Red, White, and Bridesmaid

by Jennifer Conner

  The firefighters pulled out the length of hose and a tall stream of water arched into the air.

  Soon, they extinguished the fire. There was not much left of the tent but shreds of smoking tarp and dripping water. Darrin dropped down and sat in the grass.

  Now that things died down, the wiry little man with a mustache, marched across the lawn. “I want the money for the tent. Now. I know how wedding people are, out of sight, out of mind. I’ll never see a dime for the damage!”

  Darrin dragged himself back to his feet and pulled the man off to the side. He said in a low voice, “We’ve been neighbors for years. I’ll write you a check for the damage. Will three thousand cover the damage deposit until we know what the insurance will cover?” Darrin asked. When the man nodded, Darrin walked back toward the house. Geesh. People and their money.

  He returned a few minutes later and slapped the check into the man’s open hand. “Now we’re good until everything is settled.”

  The little man looked at the check and shook his head. “You expect me to take this? It’s from an out-of-town bank. I haven’t seen you in years and I don’t recognize the bank. I have no idea if you’re good for the money.”

  “Are you kidding me? Our families have known each other for years,” Darrin said. Anger flooded his veins. “There’s over twenty-thousand dollars in my account and I’ve had it for over six years.”

  Jack and Kara joined them. Kara walked over to a wooden box on the gift table. She scooped her hands in and then counted out bills of tens, twenties and fifties onto the table. She turned to face the man. “Mr. Kremser, here’s twenty-five hundred dollars. I’ll bring you the other five-hundred in the morning.”

  “All right.” The old man’s tense features softened slightly as he excepted the wad of bills and shoved it into his pocket. “You bring it to me tomorrow. The rest of it.”

  “I will.” Kara nodded.

  Jess took Kara’s arm as they watched Mr. Kremser walk away. “That was the money all of us gave you toward your spending money for the honeymoon. The two of you were going to leave tomorrow and all you have is the plane tickets. What are you going to do?”

  “Nothing. We’re married. That’s the most important thing out of the day.” Jack wound his arm around Kara’s waist and pulled her close. He nuzzled her ear. “If we have to postpone the trip for a while, that’s fine. I’ll try and reach the airlines and explain the situation. No one was hurt. We’ll consider this the first bump in the road. I know your spouse is supposed to make you see fireworks, but this was taking it to the extreme.”

  Kara tried to smile but a tear trailed down her cheek. “I thought it would be such a nice surprise. Boy, was I wrong.”

  “It was definitely a surprise and something we will never forget. It wasn’t the fireworks, it was the wind. Bob should have known better when he set them off. It was too windy. I’ll be right back. I need to thank the guys that showed up so quick to help out.” Jack moved away to shake the firefighters’ hands.

  “At least the wedding gifts were on the table outside the tent and didn’t go up in flames.” Jess looked at Kara. “Are you and Jack still going to stay at the hotel by the airport tonight?”

  “We’ll stay here at the house and then decide what to do tomorrow.”

  Jess patted Kara on the arm and then followed Darrin away from the crowd of people. She dropped down on the grass beside him and stretched out her bare legs.

  “I can’t get rid of the taste of smoke,” Darrin complained as he took another drink of water and then spit into the grass. He wiped a hand across his mouth. “You know all that talk about going with the flow and being able to roll with the punches? I think I’m done. I am so done. You were right about wanting this day to be perfect. I wanted it as much as you did for Kara and Jack. Man, what a mess.” He shook his head and rested his long arms on his knees.

  Jess tapped him on the arm and then pointed at Kara and Jack. Jack had soot and water splotches all over his tuxedo and there were the same black streaks on Kara’s dress. Jess said in a low voice, “Don’t look at their clothes or at the mess from the fire. Look at their faces. Look at the way Jack’s looking at her. Nothing that happened here tonight will change that or the love they feel. That’s the only thing I could wish for, that someone would look at me like that.”

  Darrin watched them for a long moment. “You’re right, but for them, tonight’s special. Kara doesn’t want to spend her wedding night in the twin-sized bed she grew up in.”

  “Is there still that old cabin in the woods by the lake?”

  “I haven’t been out there since I got back, but I assume it’s still standing.”

  “I hiked out there a few months ago. It looks great. Come on. I have an idea.”

  She ran to get the other girls and groomsmen together and then whispered her plan.

  Chapter 5

  Jess told Kara to wait for them. When they returned to the house, Kara and Jack were sitting on the front porch sharing a glass of champagne, his arm wrapped protectively around her to keep her warm.

  “We wondered where everyone went. What are you guys cooking up?” Jack asked as she and Darrin stepped from the car.

  “Let’s just say it’s a wedding surprise,” Jess said.

  Jack shook his head. “I think we’ve both had enough surprises for tonight. I just want to go to bed.”

  “That’s my sister you’re talking about,” Darrin said in a faked gruff voice.

  “I was talking about how tired I was, but Bro, it’s our wedding night.” Jack chuckled. “It’s all legal.”

  “Fine.” Darrin said. “But we need you both to get in the car.”

  “I’m too tired to go anywhere,”’ Kara complained.

  “Would you stop for once in your life and do something someone else tells you?” Jess opened the back door of the car and made a sweeping gesture with her hand. “Your carriage awaits.”

  Jack paused for Kara to slide in and then followed after her. Jess waited for Darrin and then shut her door. Darrin held up a CD. “I stole this from the DJ.” He popped it in the player. “A sappy love song for our short journey.” He forwarded the disk to Jack and Kara’s first dance song, At Last by Etta James.

  Jess glanced at Darrin out of the corner of her eye. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and sang along. There was a smudge of soot still along his jawline. She wanted to brush it away...and then kiss him until they both couldn’t see straight. Why was she still having feelings for this man she hadn’t seen in so long? She knew why. It was always Darrin who popped into her thoughts first.

  Darrin turned his head and gave her an intimate smile that made her wonder if they shared the same thoughts. A twinge of longing touched Jess. Was she reading Darrin’s body language correct, or was it just wishful thinking... again?

  To get to the far side of the property, the drive only took a few minutes. She grabbed the door handle as the car bounced down the bumpy gravel road. The headlights illuminated Darrin and Kara’s family’s cabin.

  “What’s all this?” Kara asked as the car pulled to a stop and they got out.

  “I know you were hoping to fly out on your honeymoon to the Yucatan, and you will get there soon. But tonight has to be special. It’s your wedding night and if fate answers, you only get one of those,” Jess said. Cardboard palm tree cutouts decorated the front porch and large travel posters covered the windows. She continued, “My flower shop shares storage space with a travel agency and there are a lot of leftover things in the back. We ran over there and borrowed them so you could feel like you were in Mexico.”

  Kara had tears in her eyes again. “This is so sweet.” She gave Jess one of her famous bear hugs.

  One of the groomsmen who was also in the string quartet, stepped out of the trees and continued to sing At Last as he strummed the melody on his guitar.

  Kara looked around. “Our suitcases are back at the house.”

  Jane joined them and shook her head. “Th
e cases are in the cabin. And I hope that sexy number I helped you shop for, is in your suitcase, ’cause when Jack sees you, his eyes will fall out of his skull like Wiley coyote.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

  Kara hugged Jess again, this time so tight she couldn’t breathe. “I didn’t get a chance earlier to thank you for the flowers. They were beautiful, and everything was perfect.

  Jess looked over at Darrin and he gave her a wink as if to say, I told you so.

  Jack shook Darrin’s hand. “This really is great. I offered to call a cab and take Kara into town to a hotel, but Kara wanted to stay here.”

  “You’re still officially on the property, but I have to say it’s a little more romantic at the cabin,” Darrin said.

  “I got a hold of the airlines. After I explained what happened, they are refunding our tickets for a later date.” Jack laughed, scooped Kara into his arms and carried her up the steps to the open front door. “Thanks, everyone for setting this up. Kara and I can’t wait to start our lives together...so, if you don’t hear from us in a few days, then you can come looking for us. But, not until then.” Jack grinned and kicked the door closed.

  They could hear Kara giggling and then she squealed from behind the door.

  Their friends laughed as they wandered back to their cars. Darrin motioned with his head. “Come on, it’s getting late,” he said to Jess.

  WHEN THEY RETURNED to the house, everyone was gone. Kara found Truffles in his cage inside the house and lifted him out. When she dropped him on the grass, he ran to jump up on Darrin.

  “I think you’re his new best friend.”

  He ruffled the puppies fur. “I like him too and I can’t wait to get back here and get a dog of my own. Truffles needs a playmate.”

  The smell of smoke still lingered, but the sound of crickets and frogs filled the night air instead of fire trucks.

  Darrin drew an unopened bottle of champagne from a bucket. “Can you stay for a while longer? I know it’s late and you’re probably tired, but I’m wound up. Let’s share this bottle and scrounge what the caterers left behind in the fridge. I’m starving.”

  Luckily the caterer had left behind a spread. They pulled out meat, bread, and condiments, and made large deli sandwiches. Tucking the champagne bottle under one arm, Darrin took her hand and led her across the lawn and down to the dock over the pond.

  He took off his tuxedo jacket and then draped it over her shoulders. She cuddled into the warmth and the rich aftershave smell mixed with a faint smell of smoke on Darrin’s coat.

  He tugged off his shoes and socks and then held out his hand for her to join him. They walked out onto the short dock over the pond. Darrin sat and then dropped his long legs over the side of the dock and dipped his feet into the water.

  Darrin blew the cork on the champagne and handed her the bottle.

  She raised an eyebrow.

  “I forgot the glasses, okay? I know, at tacky dates, I’m number one. But, I’m just too damn tired to walk back to the house to get flutes. In only the classiest date move ever, I’m letting you take the first drink from the bottle.”

  Jess accepted it and tipped it back to take a drink. “Is this a date?”

  “You said I could ask you out.”

  “I said you could ask my dad if you could ask me out.”

  He grinned. “I did—at the wedding. He said, ‘yes.’ So, here we are.” His eyes twinkled faintly in the moonlight as he took the bottle from her grasp. “The first time I saw you was here at the pond. I think I was all of sixteen.”

  “You remember that?”

  He shot her a glance. “Yeah, I remember a lot about this place and the people I spent time with. I’m seeing how much I miss.”

  She looked up at the full moon. It cast a silvery rippling glow along the water in the pond. “It’s beautiful. I forgot how much I loved sitting out here at night.”

  “You sat out here? At night?”

  “When Kara had sleepovers, I’d sneak out of the tent and do just as we’re doing now. I’d drop my feet in the cool water and dream.”

  “What did you dream about?”

  Jess paused before she finally answered, not meeting his gaze. “You. I sat out here and thought about you. I had such a crush on you I couldn’t see straight half the time.” She looked at him and took another drink.

  “I never knew that.” His eyebrows raised. “Why didn’t you tell me before I moved away?”

  “I couldn’t. The time wasn’t right. You were five years older, you would have laughed at me, but I never forgot you. I always hoped that whoever you were with, you were happy. And I would be jealous that it wasn’t me.”

  “There’s no special woman in my life. That’s the funny thing, I’ve been happier being home in the last few days since I’ve been in more years than I can remember. I think there was always something missing in Chicago. Maybe there was a reason I was supposed to come back.”

  He scooted closer. He bent his head and when she didn’t stop him, his mouth gently took hers. Jess sucked in air as he pulled away, but then he came back in for another kiss.

  “Darrin,” she whispered his name as her eyes fluttered closed.

  His mouth was hungry and gentle all at once. Her response was eager, as her tongue swept over the seam of his lips. With a groan of surrender, he finally opened to her. In a provocative dance, her mouth slid along his.

  He wound his hand around the back of her neck. “Your hair is beautiful. I’ve thought about touching it all night. It feels like silk.”

  Darrin kissed her again, stealing what little breath, if any, she had left. She rested her hand on his chest and found it to be as firm as his lips.

  “After so many years of dreaming about you, I think that kiss was amazing,” Jess said as she rested her forehead against his.

  “You should have called me long ago. For a kiss like that, I would have been home five years earlier.”

  “I don’t want you doing something because of a schoolgirl crush I had.”

  “Believe me, I have a personal stake here. I’ve been attracted to you since I saw you again. As soon as I was an adult, I was still grieving for my mom. I ran away. I ran away from everything I knew. I thought if I separated myself from the place and the pain of her loss, that it would help. It only made me want to be home more. The homestead and Kara and Jack were the reason I returned.

  “That’s a good reason.”

  “But now I’m thinking that you could be another reason I stay.”

  He hugged her close and laid her body back on the dock. His kisses started at her mouth, trailed across her cheek and down the side of her neck. “God, you’re so beautiful. I can’t...” his mouth pulled her in for another scorching kiss. He ran his hands up and down the sides of her body.

  He was strong and gentle as he cradled her against him.

  Suddenly, he drew back and with a deep groan, rolled off the dock, into the pond. There was a gigantic splash.

  “What are you doing?” Jess cried.

  “This is the poor man’s version of a cold shower.” He dipped under before coming up and shaking off water like a dog.

  Jess rolled on to her stomach and propped her head on her hands. “What about your tux?”

  “It’s only the shirt. I’m sure we’ll get a bill from the tux place for the smoke damaged rentals, so I might as well add in the shirt.” He came toward her in the shallow water and rested his forearm on the dock’s edge. “I’m an easy-going guy, but when it comes to starting a relationship, I need to make sure. I want to make love to you more than anything in the world right now, but it needs to be...”

  “Perfect?” Jess touched fingers to his damp face.

  “Take off the jacket,” he said in a subtle command.

  “Why?” She sat up on her knees and stripped off his tux coat. “Change your mind?”

  “Nope. But ask me that question in a few days. Ms. Caldwell, you need to learn to be more spontaneous in everything but relationshi
ps.” He grabbed her hand and wrapped strong fingers around her wrist.

  “You wouldn’t!” she cried as tried to crab crawl away from him on the dock.

  “Oh, yes I would. ’Cause I’m spontaneous.” With a sharp tug, he pulled. She flew into the pond and into his waiting arms.

  Jess yelped when the cool water washed over her. Darrin still held her in his arms as she threw back her head and laughed.

  “I’m going to do it.”

  “No!’ she cried but her laughter deceived her word.

  Darrin tossed her and she landed with a splash in the water. The water was barely over waist deep, so when she came up, he was waiting. He grabbed her and pulled her tight against him.

  He grinned. “Told you that you needed a poor man’s cold shower.”

  She cupped water and threw it his direction. She hadn’t had this much fun in years.

  “Excuse me,” a voice called from the dock.

  They both froze and saw Jane standing with a hand on her hip. The mobile mistletoe headband dangled between her fingers.

  “We didn’t know anyone was still here,” Jess said.

  “I was in the house. I fell asleep on the couch waiting for the two of you to get back from the cabin. I wanted to see if you needed a ride back to town. When the heck did this happen?” She motioned to Jess and Darrin with her hand and smiled. “Damn, you know what this means.” With a dramatic sigh, she slid the headband onto her head. “You were supposed to drag this out much longer with the not-finding-a-guy part. Now, I feel really single. The Last of the Mohicans, or something like that.”

  Jess fought to stand up, but then slipped and fell back. Darrin caught her and wrapped arms around her waist.

  Jane waved them off. “Don’t bother getting up. You two look like you are having too much fun. I’ll call you tomorrow.” She shook her head and threw her hands up. She said as she walked off, “Man, what a wedding!”

  “What was that all about? A mobile mistletoe?” Darrin asked.