“Probably tomorrow morning, the doc said, assuming all goes well and you behave yourself in here.”
She rolled her eyes.
Amanda appeared in the doorway. “All right if I come in for a minute?”
Marjorie nodded emphatically, and held out her hand, which Amanda clasped in hers.
“You don’t have to talk to me. I only wanted you to know that we’ll be around if you need anything. And in case you’re wondering, Dev and Jeff are back at your place assessing the damage. Mike and a few other guys at the radio station have already offered to help you rebuild.”
Marjorie blinked tears of gratitude away. How did she deserve to have such wonderful friends?
“We’re assuming you’ll be staying in Lance’s apartment for a while . . .”
“She will,” Lance confirmed. “And I know she planned for A to Z Enterprises to handle the wedding plans.”
Amanda’s brows shot up. “Fantastic. We’d love to do it. As soon as you’re up for it, call me and we’ll get together. How long do we have?”
Marjorie passed that question over to Lance.
“Well, Marjorie hasn’t met my parents yet, so this weekend is out.”
Marjorie choked and started coughing.
Amanda laughed. “Good to know. Zoe and I are fast, but not that fast.”
Once Marjorie caught her breath, Lance brought her fingers to his lips. “What do you think, Red? I like the idea of a Christmas wedding.”
She nodded enthusiastically. There was no better Christmas present than starting her new life with Lance.
Epilogue
December in Blue Point Cove, Maryland, was cold, really cold. A sliver of moon floated above, only occasionally peeking through the cloud cover to shed silvery light on the slate walkway to the door.
Marjorie, Amanda, and Zoe were in Marjorie’s room, putting the finishing touches on the bride’s hair and makeup.
The copper tresses spilled almost to her waist, held back from her face by a band of white velvet sprinkled with pearls and crystals. She’d let her roots grow out long enough for the hairdresser to match her natural color. She wanted Lance to get the real thing on their wedding day. Her green eyes glistened in the soft lights and her white velvet gown, a simple A-line silhouette with a deep sweetheart neckline, glittered with pearls and rhinestones.
Marjorie’s heart was so full, it was all she could do to keep from crying, and ruining all of Zoe’s hard work on her makeup. The only thing that wasn’t perfect about this day was the absence of her mother and sister. She hoped they were smiling down on her from above.
Because there was no way she could choose between two such good friends, her two matrons-of-honor—were dressed in similar gowns of dark green velvet, and they all carried bouquets of holly, ivy, and winter roses.
Lance’s mother peeked around the door. “Oh, my, don’t you all look lovely.” She came across the room and kissed Marjorie on the cheek. “You’ll never know how happy I am that my son found you, Marjorie. I have something I was hoping you might wear tonight.” She brought out a beautiful gold and pearl pendant suspended on a gold chain. “I know you are supposed to have something old, and this pendant has been in our family for generations. Since you are my first-born son’s bride, I’d like you to have it.”
Marjorie kissed her future mother-in-law’s cheek. “It’s beautiful, Nancy. Thank you so much. I’ll treasure it forever.”
Amanda went behind her, slipped her hands under the silken copper tresses, and clasped the necklace around Marjorie’s neck.
“Oh, yes, it’s perfect,” Zoe exclaimed.
“The justice of the peace has arrived,” Nancy said. “Should we call the men over?”
Zoe picked up her phone and tapped the screen. “Hello, love, it’s show time. Right. See you in a few.”
Nancy went to the stairs. “I’ll make sure the men take their places before you come down.”
Marjorie hugged her two best friends. “This will be the happiest day of my life. So far. I know there will be many more with friends like you to share them with me. Thank you . . . for everything.”
“Okay, stop right there,” Zoe commanded. “One more word and we’ll all be in tears.”
“Okay, dude, they’re ready for us. Are we ready for them?” Jeff brushed an imaginary speck of lint off his sleeve.
The three men, resplendent in gray formal wear with dark green satin waistcoats, stood in a circle. Shot glasses, filled with fifty-year-old scotch, raised for a toast.
Dev spoke first. “To Marjorie and Lance.”
Jeff chimed in with, “To beautiful women.”
And Lance finished with, “To good friends.”
They tapped the glasses together and downed the golden liquid.
“I just want to say,” Lance began.
“Oh no, here we go,” Jeff groaned. “Lance is about to go all maudlin on us. Didn’t we make you swear you wouldn’t do this?”
“Not maudlin, you idiot. Just short and not so sweet.” He clapped the other two men on their backs. “Thanks for being such great friends, and putting Marjorie’s—and my—home back together.”
“Here, here,” Jeff responded. “That probably calls for another toast.”
“No, you don’t, my friend.” Dev tugged him away from the decanter. “We don’t have time. The women are waiting and Lance needs to lose his single status. Let’s go.”
The men trooped down the stairs and crossed the yard as the first few flakes of snow started to fall.
Perfect. This day is perfect. This woman is perfect. And I am one lucky son-of-a-bitch.
The back door was unlocked and Lance ushered them into the kitchen. Daisy waited patiently, her red collar all the Christmas decoration she needed. They filed into the living room where the justice of the peace stood before a blazing fireplace. The Christmas tree sparkled with hundreds of tiny white lights and candles on every surface cast a golden glow.
The women came down the stairs in single file, Amanda first, then Zoe. They took their places across from their own husbands as Marjorie stepped into the room.
Lance thought his heart may have actually stopped, just for a second, at the impact of his beautiful bride. Gone was the brown hair. In its place, silken copper tresses cascaded over her shoulders. Her green eyes caught the candle’s glow and shimmered like emeralds. Her white gown clung to every curve, its décolletage displaying creamy satin skin, showing just the uppermost curve of her breasts, then tapering to a slender waist and flaring gently over slim hips.
Marjorie handed her bouquet to Zoe, then put her hands in Lance’s, ready to say the vows that would join them forever. Her soon-to-be husband would marry her as Sarah Beth, but, regardless of her name, he could see the real person who stood before him with love overflowing in her eyes.
Her disguise was gone, at last.
<<<<>>>>
Also by Karen Ann Dell and Soul Mate Publishing:
HERS BY REQUEST
In three short minutes the war destroyed Devlyn MacMurphy’s career, killed his best friend, and locked his heart behind a wall of guilt. Now he had a promise to keep and falling for his best friend’s fiancée only made matters worse. As her calls to his request line became more frequent, he used the songs of his favorite composers to hint at what he could not say.
Amanda retreated to Blue Point Cove to cope with her fiancé’s death at the cottage where she’d spent her childhood summers. Her favorite music, played by a velvet-voiced deejay, got her through many a cold, sleepless night, and she thought it was merely serendipity when her new business brought them face-to-face.
How was she to know that Dev had been her fiancé’s best friend ‘Mac’—and the cause of his death?
If “Someone to Watch over Me�
�� was her favorite song, Dev wanted to apply for the job. But eventually he would have to tell her the truth, and no song ever written would prevent Amanda banishing him from her life to the solitary hell he so richly deserved.
Available now on Amazon:
http://tinyurl.com/ootyaan
HIS BY DESIGN
Zoe Silvercreek is determined to make Blue Point Cove a haven for artisans, and her gallery a showcase for their work. She’s begged, borrowed, and bet her future on making her dream a reality. She’d better succeed because she’s not about to forfeit what she used as collateral for the loan.
Jeff Petrosky is a sculptor, currently making ends meet as a custodian at the Blue Point Motor Court, once a motel but now in its second incarnation as studio apartments. His sister is the real artist, but he’s sworn to keep her secret—at least until the day he saved enough money for the surgery that would repair the damage to her pretty face. The renovation of Zoe’s gallery is a godsend. In exchange for his labor at rock-bottom wages, he’d get Zoe to display ‘his’ paintings. He knows they’ll sell for enough to fund Jenny’s operations. Once his sister is healed and willing to be seen in public, they can drop the ruse and she would claim the paintings as her own.
Working side-by-side sparks an attraction neither he nor Zoe can resist, but as their passions ignite, the secrets they are keeping threaten to destroy their love as well as the business they both need so desperately.
Available now on Amazon:
http://tinyurl.com/j6cgcl5
Theirs by Chance Page 20
