“Five more days,” Charleigh replied with a smile.
“Oh, yeah. I bet you can‘t wait until the honeymoon.”
Daniel gave them a brief goodbye in passing as he boarded the aircraft. His driver unloaded a single suitcase and a garment bag from the trunk, which the man carried over and handed to the co-pilot.
“I, for one, think that that’s going to be the best part,” Jamie said, coming to stand beside the two women. He put an arm around Charleigh’s middle and kissed his sister’s cheek.
“Bye, Jenn. Be good.”
“Whatever you say. It’s so hot here. I’m going to be wherever it’s air-conditioned,” Jenna replied, stepping toward the Jeep. “I’ll be in the car, in the cool, and give you guys some time to say goodbye.”
Unfortunately, as much as he loved his sister, Jamie wished the plane bringing her there and taking him away would have been even a few minutes late. Just so he could’ve spent a little more time with Charleigh. But when Henry said he was going to be there at noon, Henry meant he would be there at noon.
An eerie feeling settled in Jamie’s gut as he took a few long moments to hold her close. As if something was telling him that they’d never see each other again, which was unfounded because he’d be back on Thursday. With his brother, parents and grandparents in tow.
They’d get married on Saturday, and live ‘happily ever after’ as Charleigh liked to say.
Jamie pressed a soft kiss to Charleigh’s temple. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?”
“I’m sure,” Charleigh replied, shaking her head. “Jenn’s here, and we’ve got some girly stuff planned with Liz and Lauren. Besides that, I couldn’t even if I wanted to. There’s still so many other things that needs to be done before the rehearsal Friday night.”
“Sorry about that. I know I’m leaving you with a million loose ends.”
“It’s fine. You just go do your thing. Who knows, maybe you’ll get done and come home a day or so early.”
Now, that wasn’t very likely. Jamie knew they’d be spending every waking moment of the next few days with their clients, going over every single detail of the contracts and the budget and the plans with the precision of a fine-tooth comb. No stone would go unturned.
Jamie cupped Charleigh’s face in his hands as he leaned down to kiss her. She stepped up on her tiptoes to bring her arms around his neck. Her fingers instantly tangled in his hair.
He took his arms away from Charleigh’s face and brought them down around her waist, sweeping her up off her feet.
They’d almost forgotten about the scorching heat. About the waiting plane. Jenna. Until the sound of a yelling horn startled the couple. They looked toward the vehicle where Jamie’s sister sat laughing. He shot her a look of displeasure before turning back to Charleigh.
“You got to go,” she sighed.
“I know,” he kissed Charleigh one last time. “I’ll bring you a surprise back from the city.”
“The only thing I want is you. I love you.”
“I love you, too. See ya in three days?” Jamie took a step toward the plane.
“You bet.”
“I’ll call you tonight.”
“I’ll be here waiting.” Charleigh smiled and waved goodbye.
It felt as if she was saying goodbye to her best friend, which she was. Only for three days, Charleigh tried to remind herself. Let them fly by quickly.
“This place is too cool,” Jenna said as she stood in the middle of the kennel with Charleigh.
Aggie, the African-gray sat perched on her forearm, mimicking the sound of a purring cat, as she stroked the bird’s head. She’d never seen anything so amazing.
“Jamie thought the same thing when I first brought him here,” Charleigh told her. “But Aggie didn’t let him hold her. She didn’t want him touching her at all. Actually, besides me, Aggie’s never let anyone hold her.”
Charleigh made a noise with her mouth, and the little bird leapt on to her shoulder. She held up a treat, which Aggie devoured before nuzzling against her owner’s cheek. The sight made Jenna laugh.
“See ya, Ag,” Charleigh said. The bird jumped to a nearby branch.
The two left the kennel, walking slowly down the corridor behind a small group of visitors. Dillon, the new vet, was with them. He looked past the group at Charleigh and smiled.
Leaving the dogs and cats behind, Charleigh and Jenna ventured out in the heat for the petting zoo. It was a total of thirty-four steps from one building to the other, but they both had started to perspire in the short amount of time it took them. The cool air was greatly welcomed when they stepped inside once again.
The building was bustling with visitors. The biggest attraction of the tour, people liked to linger for hours to pet and feed the animals. Charleigh loved it just as much as everyone else, and by the look of it, so did Jenna.
There was a carousel with real Shetland ponies and sheep for the kids to ride in the far corner. Charleigh’s cousin Brian was stationed there to supervise. Smiling, he saw her coming toward him and waved.
“Hey, Bri.”
“What’s up?” The smile faded.
The young man became thunderstruck and his jaw dropped when he saw she had a companion. It was the expression Brian had the first time he saw Jenna at Charleigh and Jamie’s engagement party.
Poor guy, she thought as they stood there. Though, he was a decent-looking guy, her cousin was not very good with the ladies. He seemed to shut down whenever a pretty girl was around. Whether Brian was interested or not, he became shy, and stumbled over his words on occasion that he did speak.
It was very clear to Charleigh, though, as it had been at the party, that her cousin had a thing for Jamie’s sister.
“You remember Jenna, don’t you?” Charleigh smiled sympathetically.
“Yeah. Uh, hi,” Brian replied. He turned bright red as he began to stutter.
“How’s it going?” Jenna flashed a bright, white, million-dollar smile as she kneeled next to the fence.
Her cousin only nodded. Brian’s eyes shifted from her face to Jenna, who was busy petting one of the little horses. Not knowing what to say, he watched as the young woman cooed the animal.
Charleigh nudged him with her elbow. Startled, Brian looked back at her.
“Talk to her,” she mouthed.
Brian shrugged, holding out his hands.
“Anything.”
She knew what he was feeling. Like they had nothing in common. Charleigh remembered feeling the same way when she first met Jamie. He was probably thinking that Jenna was too good for him. Like she out of his league. Way out of his league. But she was a good person. Nice, and so was Brian.
“Oh, shoot. I forgot that Granddad needs me to sign some invoices for the feed store,” Charleigh lied. “Brian would you show Jenna around the rest of the place? You don’t mind, do you, Jenna?”
“I, uh…” His eyes were large, as he frantically shook his head.
Paying him no mind, she added, “We’ve been everywhere but the clinic, Brian, so… Emmy’s cat came in for an emergency C-section yesterday so there are some new kittens, you know?”
“Oh, I’d love to see them. If you don‘t mind,” Jenna stood up, dusting off her hands. She flashed another smile at him.
“Uh, sure.”
Charleigh sent them off with a pat on each of their backs.
***
“Oh, my gosh,” Jenna squealed later that night as she sat on the couch. With a mudpack on her face, she looked like a Martian. “I think… No, I definitely know that I am in love.”
“With who?” Charleigh asked curiously.
She was leaned back in the recliner in her living room, with her eyes closed. A mudpack was smeared on her face, as well. Not bothering to look up, because Charleigh didn’t want to mess it up, she could only imagine what her friend was doing.
“Brian, your cousin. He’s like, Wow! So cute, and…” the young girl gushed.
Hardly able to believe what she was hearing, Charleigh began to laugh. If only he could hear that for himself. He’d probably blush as bright red as a tomato. No, even worse, Brian would probably die from embarrassment.
“What’s so funny?”
“You like Brian?”
“Yeah,” Jenna said. She stopped to look at Charleigh suspiciously. “What’s wrong with him?”
“Nothing,” Charleigh replied, shaking her head. “There’s not a thing wrong with that boy. Unless you count the fact that he has a thing for you, too.”
“Truth?”
“Truth.”
“Really?” Jenna stopped to consider the possibility. “Do you mean, like, he really likes me, likes me, or he just likes me?” The tone of her voice changed as she compared the levels of ‘liking.’
“I’m pretty sure he likes you, likes you.”
“Wow,” Jenna gushed. “Like, is he boyfriend material?”
“As far as I know, he’s never had a serious girlfriend. But it’s not because he’s a player,” Charleigh tried to explain. She wasn’t sure if she was doing her cousin justice or ruining his chances. “I think, he’s rather shy. Brian’s smart; he graduated with honors. He was the valedictorian of his class, and he got a national merit scholarship to SOSU. He’s kind and funny.”
“I could tell that, after a while. He started to, I don’t know, kind of chill out.”
Charleigh shrugged, thinking about how similar she and Brian were, in that sense. “Nobody’s really taken the time to scratch the surface with Brian. And believe me, it wasn’t easy for him— or any of his brothers, for that matter— to grow up in Andrea’s shadow, either.”
“Andrea is his sister, right?” Moving over to the couch, to get closer to Charleigh.
Knowing that Jenna was taking a genuine interest in Brian, Charleigh was more willing to help her. Who knows, maybe they had a chance. “Yeah, good ole Andie. She’s only out for Numero Uno. The kind you never want to tangle with, Jenn. Believe me, Andie’s the type that’ll look you in the eye while she plunges the knife in your heart. Cut your throat and never blink.”
“Sounds awful. Is she not sane?”
The question made Charleigh laugh. If only that was the raison d’être. “Vain. Self-absorbed. Narcissistic as no one I’ve ever seen.” Except for maybe you’re mother. Although she thought it, she didn’t dare say it.
“But do you think I have a chance with Brian? He won’t think, because we come from two different worlds, we’ve got nothing in common?”
“What can I say, polar-opposites sometimes attract.” She and Jamie were the best example she could come up with, and she said so. Because if anybody could come together and make it through as much pain and suffering as they had, it must have been written in the stars.
Chapter Nineteen
A horrible wave of nausea swept over Charleigh as she lay in bed, quietly watching the sun creep up over the horizon. One moment, she felt as if everything in the world was going her way. A satisfied grin played on her lips as golden rays trickled through the windows and cast faint patterns on the wall across the room. The next, Charleigh was on all fours in front of the porcelain throne in her bathroom, emptying the entire contents of her stomach. Her body convulsing with every heave.
Finally, Charleigh leaned her forehead against the cool porcelain of the toilet and closed her eyes. A cold perspiration coated her entire body. Teardrops rolled down her cheeks as she tried to focus on taking slow, deep breaths. Her throat stung.
When the heavy, gray haze that permeated her brain started to fade and her stomach began to settle, Charleigh stood up and made her way, swaying and staggering, to the sink. In the mirror, she could see her face was pale and her eyes bloodshot. She turned on the tap, holding her cupped hands under the stream of water. Charleigh brought a handful up to her mouth, swished the cool liquid around. She splashed some on her face and neck. It took several mouthfuls before the acidic taste began to subside.
But the queasiness disappeared just as quickly as it had hit her. Instead of staying there and worrying about what could have caused it, Charleigh stripped off her pajamas and hopped in the shower. There were still a lot of little loose ends that could cause everything to unravel if they weren’t taken care of quickly, and there wasn’t enough time to ponder something that could be chalked up to nerves.
***
Together, Charleigh and Madie sat at the kitchen table, going over the day’s agenda, as Lenore cooked breakfast.
So far, everything was going as planned. Thank you, God! The party planning company, where they rented the tables and chairs, had delivered the right ones the previous evening. They also rented a tent— which they made sure was waterproof this time on the unfortunate chance that it rained, though the weatherman forecasted perfect skies.
The olive-green and lavender table linens were waiting in the dining room to be pressed. And the matching seat cushions— all two hundred and fifty of them— were also waiting there to be checked over for any snags or tears. Crates of china and stemware and silverware needed to be accounted for, and checked for cracks.
The florists wanted to wait until the day of the wedding to deliver the garland, trellis and centerpieces, which Charleigh and Madie agreed would be fine. The last thing they wanted or needed were wilted flowers.
Madie made a note to call the caterers. The menu was firmed up, but it never hurt to double-check.
The photographers would take both still shots and a video of both the ceremony and the reception. They’d take photos with the wedding party and both the bride and groom’s families immediately after the guests moved to the reception area for cocktails, where a cameraman would be to make a well-wishes video. Although Charleigh wasn’t sure why they needed one, Madie thought it would be a nice sentiment when they looked back on the day. And the photographer assured it was the latest thing. Anything to make a buck, Charliegh supposed.
Charleigh’s dress was finally finished, and she didn’t mind saying that she looked fantastic in it. Liz was pretty proud of her bride’s maid dress as well. Olivia took extra care and many painstaking hours to hand stitch dozens of tiny colored butterflies on the hem of Lauren’s flower girl dress. Flower girl. Lauren needs flower petals. Charleigh made a note to call the floral shop.
Jenna and Olivia were in the living room making alterations to the dress she brought with her from New York. Lenore thought it looked too… revealing to be a maid of honor gown.
The tuxedos were expected to be at the bridal boutique on Thursday morning. Much to John’s displeasure, every male member of the wedding party and both families would be wearing one.
Brian and Rob would be ushers at the ceremony. Both boys joked that they were planning to ask the guests if they were friends of the groom or ‘the old ball and chain.’ Charleigh found it mildly amusing, snickering under her breath, while Madie and Lenore thought the comment was completely inappropriate. They scolded the boys for even considering it. Any other time Madie might have found it just as amusing as Charleigh did, but she was taking the wedding plans more serious than she’d probably taken anything else in her life, Charleigh assumed.
Jamie would be back on Thursday night with Kevin and Greg, and Amelia and Gerald, and unfortunately Claudia. Charleigh just couldn’t wait to see the crazy antics that evil woman had come up with. Thank God she was going to be staying with Madie and Lenore at the ranch, instead of at the house with Charleigh and Jamie. Kevin and Jenna where going to stay there with them, though, until Friday night when the guys would go out to the ranch. Mellisande and Grant were due to arrive on Wednesday, and they’d be staying with Charleigh.
And the rehearsal dinner was going to be on Friday night. Yippee.
Everything is going just as planned, so far. Charleigh just hoped it would stay that way.
She looked up from her legal pad, where every page was filled with with some little note, over to the oven where Lenore was pulling out a freshly baked batch of banana-nut
muffins. Bagels popped up out of the toaster. Sausage patties and eggs were in skillets on the stove.
Her brain was saying ‘Yum.’ However, her stomach was screaming for her to get to the nearest bathroom.
When she stepped out of the downstairs bathroom, she could hear the sound of the television in the living room. Wiping a water droplet away from the corner of her mouth, she slowly made her way back toward the kitchen.
It was the second time she’d tossed her cookies that morning, but Charleigh didn’t given it another thought. There was no room for nerves or illnesses because there was still so much to do. There was no…
Stepping into the kitchen, she looked around. Everything was just as she had left it. Her legal pad was still on the island next to a half-empty glass of orange juice. The same aroma of food that had made her sick before still permeated the room. Her empty stomach growled from hunger.
But something was off. The banana-nut muffins were setting on the countertop next to the oven, which was still opened wide. The bagels were still sticking up out of the toaster. The sausage and eggs were burning in the skillets on the stove. Just where were Madie and Lenore?
Puzzled, she wasn’t sure what to think. Charleigh was pretty certain the Rapture hadn’t occurred and everybody had forgotten to mention it to her.
Following her instincts, she walked over to shut the oven door, and turned it off. She turned the burners off on the stove, taking the burning food and tossed it in the trash.
Just as she leaned back against the cabinet, biting her bottom lip, Charleigh heard Olivia cry out in distress. It sounded as if her voice was coming from the living room. Most likely, something had happened to Jenna’s dress. Probably nothing they couldn’t fix. But just to make sure.
Slowly, she made her way back up the hallway toward the large room. Charleigh took her time, step by step, trying to listen for some sign of what was happening. No, no nagging from what she could tell. The only thing she could hear was the sound of what Charleigh could only guess was the early morning news on television. She looked down at her watch. 8:25 Maybe it was a talk show. Much like her brother’s obsession for cheesy drama, Jenna had a thing for The Jerry Springer Show.
You're Gone (Finding Solid Ground) Page 14