by Gen Griffin
Gracie gave Katie a small but genuine smile. “I'm feeling sorry for myself, aren't I?”
“A little bit.” Katie held out her hands to Gracie and gave her a quick hug. “But I don't blame you for being upset about your Mom or any of the other disasters that have taken the joy away from what should be one of the biggest celebrations of your life. I just don't know how to fix it for you.”
“I'm not asking anyone to fix it.” Gracie held the dress up to her breasts and then turned so that Trish could fasten the back. “You and Trish have both been amazing friends and I'm really grateful for everything y'all have done for me.”
“Awww, we love you.” Katie smiled at Gracie.
“We do,” Trish confirmed.
“I love you guys too,” Gracie said as Trish fiddled with the back of the dress. It fastened with several dozen tiny buttons and doing them up properly was time consuming.
Gracie studied herself in the mirror. This dress really wasn't half bad. It was a mermaid style dress, which Gracie had previously been reluctant to try on because she hadn't thought it would look right. Surprisingly, the gown fit like it had been made for her. “What do y'all think of this dress?”
“I like it.” Trish smiled as she finished with the buttons. She fidgeted with the back of the dress for a moment longer, tightening a sash and adjusting the way the skirts were sitting. “I think we just found your new dress, Gracie. The mermaid cut suits you and the sweetheart neckline is adorable. You look gorgeous.”
“I love the lace,” Katie said. “It's so elegant and classy.”
“Girls, I think we've found a winner.” Gracie pursed her lips thoughtfully. The dress she was wearing looked good and so did the bridesmaids dresses.
“Hallelujah.” Katie made a praying gesture with her hands.
“If we hurry, maybe we can make it back to Cal's parents house in time to get some of that rehearsal dinner,” Gracie said. “I'm freaking starving.”
“Let's pay for our dresses and get out of here,” Trish said. “I'm really looking forward to that nice steak Miss Loretta promised me.”
“And the crab cakes,” Katie said. “I've been dying to get my hands on a good crab cake.”
“Just help me get out of this dress and we'll go,” Gracie promised. “We just have to swing by the hardware store on the way home.”
“What for?”
“A set of padlocks so that we can keep the new dresses under lock and key until the wedding tomorrow,” Gracie said.
Katie burst out laughing. “Oh, you're being bad.”
“Who said I was joking?” Gracie asked.
Chapter 41
Addison felt a familiar sense of dread growing in the pit of his stomach as he pulled his truck up in front of his parents house. The yard was overgrown and bits of greenery were growing through the cracks in the concrete driveway. The rocking chairs on the porch had their paint peeling off and spider webs blossoming between the bars on the back. The blue wooden siding desperately needed to be pressure washed.
The front door opened before Addison could knock. Dale Malone looked just as old, tired and out of shape as the house did. His graying hair had started to recede from his forehead and his worn-soft work shirt looked like it had been accidentally washed with non-color safe bleach.
“Addison.” Dale's blue eyes went from Addison to the new Dodge in the driveway and then back to his son. “Nice truck you got there. I see Frank spent some money on you this time. What did that thing cost? Had to be at least $40,000.”
“It's a nice truck,” Addison said. “Look, I need to talk to Mom. Is she home?”
“Frank's already been here. You're wasting your time,” Dale said. “Your mother is determined not to go to your sister's wedding and I'm not getting in the middle of it.”
“You're already in the middle of it,” Addison was momentarily startled by the turn the conversation had taken. He'd almost forgotten that Frank had promised to try to force his parents into attending Gracie's wedding. “You like Cal. Why are you giving Gracie such a hard time about marrying him?”
“I don't have any problems with Gracie marrying Cal and I'm not trying to give her a hard time. I've just got to take care of my own house, Addy. Surely you can understand that.”
“I'm sorry, did you just say you need to take care of your own house?” Addison cast a glance around the porch. The wood was starting to sag in the center.
“I didn't mean that literally,” Dale said with a snort. He gestured for Addison to follow him inside. “You've moved out. Gracie's moved out. I'm getting old, Addison. I have to prioritize. Your mother is my wife. My partner. I have to take her side when it counts.”
“How does prioritizing turn into skipping your daughter's wedding and crushing her feelings?” Addison walked into the house reluctantly. It smelled musty and everything appeared to be covered in a fine layer of dust. He wrinkled his nose at it.
“Your mother says she'll leave me if I go to Gracie's wedding. I don't want to be 53 and single, Addison. Do you think I should attend Gracie's wedding and risk sacrificing my own marriage?”
“I think you're a chickenshit,” Addison said to his father. “Personally, I think it would be kind of nice if you'd stand up for your kids every once in a while. Mom's always been a little on the weird side, but lately she's been acting like someone scrambled her eggs for her. Which brings me back to my original point, where is Jane May?”
“Don't refer to your mother by her Christian name. It's disrespectful.”
“Where is she?” Addison repeated.
“I assume she's at work. Have you tried calling her?” Dale asked.
“No. I actually need to talk to her face-to-face.” Addison rubbed his palms against the fabric of his jeans.
“She's not home.”
“Can you find her for me?”
“I already told you, she's probably at the nursing home. You know how she hates being bothered when she's trying to work.” Dale's causal expression made it clear that he didn't really care where his wife was or why Addison was looking for her.
Addison tightened his jaw and did his best not to lose his temper. “Call her for me, will you?”
“I don't want to make her mad,” Dale said.
“I don't care what you want,” Addison told him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He opened up his image gallery and brought up the picture he'd taken of the purple and black gown that had mysteriously found its way into Gracie's garment bag in the place of her real wedding dress. He held the picture up so that his father could see it. “Look familiar?”
Dale shrugged. “It's a dress. I don't wear many dresses.”
“I'm not asking you if it's yours. I'm asking you if you've seen it before. Think hard and don't lie.”
“You seem very angry, son.”
“I'm angry,” Addison confirmed. “Let's talk about the dress.”
Dale sighed and ran his fingers through his graying hair. “Your mother used to wear that dress when we would go to costume parties dressed as Dracula and his bride. We weren't very creative so we were the same thing for Halloween five straight years in a row.”
“You know where the dress is now?” Addison asked.
“I have no idea. It's probably up in our attic in a box.”
“No, it's not.” Addison scowled at his father as he put his phone away. “Gracie has it.”
“Why would Gracie want your Mom's ugly old dress?” Dale asked.
“She doesn't. Someone broke into Cal's parent's house and replaced Gracie's wedding dress with Mom's old Halloween costume dress.”
Dale stared at Addison. He looked completely dumbfounded. “There must be some kind of mistake. It can't be the same dress.”
“It's the same damn dress,” Addison said. “I don't believe there are two of those in Possum Creek. I'm not sure there are two of those on the planet.”
“Addison, your Mom has been having a hard time lately-.” Dale kneaded his han
ds together.
“Don't start making excuses for her,” Addison cut his father off. “We knew that someone was trying to sabotage Gracie's wedding but I didn't realize Mom was the one responsible for everything that has been going wrong until I saw that dress this afternoon. I remember that dress from when I was a kid. I recognized it the minute I laid eyes on it.”
“When you say she's been sabotaging your sister's wedding, what do you mean by that?”
Addison quickly rattled off the list of offenses, starting with the extra invites to the bachelorette party and the frog registry and ending with the stolen dresses. “I want Gracie's wedding dress back and I want it back now or, God so help me, I will haul my own mother off to jail. I've had enough of her.”
Dale didn't say anything for several minutes. Instead, he paced from one side of the living room to the other. “You can't arrest your mother for trying to ruin your sister's wedding. Think of how devastating it would be for Gracie.”
“I don't particularly want to arrest Mom,” Addison said. “But I won't let her keep doing what she's doing, either. I need Gracie's wedding dress back, along with the bridesmaids dresses. I also need her to stop trying to sabotage Gracie's wedding.”
“The wedding is tomorrow. Surely there isn't that much more trouble she could cause,” Dale said weakly.
“Dad, where is she?”
“I don't know,” Dale admitted. “Your mother isn't doing well, Addison. You would know that if you ever came around.”
“Mom has never done 'well', that's why Gracie and I don't come around,” Addison said with annoyance. “You've always made excuses for her and I'm tired of it. Is it that hard for you to just be honest with me about whatever is going on?”
“You don't want honesty,” Dale said. “You want me to fix your mother the same way I can fix a leaking kitchen faucet. The only time I see you is when I run into you at the gas station. You're not here because you missed your parents and you wanted to see how we were doing. You're not checking in to see if we need any help around the house. Admit it, Addison. You don't want to see your mother today. You just want her to stop causing problems and get the hell out of your life.”
“Remember how I got shot back in June and you didn't even come to the hospital to see me?” Addison countered.
“Your mother went to see you and you had her thrown out of your hospital room,” Dale reminded him.
“She tried to have Gracie and Cal thrown out. I wanted them. They're my family.”
“Your mother is your mother,” Dale said.
“My mother is freaking insane,” Addison snapped. “I can't deal with her and neither can anyone else, including you. You're just in denial. You've spent my entire life in denial.”
“I'm in denial?” Dale glared at Addison.
“How else am I supposed to account for the fact that I just told you that my mother, your wife, stole your daughter's wedding dress and you didn't bat a fucking eye? Do you think that's normal? Did Granny Pearl sneak into your closet and steal your tuxedo the night before your wedding? Is it some kind of fucked up family tradition that y'all failed to inform me about?”
Dale sighed.
“Come on, Dad. It's one thing to disapprove of who your kid is marrying, though I have yet to figure out why Mom doesn't like Cal, but its entirely a different issue when you start trying to actively ruin your kid's wedding.”
“I didn't know your mother was trying to ruin your sister's wedding. Do you really think I would have let her steal Gracie's dress if I had known what she was planning before hand?”
“I don't think you would look up from your television screen if Mom danced a cha-cha through the living room while wearing Gracie's wedding dress.” Addison crossed his arms over his chest. “Look, I don't feel like sitting here all night arguing with you. Normally I tell people we can either do things their way or do them my way, but since your way normally involves ignoring the problem until it goes away on its own, we're going to handle this mess my way.”
“What makes you think I'm going to help you?”
Addison looked at his Dad with total disgust. It was hard to remember the days when the balding man in front of him had been his hero. “Want to see your wife's picture listed in the county arrest record next to Kerry Longwood's?”
“You're bluffing. You wouldn't arrest your own mother. Besides, Frank would never let you press charges against her. She's his sister and he has a little more familial loyalty than you do.”
“Frank technically can't stop me from booking Mom into Baker County Jail. He's not actually my boss. Besides, I'd only keep her locked up until the wedding is over.”
“You just want Jane May to stop meddling with your sister's wedding?” Dale asked grudgingly.
“I want her to act like a normal parent and pretend she likes her children. Since that's not going to happen, I'll settle for ending the sabotage efforts and getting Gracie's wedding and bridesmaids dresses back. Oh, and you showing up at the wedding tomorrow to walk Gracie down the aisle.”
“I already promised your mother I wouldn't,” Dale said.
“Can y'all still make your mortgage payment if Mom gets fired from the nursing home?” Addison was tired of playing nice. “I'm pretty sure her supervisors aren't going to be thrilled when she gets arrested for breaking and entering as well as theft.”
Dale blanched. “You'd really get your mother fired?”
“Help me, Dad. All I'm asking is for you to help me get this mess back under control before it blows up like a pipe bomb in a port-a-potty. Help me find Mom, get Gracie's dress back from her and make her behave herself until after Gracie is on her honeymoon. I don't want my kid sister's wedding to be a bunch of bad memories.”
“Your mother really hasn't been doing well lately, Addison. She hasn't been acting like herself. I can't guarantee that we'll be able to reason with her.”
“If we can't reason with her then she goes to jail,” Addison said.
“You're really backing me into a corner.”
“You do own a suit that fits, don't you?” Addison asked. “You're going to be needing it tomorrow.”
“I do,” Dale confirmed with a resigned sigh. “I was a pallbearer in your grandfather Chasson's funeral last February. You were there.”
“I remember it. Vaguely. I wasn't really paying attention to your fashion choices at the time.” Addison was tired of being in his parent's house. It had felt like a prison during his childhood and the atmosphere hadn't improved in the 10 years since he'd moved out. “You ready to go?”
“Not particularly. I had planned on watching the game tonight. We're having a good season.”
“It's only high school football. You can listen to it on the radio once we get into the truck. Come on. The night isn't getting any younger and I'm betting you haven't got the slightest fucking clue where Mom is.” Addison headed for the front door and, after a moment's hesitation, Dale Malone followed him outside.
Chapter 42
“Fried bologna sandwiches with sides of coleslaw and macaroni and cheese.” Gracie stared down at her plate with a notable lack of awe. “My impostor changed our catering menu, didn't she?”
“Mmmhmm.” Cal stretched out across an old fashioned straight-backed chair with his boots propped up on an antique ottoman.
“It could be worse,” Katie said as she sat down on the floor of Cal's parents living room with her own plate.
“Worse than fried bologna?” Gracie stuck her index finger halfway down her throat and made a gagging gesture. “How?”
“Could have been chili dogs,” Trish mused as she poked at the sandwich on her plate. Gracie doubted that Trish had ever eaten a piece of fried bologna in her life.
“With canned chili,” David added.
“Ugh.” Gracie picked up a slice of bologna and then dropped it back down onto the plate. “I hate bologna.”
“We know. Don't worry, Momma chewed the catering company a new asshole. Tomorrow's dinner will be
exactly how you ordered it originally.”
“Is it too late to elope?” Gracie wanted to cross the room and cuddle up with Cal, but he hadn't so much as looked at her since she'd come back from dress shopping. She watched as he stabbed his coleslaw with a plastic fork.
“Momma would kill y'all,” David said. He and Trish were curled up together on the love seat. He had his arm around Trish's shoulders and she had her cheek resting on his chest. Gracie felt a twinge of jealousy go through her.
“Maybe we should just call off the wedding altogether,” Gracie said.
Cal finally looked up from his food. “What did you just say?”
Gracie took a deep breath and then let it out in a long hiss. She set her plate down on the coffee table. Trish, David and Katie were all watching her. Trish and Katie both looked concerned. David was expressionless, as usual. He probably didn't care whether or not she and Cal actually tied the knot.
“I said...” Gracie was already debating the wisdom of starting a fight with Cal, but she'd had enough of his indifference. She could handle dispassionate detachment from David. That had always been his thing. Cal, on the other hand, not so much. Cal was supposed to give a shit.
“You said what?” Cal's dark eyes were focused on her.
“Maybe we should call off the wedding,” Gracie said.
“No.” Cal set his plate on the arm of his chair. It immediately slid off and hit the floor, splattering coleslaw everywhere. “I'm not canceling our wedding.”
“Why not?” Gracie asked. “You sure as hell don't care about it.”
“Of course I care,” Cal snapped.
“Really?” Gracie felt like throwing her bologna at him. “You could have fooled me. You've done exactly nothing to help me with anything. My bachelorette party was ruined, you didn't care. Our flowers were ruined, you still didn't care. Now my wedding dress has been stolen and you still don't care. You haven't lifted a single finger to help me. Hell, you ditched me this morning before I even woke up.”
“Here we go,” David muttered under his breath.