’s name?”
“Nathan said it was, oh shoot. I can’t remember. Matthew something.”
Her face paled. “Matthew Abrams?”
I returned to the table and sat. “Yes. That’s it. Jemms? What’s wrong?”
Her eyes glistened. “Nothing.”
“Yes, there is, what is it?”
“Really. I’m fine. Thanks for the coffee.” She stood. “I have to go.”
Pushing the chair back, I got up and reached out to her. “Jema?”
Shaking her head, she hurried out the door.