“Was he jealous of your success?”
“Yes, but there were other problems. He was possessive in every way. If I so much as looked at another guy, he exploded in a fit of rage.”
Something in her eyes made Julia queasy. “Did he hit you?”
Meredith didn’t answer, but looked down and fiddled with her napkin.
“Why would you stay with someone who abused you?” Julia asked in horror.
“I loved him.” She dropped the napkin. “At least I thought I did. I’d turned my back on everything for him.”
“How long did this go on?”
“About two years.”
“Two years!”
“I know, I know,” Meredith said, holding up a hand in surrender. “I did leave eventually, but I didn’t come to my senses. Then I drifted through one meaningless relationship after another.”
“So, what finally changed? Something dramatic must have happened to make you come back here.”
Meredith waved her fork. “Actually, it wasn’t so dramatic. I was sitting in bed one night — next to the latest meaningless relationship — and I looked at him and started sobbing.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t know at first. I only knew I felt like I was dying inside. I had let myself drift so far from everything I’d believed in, and I was so empty. I’d tried to fill the emptiness with everything else. My music, with men, with fame, but none of it worked.”
“So you came home?”
“Let’s not forget how stubborn I am,” Meredith said, with wry humor. “It still took me a long time to acknowledge God knocking on my heart. Then one night I was walking home and passed this little church. The doors were open, and I could hear the choir practicing, so I went in. It had been so long since I’d heard gospel music, let alone sang it. I sat there for the entire hour, weeping and praying. Then I went home and started packing.”
“Just like that?”
“Well, “just like that” plus ten years.”
“What was your reception like when you came back?”
“No one rolled out the red carpet, I can tell you,” Meredith said, with a grimace. “Not much had changed. My mother was still obsessed with Amy. My father, before he passed away, chose to stay out of it. I had changed though, and I knew I’d made the right decision. Other things had changed. Seth had moved back to town and offered me the job as the Music Director. I even reconnected with my ex-boyfriend, and we’re engaged now.”
“He forgave you for breaking his heart?”
A smile lit up Meredith’s face. “He did. I wasn’t sure he’d ever speak to me again.”
“And you’re happy, even though you gave up your dream?”
“No, this is my dream. Where I’m supposed to be. Where God wants me to be.”
Hmm, there seemed to be a theme going here, Julia thought. If she wasn’t so stubborn she might start to listen.
****
Meredith was still very much on Julia’s mind as she walked down the block to Marry Me. She still couldn’t get over Meredith giving up a promising career. Julia sensed a peace in her new friend, which intrigued her.
When she stepped inside, three heads swiveled around in unison. She only recognized one of them. Betsy was sitting at the desk, with two other women. One older and one younger. The older woman had brown hair, while the younger had strawberry blond.
Julia froze. “Hi…”
Betsy immediately sprang up from her chair. “Julia. Right on time. Marsha and Patricia got here a few minutes ago.”
Since Julia hadn’t known they were supposed to be here, it was a good thing she’d arrived at all. She had to get a better handle on the schedule.
She gave the two women a bright, confident smile. “Hi. I’m Julia, Sarah’s stepsister. Hopefully, Betsy has already explained about the family emergency, and you know I’m filling in for Sarah for a while.”
“I did tell them,” Betsy said, with a matching we’ve-got-it-covered grin. “Julia, this is Patricia Amonds and her mother Marsha.”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am. Patricia.”
“Oh, please call me Patty,” the younger woman said.
Mrs. Amonds gave Julia a long, searching look. “Of course I already knew about dear Sarah’s predicament. It surely did give us pause when we heard someone new was going to be taking over, though I’ve heard good things about you. Everyone is still talking about the near tragedy at Lisa’s wedding and how you saved the day. Maureen Ashley’s mother has done nothing but sing your praises at Bible Study, too.”
“Nice to hear.”
“We’re in the planning stages of Patty’s wedding right now,” Betsy added. “We’re trying to pick out her color palette for the wedding.”
Julia knew she should understand what picking a color palette meant. “Great.”
She glanced down. Fabric swatches in all colors were spread across the desk. She stared at the pile and gulped.
Please tell me no one expects me to know what to do with those.
“Most weddings have color themes,” Betsy said. “This helps in the choosing of bridesmaid dresses, flowers and decorations, table linens. Often we’ll have a mix of colors. Maybe different shades of the same color or complementing colors. I was showing Patty these swatches so we can narrow down our choices.”
Betsy directed all this explanation to the clients, but Julia knew it was more for her benefit. She adored Betsy.
In any case, choosing a color palette seemed simple enough to handle. “Sounds like a good plan,” she said. “How are we doing?”
“Well, Patty keeps gravitating toward pink,” Mrs. Amonds said, with a pointed look at her daughter. “But I keep telling her it will clash horribly with her hair.”
Patty heaved the long-suffering sigh of a thoroughly put-upon daughter. “But I like pink.”
Julia looked at all the little swatches. “Any other choices?”
“The greens are awfully pretty and they’d go beautifully with Patty’s coloring,” Betsy suggested.
Mrs. Amonds wrinkled her nose. “Green washes me out completely.”
Julia thought the day was supposed to be about the bride and not her mother.
“What about this one?” Julia asked, pointing to a royal-blue square.
Mrs. Amonds’ shrill objection made the hair stand up on Julia’s arm. “Oh, no! Blue is so depressing.”
“Yellow?” Julia asked, waiting to hear why yellow wouldn’t do either. She didn’t have to wait more than half a second.
“Do you want Patty to look like she’s got jaundice?”
Julia folded her arms. “Orange.”
“I’ll look like the one with jaundice.”
“Red.”
“If this was a Christmas wedding, I might agree, but then we’re running into the issue of Patty’s hair again.”
“What about your basic black? I read an article the other day that said it’s actually quite a trend in weddings now.”
Julia had no idea if such an article existed, but at this point, she didn’t care.
Mrs. Amonds’ face turned red with horror. “Like a funeral? My dear, maybe in the big city they like to go avent garden—”
“Avant-garde.”
“I’m sorry?”
“It’s avant-garde,” Julia repeated.
“Yes, that’s what I said. As I was pointing out, we like tradition here in Covington Falls.”
Julia turned to Betsy, who responded with a helpless shrug. The bride, meanwhile, looked ready to sink right through the floor. Julia decided it was time to get the Color Police out of the room.
“Mrs. Amonds, have you started looking for your dress?” Julia asked.
“I’ve drawn up what I want, of course, but I haven’t spoken to Karen yet,” Mrs. Amonds said after a confused blink.
“Karen is the one next door, right?” Julia asked, directing the question to her assistant.
Betsy nodded.
“Well, why don’t I let Betsy t
ake you over there right now, and you can make arrangements with her?” Julia said. “I’ll stay here, and Patty and I will hash out this whole color business.”
Mrs. Amonds hesitated. “Oh, but I should help Patty—”
Betsy, being a smart girl, sprang out of her chair. “What a perfect idea. Come with me, and we’ll have you looking like the best mother-of-the-bride this town has ever seen.”
Betsy managed to pull the woman out the door. Julia turned back to Patty, who promptly bursts into tears.
Oh great. Now what?
“Patty, it’s not so bad,” Julia said, hoping she didn’t sound too desperate. “We’ll find the right colors.”
“It’s not the colors,” Patty said, through a shimmer of tears.
“What is it then? I can tell your mother is a bit difficult, but—”
“She’s not the problem either.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
Patty let out a deep sigh. “I’m not sure I want to get married.”
Julia dropped into the chair with a thud. “What?”
“I know. Talk about bad timing,” Patty said, wiping her eyes.
“If you don’t want to get married, why are you going through all this?”
Patty’s eyes filled again. “I’m just so confused. Jim and I dated for two years. Everyone assumed we’d be getting married. I even assumed we’d get married. So, when he asked I was thrilled, but lately I’ve started to panic. What if I’m getting married because it’s expected?”
Great, Julia thought. She was so not the person to handle this.
“Have you talked to anyone about this?” Julia asked. “Maybe your friends or parents? Your fiancé?”
“Are you kidding?” Patty asked in an incredulous voice. “Tell my mother this might all be a mistake? She’d have a heart attack.”
“Well, if you want out, don’t you think it’s best to do it now?”
“I don’t know if I want out or not. What do you think I should do? How do I know if I’m truly in love?”
Julia wondered again how she kept getting into these situations. Oh right, she’d agreed to run a wedding planning business.
“Patty, I’m the last person you should be asking about this.”
“But you’re a wedding planner. Love is your business.”
“To tell you truth, I’ve never worked as a wedding planner before.”
Patty’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding.”
“Sadly, I’m not. I’m probably the least romantic person you’re ever likely to meet. I’m a cynic through and through.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I should probably tell you it’s cold feet, and that it’s natural to be nervous when you’re making such a big change in your life, but the truth is I’m not sure I believe in true love.”
By this time Patty’s eyes were about to bug out of her head. “Wow, are you in the wrong profession.”
Julia’s laughter was tinged with bitterness. “No kidding.”
“You don’t believe in love?” Patty asked, tilting her head like a curious puppy.
“I don’t know.”
“How can you live without even the hope of love?”
“I’ve been doing pretty well.”
Patty sighed.
Julia echoed the exhalation. “Listen, here’s the only advice I can give. Take my personal feelings out of this. In fact, take everyone’s personal feelings out of this, and decide what’s going to make you happy. Don’t get married because it’s expected or because you’re too afraid to back out of it. I do know too many people treat marriage lightly. They decide they’re bored, or there’s someone better out there, or they don’t love the person the way they used to. The ending of a marriage hurts everyone involved. If you go into this with doubts, you’ll only end up in a disaster.”
“You think I should call off the wedding?”
“No, I’m only saying, be sure,” Julia said. “Try and imagine yourself ten years from now. Will you regret settling for someone everyone expected you to marry, or will you regret walking away from the best thing that ever happened to you?”
Patty stared in amazement. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Whether you know it or not, you’re pretty good at this advice thing. I was picturing myself ten years from now, and I automatically saw Jim and I, and it felt right.”
“You mean I helped?”
Patty nodded.
Julia looked down at the desk and the multi-colored fabric swatches. “Does that mean we do need to sort out this color situation?”
“Preferably before my mother comes back.”
“I’m up for it if you are,” Julia said, with a grin.
I think I might be able to handle this wedding business after all.
Chapter Eight
So now Julia had turned into some kind of therapist. She hadn’t realized counseling would be part of the job description. Her next challenge? Planning a wedding from the beginning. The bride and groom were Annie Truman and Todd Baldwin. Julia didn’t even have the luxury of her assistant running backup during the first meeting because Betsy had to take another client to look at venues.
“It’s only an initial interview to find out what they’re thinking,” Betsy had explained earlier. “Just don’t stare at the scar.”
Scar?
Julia picked up the phone and dialed her stepsister.
“Hello?”
“Sarah? Baby all right?”
Julia could hear the smile in Sarah’s voice. “She’s restless actually.”
“Sounds normal. Listen, I need the scoop on Annie Truman and Todd Baldwin. They’re going to be here in fifteen minutes, and all Betsy said was don’t stare at the scar, which as usual makes no sense.”
“Oh, I’d forgotten about Annie and Todd’s wedding,” Sarah said. “What a beautiful story. They’re like one of those Hallmark movies.”
“Can you give me the shortened version of this beautiful story? I don’t have much time.”
“Annie and Todd were engaged a year ago, but then they were in a terrible car accident. Annie was fine, but Todd was badly injured. He was in a coma for nearly a week, and they weren’t sure if he would survive. When he did come to, they realized he’d lost parts of his memory. The Annie parts.”
“Sounds awful.”
“I know, but Annie wouldn’t let go. They’ve had to relive their courtship, and now they’re planning their wedding again.”
The little bell over the door jangled, and Julia looked up. A young woman with wispy, light-brown hair and a tall, unnaturally thin man came through the door.
“Listen Sarah, I have to go. They’re here.”
“Okay, but call me if you have any questions. I’m sitting here going out of my mind anyway.”
“Will do.”
Julia stood as the couple approached. Despite the admonition, she looked for a scar right off. It wasn’t hard to spot. A jagged, pink line ran from the top of his cheekbone to the temple and up into his hairline. Julia gulped. Todd was lucky all he’d lost was part of his memory.
“You must be Annie and Todd,” she said, holding out a hand.
“It’s the scar. Gives me away every time,” he said, with a self-deprecating chuckle.
Annie smacked his arm. “Maybe you should wait until we know her a little better before you bless her with your comedic wit.” She turned to Julia. “Yes, I’m Annie, and this is my fiancé Todd. And you’re Julia.”
“This hair gives me away every time.”
Julia looked at Todd, and they shared a little moment of understanding. He grinned, and Julia suddenly understood why a woman would stay with him even if he did lose his memory and had a scar.
“Please have a seat,” Julia said, gesturing to the chairs in front of the desk.
Betsy had helped start a file for the wedding earlier, and now Julia opened it with a feeling of dread.
“I’m supposed to find out what kind of wedding
you want,” Julia said after studying the first page. “Something small and intimate, or a large celebration. Traditional, or modern? A theme you’d like to have, or a place in mind where you want to get married.”
“We’d like to get married out by Lake Rice,” Annie said after a quick glance at her fiancé.
“Sounds good,” Julia said, relieved that something finally made sense. “By the waterfall would be lovely.”
Annie shook her head. “No, not by the waterfall. Next to the road.”
“The road?”
“Where the accident happened,” Annie said, with a gentle smile.
“You want to have your wedding in the same spot where you both nearly died?” Julia asked, shock flooding through her.
“We’re not crazy,” Annie said, the smile still playing on her lips. “The site of the accident is sort of where our relationship began. Again. We think it’s fitting to pledge the rest of our lives together there.”
Julia looked at the two of them and marveled at their closeness. The way Annie gazed at Todd. The softening in his voice when he spoke to her. The way their hands naturally gravitated toward each other. Julia’s breath caught as she realized what she was seeing.
Love…
A smile bloomed on her lips. “Sounds perfect.”
****
That evening, Julia arrived at the house only to find several cars parked out front. Avoiding the front, she slipped in the kitchen door. Voices drifted out from the living room. Women’s voices. Curious, she drifted down the hall and peeked around the corner.
She’d barely gotten a chance to eavesdrop when a baritone voice whispered in her ear.
“What are you doing?”
Julia nearly jumped out of her skin. Even as she spun around, a hand clamped over her mouth. Seth’s blue eyes twinkled down at her. Julia glared with all the fury she could muster. He dipped his head back toward the kitchen and proceeded to drag her down the hall. Once they were safely in the kitchen, Julia punched him in the arm. It felt good, so she did it a couple more times.
“Ouch,” Seth complained over his laughter, even as he held up his arms in an attempt to protect himself.
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