A Summer Wedding at Cross Creek Inn

by Cheryl Holt

  “Will he cheat on her?”

  Her shoulders slumped. “I’m sure he will.”

  Greg blew out a heavy breath. “You’re scaring me.”

  “I won’t lie about him. He’s very selfish, just like his father, and I’ve shared stories with you about how I was treated by Dennis. It’s not a pretty picture, and it definitely isn’t an experience you’d want for your daughter.”

  “When I spoke to her a bit ago, she was wondering if she shouldn’t cancel the wedding.”

  “Maybe she should.”

  It was a depressing reply. He hadn’t expected her to agree. And so quickly too!

  “It’s why I have to find Amy,” he said. “She has a good way with people, and she’ll delve to the heart of the situation and get it figured out.”

  “I’m glad you think somebody can.”

  “What if Amy can’t calm her down though?” he asked. “What if she declares she’s backing out? What should my opinion be? Should I tell her to run like hell in the other direction? I’m afraid—later on—she’d blame me for it falling to pieces.”

  She contemplated, then said, “Don’t worry about it now. Let’s stand on the sidelines and watch it unfold. It has to be her decision, and you probably shouldn’t be involved.”

  “In the meantime, he may end up as my son-in-law. I don’t have that much of a sunny nature that I can be happy about it.”

  Suddenly, a key was stuck in the lock, and the door started to open. They jumped apart like guilty adolescents. He peeked at her, and she smirked over the same realization.

  Her other son, Alex, strolled in, both of them having forgotten he was staying in the suite with her. If he was surprised to see them nestled on the couch, he didn’t show it.

  “Hi, Mr. Layton,” he said.

  “Hey, Alex.”

  His mother asked, “Why aren’t you down in the bar, charming all the ladies?”

  “I want to take a walk and smell the mountain air, but it’s chilly. I need a jacket.” He hurried into a bedroom, then came back, pulling it on. “Eric and Josh went to Aspen. Did you hear?”

  “Yes, Mr. Layton just told me.”

  “Everyone is gossiping about it.” He glanced at Greg and said, “Is Jennifer upset?”

  “That’s putting it mildly.”

  Alex sighed. “I warned her to be careful with him, but she couldn’t bear to listen.”

  “Warned her about what?” Greg asked.

  Alex hemmed and hawed, then said, “Eric has some issues, but my mom can explain it better than me.” He finally noticed they were sitting too close together, and he grinned. “You two have fun, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  He laughed and sauntered out, and Sharon blushed ten shades of red and patted her hot cheeks. “My son believes I’m misbehaving.”

  “My daughters have figured it out too.”

  “If any of them bug us about it, let’s not admit it just yet. I like having it be our little secret.”

  “I like it being a secret too.”

  He wasn’t sure how he’d describe it to his kids anyway. He was in Colorado for Jennifer’s wedding, but it was beginning to look as if it might not even be held. He’d caught wedding fever and had tumbled into a very satisfying affair. He hadn’t expected it, hadn’t planned on it, but he was delighted to have had it occur.

  He was engaged in an activity that didn’t include his children in even the slightest way, and he was thrilled to have dared. In fact, he’d shocked himself.

  “I should find Amy,” he said. “Jennifer desperately needs to talk to her.”

  “You can go, if you promise to come back the minute you can.”

  “I’ll come right back. Don’t you worry about that.”

  She was behind the Inn again, perched on the same cabin step and observing the party in the bar as it progressed nicely without her.

  It was mostly the female guests who were reveling. It was a small wedding, and the guys were in Aspen with Eric and Josh. The women had been left alone to furiously complain about Eric’s conduct, and they were fuming on Jennifer’s behalf.

  Josh had invited Alex to accompany them, but he’d declined. He’d had no interest in attending a drunken brawl, which was what it would become, but he’d felt awful to refuse.

  He yearned to have a good relationship with his brother, but he’d had to accept that it might not be possible. Eric was too much like their dad, and Alex couldn’t abide that sort of swaggering pomposity. Eric didn’t mind the rift that had developed with Alex and their mom, but he’d chosen Dennis and Crystal over them. With them as his family, it would guarantee a very miserable old age.

  Over the years, Alex probably should have been more sympathetic to Eric. He should have worked harder to understand him, but the problem for Alex was that Eric was simply a huge asshole. He always had been, so it was difficult for Alex to like him.

  Jennifer was merely the latest person who’d been lured in by Eric’s charisma, then crushed by his disregard.

  Alex had stopped by her suite, and her sister, Amy, had answered his knock and had told him Jennifer had gone for a walk, so he’d grabbed a jacket and headed outside.

  He plopped down next to her, and she didn’t bother to greet him. She just continued to stare at the bar. The windows were open, the doors onto the patio too, so people were milling. The crowd was much more subdued than it had been on the previous night. They were chatting quietly, debating over what new drama was about to explode.

  After a lengthy silence, she said, “Eric went to his bachelor party.”

  “I heard.”

  “Why aren’t you with them? Weren’t you invited?”

  “Josh asked me, but I don’t like that kind of macho free-for-all. I’ve never been partial to it.”

  “Have you met my sister, Amy?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’d like to tell you a secret about her.”

  “Well . . . ah . . . if you think you should.”

  “When she was seventeen, she was driving drunk, and she killed her best friend in a car wreck.”

  He couldn’t settle on an appropriate comment, and he simply gasped.

  “It’s a big issue in my family,” she said, “drinking to excess, then riding around in cars afterward.”

  “I don’t know if it helps, but Eric and Josh aren’t driving.”

  She snorted rudely. “I never tell that story. It was such a horrible period to endure.”

  “No doubt,” he murmured.

  “She was a minor, so she was in juvie jail until she turned twenty-one. Once she was released, she snuck to a commune where she could hide from those who might judge her. She feels so guilty, and she’s had trouble handling the shame.”

  It was such a sad, curious tale, and it made him eager to befriend Amy, to learn how she dealt with her grief and remorse. He was aware that she lived in a commune, but he’d assumed it was some weird Oregon thing. It hadn’t occurred to him that the choice had arisen because of trauma.

  “Please don’t repeat it,” Jennifer said.

  “I won’t. I swear.”

  “We don’t talk about it. If Amy wishes to reveal it, we let her be the one.”

  “I completely understand.”

  There was a lengthy pause, then she shifted toward him. “I’ve never told Eric about it, and I’ve been sitting here, trying to figure out why I haven’t.”

  “I can guess why. He’d have been an absolute jerk about it. Most likely, he’d have offered a stupid remark that would have crushed you.”

  “It’s as if I didn’t dare allow him to know the real me, and since I couldn’t, I’m wondering why I’d marry him.”

  “Wow.” What else could he say?

  “There are two events that have shaped my life: my mother’s death and A
my’s accident and incarceration. I mentioned my mother’s death to him, but he’s never even asked me how she died.”

  “How did she die?”

  “Cancer. It was fast too, and we were so little. One day, we had a mom, and the next? We didn’t have one anymore.”

  He reached over and clasped her hand in his, the quiet night unfolding around them. The air was brisk, scented with pine and a hint of smoke from a fireplace, so he remembered camping trips he’d taken as a boy with a kid whose dad had actually acted like a father. His own had been too busy to be a parent.

  “How old were you when she passed away?” he asked.

  “Eight. I didn’t have a birthday party that year. My dad didn’t even get me a cake. He was at the hospital all the time, and he forgot.”

  He winced. “Oh, my goodness.”

  “Then, when I was twelve, Amy had her wreck. It brought us terrible publicity and scary court hearings that ended with her being jailed. She wanted to go to jail and didn’t contest a single fact. When it was over, we had become such pariahs that we moved out of our small town and went to Portland where we could be more anonymous in the city.”

  “You’ve suffered so many calamities.”

  “I agree, and they are what turned me into who I am today, but I’ve never discussed one of them—my mom’s death—with Eric because he was never interested. And I’ve never confessed the other—Amy’s accident—because I was afraid of what his response would be.”

  “It’s hard to dig down deep with Eric. He’s a charming guy, on the surface.”

  “I’m just an ordinary person.” She extended her wrist and tugged on the sleeve of her jacket to show him a diamond bracelet that had her and Eric’s initials entwined. “Your brother gave me this as a wedding gift, but I’m not a woman who wears diamonds. I’ve never been that woman, and it’s bizarre to envision me trapped in that kind of tower.”

  He grinned. “I like ordinary people. It’s not a character flaw.”

  “Eric overwhelmed me. He wined and dined me, and he flew me to exotic locations. I’d always dreamed about traveling, but never had the money. He made life fun and thrilling, but I could never tell him about Amy.” She laughed an odd laugh. “He’s not the man I pictured him to be, is he?”

  “No.”

  “I built up this image of him that’s a fantasy, didn’t I? He’s rich and handsome, and he swept me off my feet, but I’ve never learned much about him that’s true.”

  “That’s what I’ve been thinking.”

  “Why did he propose to me? I can’t answer that question. Can you?”

  “No. I wasn’t even aware he was engaged until my mom wrote me a letter about it.”

  “Has she ever explained her view of why he proceeded?”

  His mother had strong opinions about the debacle, but he wouldn’t share any of them with her. Mainly, Sharon believed they were too different, so they’d never settle into a routine that would keep Eric happy. He’d continue to treat Jennifer as if they were on a permanent honeymoon—until he was tired of it. Then he’d bag out on her.

  “Mom never talked about it,” he lied, “but I have my own view. Would you like to hear what it is?”

  “Definitely.”

  “Eric acts as if he was unaffected by my parents’ divorce, but in a weird way, it seems like he’s trying to recreate their marriage—by marrying you—and he assumes he can engineer a better conclusion than they had.”

  “If you’re even remotely correct, it would mean he’s seriously effed up in the head.”

  “Aren’t we all effed up in the head?”

  “I suppose.”

  “I’ve always thought Eric was crazy,” he said, “so maybe that’s the reason he proposed. He’s simply a lunatic.”

  “Will Josh bring him back in time for the ceremony? If so, will Eric be in any condition to walk down the aisle?”

  “I wouldn’t bet on it.”

  They were quiet again, her mind whirring as she sifted through problems and solutions.

  He liked her much more than he should, and he was positive his brother didn’t deserve her, that she should call off the wedding, but he had to be careful. He couldn’t be the catalyst that ended it.

  Ultimately, she turned to him and said, “I’m not marrying Eric. It would be a huge mistake.”

  Various replies raced by. He was terrified he’d pick the wrong one, and he chose, “It’s a big decision. Shouldn’t you discuss it with your dad first? Or your sisters?”

  “I already did, and they told me to calm down and consider what I wanted. My dad claims relationships have highs and lows, and the stress of the wedding might be causing us to quarrel so much.”

  “Do you think that?”

  “No. Eric and I aren’t quarreling. In fact, since his limo pulled out of the driveway, I doubt he’s thought about me again.”

  “He’s with Josh, and Josh is Eric’s great enabler.” He smirked. “Who knows? We might wake up in the morning and discover they chartered a jet and flew to Puerta Vallarta.”

  Her jaw dropped. “They do stuff like that?”

  “Yes. They’re both thirty this year, and they have too much money. I always hope they’ll grow up, but they never seem to mature.”

  She scoffed with a grim amusement, then she slapped her palms on her thighs and nodded, as if she’d arrived at an important fork in her road.

  “I’m going to my room,” she said, “and I’m going to bed.”

  “Will you tell your dad? Should I tell my mom?”

  “I’m not telling anyone right now. I’ll sleep on it, and tomorrow, I’ll ask myself if my opinion is still the same. If the answer is yes, that I’m not marrying your brother, I’ll inform people then.”

  He chuckled, but morosely. “There’s nothing like waiting until the last minute.”

  “Will your dad kill me? I mean, he spent a fortune on this. Will he be furious?”

  “The amount is pocket change to him, so don’t worry about it. He’ll figure Eric dodged a bullet.”

  She snorted at that. “I’ve received the impression that he didn’t like me. What about Eric? What will he think?”

  “As far as I know, he’s never been dumped, so he’ll be stunned.”

  “Will his massive ego ever recover?” she sarcastically asked.

  He hated to hurt her, but he said, “His ego is so huge; you could never put a dent in it.”

  “That’s really exasperating. I was wishing you’d insist he’d be devastated forever.”

  “There’s no chance of that.”

  Alex suspected, in a few days, Eric would be photographed at the hottest clubs in LA, and he’d have a gorgeous babe on his arm. Maybe he’d have two gorgeous babes. If he was distressed at having been cut loose by her, he would never furnish the slightest hint. With Eric and his feelings, he could be a complete blank slate.

  “How do you expect the morning to unfold?” he asked.

  “I’ll get up, eat, dress, then tell my family.”

  “It’s a conversation I’d pay to hear. When will you talk to Eric?”

  “How about ten o’clock?”

  “I have no idea if he’ll be up by then.”

  “I’ll go to his suite,” she said. “He and I should have some privacy there. Will you come with me?”

  He stared at the Inn, debating whether he should be present or not. It felt as if his comments had spurred her to the ledge where she was currently standing. Could he abandon her when she was about to jump over?

  “Yes, I can come with you,” he said.

  “What about the people who are providing services to me: the florist, the photographer, the band, the chef? What about them?”

  “Let’s handle one issue at a time. We’ll meet with Eric at ten, then we’ll proceed from there. My mom can proba
bly manage the details of canceling everything. I’m predicting she’ll be glad to.”

  Jennifer stood and pulled him to his feet too. She looked like a warrior goddess, bent on destruction. Yet she surprised him by saying, “I’m afraid.”

  “Don’t be. We’re all on your side, and we simply want you to be happy.”

  He drew her close and gave her a tight hug. He shouldn’t have, but he couldn’t resist. She hugged him back, then said, “I’ll text you when I’m up.”

  “I’ll watch my phone, but would you please let me know either way? If you wake up and decide we’re having a wedding after all, I’d like to be apprised. I’ll worry about you all night, and I’ll be about to bust with keeping this a secret.”

  “I won’t change my mind.” She smiled a resolute smile. “I’ll see you in the morning. Just before ten.”

  She headed to the patio, climbed the stairs, and vanished.

  “This is what you will do,” Dennis said, “and it’s non-negotiable.”

  Lindsey gaped at him as if he were a stranger. He’d never been interested in her, and in fact, she rarely ever saw him and almost never talked to him. He might have been a ghost in their house, occasionally mentioned, but never observed in human form.

  She was sitting at the table in his suite, watching him and Crystal fight, her head whipping back and forth as if she was at a tennis match. She was so hungover; she felt as if she was dying.

  A bit earlier, her mother had barged into her room. She’d knocked for an eternity, but Lindsey had been too miserable to answer the door. Finally, Crystal had convinced an Inn manager to use a master key to admit her. She’d shaken Lindsey awake, pushed her into a cold shower, then had dragged her to the meeting with Dennis.

  Lindsey couldn’t figure out why he was in such a snit. She’d been drinking in a bar. So what? He was carrying on as if the world was about to end.

  She had to give Crystal some credit. Her mother was actually defending her, arguing that Lindsey wasn’t any of his business, but he was spouting off as if he’d just been named Father of the Year.

  “You’ll pack your bags,” he told Lindsey, “then I’ve arranged for a car to pick you up at noon.” It was three hours away. “You’ll be driven to Aspen. My jet will be there, and you’ll be flown back to LA.”