The Cast Net

by Mille West

  He took her right hand in his, first studying her sapphire-and-diamond ring, and then took her left hand and examined her new gold ring. “Your rings are lovely, and they complement your pearls nicely.” He paused for a moment and said, “You make excellent iced tea, Miss Taylor. I hope you have enjoyed your stay in Bermuda. It’s a beautiful place, is it not?”

  “Yes, sir, it is.”

  “My best wishes to you and Mr. Heath, and happy Thanksgiving.”

  When Dr. Bakker left the house, Mills joined Cooper on the screened porch. She put her hand on his shoulder and sat down beside him. He turned toward her, and asked, “Are you ready to go home?”

  “Yes.”

  “When we repeat our wedding vows, what type of wedding would you like?”

  “I’d like an intimate wedding with our friends and family in attendance. I love your surprises. Why don’t you surprise me?”

  He smiled at her and then kissed the palm of her hand.

  CHAPTER 31

  The Beauty in White

  W hen they returned to Charleston, there were several letters waiting for Cooper from Mrs. Adams. She had included spiritual passages in her writings that were meant to be supportive of Cooper. He wrote her back and told her he was touched by her thoughtfulness.

  Just before Thanksgiving, Cooper asked Mills to meet him at Heath Brothers, saying that he wanted her to go with him to make a purchase. When she asked what the purchase was, he responded, “Let it be a surprise.”

  They drove to the courthouse where Cooper took out a marriage license. “Do you think there could be sentiment against our marrying so soon after Elise’s funeral?”

  “I’ve grieved for over a year now. I want to be your husband, although Carl Monroe might shoot me when he finds out.”

  “Don’t even joke about that.”

  He smiled, putting his arm around her, and then placed the license in his wallet.

  Thanksgiving arrived a few days later, and Cooper told Mills they would dine with his uncle in Charleston later in the day. He wanted to take her out on the river, and they walked to the waterfront.

  At the dock was a new fishing boat, a Grady-White, named Mills. “This is my wedding gift to you,” he said.

  She put her arms around his neck and thanked him for the wonderful present. “I like the boat, and I love you, Cooper,” Mills declared, as she hugged his neck.

  “You shall be her first captain.”

  Cooper assisted her with starting the engines, and they took the boat toward the ocean in the cool morning air. They anchored the boat at Mrs. Salter’s beach property and gathered seashells to take home. After a long walk, he looked at his watch and suggested they return home to dress for the trip into Charleston. The last words he spoke before starting the engines were, “I have much to be thankful for.”

  When they arrived at his dock, Mills was astounded to see her mother and sister and their boyfriends waiting at the riverfront. They hugged one another and Cooper whispered, “I forgot to mention that we’re going to have a few folks join us for Thanksgiving. This is part of my gift to you.”

  As they made their way to his home, Mills realized that all the parking spots were full and a large gathering of family and friends waited for them inside. Piet van der Wolf smiled at her with adoration, and Mr. and Mrs. Adams hugged them. Mrs. Adams had a beautiful smile that Mills had never before noticed. Cooper’s Uncle Ian stepped forward and said, “Joseph is ready when you two are.”

  “We’ll be back in a few minutes,” Cooper told his guests.

  He led Mills into the master bedroom; pressed and lying on the bed was a magnificent tea-length wedding gown with pearls woven into the lace. White high heels were on the floor in front of the bed.

  “Are you ready to repeat your wedding vows?”

  She jumped into his arms and excitedly said, “You’ve made me so happy. I had no idea you had planned this.”

  “What, and ruin your surprise?”

  While dressing, Mill tried to put her pearls on, but her hands were trembling so much that she could not close the clasp.

  “Come here. I’ll help you.” He fastened the necklace and then turned her around to face him. “You’re my beautiful bride.”

  Mills went to the mirror. The dress fit perfectly, and she gazed at herself from different angles. I couldn’t possibly be any more excited!

  When they left the bedroom, the first person they met was Blair. He stopped them and said, “Cooper, Mom says that you and Mills are going to get married today. I wanted to be one of the first to welcome her into the family. Since I’m too young to get married, I think it’s great that you will be her husband. At least we get to keep her in the family.”

  Mills bent down and kissed him on the cheek, and Cooper shook his hand. “Thank you, Blair; one day, there will be a wonderful girl for you to love and marry.”

  When they entered the living room, Reverend Smalls called the wedding guests together. Anne Jefferson gave Mills a bouquet of small pink roses. Her hands trembled as she accepted it, and Vivien came to her side as maid of honor. Cooper’s uncle stood with him as best man. Mills’s mother, Rebecca, beamed at her daughters from the front row of chairs in the living room.

  When they completed their vows, Reverend Smalls told Cooper that he could kiss his bride, and Cooper put his arms around her. The afternoon was spent in joyous merriment. The wedding guests congratulated the bride and groom, and then partook in an outstanding Thanksgiving dinner. The guests had brought a dish for the feast, and Marian had roasted an exceptionally large turkey. When Mills finally settled down, tears came to her eyes and she wept with joy. Cooper removed a handkerchief from his suit pocket and wiped her tears. Looking down at her white high heels, he whispered, “How did I do on picking out your shoes?”

  “This is the pair I would have chosen.”

  “I’ve got your blood in my veins now, Mills, but I’ll try and control my shoe fetish and let you wear the high heels in the family—you look better in them anyway.”

  “Oh, Cooper,” she smiled and cried at the same time.

  The next several weeks were times of excitement, full of shopping for Christmas and attending gatherings and dinners. As Christmas neared, they often spent the night in Cooper’s townhouse on Tradd Street. The hurricane had caused little damage to this home, but the intrusion of salt water into his garden had killed many plants and would have to be tended in the spring. While they lay in bed one night, there was a late phone call.

  Jeff’s father was on the line and he had some shocking news. The Theodosia had been located in St. John in the US Virgin Islands, moored to the mangroves in the Hurricane Hole. When no one moved it after several weeks, the authorities checked the ship’s registry and found that it belonged to Jeff Radcliffe and two other partners. “There is no evidence to support that Jeffrey sailed the Theodosia to St. John, but I have hope, Cooper. God help me, I have hope.”

  When he hung up the receiver, Cooper held Mills close to him and said, “I wonder if Marcel Renaud is still in St. John?” He kissed her on the forehead and asked her to pray with him for Jeff.

  Mills was excited to sp
end her first Christmas as Cooper’s wife. They planned to join his Uncle Ian for Christmas day, but they wanted to spend Christmas Eve at the townhouse and make dinner together. Amazingly, a snowstorm moved along the coast two days before Christmas, and by Christmas Eve, a magnificent blanket of snow lay across the Low Country. The entire day, Mills and Cooper walked and played in the snow like teenagers. They threw snowballs and held hands as they made their way through the city streets. There were still areas where damage from the hurricane was obvious, and some debris lay in heaps, coated by the pure white of the driven snow.

  From the promenade at The Battery, Mills grasped the metal railing and gazed toward Fort Sumter, which was occasionally obscured by passing low-level clouds. She looked at Cooper and said, “It’s as though the city is being reborn by the cleansing beauty of the snow.” She thought for only a moment about the dreams she had endured about her father’s death, and the snow that had fallen on the day he died. She considered it for just a moment, and then her thoughts came back to the present and the happiness she felt with Cooper.

  Late in the afternoon, they passed by St. Michael’s, which was having a Christmas Eve service; despite the snowstorm, the church was filled with worshippers. Mills and Cooper shook the snow from their boots and clothes, and went inside. They sat near the back and listened to the pastor speak about the birth of the Christ Child and the sacrifices he would make for mankind. He then spoke of the sacrifices that many people in the Charleston area had made to help others in the wake of the hurricane, and how sacrifices were still being made. “Goodness and mercy can come from the hearts of all men and women when the community gathers together to overcome the worst of situations. I believe our Lord would say, cast out thy net to all people and help those in need—and find forgiveness in your hearts for those who have trespassed against you.”

  The pastor closed his service with a prayer, and Cooper sat motionless for just a moment before he said, “Cast out thy net to all men.”

  Mills looked back into his eyes and said, “That’s the inscription on the grave marker of George and Grey Camp.”

  “Yes, that’s right. They were exceptional men, and ahead of their time.” Cooper helped Mills with her coat, and they walked outside into the cold evening air. The sky was beginning to darken, but the beauty of the snow that blanketed the city was virtually perfect. They walked to the bandstand in White Point Gardens, and Cooper took her by the hand and led her up the steps. He held her tightly, and they slowly rotated in the center of the stage, away from snow drifts that covered the edges of the structure. He whispered in her ear, “I love you, I’ve got you, and I’ll never let you go.”

  The End