“Yeah.” But his dark hair flopped into his eyes as he pressed his lips together, moving his mouth in a chewing movement like he was eating his own words, something he’d done from the time he learned to talk when he wasn’t being completely honest with her. It would probably come in very handy when he was a teenager. “But I don’t understand why we have to go all the way to Atlanta to see Mimi ring some stupid bell. There’s a perfectly good bell at my school.”
Jenny’s lips quirked up. She knew her mother well enough to know that she’d rather yank that school bell from its moorings and toss it in the creek behind Summer Haven to celebrate rather than ring it in front of a bunch of strangers.
“Can we tell them our news?” Grayson’s green eyes sparked, and his slim body vibrated with excitement.
“We’ll see.” Jenny prayed that somehow ringing the bell today would truly mean no more treatments for her mom. Because Jenny didn’t know what she would do without Abby Ruth Cady at her side. She took Grayson by the hand, and they jogged down the steps toward the van. When she reached to slide back the side door, Red opened the passenger door and hopped out. “Jenny, why don’t you ride up here with your mom?”
She gave him the once-over, noticing a few new gray hairs and a harried look around his eyes. “She’s on a tear, isn’t she?”
“Like a mongoose that’s been backed into a corner.”
That about summed up Mom in a mood. Jenny felt so much affection for Red, a man her mom had met when she was a sports journalist in Houston and he was playing for the Astros. He’d been a blessing over the past year, helping shuttle Abby Ruth to and from Atlanta for treatments and generally being a rock they could all depend on. Not to mention that Grayson’s four-seam fastball had become almost unhittable. She gave Red’s arm a quick squeeze. “Why don’t you sit in the back and keep an eye on my out-of-control kid and my laid-back dog?”
“Really, Mom?” Grayson playfully grumped.
“Just joking,” she said. “You’re in charge of keeping Red in line.”
While the guys clambered into the back, Jenny climbed in to ride shotgun and carefully fastened her seatbelt before giving her mom a sunny smile. “Thanks for letting us come along.”
“Where’s Teague? Isn’t he coming, or is he planning to direct traffic while we pick up the rest of the population of Summer Shoals for this field trip?”
Jenny laughed. Her mom’s case of the grumps wouldn’t get to her today because it was a wonderful, glorious day. “He’s on duty, and I know full well that Grayson and I are your last passengers.”
Her mom glared into the rearview mirror at the passengers in the back, but Jenny didn’t miss the small smile that said it all. Abby Ruth Cady might act like a hardass most of the time, but she had an ooey-gooey center.
“Then let’s get this show on the road.” Her mom punched the accelerator.
Jenny tried to suppress the nervous flutter in her stomach. This was such a monumental day, so she couldn’t be upset with her mom for not telling anyone about the bell ringing. Over the past year, Jenny had come to terms with the fact that she couldn’t change her mom’s basic nature and had learned to be grateful for who she was.
Because in all honesty, her mom was the best.
For the first few miles out of town, Jenny bopped along to the upbeat country music on the radio and listened to the chatter and light bickering from the back seats.
Family.
She loved them all—her mom, Red, Lil, Maggie, Grayson, Bowzer, and…something that smelled of Thanksgiving dressing and gym socks left under the bed hit her nose. “What is that?” she asked her mom.
“What is what?”
“That awful smell.”
“Don’t look at me. I asked Red to keep him, but did he? No. He decided we needed to take this circus on the road. Everybody’s gotta come watch me ring a bell, one I hadn’t planned to ring, I might add.”
“What does that roadkill scent have to do with you ringing the bell?”
“Every-damn-thing, apparently.”
“You’re not rotting from the inside out, are you?”
Her mom shot her a quick, sharp look. “If and when I become a zombie, you’ll be the first to know.” Her sigh was full of disgust. “That smell is Ritter.”
Jenny pivoted in her seat as well as she could while staying strapped in. Sure enough, the hound dog was sprawled out in the seat at the very back, and she was pretty sure a string of drool had just landed on Red’s nice plaid shirt. She turned back to her mom. “What in the world?”
“You know how some people fantasize about winning the lottery or being left a million dollars by some long-lost relative?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, Hollis wasn’t related, and Ritter isn’t a million bucks.”
Even though her mom was shooting her a look that spelled disaster, she couldn’t stop herself from exploding into laughter. “You’re not telling me that Hollis left you—”
“Yep. Now I’m wondering what the hell the inheritance tax on a four-hundred-year-old dog is. A forty-pound bag of stale dog food?”
“Wow, that’s some surprise.” Kind of like the one Jenny was about to lay on her mom. She blew out a breath, suddenly nervous to share her news. Maybe she could blame the nerves on hormones. She’d promised Teague they would get married within the month, so she had to let everyone in the van know the plan. When she turned down the radio volume, the chatter in the van muted as well. “Do y’all mind if I call Sera on speakerphone? I have something to share, but I want her to be a part of this too.”
Her mom snorted. “Why don’t I take a left on Interstate 20? Might as well drive on out to California and pick up her and Marcus, since everyone else is here.”
Jenny patted her mom on the leg and hit Sera’s phone number in her favorites. A ring and a half later, Sera answered. “Hello, Jenny! I’m so glad you called. You’ve been on my mind all morning.”
Sera was one of the sweetest, sunniest people Jenny had ever met. And that woman could wrap herself into the most complex yoga pretzel she’d ever seen. “Hey, Sera. I’ve got you on speaker, and the crew is all here. Say hi!”
From the other end, Sera squealed. “Hi, girls. I miss y’all—did you hear what I said? Y’all!”
“You sound like a real Southern girl now,” Maggie teased.
“Marcus has a little more work out here, then we’re on our way back.”
Jenny’d been hoping everything would work out so Sera and her husband would be back for the wedding.
“So what are y’all up to today?” Sera asked. “No, don’t tell me. You took on another case.” Excitement was clear in her voice. “Darn it. I wish I could be there now.”
“Actually,” Jenny said, “we’re on our way to Atlanta.”
“Oh.” Sera’s voice frittered from buoyant to flat. “What’s wrong? Abby Ruth, what’s going on?”
“Red’s the one who started this,” Abby Ruth said. “I’ll let him explain.”
Red leaned over the seat where Lil and Maggie were sitting to get closer to Jenny’s phone. “We’re heading to the city because Abby Ruth is ringing the bell today.”
“That’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time,” Sera said. “I’m there in spirit. You know that.”
Knowing her, that could be true. It wouldn’t surprise Jenny to discover that Sera had been able to feel their enthusiasm all the way out in California before she’d ever dialed the phone. Sera had meditation, intuition, and chakras out the ying-yang.
Jenny cleared her throat. “And…well…I called for another reason. I have some news for everyone.”
Her mom glanced over sharply, and the van swerved right slightly before she expertly controlled it again. “Good news?”
“Well, I think so.” She paused only for a moment. “Teague and I have set a date for the wedding.”
“Finally!” Her mom gave a fist pump.
“In three weeks. Saturday, June fifteenth.”
&
nbsp; Lil gasped. “But that’s not long enough to plan a proper wedding. You have to think of the dress, the cake, the attendants. So much to take care of.”
“Teague and I have decided to make it official at City Hall. A quick appointment with the justice of the peace.”
“You cannot be serious.”
“It’s the second marriage for both of us.”
Her mom reached over and covered her hand. “Not really, Jenny. This is the first time either of you are marrying for true love.”
A lump formed in Jenny’s chest. Her mom was right, but time was of the essence. “That’s not all. There will be an addition to the Cady-Castro family come December.”
Laughter and whoops sounded from Lil and Maggie, and Sera squealed on the other end of the phone. The dogs barked, and Grayson clapped.
Jenny caught her mom staring into the rearview mirror looking straight at Red. Then she turned and saw Red’s strangely sad yet determined expression. What in the world? Maybe they’d been planning an announcement themselves. Of the marital type, not the baby type. “Mom, did you…were you…” Jenny could barely translate that thought into words. How weird would it be to plan her second wedding while her mom was planning her first?
Abby Ruth cut eye contact with Red and gave Jenny a big grin. “So, you’ve knocked Teague up and are finally gonna make an honest man of him.”
Grayson piped up, “What’s knocked up mean? Is that like when someone robs a convenience store?”
“Mom…” Jenny said. “Sera, I better let you go. Love you.”
“Can’t wait to see you all at the wedding. I’ll be there with bells on! Congratulations, Jenny. And you too, Abby Ruth.”
“I’m gonna be the big brother,” Grayson boasted. “But, Mom, you never told me exactly where babies come from.”
“Does parenting ever get easier?” Jenny asked her mom.
“Honestly? Not really.”
Jenny gazed down at the beautiful sapphire-and-diamond engagement ring she’d been wearing for more than a year now. She was marrying the man she’d loved for more than half her life, and they were going to build a family together here in Summer Shoals. To say she couldn’t wait was an understatement. There’s nothing too tough for me to handle when I’m with Teague Castro.
* * *
Their rollicking van of people and animals made it to Atlanta. Now Abby Ruth watched as her buddy Stella marched up to the cancer treatment center’s shiny brass bell. Her skin held a healthier glow than Abby Ruth had ever seen, and her dark hair had grown, allowing her to cut it in a sleek bob.
Over the months that Abby Ruth had come and gone from this medical facility for her own treatment, she’d seen dozens of people ring the bell signifying the end of radiation, but never had she felt so full of hope and happiness as she did right now watching Stella.
Bell ringing had seemed like a bunch of hooey, but now, with a broad smile on her face and tears glistening in her eyes, she understood the power it held.
With a quivering smile, Stella grabbed the long, braided rope that hung from the bell.
Everyone in the room recited the short poem:
Ring this bell
Three times well,
Its toll to clearly say
My treatment’s done,
This course is run,
And I’m on my way.
Stella tugged on the rope, tentatively at first. Then with a burst of energy she followed up with two hard pulls that made that bell clang as loudly as one at a railroad crossing.
Everyone cheered, and Abby Ruth stepped closer to Stella. Taking her hand, she hugged her, less to comfort Stella’s tears than to hide the fact that she too was crying. She turned her head and brushed away her tears, trying desperately to pull herself together.
“I can’t believe it’s over,” Stella said.
Abby Ruth smiled gently at her friend. She looked so much better now. She’d been so sick—so frail—when they’d met. “We deserve to celebrate every day, and every little win along the way.”
“I’m trying,” Stella said. “It’ll be wonderful to be a hundred percent again. I’m finally feeling stronger physically, but sometimes my memory and thoughts still get jumbled. Believe me, my family is ready for me to stop forgetting things.”
“I hated the memory problems.” Abby Ruth glanced toward her family and friends, then pulled Stella off to the side. “I swear I thought I was getting Alzheimer’s there for a while. I tried to downplay it, but I’m sure they noticed.”
“Chemo brain is the pits. No one warned me about that either.” Stella leaned in and whispered into Abby Ruth’s ear, “I thought I was having another chemo fog last weekend. Scared me to death.”
“What happened?”
“I was at a wedding with some friends, and would you believe it, I thought I’d left my purse behind?”
Abby Ruth had to laugh. The first thing she’d learned about Stella was that the woman was almost surgically attached to her handbag. She even carried a hanger gizmo to put on the table to keep her bag nearby and off the floor. “What happened?”
“I went to leave and discovered it was missing. I checked the bathroom, but it wasn’t there either. I hadn’t been anywhere else except on the dance floor, and I had it with me there. That’s the whole reason I carried a teensy clutch.”
“Did you ever find it?”
“I did. It was off to the side near the empty chafing dishes from the buffet.”
“Maybe you dropped it while you were going through the food line.”
“No, one of my friends was watching it at our table. I think someone may’ve picked it up.”
“Was anything missing from it?”
Stella mumbled a few words that Abby Ruth couldn’t catch.
“What was that?”
“Just some money and a credit card.”
Oooh, a purse snatcher! Stella’s words teased Abby Ruth like a bread spitball on a fishing line would a catfish. It had been a good long year since the G Team had solved a case. A real case. They’d investigated what one paranoid woman believed was a plot against her. Turned out, her friends had been sneaking around behind her back because they were planning a surprise party for her.
Abby Ruth missed the good old days of chasing down scammers and gun runners. Maybe the case of Stella’s stolen purse was exactly what she needed to take control of her post-cancer life.
But before she could grill Stella for the rest of the details, the nurse announced, “Abby Ruth Cady.”
Lil, Maggie, Grayson, and Red all clapped, and Jenny let out a whistle. They couldn’t leave the dogs in the van, so Red had sweet-talked the clinic staff into allowing them inside for the ceremony, claiming they were as much family as any of the humans here. At the ruckus, Bowzer barked and chased his tail, but Ritter yawned and dropped down to rest his jowls on his paws. Obviously, he wasn’t all that impressed with this circus either.
Red stood next to Jenny with a protective arm around her.
Abby Ruth’s insides churned, both from those two standing together and the pressure to ring the darned bell. She’d much rather stay here and talk to Stella about her missing purse, but all eyes were on her.
The group recited the poem again. Emotion swept over Abby Ruth, so she tried to focus her mind on other things, like why Stella’s purse might’ve gone missing at a wedding. Dang, she sure hoped a bad guy had snatched it. Then she and the girls could help track down the creep and get justice for Stella.
Abby Ruth stepped up and rang the bell like the end of round eight when Mohammed Ali knocked out George Foreman at The Rumble in the Jungle.
For a moment, she almost allowed herself to believe that this part of her life was done. No more cancer. No more treatments.
She was thankful she was the last one to ring the bell. Her emotions were bouncing around, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could contain them.
Trying to regain her control, Abby Ruth tried to ease her way back to Stella’s
side, but Maggie and Lil had gathered around Stella as they walked down the long corridor to the exit. She couldn’t shake the thought of someone stealing from Stella. And if someone had done her friend wrong, she wouldn’t let the no-good person get away with it. Maggie and Lil had been so reluctant to take on cases while Abby Ruth was sick, but maybe could she change their minds this time.
As they strolled toward the door to the parking garage, Jenny caught up with her. “You’re being awfully quiet. Are you okay, Mom?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“I parked down at that end of the lot,” Stella said.
“I’ll get the van,” Red said. “Stella, I can drive you to your car.”
“Don’t be silly,” she said. “After ringing that bell, I feel like I could run to my car.”
Abby Ruth wished she’d gotten that type of exhilaration out of the act of ringing the bell, but she was glad Stella had. She pulled her friend off to the side before she could skip away. “Before you go, I wanted to ask you how much money was missing from your purse when you found it.”
Stella’s face reddened, and she averted her gaze to the ground. “About a thousand dollars, but that’s my own fault for carrying around so much cash. It’s a terrible habit. My kids fuss at me about it all the time.”
“Did you report the incident? You said you found it near the food stuff. Do you think the caterer or waitstaff could’ve been up to no good?”
“I’m not sure it matters. I’ll be more careful next time.”
Uh-uh. Abby Ruth wasn’t ready to give this up yet. Stella’s purse fiasco was the most interesting thing she’d heard about in a long while. “You wouldn’t want someone else to fall victim to something like that, now would you?”
Stella’s smile faded. “I hadn’t really thought about it like that.”
“I need every detail,” Abby Ruth pressed.
She clung to every tidbit Stella shared. Unfortunately, instead of cluing in to a potential case, Maggie and Lil jabbered on about the plans for Jenny’s wedding ceremony while they waited for Red.
“I have to run,” Stella finally said. “I’m meeting my daughter to celebrate as soon as she gets off work.”
Wedding Mints and Witnesses Page 3
