The Rejected Writers' Christmas Wedding (The Southlea Bay Series Book 3)

by Suzanne Kelman

  “But what about Dan?” Flora’s heart sounded like it was breaking.

  Lottie came around the other side of her, supporting her since she looked as if she would pass out at any minute. “Come on, honey, let’s get you back to your place,” she said. “I’ve been through more than one heartache with Lavinia. I know exactly what you need, and first thing is a strong cup of tea.”

  “But I have to talk to Dan. I have to explain everything,” she continued desperately.

  “Let me talk to him once he’s calmed down,” said Lavinia.

  They all helped Flora to the door.

  Suddenly, Doris, Ethel, and Gracie, appeared in the doorway. Doris was puffing and blowing, her face bright red. “There you all are. Dan got a phone call and dashed off before he could even tell us where he was going. Any luck?”

  “We found Flora,” said Lottie despondently.

  “Wonderful,” said Doris. “So where’s Dan?”

  “He’s gone,” said Ruby.

  “Gone, what do you mean gone? What’s wrong with young people these days? Don’t they want to be together?”

  Flora burst into tears.

  We all got back on the sleigh and Ronald shook his head at all the solemn faces. “Did somebody die?” He sucked on his gums.

  “Not yet, but Rudolph just might unless you drive this sleigh with more caution,” warned Doris sternly.

  “Nonsense,” he said, slipping on his reindeer head. “What you people need is some livening up.”

  He pulled the reins and off we went again, dashing through the snow.

  “Good grief,” said Lottie. “I don’t think any of my bones will ever be in the same place again.”

  We huddled together as Flora sobbed quietly in the middle of our group.

  Back at the Nook, they were a very somber bunch as Flora pulled all her clothes together and placed them in her ancient carpetbag.

  About an hour later, they heard a shout from Ruby, who sat under a sheepskin blanket out on the deck. “He’s back!”

  They all peered out the window and noticed a figure striding through the snow toward the cabin.

  Flora’s hands fluttered to her chest, and Lottie shouted, “Hallelujah!”

  Dan arrived at the cabin and sat down outside on one of the chairs on the deck without saying anything.

  “I’ll go get logs for the fire,” said Ruby, who didn’t appear to know much about dealing with heartbroken young men. However, Lavinia knew all about the subject, and so she walked out onto the deck to sit next to him. He looked devastated.

  “Hey, Dan,” she said. “How are you doing?”

  “How do you think I’m doing?” he snapped back. He sounded bitter. “I just found out the girl I’m going to marry is already married.”

  Lavinia tapped his hand. “Now, that’s not exactly true. Don’t be so hard on her. There is more to this story.”

  Flora crept out onto the deck as well. Dan stood up stiffly, and it looked as if he just wanted to get away.

  “Dan,” Flora said softly. “Please don’t leave. We need to talk about this.”

  “Congratulations on your marriage.” The sarcasm and hurtful delivery just didn’t sound right coming out of Dan’s mouth. “I just came up here to find out why you lied to me.”

  She appeared to find her deepest courage and placed her hand on his arm. He looked as if he couldn’t bear it any longer. He took her in his arms and held her like it was going to be the last time. Tears shone clearly in both of their eyes.

  Lavinia excused herself and made her way back into the house. As she opened the bedroom door, she nearly tripped over her sister, who was on her knees in fervent prayer.

  “Good idea,” said Lavinia. “I might join you.”

  “I’m not sure God will know who you are,” answered Lottie, a smile creeping onto her face.

  “I’ll tell him I’m you,” said Lavinia. “He’ll never know the difference. That’s how I’m planning on getting into heaven, by the way.”

  Lottie opened one eye and gave her sister such a scowl that Lavinia had to laugh.

  “How are we doing out there?” asked Lottie.

  “Not good,” said Lavinia. “I’m not sure they’re going to make it. Dan is very hurt.”

  Lottie nodded sadly and went back to praying.

  Chapter 18

  Yodeling Heathens & Skeletons Out the Closet

  Dan let go of Flora and walked to the edge of the deck. He was openly crying now, and his heart felt like it was breaking as he looked absently out toward the mountains. It had just started to snow again.

  Flora joined him at his side. “You’ve got to understand, I never meant to hurt you. That marriage was all a mistake.”

  Dan winced deep inside every time she said the word marriage. He was reminded it had taken place. He kept hoping that maybe there’d been a mistake. That somehow, this had been a mix-up. But hearing her talk about it now made it feel real and harsh to him.

  Flora continued, “Dan, you have to believe me. This was a long time ago, when I was still in college.”

  “No one marries someone by mistake, Flora,” he responded coldly, cutting her off.

  “But it was! Sit down, Dan. I’m going to tell you everything. Then, if you want to, you can leave me.”

  Dan hesitated for a moment before he sat down. Flora sat next to him and tried to take his hand. He pulled it away and sat back in his chair.

  She sighed and started her story. “I met Andy when I was getting my art degree. Do you remember? I told you, I spent a year there, in Canada.”

  He nodded. “Painting murals, I remember. What I don’t remember is the part where you added, ‘By the way, I also got married.’”

  Flora looked at him in exasperation. “Dan, you’re not making this any easier for me.” He folded his arms, and she started again. “I met Andy the first week at the university, and he needed a teacher’s assistant at home for his business. I was a foreign student with a lot of free time, so I volunteered and started working for him, and we became really good friends. He was very kind to me.”

  “‘And the next thing you know we were in love,’” said Dan, sarcastically finishing her sentence.

  “No,” said Flora, getting annoyed. “It wasn’t that kind of relationship. He was very respectful of me and loved my work, and I liked him and helped him with his. While we were working together, he got an incredible job offer in the United States. I mean, the job of a lifetime. But then he heard from the company that they had tried to apply for a visa for him, and it had failed. So they were going to have to offer it to someone else. He was heartbroken. I took him out for dinner to try to cheer him up, but there was no consoling him. In the end, we went back to his house.”

  “I know where this is going, and I’m not interested in hearing the details of your love affair.”

  “No, you don’t. You don’t know anything. Dan, please listen. We went back to his house, and he opened a bottle of wine, and you know I hardly drink. We talked late into the night, and about two in the morning, we came up with this crazy idea. What if I was to marry him for a green card? He could apply and still get his job. Well, in the middle of the night and in the throes of my youth, it didn’t seem like a big deal. It would just be a marriage on paper, after all. Then after he got the job and everything was finalized, we’d just file for a quiet annulment.

  “So that’s what we did. We had a quick wedding a few days later and asked a couple of people off the street to be our witnesses, and that was supposed to be that.

  “He did get his job and was so excited, and we filed for the annulment. But before I got the paperwork, well . . . that’s when Dad got sick and I had to rush home. After that, my life was a blur. When it did cross my mind, there were always weightier things to deal with: doctors, hospitals, funerals . . .” Her voice trailed off.

  “Anyway, I realized as our wedding got closer that I wasn’t sure that it had been resolved. So a few months ago, I contacted his ol
d address in Canada, and there was someone there who knew of him but didn’t know where he was. They said they’d heard he was getting married soon to some girl in Georgia, where he had taken his job. That put my mind at rest because if he was still married to me, then he couldn’t do that and I thought that settled it.

  “Until the other day. That’s when I got the letter through the post that said I was still legally married to Andy, and there was a copy of the marriage certificate inside it. I panicked. It was the first time I’d ever seen it up close, and looking at it—it looked so official, it made me realize that I might be in a lot of trouble if I married you. So I ran away. I know that was ridiculous, but honestly, I was just hoping you wouldn’t hate me or something and that we wouldn’t have to do this.”

  “But why didn’t you tell me?” Dan ran his hands through his hair. “Do you have any idea how much it’s hurt me that you didn’t trust me to tell me all this? How many other things have you hidden from me?”

  Flora flushed. “I promise this is the one and only skeleton in my closet, and up until the other day, I thought it wasn’t even one of those.”

  “Marriage is something big, Flora, and the fact that you treated this so lightly makes me wonder how committed you are to our relationship.”

  Dan’s words hit Flora full force, and she sank into her chair.

  He got up and started to pace. “But how did all this come to light?” he said. “Who sent you the letter?”

  “It was John,” she murmured.

  “Why would he do that?”

  “Money,” she responded quietly.

  Dan shook his head. “I need to get away and think. I’m not sure what all this means for me, much less what it means for us. I don’t know if I can get past the fact that you lied to me.”

  Alarmed, Flora raced up to him and grabbed desperately at his arm. “But you still love me, right?”

  Dan pulled away from her. “I don’t know, Flora. I just don’t know anything anymore.”

  He needed to breathe, needed to walk. He got up and walked away from the cabin. He heard Flora’s steps running up behind him, and then Lavinia’s voice: “Let him go, honey.”

  Flora’s voice drifted out toward him as he walked away into the cold stillness: “Did you hear what he said? He said he didn’t love me.”

  That was the last thing Dan heard as he headed toward the sleigh.

  Dan entered the Edelweiss Bar and ordered a couple of drinks. The town was packed, alive with people all there to celebrate the lighting of the tree, which was now illuminated with hundreds of colored bulbs. Below it, people huddled around a chestnut roast and sang Christmas carols. He had just ordered his third whiskey when Lavinia joined him at the bar.

  “Hey there,” she said, pulling herself up on the stool next to him. Then she waved to a rather buxom barmaid wearing traditional Bavarian clothes. “I will have whatever he’s drinking.” The barmaid put a whiskey right in front of her, and Lavinia toasted Dan, saying, “Bottoms up!” She threw it back in one slug.

  Dan watched her, impressed.

  “You know,” she said, “I was always able to drink my second husband under the table, but I’m hoping you won’t put me to the test on that. I’m not as good with getting over hangovers as I used to be.” She ordered them both another one and knocked hers back. “Now, we need to figure out what we’re going to do.”

  “I know what I’m going to do,” responded Dan, coldly. “I’m going to go home, tell everyone the wedding’s off because, unfortunately, my bride is inconveniently already married.”

  “Why, yes, you could do that, but what would that achieve? You would embarrass her, but at the end of the day, all that matters is whether you love each other, and I know you do.” Lavinia ordered another whiskey. Dan did, too, and they both knocked them back. “You do love her, don’t you, Dan?”

  Dan’s face softened before he answered, “I do, but what does it matter? She’s already married.”

  “That’s where you are in luck,” said Lavinia. “You were in such a flap, you didn’t stop to listen to John. She isn’t still married; he was just going to blackmail her into thinking she was. You know how gullible she is. He was just trying to make a buck. But I have the final paperwork right here.” She pulled out the manila envelope and handed it to Dan before they both slugged back another shot. “What you’ve got to decide is whether you can forgive her.”

  “I don’t know what to do,” he said desperately. “Of course I love her, but I can’t believe she lied to me about this. I’m just not sure she is the person I fell in love with.”

  Lavinia took his hand. “I’ve known Flora for a long time, and believe me, she has no crazy side life, and you couldn’t meet a sweeter, kinder, lovelier person. I think you would regret walking away from her, Dan. Not tomorrow or the next day, while your pride is so hurt—but in time, you would.”

  That evening, I crept into our hotel room to check on the babies and Martin and found them all sleeping soundly. Not an hour later, I was getting ready for bed when I got a call from Doris, and I made my way to the foyer, where she’d arranged an emergency meeting.

  She sucked in her cheeks and blew out air, sitting there staunchly, wearing her nightgown, her hair already wrapped in curlers. Ethel sat pursed faced beside her.

  “If we don’t do something, this whole wedding could be off,” Doris said.

  “I do hope not,” said Gracie, who had changed into her Tinkerbell onesie and sat curled up in a chair next to a roaring wood fire.

  Ruby nodded. “That boy is having second thoughts for sure.” She wore a lemon-colored robe, and I was pretty sure she was naked underneath.

  “Lottie is staying with Flora this evening to keep her comfortable, and Lavinia has disappeared,” Doris said. “Big surprise there—no doubt dancing and singing around the Christmas tree with a bunch of men, wearing those little tight shorts.” She hmphed. “I had planned an early night, but I just checked on Dan’s room again and he’s still not back, so we might need to get ourselves dressed and go back out there to find him.”

  I sighed, beginning to feel like a private detective. This felt like some sort of manic farce: first looking for the bride, now the bridegroom.

  “I know we all thought we were off to bed,” Doris continued decisively. “But we need to get dressed and save this wedding!”

  Twenty minutes later we had dressed and split up and were making our way through the throngs of people as we looked for Dan.

  I entered a tiny bar that was painted Bavarian style and was automatically hooked into a drinking circle. People swayed, holding big tankards of beer in their hand. Some sort of musical entertainment kept the patrons preoccupied at the front of the bar, although musical was a loose term. It sounded like someone had stepped on a cat’s tail.

  As I desandwiched myself from a rather rotund blond man wearing a little green felt hat with a feather stuck in it, I caught sight of Lavinia, up on the stage with a mic in her hand. She was the wailing cat. I moved closer to the stage to see exactly what she was doing when I saw a sign that read “Yodeling Competition.” As the crowd applauded Lavinia’s ear-bleeding performance, she handed the mic to Dan, who then started his own bloodcurdling rendition of the yodel. In between scaring small children, the two of them laughed hysterically. Both of them were blind drunk!

  Suddenly, the rest of the ladies were behind me, Doris dressed but still in her curlers.

  “Well, I never,” she said with a huff.

  Beside her, I thought Ethel was going to have a kitten. “Heathens,” she said under her breath.

  Doris barreled toward the stage and promptly removed Lavinia from it.

  “Sorry, I have to go,” said Lavinia into the mic as she was pulled away. “My mom is here to take me home.” She descended into raucous laughter.

  We carried a drunk Dan and Lavinia back to the hotel, the two of them straddled between all of us. When we got Dan to his room and threw him onto his bed, Lavinia automa
tically started to curl up next to him.

  “Oh no you don’t,” I said, picking her back up. “This relationship is complicated enough as it is without there being speculation about another woman.” I practically had to carry Lavinia on my back to her room, where I deposited her on her own bed.

  Exhausted, I arrived back at my room just before midnight. Martin stirred as I walked in.

  “Did you have a fun evening?” he said and yawned.

  “Oh, it was a barrel of laughs, believe me. I would rather have been going around on that train all night.”

  Chapter 19

  A Runaway Bridegroom & Gingerbread Bonding

  Lottie and Flora had caught the morning sleigh down to join us for breakfast. Mr. Darcy mewed and cried from his cat carrier beside them.

  “Flora is coming back to Southlea Bay with us,” Lottie stated. “She needs to get ready for her wedding tomorrow.”

  Everyone shifted uneasily.

  Flora scanned all the faces eating breakfast, but Dan hadn’t joined us yet.

  When Lavinia arrived, she was wearing dark sunglasses and ambling very slowly.

  “Oh, what I wouldn’t do to have the constitution of someone twenty years younger. You know—someone fifteen,” she said in an attempt at a joke, but then laughing at her joke caused her to wince in pain and hold her head.

  Lottie sighed. “I can’t believe you went drinking, Lavinia Marie. Especially with that young man.”

  After making more than their fair share of a maple-syrup mess, our grandbabies wanted one last go on the train, and Gracie was more than happy to go with them. I saw her tiptoeing away with Annie as they went off for their ride.

  Doris marched off to rouse Dan, but five minutes later, she bustled back, her face etched with concern.