by Barbara Lohr
There was that lip nipping going on again. The pinch zinged right from her lips to certain parts of his body. “I think working on the wedding thing with you is making me hot.”
“Oh, is that why you're sweaty?” Her eyes opened in mock innocence, and he tightened his hold.
“Maybe. Maybe not. Where's Bella?”
That coy smile came as she played with his top button before sliding it open. “She has a playdate with Christie.”
“Oh, how will we spend the time?” he whispered, lips traveling over her soft cheeks.
“I’ve got some ideas.”
Chapter 19
Julep asked to go with Harper to pick up the dress. “I think we should make a party of this,” she told Harper. “A cause for celebration.” Sounded good to Harper. While she waited for Julep to pick her up, she studied the list of ingredients that Cameron’s mother had sent.
“But there's nothing that special here,” Connie had said adjusting her glasses. “Brown sugar, mustard, red beans. There must be more to this.”
“Cameron’s family will be here a couple days before the wedding. If there's something that we don't have, I can just run out and get it.”
Why had Harper ever started this? But at least the Blodgetts were coming to the wedding. Glancing through the kitchen window, Harper saw Julep pull into the driveway in her black Mercedes. “I wish I could help you out, Connie. Really I do. But you know me. Toasting bread is a big deal for some of us. Gotta run.” She grabbed her handbag. “Final fitting today. Will you be able to pick up Bella at three if I don't make it home in time? Julep said something about a late lunch.”
“Of course. You have fun now. You only get to have one wedding dress in your lifetime.” Connie shook her head. “I mean for most of us.”
Straightening her red headband, Harper dashed out the door. The December day felt crisp, and she tipped her face into the sunlight. With any luck, their wedding day would be just this golden.
Hurrying through the garden, Harper noticed that Jack had done a great job of trimming bushes and pulling weeds. She almost missed the wreath of magnolia leaves around the mermaid’s neck as she hurried past. Those guys. Rick’s crew had wound garland over the wrought iron railings on all the verandahs. A crew was coming tomorrow to wash the windows inside and out. After that, an artificial candle would be put in each window of the house. She couldn’t wait to see that.
If this weather held, they might be able to have the wedding party outside. Extraordinary Celebrations would be setting up a tent out here that could seat seventy guests. But she didn't know about the actual ceremony. After all, the tree was in the parlor, and the wide doorway offered a view from the other rooms.
“Don't you look pretty today,” Julep said, giving her a once-over when Harper slid into the car. “I’m loving your red leather jacket. The ruffles on the black skirt might look innocent if it weren't for those high black boots.”
“Me? Innocent?” Harper smoothed a hand over the ruffled skirt scattered with embroidered holly leaves. “Julep I can't wait to see my dress again.”
“I don’t blame you. We should have snapped a picture of you in it that day with our phones. You looked so gorgeous.” The tires squealed and took a tight turn onto Victory Parkway. “How are all the plans coming?”
Feeling a little dizzy, Harper expelled a sigh. “Our lists have lists. Sticky notes everywhere. Connie is all flustered about Mrs. Blodgett’s list for the menu.”
“How did she take it?” Julep asked.
“Not well but we smoothed things over, I think. At least the family is definitely coming now.”
“So it’s really going to be a lowcountry wedding? How yummy.”
“You bet. A lowcountry Christmas wedding. Pinch me. Three years ago, I never would have believed this. Billy Colton––my old boyfriend––can just kiss my grits.”
“I’ve got something exciting to tell you,” Julep said, her eyes sparkling.
Harper loved being with this woman who found joy everywhere she went. “Tell me.”
“Now that you’re having the wedding right here, I told Tuck we absolutely had to come. That is, if we’re invited.”
“Of course you are!” Harbor squealed with delight. “That makes me so happy. If you weren’t driving, I’d reach over and hug you.” It just seemed like the wedding got better and better every day. All their troubles and uncertainties had been put behind them. She could exhale and enjoy everything.
“I told him we can just drive up to Vidalia on Christmas morning. One day with the clan will be plenty.”
Then it hit her. “But Julep. I stole your Christmas.”
“You did not. Whatever are you talking about, girl?”
They were driving down Victory, and on either side were homes and businesses decked out for the holidays.
“No, really,” Harper continued, the holiday glitz making her feel downright guilty. “You let me have all those tubs of decorations, the ones I’d planned for your house.”
But Julep gave her head a playful shake. “Oh, darlin’. You got that all wrong. Let’s think of it this way. You stole those decorations from Georgina Darlington, not me.” Harper had never heard Julep cackle before but she joined right in.
“Besides, I can just share your decorations while I’m there. You’ve saved me the trouble of taking everything down. I always hate that part.” One manicured hand fluttered in the air, and Harper didn’t miss the green nails with the holly berries on the tips.
“Now, where are you two going on your honeymoon?” Julep asked. “I never did ask you? The Bahamas? The Caymans?”
“We decided we wait a little while. You know, until Cameron has rehab for his ankle. Seems like we’d be asking for trouble having him heave luggage around or doing a lot of touristy walking.”
Julep shot her a wicked look. “Well, honey, if your husband’s like mine you won't be enjoying the sites during your honeymoon. If you do, there is definitely something wrong.” They both burst out laughing.
“Hey, I have a great idea.” Julep got another one of her conniving looks. “Why don’t you just give Connie the week off, and Bella can stay with us. I mean, if she’s willing. Just think about it.”
Harper didn’t know how Bella would feel about that, but the idea of having Cameron alone for one week made her weak in the knees. “Thanks, Julep. Let me run it past Cameron. You are so sweet.”
They were still chuckling when they entered Bleubelle’s ten minutes later.
A younger woman and her mother were looking at dresses. For a second, Harper wished her own family could have been here for that––at least her mother and McKenna. But she had made a choice. And when she chose Cameron, she chose Savannah. That much was clear to her now.
Courtney came hurrying out from the back, dressed smartly in a well-cut navy dress that sure didn't come off the rack. “Your gown is waiting for you, Harper. Let me just show you to the dressing room. I think you're going to love it.”
And as she looked at herself in the three-way mirror a few minutes later, Harper felt transported.
“How do you think you're going to wear your hair that day?” Julep asked from where she sat in a velveteen club chair.
Twisting a shank of her long hair up, Harper turned her head this way and that. “What do you think?”
“Very much the sophisticated bride,” Julep said with approval. “Besides, that neck of yours goes on forever. Show it off.”
The overhead lights made her skin glow. “Cameron does like my neck.” Did she say that out loud? The surprised look on Julep’s face told her that she had. And she flushed. “That is, I’ll talk it over with Adam. He’s doing our hair that morning.”
She’d chosen a simple veil that fell just to her shoulders, and Courtney perched it on her head now for the full effect. The white satin heels she’d picked up at Belk’s completed the picture. When she played dress-up with her friends years ago, they all talked about what they’d wear when they
were a bride. But the reality brought a lump to her throat.
Smoothing her hands over the bodice, she cinched them at her waist and took stock of herself in the mirror. “One good thing about this dress is that it makes me look buxom,” she said with approval. “I just feel different.”
Julep only nodded and smiled. “It’s a good cut on you.”
After they stowed the wrapped gown carefully in Julep’s car, they decided to have lunch at Bonefish Grill, only a couple doors down.
“My appetite’s off,” Harper told her friend, patting her tummy as she surveyed the menu. It all looked like so much food. “Maybe just a salad.”
She glanced up to find Julep studying her over the menu. “Have you been nauseated lately?”
“Yeah, I think I still have a touch of that flu or sinus infection. You know, whatever Bella had at Thanksgiving. Maybe it's all the excitement.” Setting the menu aside, she decided to order a salmon salad, even though she really didn’t feel like eating it.
The waitress brought their iced tea and took their orders. But Julep had fallen quiet–– really unusual for her. “Something wrong?” Harper asked. “You okay?”
“This is absolutely none of my business,” Julep said with some hesitation. “But I’m always poking my nose in other people’s business. You don't think you could be pregnant, do you?”
Setting her glass down with a thump, Harper choked. After the coughing spell was over, she fixed her friend with an indignant stare. “Absolutely not. What would make you say that?”
Julep fiddled with the back of her hair. “As I said, this is none of my business. But yes, you are very buxom, and I don’t recall me having that impression before. For me, the minute I got pregnant, the estrogen started pumping. For a while, Tuck was quite pleased. You know, before my tummy outgrew my boobs. And the nausea also started like that.” And she snapped her fingers.
By this time, Harper was so glad that they were in a booth because this conversation had turned very personal. “I do feel different,” she said slowly, thinking back and counting days. “And I don’t have any appetite. I just figured it was the wedding and all.”
The waitress brought the salads, and Julep began to eat. But Harper played with her fork, breaking up the salmon that she just couldn’t eat. She didn’t even know where the bathroom was here. That had become critical these last few days. Lots of trips to the bathroom.
Looking over at her, Julep said, “I hope I didn’t upset you. Me and my big mouth. The only reason I even mentioned it is that I was pregnant about two days before I started to see my figure start to change. And I had absolutely no appetite for the next three months. But that all went away, and I've been starving since then. That’s the benefit of being pregnant. Fat is okay.”
This just could not be. “But I'm on the pill.”
Julep gave her a crooked grin. “A lot of women are on the pill, Harper. But a lot of women still get pregnant, unfortunately. You know, not a ton but just enough to make things interesting. Didn't you tell me you were on antibiotics for a while?”
“Sure but only for ten days or so.”
Julep held up a finger. “Only takes once. Think I read antibiotics can contribute to the failure rate of the pill.”
The fork Harper had been playing with clattered to her plate.
“Everything all right here?” Their waitress appeared at her elbow, but Harper was numb.
“I think we’re fine,” Julep told the waitress. “Just fine.”
“I hope I didn't upset you, Harper.” Julep said finally, while Harper's mind was working through a hundred what-ifs. How would Cameron feel about this? What had he said? They’d “table this.” Boy, she’d made some mistakes in her life, but this? This could be epic. Excitement prickled underneath her shock.
A baby. Their baby.
“You're so quiet,” Julep said when the waitress brought their checks. “I never should've brought this up. Really bad timing on my part.” She gave a pointed look at the salmon salad that Harper hadn't even touched.
“No, I'm not sorry, Julep. Just stunned. I need to find out.” Taking a deep breath, Harper tried to steady her beating heart.
“How about a little Christmas shopping then?”
Although she was tired, she loved being with Julep. And she sure didn't want her to think she was going home to sulk. For the next half-hour, they trailed through shops, where of course Harper could not resist buying more Christmas baubles. That house was so huge. Everywhere she looked, there was another shelf, small table or alcove that seemed to need a bit of holiday joy. “Whatever is this?” Harper plucked a sparkly green pickle from a tree in one of the gift shops.
Dangling the glazed pickle from a finger, Julep chuckled. “You didn't have this tradition in Chicago? Whoever finds the hidden pickle on your Christmas tree gets a special gift.”
“Amazing. I’ll take it,” Harper told the sales girl. For a lot of reasons, Christmas would always be her favorite time of year. And this year, they were making so many memories. After all, their anniversary would be on Christmas Eve.
Good thing the delicate ornament was already on the counter or she might have dropped it. Julep snapped up a few ornaments, and they were on their way back to the car. Still feeling dazed, Harper didn’t say much on the way home. Her mind was too busy, and she couldn’t carry on two conversations at once. When they pulled up to the house, Julep helped Harper pull her dress carefully from the back. “What a fun day,” Harper told Julep. “A day to remember.”
But her friend could hardly look at her. “You’ll probably remember this as the day I made you worry needlessly. Harper, I feel just terrible about that.”
“Don't, Julep. This is the season when everybody should feel happy and grateful, right?”
“Oh, sugga, I’d hug you but I don’t want to crush that beautiful dress. I am so glad you’re my friend.”
“But I have to run.” Being careful with the dress so she didn't snag it on a thorny bush or drag it through the mud, which would've been so like her, Harper headed for the house. It was no small feat to get her keys out and get through the door. The house felt quiet. Connie must have left for the day. A note on the table said that Cameron had walked Bella over to Daffin Park. Terrific. She was panting by the time she got the dress up to the third floor. She would let Bella see the dress when the right time came. And then she was back downstairs dashing for her car. She had one more errand before Cameron and Bella came home.
Chapter 20
Cameron dragged himself in from work that night. He was bushed. Sure, his ankle was feeling better, but he was so over this walking cast. He hated having to depend on Rick and the other guys for rides to sites. But Dr. Welch was pretty sure it could be removed next week before the ceremony.
Opening the kitchen door, he stopped dead in his tracks. Bless her heart, Connie was making his favorite pork roast. He sniffed the air with appreciation. This Christmas the house smelled so damn good, so homey. All because of Harper.
With the kitchen this quiet, no one seemed to be around. Tossing his briefcase onto a kitchen chair, he lifted the cover of the slow cooker. Yep, and Connie would probably make gravy to go with it. Potatoes, onions and cauliflower were cut up and ready to be roasted. Harper had tried cooking. He smiled, remembering her efforts and how he’d choked them down. She’d never be a “Martha” as she put it. Fine with him.
He smoothed a hand over the list Lily had sent. The menu had become like a war map. Why had Harper asked his mother to help plan the food for the wedding? Flipping through the pages, he noticed Harper's handwriting and smiled. She’d scrawled Mrs. Cameron Bennett about fifteen times in different angles, playing with the C and the B. That sweet thing. She must have been doodling while she was on the phone. Seeing his name with the Mrs. in her handwriting brought a lump to his throat. He pushed the list back where he’d found it.
The house might be quiet now, but it sure wouldn't be quiet next week. Not after his family arrived,
and from what he understood, they would be first on the scene. Grabbing his briefcase, he headed for the hallway where the smell of pine grew stronger. All the decorations and doodads that Harper and her crew had scattered around sure dressed up the place. You couldn’t move without running into an angel or an elf. And then there was the tree. Towering to the ceiling, with ribbons cascading down from a Christmas angel over a mess of ornaments, icicles and silver baubles, it could have graced a department store. It was just that grand.
He glanced around the parlor. Problem was, all the glitter and glitz made the furniture look dated. The mansion was a show piece, not a family home. Bella’s Christmas coloring book and her box of crayons looked like they didn’t belong. How had he missed that? To see Pipsqueak stretched out on a Victorian sofa was hilarious. Even the dog looked uncomfortable. Of course, she wasn’t allowed on the furniture, but like Bella and Harper, the dog made her own rules. He was seriously outnumbered.
“Anybody home?”
Somewhere a vacuum was buzzing. Usually Myra took care of the heavy cleaning, but Connie often ran the vacuum. The mail was set out on the side table, and he leafed through bills, more bills and some magazines that he set aside. Some pieces that looked like advertising had Harper's name on them, and he stared at the envelopes. Not too long, and her name would be Harper Bennett. Maybe his curious sense of pride was silly.
Vacuum in hand, Connie appeared in the parlor doorway. Frizzy curls escaping from a topknot, she looked done in.
“You fixed my favorite dinner.”
“Right.” Her glance flicked toward the stairway. “But I don't think it's Harper’s favorite. She came in the door with her wedding dress, took one sniff and headed for the stairway.” Connie looked hurt.
“Maybe she was just in a hurry. Wanted to hang up her dress.” What the hell did he know? He sure hoped she wasn’t getting the flu again. “Where’s Bella?”
“Up in her room, comforting Pipsqueak.” Looking defensive, Connie drew herself up. “Okay, I yelled at her. She gets all excited and that tail of hers knocks ornaments off the tree. They’re expensive. Harper's friend Julep bought a lot of these.”