Wedding Belles

by Beth Albright

  “Not good at all, baby girl. We need to talk. Your wedding is not on a lucky day. You got problems there.”

  Vivi’s mouth dropped, and I tensed up. Myra Jean was for real, I was sure now. She knew about Tressa, among so many other things. She had a gift. Meridee smiled and nodded as the others in the room gasped.

  “Don’t say anything, let me see if I can get a clear picture,” Miss Myra said, closing her eyes. “Oh, my.” She stopped and opened her eyes, dropping Vivi’s hand. “Another vision just popped in, and I’m not so sure I wanna see this. A certain somebody here, and I won’t mention any names, needs to get themselves a room. You’re too old to be hookin’ up at your momma’s house.”

  We all burst out laughing. All of us, except Kitty.

  “Oh, Lord, y’all. I need a break for a sec.” Myra Jean got up and took a deep breath, stretching her palms toward the ceiling.

  Meridee went into the kitchen with her and got a tray of iced tea for everyone. Myra Jean put a package of saltines on a tray with a can of aerosol cheese. You had to love her, she was trying to serve her guests. Okay, so it was a bit different from the goodies at the first half of the shower, but it was still technically an hors d’oeuvre. I mean, who doesn’t love cheese and crackers...even if it is spray cheese? Meridee and Myra Jean sat again, and the readings commenced.

  “What’s not good about my wedding day?” Vivi asked impatiently.

  “The date.” Myra Jean raised her eyebrows. “You got this weddin’ date thing all wrong.”

  “What?” Vivi asked.

  The Fru Fru boys both sat up straight and looked nervous. “But the date’s all set.”

  “I know it’s all set,” Myra Jean said, looking at the planners. “Don’t mean it’s right.”

  Vivi turned to the boys and asked, “Have the invitations been sent yet?”

  “No, the printer caught a mistake on them so they’re running a bit late,” Jean-Pierre said. “They’ll go out next week. The wedding is at the end of September, about five weeks away.”

  “That’s just not right,” Myra Jean continued. “I have a date in mind, and it has a glow around it.” She closed her eyes again. “Yes, I can see it in my head now, and this is the date you must get married on. It’s the date the spirits are showing me.”

  “Well, for God’s sake, Miss Myra, what is this magical date?” Jean-Pierre asked, with a mountain of anxiety all over his face.

  “September first.” She leaned back in her chair as if the announcement had taken a toll on her. “Your other date has a really bad aura.”

  “September first? Oh, honey, no way,” Jean-Pierre said. “That’s Bama’s big football kickoff day. That’s impossible. This town will be crazy with traffic and tailgaters.” He was revving up for a hissy fit. “All the restaurants and hotels will already be booked solid. Caterers, too. No, we just cannot do it.”

  Troubled, Vivi stood up and paced for a minute, then turned back to us. “I know you’re right, Miss Myra, but I just don’t see how in the world it’s gonna work. The date we have now is Bama’s off day—no game, which means Lewis is free and it was perfect.”

  “No, it’s not perfect,” Miss Myra said. “It’s bad luck.”

  “But kickoff is the biggest day of the year for Lewis. He’ll be in the press box all day, and when he’s not there, he’ll be at the new radio station. It’s the inaugural broadcast! It’s the freakin’ kickoff, for heaven’s sakes!”

  Coco had his phone out and was looking something up. “Wait, wait, wait,” he said. “I don’t know about y’all but I don’t like messin’ with spirits. We can work around this. Look, the game is at noon on September first. The wedding is already planned for sunset, so timingwise, we wouldn’t have to change our schedule at all.”

  Jean-Pierre interrupted, “But what about all the restaurants and hotels? Nothing is going to be available. We only have a couple of weeks to try and find new caterers and everything else. This will be an absolute mess.”

  “No,” Coco insisted. “We’re professionals. Everything will just have to get worked out at warp speed.”

  Bonita had been quiet, but I could see the wheels in her head turning. Suddenly, she broke the silence. “I have a great idea,” she said, standing up as though this were too important an announcement to deliver from a sitting position. “Why don’t you let Arthur cater the whole thing? He would love to do it for you, and I will help him pull it off.”

  She was smiling, an eager look on her face, awaiting a response from anyone. “Well, what do y’all think? All the Fru Fru boys have to do is get the cakes and leave the rest of the food up to us. He’s already hired some waiters, so they can help serve and refill glasses. It doesn’t have to be all barbecue, either. Arthur is a whiz in the kitchen. I’ll even bring my orange-pineapple ice cream, if you’d like. It’s win-win for everyone, since this would be a fantastic way to promote the business for our big opening.”

  Vivi spoke up first. “I absolutely love this idea! No one but Arthur should be doing my wedding anyway, if he’s willing. But I still need him to give me away at the altar. He can do both, right?”

  “Absolutely. I’ll make sure of it.” Bonita smiled.

  Somehow, Vivi and I knew that if Bonita was in charge of something, we’d have no cause to worry about this at all. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted.

  Bonita sat back down, satisfied with herself. “When we get back tonight, we can start gettin’ that menu together. Arthur will be so tickled.”

  “Whoa,” Jean-Pierre jumped in. “Just a minute. Are we really changing the entire wedding day based on a prediction?” He looked a bit exasperated. “I don’t mean any disrespect, Miss Myra, but we’ve already planned—”

  “Yes, I do believe we are,” Meridee interrupted, grinning. “Get used to it.”

  Kitty got up to get some more tea. Coco stood up and slinked over to Myra Jean, smoothing his hair, and sat down. He reached over and put his hand on hers.

  “I believe we need to do exactly what you say. Do you think you can see anything for me?” Coco asked, scooching closer.

  “You have got to be kidding me!” Jean-Pierre said, still clearly more upset than Coco was over the change of dates.

  “Oh, sweetie, you have had yourself an accident recently—somethin’ smokin’.” She was closing her eyes and shaking her head, lost in the vision.

  “Yes, I burned my hair clean off this mornin’ with the flatiron,” he said, very excited. “Oh, my God, she is so for real.” Coco was smiling. I snickered to myself—I didn’t want to tell him that we could all still smell the singed hair from a mile away.

  “You are going to do well in your business,” Myra Jean continued. “You have a great attitude and that will take you far, my dear.” She smiled and started to drop his hand when she looked suddenly overcome by another vision. “Wait,” she said. “I see something else. Men.”

  “Okay, you’ve so got my attention.” Coco popped his eyebrows up with excitement.

  “Lots of men in tight, white, butt-hugging pants. Oh, my word, you are just surrounded by them.”

  “Hallelujah, my dreams are coming true!” He nearly skipped back to his seat.

  Coco laughed, thrilled with his predictions, while Jean-Pierre sulked in the corner.

  Myra Jean stood up and walked around the room, handing out visions like they were Halloween candy. “Oh, my, you ladies are some busy belles, I’ll say.”

  The cousins would be moving. There was more baby magic in the air. On and on. Then she approached the couch where I sat. Myra Jean stood in front of me, shaking her head. “I see something I missed before. The flames of passion had been so bright that they hid it. Baby girl, you are in hot water. You better be careful, sugar. Somebody’s out to be your undoin’.”

  “What do you mean by that, Miss
Myra?” I was pretty sure she was referring to Dallas Dubois, but I wouldn’t say no to any details she might be able to send my way.

  “I don’t know,” Myra Jean said. “This happens sometimes. I’ll see something one minute and the next, it’s gone. Just be careful. You got some enemies.” She turned back to her recliner.

  Great, I thought. Thanks for the sleepless nights I’m gonna have.

  Vivi leaned in to me and whispered, “Get everyone out and say goodbye so I can talk to her in private and ask her about the ‘other woman.’”

  I gathered everyone and they hugged Miss Myra Jean and walked outside into the evening air. I hung back so I could hear all about this other woman. The Tressa situation had me scared.

  “Miss Myra, do you know anything more about that other woman we discussed a couple of weeks ago?” Vivi asked tentatively.

  Miss Myra, though, wasn’t known for her subtlety. “Oh, sweet thing, I do. Don’t trust her. She’s not who she seems. She’s desperate and feeling cornered.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She’ll stand and fight, and she’s dangerous, like...some kind of spider. Tell that fiancé of yours to watch out, too. She’s centered on him.”

  “Are we in danger?”

  “You could very well be. That’s what I’m sensing.”

  Vivi was getting more and more upset. This was not how I wanted her shower to end.

  “Miss Myra, can you say anything about Vivi’s baby?” I interrupted, trying to change the mood.

  “Oh, yes, that baby is a doll,” Myra Jean cooed. “I can see she has red hair, just like her momma.”

  Vivi smiled.

  “Your little one is a pistol and cute as a button. She’ll be a happy and healthy baby. Y’all ain’t got nothin’ to worry about in that department.” Myra Jean leaned back in her chair. “As long as you watch out for the spider-woman....”

  36

  I docked Meridee’s boat in her garage, locked up, then jumped into my own car. I had so much on my mind. Myra Jean’s predictions bothered me. They’d been so spot-on for everybody. The spider-lady comments to Vivi were downright eerie, but her warning about my having enemies and someone being out to get me had me worried. After my conversation with Dallas about the videotape, I thought we’d passed the worst with her. I’d been sure we’d scared her off with threats of lawsuits, but if Myra Jean was right, she might still be lurking behind every corner, hoping to catch me and Sonny doing something wrong. Dallas would do anything now that her job was on the line.

  The stress of getting caught, on top of everything else I was trying to deal with, was almost overwhelming. I felt compelled to tell Sonny that I needed to focus on the wedding now, especially since the date had been moved up. I couldn’t focus on Vivi and her big day with the threat of Dallas and her cameras exposing everything under the sun. Also, the truth was, I just needed time to think. I knew for certain how much Sonny meant to me, and I loved how he made me feel, but I was only beginning to realize what it meant to be in a relationship with someone who had such a dangerous career. I wasn’t sure yet that I was cut out to be a cop’s wife. And I was still in the middle of breaking free from my role as politician’s wife—did I really want to get involved in another relationship where my partner’s career would take over my life?

  I knew this was all too much for me to deal with alone. It was time to talk to Sonny about this, since he deserved to know what I’d been thinking. I called him and told him I was heading over to his place.

  * * *

  “Hey, gorgeous,” Sonny said with just a touch of wariness when I walked into his house. He had no idea what I was about to hit him with, but he knew something was up. “How’d things go with Myra Jean? What’d the old psychic have to say?” He led the way into his living room, trying to keep things jovial as he motioned toward the couch. “Why don’t you get comfy and tell me ’bout it.”

  “I can’t stay, Sonny.” I was fixin’ to crush his world, but I had no choice. I had to do it, for both our sakes, at least for a little while. “I just wanted to tell you what happened, then I need to go.”

  “Well, that’s a disappointment.”

  I swallowed hard, my mouth sticky and dry. “Myra Jean did have some things to say, and they were definitely warnings.”

  “Oh, baby, is somethin’ she said botherin’ that gorgeous head of yours? You know psychics just say what might happen. They don’t know for sure. No one does.”

  “Exactly,” I said. “And I am scared to death of what might happen if we keep going on like this. She pretty much warned me that Dallas was after me. That I had some serious enemies.”

  “Blake, you put Dallas in her place with that camera stunt she pulled,” Sonny said. “Nothing ever hit the news. You’ve won. The worst is over.”

  “No, Sonny, I don’t think it is. Myra Jean could tell there was still something out there to be worried about. Dallas has her ways... She can still do so much more to me and to the people I love. She’s in control as long as she has that tape. She knows now that things are going on between Jane and Harry, and is all over us just waiting for us to make the wrong move. I don’t think she’ll stop till she gets some viable evidence she can use. Her job is on the line and you know as well as anyone what it’s like to have a career you love that you don’t want to let go. She’ll stop at nothing. We can’t take that risk anymore.”

  Sonny took in a deep breath. “I don’t like the sound of where this is going. What are you thinking, baby?”

  “That we really need to watch what we do for a while.”

  “What do you mean by watch?”

  “Sonny, it makes me sick to say this, but I think we need to cool our relationship off until the election is over. We can’t give Dallas any more fuel for her fire. She’ll have the whole county burning if we let her.”

  “Blake, you’re talkin’ nearly three months. I can’t last that long without you. God, baby, I just found you again. I can’t lose you now.” Sonny had moved closer to me, looking lost and shocked at what I was proposing.

  “I’m so sorry, Sonny.” I swallowed hard to keep the tears from falling. “But I know myself, and if I get too comfortable, like we were the other night, I’m gonna slip up. Next time, it might not be Dallas with those cameras. It might be some other reporter. Someone that I don’t have any ammunition to stop. I can’t let everything fall apart because of me. We could all be ruined in town. I can’t do that to Harry, to my friends and family, but most of all, to you. You’re the most innocent in all of this. You’re single, and you’re just trying to love somebody. If Dallas turns what we have into something ugly and dirty, I could never forgive myself.”

  I felt the tears spill over and run down my cheeks.

  “Blake, you’re running scared. Is this really about Dallas, or does it have something to do with what we talked about the other night?”

  I hesitated, not sure if I was ready to admit the other side of this. “Sonny, I just need more time to think, that’s all.”

  “Damn, Blake. C’mon. What we have is so much bigger than all this B.S. You’ll get used to my job. I won’t take any unnecessary chances and I’ll prove to you that you don’t have to worry all the time. I just can’t lose you.” He was getting upset and I could see all of his emotions welling up inside him.

  “Right now, I can’t make any promises. Everything is too much to take in. I’m feeling overwhelmed, Sonny. When the election is finished and Vivi is married—and Tressa and Dwayne are locked up—we can put the focus back on us and figure how to make this work. But I can’t even begin to think about how to move forward with you while I’ve got all the rest of that weighing down on me.”

  “Blake, I can’t stand the thought of not having you in my arms or being able to kiss you. I waited so long to finally get you back. We don’t have to d
o this. The last time I had to let you go for three months, I lost you to Harry. I can’t risk that again.”

  Sadness welled so full in my throat. I couldn’t swallow anymore. “That was different. You weren’t willing to even give a long-distance relationship a shot. You didn’t lose me then, you let me go. Now I’m not saying I’m walking away from this forever. I just need to get things sorted in my life so that there’s space to make this work. We need to have some time apart. I’m sorry.”

  “Does this mean I can’t even come out to Vivi’s?” he asked softly. “I was lovin’ bein’ out there with everybody....” His lips were quivering, sadness overtaking him. I was breaking his heart.

  I hated doing this to him. I hated it. But I remained silent, no longer knowing what to say.

  “I don’t know how I’m gonna make it without you,” he finally said.

  “I don’t know how I’m gonna do it, either,” I said, embracing him, feeling his warm kisses on my tear-filled face. He pulled me close. I heard his tortured breath and a sad, slow song playing from the stereo, and I started sobbing. I wanted the music to stop, but Sonny pulled me up and into him close and sweet, caressing his big hand up and down my back.

  “Dance with me, Blake,” Sonny whispered against my hair. “Just let me hold you a little longer before you leave me.”

  We slow-danced in the quiet stillness of his living room. He held my hand out to the side, like a gentleman, kissing my fingers, one by one, then eventually tucking my hand in his and holding it between us, like he’d never let go.

  He closed his eyes, swaying gently, rocking me back and forth in his arms. Sonny was always taking charge and making me feel better, even when he was hurting, too.

  “I love you, Blake,” he murmured. “And I am never going to stop loving you. I have never been more certain of anything in my life. So if taking a break is what you think we have to do, I’ll do it. I can’t stand the thought of it. I will ache for you every single day until after the election, when we can go out in public and it won’t matter. I’ll be here waiting because I want to keep you. I wanna be seen with you on my arm, so ever’body can look at me and say, how’d that lucky fool get a babe like that?”