The Last Bride (DiCarlo Brides #6)

by Heather Tullis

  Jonquil hummed a little under her breath as she played with the limited makeup Cami had brought over. She didn’t wear much as a rule, but Jonquil wasn’t quite ready to go downstairs yet. She had loved being with Gage last night. She had been putting it off, pushing back on taking their relationship to the next level, but now that they had crossed that line—the one that you couldn’t cross over again—she worried that he would regret it.

  Or worse, would he just see it as a nice time without feeling the way she felt now? Could this just be her who was seeing things that weren’t really there? Reading things into his statement that he hadn’t meant? He hadn’t said he loved her. He said their relationship was special, but what did that really mean to him?

  She decided she’d wasted enough time in the bathroom and she needed to see what the temperature was out there. She hobbled down his stairs to the living room and heard movement in the kitchen. She had been into the fridge dozens of times now; she knew there was nothing breakfast-y. What was he doing?

  The tell-tale sound of cereal hitting a bowl reached her ears just before she rounded the fridge.

  He looked up and smiled at her. “I thought I’d bring you a bowl, since it seemed you were planning to primp for half the day. How can it take you so long to get ready when you’re already beautiful without all the goop?”

  “You’re sweet. And I was dawdling. Looks like Lucky Charms or Dino-bites. Nice. Rosemary would have a field day in your cupboards.”

  “Just for the record, she’s never allowed in them.” He pushed the bowl of Lucky Charms in front of her.

  She took a seat at the bar and accepted the spoon. “I’ll keep that in mind. She does tend to be a tad pushy about kitchens. You should have seen the way she rearranged the one at home when we all moved in. There was apparently only one correct place to put everything.” Jonquil had found it more amusing than irritating. Of course back then she’d not had any idea what to think of Rosemary or how to take her actions.

  Gage poured milk over her cereal and joined her at the bar. “As long as it’s her place and not mine. Can you imagine?” he shuddered theatrically.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

  “My hero.” He leaned in and kissed her.

  She sighed a little inside. This wasn’t going to be awkward and uncomfortable. Now she only had to worry about him thinking nothing had changed. For her all of the lines had been redrawn.

  “So, as long as we’re staying here all day,” he said when they’d scooped up the end of their cereal. “Muscle movies with lots of things blowing up or ESPN?” he asked.

  Jonquil shook her head. “I’m going to work if those are the only options on tap here.”

  “Well, I might be able think of something else.” He stood and slid his good arm around her, pulling her close as they walked back up the stairs to his room.

  Jonquil looped her arm around his waist and rested her head against his shoulder as they walked back up the stairs to his room. This was a plan she could get behind.

  Jonquil held several conversations with the detective over the next few days, many long discussions with her sisters and a heart-to-heart with Angela, who was still pretty freaked that anything like this had happened in the first place.

  Jonquil wasn’t exactly new to this kind of thing—there had been plenty of craziness since she had moved to Juniper Ridge—but it never failed to shake her.

  She stayed at Gage’s for two nights, then returned home to her own bed where she woke from nightmares three times before giving up on sleep and hitting her computer to work on her flower order for the next week. Taking a full day off work had been her best concession to the doctor’s orders. Letting her minions at work do most of the running around didn’t hurt, either. Her ankle felt a lot better—certainly not healed, but better than before and she was ready to be a little more active again.

  She hated being injured.

  “You up already?” Delphi asked when she came up the stairs to find Jonquil at her computer. It wasn’t six yet, but Jonquil was ready for the day.

  For a change, Delphi was not looking her best. Her hair was mussed, her face was pale and her pajamas were wrinkled.

  “Yeah, couldn’t sleep. Nightmares.” Jonquil took another sip of her latte.

  “That happens sometimes when people shoot at you.”

  “Yeah.” They shared an understanding look. “It’s been a crazy year, hasn’t it? Really good, but crazy.”

  “There’s an understatement for you.” Delphi grabbed a cup and dispensed a serving of espresso.

  Jonquil double-checked the numbers on her order, nearly going cross-eyed as she verified them against the list she’d compiled before. She would have her assistant verify, to make sure she didn’t transpose anything, but she thought it was probably fine.

  “So, you and Gage.”

  Jonquil just lifted her brows at Delphi. If Delphi wanted an answer, she was going to have to be a little more direct.

  “You’ve been seeing each other for so long, or rather so much, I guess, I was starting to wonder if you’d ever progress to overnights. Are you sure about him? I mean, I really like him, a lot. He’s a great guy. If things work with you guys, that would be great as far as I’m concerned. I’m just wondering… if he’s going to wig and back away and leave you hurt.”

  Jonquil pursed her lips and stared into her cup for a long moment. “Don’t think it hasn’t crossed my mind. It’s a little late to be getting scared, though. I’m already in so deep that walking away is a last resort.”

  “And how does he feel?”

  Jonquil shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s tender and protective—a tad too protective, truth be known, since the other day, but it’s kind of cute when I look back on it. Not so much when I’m in the moment.”

  “I know what you’re saying.” Delphi grabbed the last banana and sat beside Jonquil. “So what do we do about this place? I keep meaning to bring it up with the others. I’ve thought about seeing if Jeremy wants to buy it. He likes it fine, but six bedroom suites.”

  “Exactly. Unless you intend to have five kids—”

  “Don’t even go there.” Delphi lifted her hand, palm out. “Two, maybe three. Maybe. That’s it for me.” Delphi was emphatic, no room for wiggling. “Jeremy has been talking about having Gage design something. He doesn’t use those architectural skills often, but he’s talented. Obviously you’ve seen his house.”

  “I have to admit, he’s got a great sense of space. I love his home.”

  “And what do you do if we sell this? Move in with Gage, get a place of your own or move into the hotel?”

  Jonquil snorted. “Not the hotel. It’s bad enough that I have to take my turn being the on-grounds manager every couple of months. I’m not looking to make that permanent. Lana can have it!”

  “Are you still planning to stay around here after September first?”

  Jonquil bit her lip. She wanted to stay. “It’s a serious option. My stepdad is getting sicker every day. I don’t know how much longer he has, and Mom will need some help after that. But I really love it here.”

  “And you love Gage?”

  Jonquil had never admitted it to anyone else. “Yes. And that terrifies me because his actions say that he’s serious about us, but the words just don’t jive. Is he going to freak out and push me away if I tell him? Will he get sick of me in a couple of months and end it? The idea of us splitting, but me still having to see him all the time because he’s so tied into the group is not very pleasant.”

  Delphi took a sip of her cup and looked over to rim at Jonquil. “Then you’ll have to make sure that he doesn’t want to let you go.”

  Jonquil snorted a little. “You make it sound easy.”

  “Practically everything is easy to you—you could probably run circles around all of us and still take two days a week to go hiking.”

  The compliment warmed her, even if it was undeserved. “Don’t bet on it. You have no idea how hard
all this paperwork is for me.” Jonquil shut up—no one knew. She’d been so careful to make sure no one knew. Why would she put it out there now? “But I guess that’s what happens when you become the boss,” she breezed.

  “Don’t I know it.” Delphi glanced toward the clock on the wall and frowned. “I better get in the shower. Work waits for no woman.”

  Jonquil smiled in response, but as soon as Delphi disappeared down the stairs again, she turned pensive. Delphi had a point, one Jonquil had considered more than once. What would she do if things with her and Gage went south? Could she stay here and be around him all of the time if he didn’t want to be with her?

  As far back as Gage could remember, he’d always been welcome to celebrate the Fourth of July with Vince’s family. He couldn’t remember when Etta wasn’t mothering him along with her brood. Now the group had grown huge. All of the DiCarlo girls and their families had been included in the mix. Along with the Talmadge family, it made for a noisy, happy bunch.

  He looked over at Jonquil, who was talking animatedly with Cami and Rosemary. She just bounced back from everything, didn’t she? He’d seen only a moment or two of weakness since that first morning and she looked as relaxed and comfortable as ever.

  It was the evening of the third and the Talmadge grandkids were getting ready to come down the main road in the children’s parade.

  “I knew I’d find you here.”

  Gage looked over to find Natalie standing only a few feet behind him. “I didn’t expect to see you. Come for the deep-fried candy bars?” he asked, referring to a nearby tent.

  She sneered a little. “I don’t think so. I hear you had a run-in with the guy who wanted to buy your resort. Someone said you got shot.”

  “I’m fine. My arm will hurt for a while, but it’s okay.” Gage didn’t like to think about it—they’d found his truck several miles away, wrecked. He’d tried calling her again after the incident, but she hadn’t returned his calls. He wondered how long ago she’d heard about his injury. It had been a week. “So how have you been? I haven’t seen you for a while.”

  “I’ve been busy.” She looked at the tips of her shoes.

  “I’m sure. How are you doing?”

  “Fine. I miss Mom, but the house doesn’t feel as empty as I expected. It’s like she and Dad are still there with me.” She touched his arm. “I’m really not happy about having to move and leave all of that behind.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. Go ahead and pick the furniture you want, stuff that will make you feel that way still. I’ll be happy to look at places with you when you’re ready. We ought to get the Realtor in there next week to get it listed.”

  Her face crumpled. “Already? Can’t we wait a little longer? I mean, she’s only been gone a few weeks.”

  Gage touched her cheek, feeling terrible for bringing it up, but the money situation was fairly grim. “Financially it’s getting pretty serious. We need to talk about it, get things ready. It could take a while to get everything settled and find a buyer.”

  “No it won’t,” Her voice and expression held a scowl. “Someone will snatch it up overnight. It’s a great house. You know that.”

  “It is.” But that didn’t mean it would be as easy to sell as she seemed to think. It was a monstrosity that cost a ton to keep going. “We need to start talking logistics. You might want to join me when I meet with the Realtor so you can get your questions answered. It might help you feel better about everything.”

  “Gage, you said you wouldn’t move so fast on this.” She frowned at him.

  “I just want someone to look it over. It’s not signing a contract yet, but we won’t be able to get much money from the estate to pay the bills right away and I can’t afford to pay them myself. I doubt you want to give up half of your monthly allowance to pay the mortgage and utilities, property taxes, insurance—”

  “Okay, okay.” She held up her hands. “I get the picture.”

  “Hi, Natalie,” Jonquil walked over and threaded an arm through Gage’s elbow. “It’s good to see you. You look terrific. I love those shoes.”

  Natalie looked at Jonquil and her frown decreased a little. “Thanks. I just got them at Nordstrom’s. Aren’t they fabulous?”

  “My sisters are having serious shoe envy.” Jonquil gestured to Cami and the others. “How are things going?”

  Natalie narrowed her gaze on Gage. “Not as well as they should be. Call me, we can discuss this more later.” She turned and glided away.

  Gage tugged on Jonquil, pulling her into his arms. “You’re amazing. I hadn’t noticed anything about her shoes—I should have thought of it—if only to defuse the conversation. She’s so into them.”

  “I can’t take credit. Cami noticed right away. I would never, in a million years wear anything that tall. Can you imagine what I’d do to my ankles?”

  Gage pulled her close as the opening music started for the children’s parade. “I’ve seen you in some pretty tall ones.”

  “A couple of inches, when I’m wearing the right skirt so they make my legs look amazing.”

  “Honey, you don’t need heels to do that.” He kissed her, glad for something to focus on besides his sister. Natalie was never going to be happy about selling the house, and there was nothing he could do about it.

  He’d try to get over the guilt later.

  There had been fireworks, Jonquil thought, as she finished kissing Gage after the barbecue in Etta Talmadge’s yard. The Fourth of July had been perfect, utterly perfect if such a thing could be true. And the kiss after the final volley of fireworks had been even better.

  “Hey, you should take that inside.” Angela came over, slightly tipsy from the alcohol she’d consumed. She had only been off work for twenty minutes when the fireworks had started but had apparently made short work of several beers in that time.

  “I think I like it here just fine,” Jonquil said, settling into Gage’s arms a little more. The past couple of weeks had been heaven for her. He was actually acknowledging her as someone important in his life. He’d fielded questions, deflected intrusive ones and took it all in stride as they maneuvered through crowds that day in the park. And he’d barely let her out of his sight. Maybe there was hope for a future after all.

  “I bet you do.” Angela stumbled slightly as she walked closer, catching herself easily. “I remember wanting to cuddle up to that sexy chest. But Jonquil always gets what she wants, doesn’t she? Perfect little Jonquil. And she is sure getting her man.”

  Jonquil frowned. Hadn’t they already cleared the air on this? Angela was still upset and blaming her? “That’s so inaccurate.”

  “Oh, no it’s not,” Delphi said. “You’re disgustingly nice and organized and everyone loves you. You have actual grace, as opposed to myself, and I still can’t hate you. There’s something wrong with that.” She tugged Jeremy into the conversation. Vince and Cami followed right behind.

  “You’re full of it.” Jonquil felt awkward about the praise and totally unworthy.

  “Does she do anything badly?” Cami asked Angela.

  “School. She sucked in school.” Angela laughed loudly at the thought. “She’s probably the only one out of you who didn’t last a year in college. Mom always said it wasn’t her fault, but it felt good to be better at something than her.”

  Angela rested her head on a nearby tree, closing her eyes.

  Jonquil really wanted to close her eyes. Or maybe to melt into the grass. Why did Angela have to have such a big mouth?

  “You didn’t finish college?” Cami asked. “You never mentioned that.”

  “You never asked. I didn’t need a degree to work with flowers.” Jonquil tried to shrug it off, but she couldn’t help feeling somehow less-than. She tried to hide her lack of formal education by learning everything else she could.

  “Yeah, they say she’s dyslexic, but I always wondered if she just didn’t care enough to try harder.” Angela said in a soft tone that sounded like she was about to pas
s out.

  Gage must have thought the same because he slid an arm around her waist and pulled her away from the tree. “Come on, you should rest for a little while. How about if you lay down on the trampoline? It’s flat and mostly bug free.”

  “Sounds good.” The words were slurred and barely audible.

  Jonquil could barely hear the words as Gage took Angela aside. She watched for a moment, then gave her sisters a defiant look. And was surprised not to see censure in their faces. “What?”

  “You never mentioned you’re dyslexic,” Delphi said.

  “Why would I? Does it matter? Do you feel bad for me now? Poor Jonquil, couldn’t even finish her associates degree. Too much of a quitter to stay with it until she succeeded.” She felt small and angry with Angela for mentioning it. What would they all think now?

  “Your reports are always really good. I would never guess,” Delphi said.

  Jonquil scuffed her foot a little, but didn’t look away. “I have Tara review them before sending them on. I tell her it’s so she’ll understand the reports I have to file in case I need to take time off, but she does it with every report. I’m not sure if she thinks I’m sloppy or if she just thinks I’m lazy, but she’s caught a lot of mistakes on reports and orders before I send them.”

  “Sounds smart to me.” Delphi took a sip of her Coke. “It’s not like you had to have college for your job, so what would be the point? You’re a genius with flowers and that’s much more important for your work, anyway.”

  The point would have been the degree, which was maybe a lame reason as they went, but Jonquil had always felt substandard because she didn’t have the stupid piece of paper. Even though she had a great job she loved. Maybe she felt stupid because she couldn’t hack it. She nodded instead of speaking.

  Gage returned and slid his arm around her waist again. “Are we telling stories about our misspent youths?”

  “Not even close,” Delphi said. “I have no misspent time in my past. How about you?”