by Kay Correll
Jamie really was going to have to talk to the girl. First thing.
So far he really couldn’t see what Cindy saw in George, but of course it wasn’t his decision to make. He’d never been able to fathom how a sweet, giving person like Cindy could come from a family like hers. He’d never seen her act all snobby or pretentious, and it seemed like she still could never please her mother… or her sister, for that matter.
He understood trying hard to please a person though. He’d worked for years to try and make his stepfather proud of him. It had never happened though. He’d never done enough, been good enough.
He turned when he heard a knock at the door.
“I’m sorry about the mineral water. I’m sure you didn’t need something else added to your to-do list.” Cindy stood in the doorway.
“It’s no problem.” He instinctively moved to block the window. “You okay? I see your family still gives you a hard time.”
Cindy stepped inside the office. “They don’t really mean it.”
How could they not mean it? They basically told her she couldn’t pick out the dress for her own rehearsal and Vanessa implied that Cindy was fat. She was far from overweight. Cindy had pleasing curves, unlike the stick-thin, almost gaunt look of Vanessa.
“Well, it’s your wedding. You should be able to pick out whatever you want to wear, and serve whatever you want to serve.”
“Sometimes it’s just easier to let them have their way.”
“Whatever you say, Dream Girl. And don’t worry about the mineral water. I’ll get that taken care of this afternoon.”
“Thanks, Jamie.” Cindy walked to the doorway, then turned back towards him. “I’m sorry they’re all being so rude. I’m sure they don’t realize how they sound.”
“It’s not a problem. Really. I just want things to go smoothly for you.”
Cindy flashed a grateful smile and walked out the door.
He quickly glanced out the window and saw that George was still talking to Alexis. Now his hand was covering her hand as he leaned over to whisper something into Alexis’s ear.
Jamie spun around and headed out the door, cut through the kitchen and walked out onto the small patio. Alexis jumped up as soon as she saw him.
“Alexis, did you finish up with the after lunch chores? Napkin rolls? Filled salt shakers?”
“I’m just heading in to finish up.” Alexis brushed past him and hurried inside.
“George, is there a problem with something for the rehearsal dinner or the reception?”
“I wouldn’t know. Left that all up to the girls.” George stood up. “I better go meet Henry and head out for our golf game.”
“Have a good game.”
George walked away and Jamie didn’t care a whit if George and Henry had a nice golf game or not. He hadn’t been wrong, he’d felt the electricity between George and Alexis. Nice. Two days before the man was supposed to marry Cindy, he was flirting with the waitress.
Chapter 7
Bella sat waiting for Jamie to get off the phone. She tapped her pen on the table as she looked at the notebook spread out in front of her and went over the list. She’d made all the phone calls and it seemed like everything was taken care of. She just needed to help orchestrate the rehearsal and wedding and help Jamie make sure things ran smoothly.
Jamie came out of his office and strode over to the small table tucked in the corner of the lobby where Bella was sitting. “Bad news. It was Flossie’s floral shop. The order of flowers for the wedding? There was a mix up and red flowers came in, instead of the purple ones Cindy ordered.”
“Well, that’s not good.”
“No, I assume it’s not.”
“Red is just not going to go with the colors of her wedding.” Bella flipped open the notebook to a swatch of light apricot. “This is her color”
“Okay, even I can tell that red goes lousy with that.” Jamie reached a hand up and rubbed the muscles in his neck. “The floral shop said they could get a mix of white flowers.”
Just then Cindy, Vanessa, and Mrs. Pearson walked into the lobby. Cindy lifted a hand in a wave to Bella and headed over to the table.
“Hi, Bella. Things going okay?”
“We’ve a bit of a problem.” Bella stood up as Vanessa and her mother crossed the room. “There was a mix-up on the flowers. They got red ones in.”
“Red?” Mrs. Pearson’s eyes opened wide. “We didn’t order red flowers.”
“Yes, I know. The floral shop admits it’s their fault. A new worker put in the order. They said they can provide arrangements of a mix of white flowers.”
“We could see if we can fly in the right flowers from back home, couldn’t we, Mother?” Vanessa stood beside her mother. “We could try the florist the club uses.”
“We don’t have to do that.” Cindy shook her head. “I think we could use simple white arrangements. We’ll use apricot ribbons to tie it all in. It will be fine.”
“That’s ridiculous, Cynthia. That’s not what we ordered.” Mrs. Pearson’s voice rose.
“I actually like the simple floral arrangements on the tables in the dining room. The ones in the mason jars. Bella, could we do something like that?” Cindy stood her ground… tentatively.
Bella jumped to support Cindy’s decision. “I’m sure I could work with the florist shop to do something similar.”
“Those arrangements are just too plain for your wedding. All wrong.” Vanessa shook her head vigorously.
“Well, I like them, and that’s what I want to do.” Cindy stood firmer this time.
Bella glanced over and saw Jamie hide a quick smile.
“I think you’re making the wrong decision.” Mrs. Pearson drew herself up to her full height and set her shoulders firmly. “But then, you wanted the wedding down here in this unbearably humid little town, when your father and I would have given you the perfect wedding anywhere in the country.”
“This is the perfect place, Mother.” Cindy’s voice was low but full of conviction.
Mrs. Pearson let out a long sigh. “Fine. If you want some ridiculous arrangement in jars, for goodness sakes, then it’s on your head when people are talking about it.”
“But, Mother. It’s so embarrassing. She can’t do that.” Vanessa practically stamped her feet in disagreement.
“But I am doing that, Vanessa. And they’ll look lovely.” Cindy turned and walked out the door of the lobby.
* * *
Jamie thought it would probably be rude of him to give a standing ovation or a slow clap for Cindy as she walked out of the lobby. Good for her. She’d finally stood up to her mother and Vanessa.
“Mother, we can’t let her do that.” Vanessa stood there brimming with ire.
Mrs. Pearson turned to Bella. “Make sure those floral arrangements don’t embarrass me. Do something with them.”
Bella wrote a note in the notebook and watched Vanessa and Mrs. Pearson leave the lobby.
“Well, that was interesting.” Bella turned to Jamie.
“Yes, it was. First time I’ve seen Cindy stand up to them. To be honest, simple arrangements do seem more Cindy’s style. I think this whole wedding has just been Vanessa forcing her opinions on Cindy.”
“Weddings can be stressful times for families.” Bella set her pen on the table. “So, any more bad news?”
“I’m hoping that’s about the end of it. I’m really grateful for you doing all this. I can’t thank you enough. There’s a free vacation week for you at the inn if you want it. Just to show how much I really do truly appreciate you.”
“Might take you up on that with my two best friends from back home. We keep saying we’re going to have a girls’ getaway.”
“That would be great. Anytime.” Jamie felt relief wash over him with the flower situation handled. “I need to run into the city to get mineral water. Mrs. Pearson has decided she wants to serve that instead of our regular water. Got to head to the warehouse store for it. Do you need me to pick up a
nything while I’m there?”
“I think we have everything else all sorted out.”
“You’re a lifesaver.”
Bella grinned at him. “I’m a planner. And very organized. Well, organized about stuff like this and my business. Not so much my house and home life.”
“Well, if you ever want to move here and become an event planner, you just let me know.”
“Pretty sure that will never happen, but I sure do love coming here to visit Aunt Jo.”
“The timing of your trip this time was sure lucky for me.”
“Well, let’s see if we can hold onto that luck a bit longer, and try not to let anything else go wrong.”
“From your lips to the wedding angels’ ears.”
* * *
Cindy was pretty sure she’d tried on two dozen dresses in an hour’s time. She walked out of the dressing room to where her mother and Vanessa sat on satin tufted settees and sipped on glasses of Champagne.
“That one makes you look skinnier than you are.” Vanessa held up her glass in an attempt to point.
“The color makes her look a bit washed out though.” Her mother cocked her head and looked critically at her. “But it might be the best of the bunch. Try on those last few dresses, Cynthia.”
Cindy gritted her teeth and walked silently back into the dressing room. She looked at the dresses scattered around the dressing room, mocking her. How had she let this turn into a dress-the-Cindy-doll session?
The boutique worker came in with a handful of dresses and a look of apology on her face. “Here are a few more in your size.” The woman hung them on a rack in the dressing area.
Cindy walked over to the newly delivered garments and sifted through them. A simple off-white dress with a bit of lavender trim caught her eye. While her mother and Vanessa had her trying on shift cut dresses, this one was fitted at the top with a loose, flowy skirt. She loved it at first sight.
She took it off the hanger and slipped it on. It fit like it had been handmade for her. This was the dress. The one. She straightened her shoulders and walked out to face her mother and Vanessa.
“Really, Cynthia? That’s not what we discussed. We agreed on simple and elegant. A simple slim cut.” Her mother shook her head.
Vanessa raised an eyebrow and grimaced.
“Well, I love this dress. This is the one I’m going to wear. The ones you picked out for me are just not… well, they aren’t me. This one is and it’s lovely.”
“It does hide your hips.” Vanessa tossed the comment like it was a compliment.
“But it certainly isn’t elegant. It’s just so… casual.” Her mother eyed her critically. “I guess we could dress it up with jewelry and some nice heels.”
“I’m wearing flats. I have some off-white ones that will look great with this.” Cindy stood her ground. Kind of. She was still afraid they’d talk her out of the dress.
“Well, I’m tired of watching her parade around in dresses anyway. Wear that one if you want. We at least tried to get you to buy an appropriate dress.” Vanessa took the last sip of her Champagne and rose from the settee with practiced grace.
Her mother stood, set down her glass, and turned to the boutique worker. “I guess we’ll take that one.”
Cindy was pretty sure her mother’s long-suffering, tired sigh was heard throughout the store.
“Go change and we’ll head back to the inn. I want to lie down for a bit before dinner.” Her mother turned and walked away.
Cindy headed back into the dressing room and slipped out of the dress. She liked it better than the navy slip dress she had originally brought to wear in an attempt to please her mother. She was pretty sure her mother wished she’d never brought up the shopping trip.
With a little smile, Cindy hung up the dress and slipped into her clothes. The worker came and whisked the dress away. Cindy took one last look in the mirror, surprised to see there was still the hint of a smile on her face. It felt good to stand up to Vanessa and her mother. Really good.
* * *
Cindy lingered behind her mother and sister as they headed into the lobby of the inn. They were headed up to rest before dinner, but she was strangely wound up after the big dress buying expedition. She pushed through the door of the inn, wrestling with the dress hanging in a garment bag. The cool air wrapped around her, a welcome relief from the late afternoon humidity.
“Hey, Dream Girl, looks like you found your dress for the ball.” Jamie stood behind the counter with a lazy grin across his face.
She crossed the lobby and draped the dress across the counter. “I did. It’s perfect, though Mother and Vanessa disagree with me.”
“I thought the whole point was they wanted to pick one out for you…”
“Well, let’s just say we couldn’t agree on one. So I went with one I love.”
A look of approval flashed across Jamie’s face. “Well, good for you. I’m sure you’ll look beautiful.”
“Thanks, Jamie.” She felt the heat of a blush drift across her cheeks. That was the kindest thing anyone had said to her today, even if he was just saying it to be nice.
“So what are your plans for tonight?”
“We’re meeting down at the outside bar here for your happy hour, then we’re headed out for dinner at Magic Cafe. I’m not sure that’s exactly the kind of place that George likes to eat. He usually prefers the fancy linen tablecloth restaurants with good wine lists, but my father likes the fish there, so Miss Tally is going to hold the big table in the corner for us. At least I’m sure he’ll be impressed with the view.”
“I guess I’ll see you down here later, then. I’m the bartender for happy hour tonight.”
“You’re just a jack of all trades around here now, aren’t you?”
“More of a Jamie of all trades.” He winked at her.
Cindy laughed out loud, the first time in hours that she’d felt relaxed. Honestly, she hadn’t felt this relaxed since she and Jamie had eaten at Magic Cafe. Though it was possible a bride wasn’t supposed to get to relax at all during her wedding week.
Chapter 8
Jamie set up the bar area for their nightly happy hour. They’d put in a Tiki-style bar at one side of their huge decked area. There were stools at the bar, and scattered tables and Adirondack chairs around the area. A bit of a breeze had picked up from the ocean and blown away the oppressive humidity of earlier today. It was really nice evening weather and Jamie was expecting to be busy during the two-hour happy hour. He looked over at the beach and saw that many people had called it a day. The beach workers were closing up umbrellas and putting them in the large wooden boxes for the evening. The waves had kicked up a bit, rolling up onto the beach in contrast to the almost lake-like calm of earlier today. He loved this time of day. From early evening until sunset seemed like the perfect time on the southern Gulf Coast of Florida.
Alexis came walking over with another tray of glasses. “Here you go.” She set the tray on the counter and he picked it up and swung it under the counter. When the waitresses worked happy hour they were allowed to wear shorts and a Belle Island Inn t-shirt. Alexis has taken that to heart with short shorts and a tight t-shirt. Maybe he’d have to revise their dress code for happy hour workers…
He glanced up and saw George stop Alexis as she headed back inside for another tray of glasses. George rested his hand on Alexis’s shoulder and she tossed her blonde hair while reaching a hand up to brush George’s. George slipped his hand down to the small of Alexis’s back and leaned over to say something to her. He could see her nod. She’d better be agreeing to bring the guy a drink and nothing more.
George sauntered over to the bar and slipped onto a bar stool. “I’m a bit early, but that doesn’t matter does it? I’ll have a bourbon. Your best. Neat.”
Jamie noticed that George didn’t wait for an answer. Well, there goes his theory that Alexis was agreeing to bring George a drink.
Jamie poured the man a drink, hoping he’d just get up a
nd go walk over to the Adirondack chairs with the view of the ocean. No such luck. The man sat and sipped his bourbon at the bar.
“So, Cynthia tells me your family owns the inn.”
“We do.”
“I hope you can handle all the guests we have coming for the wedding.”
“I’m sure we can.” Jamie slammed down the bucket of ice a bit harder than needed, and busied himself slicing up a lime. He’d better be careful or he was going to cut off his finger.
“Cynthia assures me you have everything under control. I hope so. I have some important business contacts coming to the wedding. They are staying in Sarasota, of course. I found a couple of luxury resorts to recommend to them.”
Jamie wasn’t sure if the man was clueless at how rude he was, or possibly baiting him to see a reaction. Either way, he wasn’t impressed with this George guy. He must have some redeeming qualities though, otherwise, what the heck was Cindy doing with him?
Jamie reached for a lemon to slice. “Yes, we didn’t have room here at the inn for everyone coming to the wedding. There are a handful of other nice places to stay on Belle Island though.”
George looked at him and cocked an eyebrow in what could only be considered disbelief. “I know Cynthia has some kind of silly romantic notion this place will be perfect for her wedding. We couldn’t get the club for the wedding, so I let her choose wherever she wanted. I hope it all works out. It’s a bit more… rustic… than I’d imagined.”
Okay, at this point Jamie admitted he just did not like the man.
At all.
Alexis walked up with a second tray of glasses. She seemed to think the only open spot at the bar was right next to George and stood inches away from him and passed the tray over to Jamie.
George swirled the bourbon in his glass and grinned at Alexis. “Will you be a darlin’ and bring us our drinks if I move over to that table over there and wait for everyone to show up?”
