The Accidental Florist jj-16

by Jill Churchill

  "I must go," Mrs. Jefferson said. "I'm supposed to supply the lemonade and it's probably getting hot in my car. Best wishes to both of you."

  The moment she turned away, he took Jane by the elbow, thanked the pastor, and swiftly headed toward Jane's car.

  "Well done, Ted. You didn't need my help after all."

  "I knew you would if it was necessary though. That's what counts."

  "Will you and Dixie and the girls come to dinner with us tonight? I have lots of food."

  "That would be wonderful. I'll have to check with Dixie, but I'm sure she'll agree."

  "Mrs. Jefferson is one of the good ones from the church."

  "One of the few," Ted said with a smile as he got into Jane's car.

  Chapter

  TWENTY-ONE

  D

  ixie looked five years younger than the last time Jane had seen her, and she was smiling and making the little girls laugh when she made funny faces. Ted looked happier and more relaxed than ever now that Thelma's funeral was over. It was a lovely evening and everyone ate heartily. After dinner she showed them around Mel's new office, which was finally looking like it might turn out to be done in a couple of weeks. Then he could choose the carpet and paint colors, and move his office furniture in.

  Ted said, "This makes me think it's time to renovate my own office at work. It hasn't changed for years and everything looks old and dingy."

  "Oh, Ted," Dixie said, "that's a wonderful idea. Can I help you pick out new furniture and paint colors?"

  "You'll have to. I have no idea how to do this," he said. "Anything that isn't dark brown. And I have to clean out my mother's house to sell it. Do either of you want anything from it? A favorite lamp or some of her jewelry?"

  Dixie looked at him and said, "I wouldn't want anything she'd ever touched."

  Jane chimed in. "There's nothing I want either."

  "So what do I do with her jewelry? She has a lot of it, and some is valuable. Her wedding ring has a huge diamond—"

  Jane stepped up to the bat before Dixie could speak. "Take them to an appraiser, and find out what they're worth. Then sell them on eBay or a local jeweler."

  "What a good idea, Jane," Dixie piped up. "Now let's don't talk about this anymore, Ted. Make your own decisions, and don't even tell me about them." She was smiling as she said this.

  Dixie turned to where the girls were sitting in their high chairs, and said, "I'm right, aren't I?" She nodded her head and both of the girls laughed and tried to imitate the gesture. Mary, who was a year and a half old, dribbled orange juice all over her pink dress. Sarah, at four years, got it right.

  Ted was grinning.

  Jane called Mel when Ted, Dixie, and the girls had left. She told him about the nice dinner and then asked, "How's your case going?"

  "Which one?"

  "The Welbournes, of course."

  "Not much yet. Both reporters have told me that they've had a lot of calls, but they're all either frauds, or someone who claims to have met them two years ago in Perth, or Sydney, or Orlando. But somebody will turn up knowing how to spell Miss Welbourne's whole name. Then we move in."

  Jane went to bed that night thinking about Ted and Dixie. Thelma's death was, sadly, the best thing that ever happened to them. They had both been so relaxed and pleasant at dinner. The relief of not having Thelma around, making their lives miserable, must have been enormous. And would only get better over time.

  Then she started thinking about herself. This was Wednesday. At the end of next week, she'd be married. Her parents were arriving next Thursday. Next Wednesday her parents would be packing for the long flight from Denmark to New York then the short one to Chicago. Her dad would send his documents from the meetings in Denmark to Washington.

  Thursday Mike would be driving home from Indiana, and Katie would be flying in from Kansas. The civil wedding would be on Friday, and Addie's wedding would be Saturday at five in the afternoon. Suddenly, she realized how close it all was — finally. It was a shame Mel's office wouldn't be ready in time. But that wasn't so important. He'd already hired people to take away his office furniture three weeks after the weddings.

  Everything was finally coming together.

  Unless Addie ruined it.

  Meanwhile, Jane could happily work on the details of her new book. The planning was just as invigorating as the actual writing was. She loved the surprises that her mind served up from time to time during that process.

  The week seemed to crawl along though. Every day seemed longer. And hotter. The workers were now putting in windows. The necessary door to the outside in case of fire in the house was completed. But the flooring hadn't arrived, though it had been promised earlier. The outside hadn't been stuccoed yet. They'd considered brick, but it was far more expensive.

  Jane hadn't ever heard back from Addie and didn't know if she was coming to the real wedding. But it was a matter of pride not to call her back. Mel was unable to reach her either. But he wasn't worried. He claimed she was a busy woman. She'd show up in time, he assured Jane.

  Jane did call the hotel billing department, asking if Addie VanDyne had paid for the hotel booking. She was told that all they'd received was a hefty down payment.

  This worried Jane, and even slightly alarmed Mel when she told him. "I'll pay for it if she doesn't,"Jane said.

  "No. You won't. I'll hunt her down if I have to drive down there and hammer on her door."

  She didn't ask him until two days later if his motherhad paid. "She claimed she did," Mel said. "You might ask if the hotel has gotten it."

  "You can do that," Jane said. She knew she was being a bit snippy, and apologized. "Never mind. I don't have a `real' job like you do. I'll call."

  "Jane, this isn't your responsibility. I will find out. I'm sorry I tried to shove this off on you. You do have a real job. And it's a more interesting one than mine."

  It was turning into a battle of apologies, and she didn't know how to stop it.

  Mel called back an hour later. "Janey, the hotel has already cashed the check. If it doesn't bounce, we're home free." The "Janey" part of this statement eased her mind. At least he wasn't mad at her. And she had probably deserved criticism for her nervous behavior.

  "Could I persuade you to take me to a nice dinner? On my nickel? I'm desperate to eat something I didn't cook for myself. Can't your Officer Needham monitor any calls you get about the Welbournes? You can take along your cell phone and abandon me if something important comes in."

  "That sounds good. I've been living on sandwiches and chips in the canteen."

  This time they decided not to go to their favorite expensive restaurant and settled for a chain restaurant with a salad bar. Mel made himself an enormous salad and two rolls. Jane had a shrimp and pasta dish. They were sitting in a corner booth and since they'd gone early, nobody was close to them.

  She was determined not to mention his mother, but Mel himself started talking about her after he'd eaten.

  "She was tough on me. Wanted me to be a stockbroker so I'd get rich. Every time she got pregnant, I'd wish for another brother to take some of the stress off me. But all I got were sisters. She liked them okay, but made them always dress alike in pink dresses or shorts and shirts. They now wear black, mostly. Just to get back at her, I suspect."

  "Pink? How horrible. And dressing all the same, like replicas of each other."

  "She was livid when I graduated from college and wanted to go into law enforcement. She thought it was a dirty, nasty job, dealing only with scummy criminals. She wouldn't pay for it. So I put myself through college waiting tables, mowing lawns, pet sitting, and slinging hash at a breakfast place."

  "You've never told me about this,"Jane said. "Why not?"

  "I never thought I'd need to. To this day, she's disappointed in me, and tells her clients and friends that I am a very successful stockbroker."

  "Is this why she also dislikes me?"

  "No. She thinks of you as a dumb housewife, spending you
r time at grocery stores and dress shops."

  "Have you ever told her the truth? That I've raised three brilliant kids, and have a job and a very good income?"

  "I haven't. It's really not any of her business. She pretends that what's wrong with marrying you is that you're two years older than I am. As if that matters to either of us."

  Jane smiled. "At least she's not as outright nasty as my other mother-in-law was."

  "And she doesn't live anywhere close to you," Mel said. "Yes, you're right. That's one benefit."

  Mel said, "Want a dessert?"

  "Yes. Something with gooey hot fudge if it's on the menu."

  While they were waiting for dessert, Mel made a prediction. "I suspect this trip for our wedding is probably the last time she'll ever be in Chicago to visit us. And I'll bet you ten dollars she refuses to come to your house to see the office you're building for me."

  "That's a bet I wouldn't make. I'm sure you're right. And it's a relief that you don't seem to mind."

  "I don't mind at all. When she grows too old to run around selling real estate, she's going to be a very lonely person. She's hasn't earned much loyalty from her children. That's another thing I love about you. Your kids would go to the wall to please you."

  Jane teared up at this compliment.

  Chapter

  TWENTY-TWO

  M

  ike was the first to arrive. He'd asked his professor for a couple of extra days to spend time with his mother.

  He was a bit shocked to discover that Todd had taken over his bedroom. So he just dumped his own stuff in what had been Todd's room.

  "How's it going, Mom?" he asked as he galloped back down the stairs.

  "Fairly well," she said mildly. "But you need to go and be fitted for a tux today."

  "Okay, I'll do it now if you tell me what are all those papers stuck to your dining room window?" Mike said.

  "They're permits. Come out in the backyard and see what's going on.""jeez, " he exclaimed. "What's that big room for?"

  "Mel's home office. He had a room in his apartment for working at home, so I'm giving him one here."

  Mike moved closer to look through an unfinished section. "Even a bathroom. Mom, have you spent our whole inheritance on this?"

  She laughed. "Just part of it. Uncle Jim has retired and had the same architect and contractor add a woodworking room for him. So I latched onto the same men. Since the weddings have been moved up by three weeks, it won't be finished in time."

  "Weddings, plural?"

  "Yes. On Friday the family goes to a judge's chamber for a civil wedding, then Saturday is Addie's blowout wedding."

  "Why did you let her take charge?"

  "To save part of your inheritance. She's paying for the hotel rental, and the food, and the band for dancing later."

  "Still, that's not right."

  "It's okay by me. Free food. Free band for a dance afterward, and also a free dinner for the rehearsal dinner, which is her responsibility."

  Mike just shrugged. "I guess that does make sense. When do Grumps and Nana get here?"

  "Thursday. Katie's staying with them at the hotel. I've sent a car service to take her at four. Your grandparents arrive tomorrow at ten in the morning. Would you want to come along with me to the airport to pick them up?"

  "It will have to be in your car. I won't force them to ride in the back of my truck. So, when is Mel's awful mother arriving?"

  "We have no idea. And I'm not going to ask."

  "You don't know when she's coming? You don't know if she's paid for hijacking your wedding?"

  "Second and fake wedding. I've checked with the hotel and she has made a full payment. So I assume she'll probably come, just to get something to eat that she's paid for."

  "What about the rest of it? Flowers and stuff like that."

  "I'm paying for all the flowers. And I've alerted the hotel planner that if Addie tries to stuff the front with bridesmaids and groomsmen, they have to sit with everyone else."

  "Mom, when did you get so tough?"

  "When you quit mowing my lawn and Katie quit cooking for us." Jane laughed. "And I no longer have to put up with Grandma Thelma. That was a huge relief."

  "Was she giving you trouble?"

  "Lots of it. She tried to forge an addendum to your father's will saying if I remarried, I'd cease to get my third of the pharmacy profits."

  Mike opened his mouth and nothing came out for a minute or two. "You squashed that, I hope."

  "I told her that if she tried to get away with it, I'd take her to court for fraud and forgery. She'd become so much more bitter and combative over the last few years."

  "I'm glad I wasn't around to have to endure her. She's always been nasty to me."

  "You, too?"

  "Because I once told her I wanted to be a plant patent attorney. She only heard the `plant' word and jumped all over me about having nothing but a gardening job."

  "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

  "Because I knew you'd go ballistic."

  Jane grinned. "I guess I would have. Let's don't even talk about her anymore. It's too upsetting. You and Todd decide where you want to go for dinner. I don't want to labor over a hot stove in this heat."

  After Mike came home with a tux that fit perfectly without any changes, Todd and Mike decided dinner should be at an Italian restaurant. Later, when the three of them got out of the car, Jane realized that the building was huge. "Have you made reservations?"

  "Oh, Mom. We're not stupid. It's a huge buffet and you can choose from about fifty different things, and even go back for seconds."

  "How did you know about this, Todd?"

  "Elliot invited me along with his family two or three weeks ago. Don't you remember that?"

  "Sure. But you never said where you'd gone. Let's go in. I'm starving."

  By the time they'd eaten, Jane was stuffed to the gills. She'd started with bruschetta and a big salad with grilled chicken. Then she went back for spaghetti and meatballs, and finished with tiramisu.

  "Do they have gurney service to the curb?" she asked her boys.

  "Probably not," Mike said, "but if you want we could roll you to the car."

  When they returned home, Jane was feeling the results of eating so much. She decided to go to bed early. Tomorrow would probably be a long day.

  Unfortunately, she couldn't get to sleep. Her stomach was hurting. So she got back up and took a few Tums. That seemed to help. And by eleven she was sound asleep. But her last thought before sleeping was that she had to be up early to go to the airport with Mike to pick up her parents. She set her alarm for seven in the morning.

  She woke moments before the alarm went off, feeling better, but not quite up to normal. She took a quick shower and dressed, then went downstairs to make a very bland, unbuttered piece of toast, and another two Turns. Soon she felt like her usual self. Perky and feeling good about what a nice day it would be, seeing her parents after a long time. Almost two years since they'd been to Chicago.

  Mike drove his mother's Jeep, since he knew his mother hated parking at the airport. He'd just drop her off. "You have your cell phone, right?"

  "I do.""And is it charged?"

  Jane gave him a slitty-eyed sideways glance. "It is." "Call me when you have their luggage out the door, and I'll cruise around until I find you."

  Jane opened the passenger door in a distinctly huffy manner and was muttering as she walked into the airport. "Is your cell phone charged?" Had Mike, a full-fledged adult in law school, decided that his mother was becoming a bit dotty?

  She had no ticket and wasn't allowed to meet her parents at the plane. So she went down to the baggage area and took a paperback mystery novel out of her purse. Luckily, the plane was on time, and she kept looking up at intervals watching people coming down the escalators. Soon she spotted them and raced to the right baggage carousel. Stuff was already coming off as she hugged and kissed her mother.

  She's gone gray, Jane thoug
ht, and it suits her with that short curly hair. Her dad waited until his wife and daughter finished hugging and gave Jane a big bear hug. "You're looking good," he said. "Are you a nervous bride?"

  "Not nervous, but a bit harassed. You got my e-mails about Thelma trying to trick me and then going to a nursing home and dying?"

  "That must be a huge relief to you," her mother said.

  "It was. But I had to go to the funeral with Ted. Dixie wouldn't go and I thought he needed a woman along to defend him from the church ladies."

  "Oh, here comes our luggage, Michael. Can you find a trolley to get it outside?"

  In a minute or two, Jane's dad was back. And Jane realized that they'd brought an enormous number of bags stuffed to brimming and even two medium-size trunks.

  She didn't dare ask until they were in the car. She called Mike and said, "We're taking the luggage outside right now," and in a whisper, added, "There's a whole lot of it."

  Mike pulled up, opening the back door of the Jeep, and hugged each grandparent. Then he started loading up the back section of the Jeep. He was half afraid it wouldn't all go in but managed to wrestle it in after moving a few things around twice to make them fit.

  "Michael, you ride in front with Mike, and I'll ride back here with Jane," Cecily said.

  As they pulled out onto the highway, Mike asked, "Why are you guys so loaded down with luggage and trunks?" Michael turned his head and winked at Cecily.

  "Should we tell them now?"

  "Why not?" Jane's mother said. "It wasn't meant to be a secret. Michael and I are officially retired. Now we can finally settle down somewhere, and we thought Chicago would be perfect."