By lunchtime, Anna and her parents had arrived, along with the bridesmaids. Just when the time came for Tessa to rush upstairs and get dressed with Lily, Anna, and the other bridesmaids, Paul walked through the front door wearing a tux and his tennis shoes. He spotted her on the staircase and waved an envelope in the air.
“Mail call,” he said.
Tessa paused, speechless for a few seconds. “Wow,” she finally said, loving how his blue eyes looked against his tanned skin. His usually dark disheveled hair had been cut and combed. He looked like a man ready for the Oscars, except for his shoe choice.
A small smile tugged his dimples into view. “Yeah?”
“Minus the shoes, yeah.” Tessa looked up the stairs at Lily. “I’ll be right up.”
Lily grabbed Tessa’s hanging bag and glanced at Paul. “You have one minute. This girl needs to get dressed. Is my husband dressed?”
Paul nodded. “Last I checked, all the groomsmen were heading to the pub.” Lily’s mouth fell open, but before she could respond, Paul said, “I’m kidding. They’re at your house, trying to tie bow ties and failing miserably. I’ll return and help out, but first,” he handed the envelope to Tessa, “you need to open this. I swung by the apartment to grab my dress shoes, which is why I’m still wearing these, and the mail had already arrived. Open it. Now.”
Tessa raised one eyebrow. “Now?” She glanced at the envelope and said, “We’re in a hurry. Can you keep it for me?”
Paul’s stern expression caused her to shove her finger beneath the flap on the back and tear open the envelope in jagged pieces. A navy blue booklet was tucked inside, along with a folded letter. Tessa’ heart fluttered. She grabbed the booklet and looked up at Paul.
“My passport?”
He smiled and pulled her against him into a loose hug. “Just in time.”
“Time for what?”
Paul shrugged. “For when we decide to take a trip.”
Tessa lifted onto her tiptoes and slipped her arms around his neck. “It’s official. We’ll have our first adventure.”
“Our next adventure,” he corrected.
“Tessa!” Lily called from upstairs.
Tessa handed Paul the passport and the torn envelope. “Keep those for me? I have to go before I’m scolded. Make sure you and the guys are back here in half an hour.”
Paul saluted her. “Yes, ma’am. Can’t wait to see you in that dress.”
Tessa kissed him quickly and then hurried up the staircase.
A couple of hours later, Tessa danced with Paul, and he twirled her away from him. When he spun her toward him, she stumbled into him and laughed. She pressed her hands to his chest and said, “You’re vibrating.”
“That’s your phone,” he said, reaching his hand into his inside coat pocket and pulling out her cell phone.
She didn’t recognize the number, but she excused herself and scurried off the dance floor. “Hello?”
“Tessa? This is Kate,” Crazy Kate said. “Can you come inside? Meet me in the foyer.”
“You have a cell phone?” Tessa asked in shock, already walking across the patio, weaving through the wedding attendees.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I borrowed it from my daughter. Come inside.” Then the call ended.
Tessa found Crazy Kate standing beneath the chandelier in the foyer. Trudy Steele stood just inside the open front door. Tessa’s eyebrows rose.
“Mrs. Steele!” she exclaimed. “I had no idea you were in town. Come in, come in.” Tessa motioned for Mrs. Steele to come inside, but the old woman didn’t budge. Tessa continued, “We’re right in the middle of a wedding reception now, and Paul and I were going to call you next week to see when you and your family could visit. But I’m glad you’re here now.” Tessa spread her arms wide. “Come inside and look around. How does the house look to you? Like you remember? Minus all the flowers, of course.”
Tessa glanced at Crazy Kate, who stepped closer to Mrs. Steele and reached out her hand. “Trudy, come inside.”
Mrs. Steele’s eyes filled with tears as she took Crazy Kate’s hand. “It—it was easier to hate this place when it was falling apart. But now—it looks—it looks just like it did when we were married, doesn’t it?”
“Remember when you walked down those stairs?” Crazy Kate asked, leading Mrs. Steele toward the staircase. “And Geoffrey wasn’t supposed to see you beforehand, but he rounded the corner, and there you were, and he was speechless. You were so beautiful that day. Like an angel.”
Mrs. Steele blinked at her tears and rested both hands on her cane. “It was the perfect day. Even with the rain. I was so happy—we were so happy. I still miss him,” she said as her voice broke. She turned to look at Tessa, “You’ve done something I didn’t believe you could. You’ve brought Honeysuckle Hollow back to life.”
“I had a lot of help,” Tessa said. “Months of it, from the whole town actually.”
“Unbelievable,” Mrs. Steele said, not seeming to care about the tears on her cheeks. “It looks just like it did, back when we were all still here. When we were young and beautiful and happy and the house was full of laughter.” She looked at Crazy Kate. “Standing here, I can almost imagine we’re all still here.”
“I’m glad you approve,” Tessa said.
Mrs. Steele gazed into the dining room. “It seems an awful big home for one young woman.”
Tessa shook her head. “I won’t be living here. I have my eye on a cozy cottage just the right size for me. I’m going to use Honeysuckle Hollow the same way Matthias did—to help those in need or to host beautiful weddings just like yours.”
“Perfect,” Mrs. Steele said.
Crazy Kate slipped her arm through Mrs. Steele’s. “Let me show you around, Trudy. Wait till you see the gardens.”
They left Tessa standing in the foyer swallowing past a lump in her throat. Paul walked up the hallway with a concerned look on his face.
“You okay?” he asked.
Tessa nodded. “It’s been the perfect day. Anna and Eli’s wedding was beautiful and they’re so happy with how everything turned out, the reception is more like a fun party for the town to enjoy, and Mrs. Steele made a surprise visit and she loves the house. I don’t see how this day could get any better.”
Paul reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a paper sleeve advertising an airline and handed it to Tessa. “What if I told you that we need to get going soon if we’re going to make the flight?”
Tessa took the offered paper sleeve and pulled two airline tickets out of the pocket. “What flight?”
Paul grinned and tucked stray hairs behind her ear. “The flight for our next adventure.”
Tessa’s heart pounded against her ribcage. “What are you talking about?”
Paul tugged Tessa closer to him. “I’m taking you to the Cook Islands.” He lifted his arm and checked his watch. “In an hour. You’ve been working non-stop on this house for the past six months, not to mention you didn’t quit your day job. You deserve a vacation in a place where they have those little paper umbrellas you can put in your drink.”
“But—but I’m not packed. I haven’t prepared for this. I have to work—”
“Lily packed for you,” Paul said. “And your mom agreed to answer the phones and check e-mail at the office for you while you’re gone. It’s all been arranged. All you have to do is say yes.”
Tessa’s mouth dropped open. “Everyone knew?”
“We’ve been plotting behind your back for weeks. What do you say, Tess?”
Tessa smiled so widely that she broke into a laugh. Then she threw her arms around his neck. “I was wrong. The perfect day just got better. Take me on an adventure, Borelli.”
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my early readers, sounding boards, and encouragers—Jason, Hank, Karissa, Vanessa, Tracey, and Jenna—who listen to me prattle on about my ideas, who read endless rewrites, and who love these characters nearly as much as I do. Thank you to Julianne who
always creates the most beautiful covers for me and who always makes the time. Special thanks to Daddy and Ma and the rest of my family who are my biggest supporters and faithful readers.
About the Author
While growing up in southern Georgia, where honeysuckle grows wild and the whippoorwills sing, Jennifer became a writer in elementary school. She crafted epic tales of adventure and love and magic. She wrote stories in Mead notebooks, on printer paper, on napkins, on the soles of her shoes.
She considers herself a traveler, an amateur baker, and a dreamer. She can always be won over with chocolate, unicorns, or rainbows. She believes in love—everlasting and forever.
Jennifer has published five enchanting novels based in Mystic Water, The Baker’s Man, Little Blackbird, Honeysuckle Hollow, The Legend of James Grey, Wednesday's Child, and Finding May (coming 2019), and all are available in print and as ebooks. Full Moon June and Average April are short stories available as ebooks.
Jennifer also co-created and wrote a young adult fantasy with co-creator and illustrator Julianne St. Clair, The Wickenstaffs’ Journey. To learn more about Jennifer, visit her website at www.jennifermoorman.com.
Thank You!
Yay! I had so much fun introducing y’all to Mystic Water, and I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you did enjoy this story, please consider writing a review. I appreciate any feedback, no matter how long or short. It’s a great way of letting other magical realism fans know what you thought about the book.
Being an independent author means this is my livelihood, and every review really does make a super-big difference. Reviews are the best way to support me so I can continue doing what I love, which is bringing you, the reader, more fun adventures in Mystic Water!
Thank you for spending time in Mystic Water, and I hope to see you on our next adventure!
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Also by Jennifer Moorman
Mystic Water
Sweet Canary Jane
Retellings of Folklore, Myth, and Magic
Nina, the Bear's Child (Coming Soon)
Standalone
The Baker's Man
Little Blackbird
Honeysuckle Hollow
The Wickenstaffs' Journey
Full Moon June
The Legend of James Grey
Average April
Wednesday's Child
A Mystic Water Collection
Finding May
Starry Sky July
Watch for more at Jennifer Moorman’s site.
Honeysuckle Hollow Page 28
