“Of course you can come in. This is your home.”
“Does A.J. think so?”
“Of course he does.”
The tears started to fall. I cried, too. Teagan and I hold a strong belief that no one should ever cry alone.
“He was scared, Suzi. For you. For Evelyn. For me. For Gran. You have to know how he feels about everybody.”
“Can you take her?” She handed Evelyn to me, then pushed past me and ran for the bathroom.
I have no clue why the thought of morning sickness went through my mind.
It’s not like Suzi has been spending the night with anyone. She’s at work or she’s at home.
Except when she was off with at least one guy she and A.J. didn’t tell me about.
I’m being stupid.
If I’d been through what Suzi has been through in the last few days, I’d be sick to my stomach, too.
When A.J. came in from the backyard and saw Evelyn, his eyes lit up. A good sign. “Can I take her?”
“Of course you can.”
“Where is Suzi?”
“Throwing up in the bathroom. This has been harder on her than it has on us.”
“How do you figure?”
“Because we have an us.”
Evelyn was motioning A.J. to the Cheerios cabinet. For her, nothing had changed.
I put on the kettle.
Suzi came out a few minutes later, pale and exhausted. “I’m sorry.”
For me, the next few seconds will tell me a lot about A.J. If he’s the guy I think he is or the guy Suzi grew up with.
He looked so sad. Gave his head one little shake and said, “Suze, we need to talk. Not fight. Not get mean or defensive. Can we do that?”
“I can.”
It was a pretty snotty thing to say, but A.J. didn’t take the bait.
While I cooked breakfast and listened — but mostly stayed out of it — they talked. They started with the whole Barry thing, and by the time breakfast was over they were talking about childhood stuff and Gran and how hard it was to lose their grandfather because they both assumed Gran would follow within days.
They talked about not having great communication skills and being afraid to be alone and more afraid of being in a relationship. They talked about Evelyn and me and the O’Flynns.
Neither of them said much I didn’t already know about or have a suspicion of, but when they said it all at once, it was overwhelming.
I sent up a little thank you prayer. My parents were saints. I knew they were good, but I never realized how good.
When it was getting obvious I was in the way, I took Evelyn out back and let them have some privacy. Like Teagan said, I don’t need to know every detail of their relationship; I just don’t want to be excused out of hand.
Evelyn and I saw a hummingbird and a sandhill crane.
One extreme and the other.
Life is like that.
A.J. called out that my phone was buzzing. He handed it to me and took Evelyn. I saw it was Teagan and walked around the backyard in wonder about how much my father has accomplished since we moved in. He can make anything grow, but he’s really outdone himself this time.
The backyard will be beautiful for the wedding.
Although, one of the flowerbeds has several plants that don’t look too healthy. I made a mental note to ask Daddy what could be going on.
Teagan said she wanted me over at about noon to try on the dress. Agatha would be there to discuss any serious changes.
How do you make serious changes once you’ve already got the fabric cut?
I didn’t ask. For about two heartbeats, I thought about saying I needed to check with A.J. and Suzi. But then I decided one of the life lessons I’m trying to learn is not to try to fix everything for everybody. I told Teagan I would be there, and I’d bring barbeque.
When I walked back into the house, A.J. was feeding Evelyn.
“Where’s Suzi?”
“Taking a shower.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Not really.”
“Is she still living here?” I gave him a smile, but he didn’t smile back.
“I’m not sure yet.”
With every fiber of my being, I wanted to point out the house belongs to the two of us, not just him, and he doesn’t get to make decisions like that without my input, but I didn’t want to add to his stress.
“Suzi’s hurt. She thinks I betrayed her by assuming she’d told Barry where we live.”
“Did she have any ideas about how he found out?”
“No. I’m thinking about going to have a talk.”
“What? Talk with who?”
“Barry.”
“At the prison?”
“Hopefully that’s where he’ll be.”
I tried not to panic. “Do you really think it’s a good idea? To start any kind of relationship with him at all? Maybe the best thing to do is calm down for a while. If Suzi says she didn’t tell him, then take her at her word and let it go.”
“If Suzi didn’t tell him, it creates a whole new set of problems. He escaped. He came here. What’s to stop him from doing it again?”
“I doubt the system will make that mistake again.”
“I talked to one of Roland’s guys. He said Barry probably won’t even get extra time for escaping. The system doesn’t make any sense.”
“I agree.”
“They’ve got one guy in a cell for protecting his kid and Barry in a cell for trying to kill you and who do you think gets out and causes more problems.”
“Yep, the system is broken. Working with Adeline and all her people, it becomes really clear we have messed-up laws, and they aren’t always applied the way you always assumed they would be.”
“I’ve thought about getting a gun for the house.”
“No.”
“No? Not even any discussion?”
“A.J., Barry got in the house without us knowing. He was here for a while. What makes you think he wouldn’t find the gun and use it on us instead of the other way around?”
“I know.”
“And we have Evelyn here. Do you know how many accidents there are with kids and guns?”
“I know.”
“I’ve talked to Rory about his. He’s a cop. He has all kinds of guns. But he told me because of the kids, they’re locked up when he’s home. He has all the concealed carry paperwork and everything. He says when he isn’t on duty, he usually doesn’t have a gun. And he knows how to shoot. Most nonprofessionals couldn’t shoot if the moment came, and even if they were able to shoot, they’d probably miss anyway. It’s not like on TV.”
“You’ve thought a lot about this.”
“Valerie and I have fought and fought over it. For years.”
“I take it she’s okay with guns?”
“She carries a gun.”
“What?”
“Not all the time, but often enough. She has a concealed weapons permit, and she owns more than one gun.”
“Why?”
“Same reason as everybody else. She feels she needs it for protection.”
“Has she ever used it?”
“Not on a person, but she can shoot the hell out of a target. She and Seamus used to go to the range all the time. I’m not sure if she still does. It’s one of the topics we don’t discuss. The only thing I’m certain of is that she’s not allowed to bring a gun into my home when children are present. Period.”
“I never would have imagined Valerie … ”
“Yeah, she’s full of surprises.”
Suzi came into the kitchen.
I gave her a smile. “I’m going over to Teagan’s to try on my dress. You want to come?”
“No thanks.” Her tone scared me.
“We’re having barbeque.”
“I’m not hungry.”
I wasn’t sure how far I could push. I decided not to push at all.
“Well, you’re more than welcome. If you change your mind
, let me know. I’m going to go get ready.”
Okay, I pushed a little.
But I’m getting better.
I went into our room and tried to decide what outfit to wear and if I should put on my chastity belt before I headed over to Teagan’s. If I wear it and it’s totally uncomfortable, maybe it will dissuade me from wearing it on my wedding day. Or at least make me agree with Teagan I need two dresses. One for the ceremony and one for the reception. I’m of the opinion that since the dress is simple and since we’re having the wedding in our own home, changing into another outfit is both a complete waste of money and ridiculous. I’m only going to get married once. I’m only going to wear my wedding dress once. Why not wear it for as long as humanly possible?
I pulled on some jeans and a t-shirt, and grabbed my wedding shoes. They were Mom’s favorite. They’re comfortable. Mom was with me when I bought them. I’m wearing them no matter what Teagan and Agatha say.
If I had more hair, I’d wear the comb I loaned to Morgan for her wedding. The one from Bernie’s trunk. But my hair isn’t long enough to put into a graceful chignon and not thick enough to hold the comb without a bun-type arrangement, so I’m going with just the veil. Not sure what that’s going to look like, but Teagan will figure something out.
By the time I had everything packed into a little overnight bag — I know shoes and chastity belt are not part of the whole seeing the dress before the wedding superstition, but I’m not taking any chances — A.J. and Suzi were sitting at the kitchen table talking. Evelyn was sound asleep in her play yard. My mom always called it a playpen, so that’s what I called it, but Suzi’s corrected me so many times, I am a convert.
I didn’t want to get them away from working things out, so I gave A.J. a quick peck on the cheek, gave Suzi a finger wave, blew Evelyn a kiss, and walked out.
I was halfway to Teagan’s house before it dawned on me that I hadn’t set the alarm when I left.
I hate this.
I texted A.J. as soon as I was at a stoplight.
Looked for cops first.
They gave a woman a really expensive ticket for applying her lip balm at a stoplight. They called it distracted driving. I really thought it was stupid until the other day when I was coming up on a person that was texting at a stoplight and didn’t notice the green light. It could have been a huge accident. Now I get it.
I was quick and careful.
I’m sure that’s what everybody thinks.
Teagan looked spectacular. I know I’ve got a thing about how pretty my sister is, but even for Teagan, she looked outstanding.
“You look good.”
“Thanks.”
“What did you do?”
“I took Agatha to the spa.” She laughed. “Couldn’t expect the woman to do all those treatments alone.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“Are you feeling alright, dingleberry?”
“I’m fine. Why?”
“You just said going to the spa sounded like fun. Do you know how many times you’ve shot me down? I’ve invited you a million times when you just rolled your eyes.”
“We all change, Teagan.”
“Well, some of us do. I didn’t think you were on the list.”
“Funny. Can I have some tea?”
“We’re set up in the kitchen, since we’ve been using the dining room for sewing. I thought you were bringing barbeque.”
“I am.”
She gave me a funny look.
“I called in our order. Bought by the pound. They’ll have it ready in about an hour. I figured we would do the dress, and then I’d go get the food.”
“You think you’re going to get this done in an hour.” She laughed again. “That’s so cute.”
“How long does it take to try on a dress?”
“When did I say that’s all we are doing? You better call A.J. We’re doing hair and makeup, a complete look. It’s basically a dress rehearsal for the dress.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope. I also have the photographer A.J. insists on. She’s coming over for a few shots. I figured we could do some out by the pool. Some in the garden. I went out and got a chair, curtains, and an ottoman that exactly work with the color of your dress. It’ll be great.”
“Teagan, the whole theme of our wedding is simplicity.”
“Which is why I’m doing this well in advance of the actual wedding. Don’t be a jerk, dingleberry. You — of all people — only get married once.”
“You’re right. The pictures will last forever. Thank you.”
“There ya go. You’re welcome. Let’s get going. I’ll text Jessie and ask him to pick up the food.”
“Normally I’d ask A.J. since it was my screw-up, but he and Suzi are trying to work it out, and I think if I leave them alone, they’ll be able to.”
“Work what out?”
“Barry.”
“What about him?”
“How did he figure out where we live so fast?”
“There are a million ways, Cara.”
“He was straight out of jail. It’s not like he had a cell phone or GPS or anything.”
“He had on some normal people clothes. Where did he get those? Were they A.J.’s?”
“No. I didn’t even think about that.”
“I would bet you a lot of money those clothes were not on his body when he left the prison, and if they were just processing him into the jail, he didn’t have the time or access to other clothing to change. And how on earth does a fire door get left with the alarm off? I mean, in my work building that could happen easily, people use the door to go out back and smoke, and I’m not sure if they bribe they maintenance staff or what, but it does get disabled. He was in a jail, right? How did that happen?”
“I didn’t even think about it. The cops took him away while I was pretty much still in shock, and it’s not like they come back and tell you everything they figured out. I saw the coverage on the news, but they caught him so fast there wasn’t a lot on there. Not details, anyway. I’m sure the political beings aren’t giving out much information because this isn’t the first set of guys to escape. Seems to be happening regularly lately. Or maybe they don’t say anything for security reasons. Whatever the reason, I don’t think they’re going to fill me in on the details.”
“You took Barry at his word. That’s probably a mistake.”
“Good point. Maybe Rory can find out. Or maybe Roland.”
“You’ll probably never know. I keep telling you. Life isn’t TV. When bad things happen, they normally aren’t solved, and they certainly are never wrapped up in cute little packages with all the details provided and everything fit in with time for commercials.”
“Yeah, I’m learning that. Slowly.”
Just then the doorbell rang. It was the makeup artist. Her name is Jenny. She has natural red hair. Her eyelashes are at least a foot long, her skin is perfect, and even her tattoos are feminine and beautiful. Teagan has always told me it doesn’t matter if you’re choosing someone to help you pick out clothes, or makeup, or do your hair, you go to the person that has a look you love. If you love their look, they’ll probably do right by your look. With the exception of the tattoos, I would love to look like Jenny.
“The regular spot?” Even her voice is pretty.
“Perfect.”
Teagan and the makeup artist have a regular spot? Why did I not know this?
Jenny had a huge trunk-type deal. Like those old-school salesmen’s cases on steroids. It was black and looked like it was real leather — although real leather would be heavy all filled up with makeup, so I doubt it is. The case did have wheels, so that must make it a little easier.
She hefted it up the stairs while Teagan and I just stood there watching.
“Doesn’t she need help?”
“You touch her kit, and she may have to kill you. We keep our hands to ourselves, which is much, much harder for me than it is for you.”
The doorbell
rang again. This was the hair guy. His name is Guy, or at least that’s how we were introduced. “So this is my victim?”
I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to answer, so I just smiled and shook his hand.
His hair is really thick, cut in an asymmetrical something. Not sure how else to describe it. It was almost shaved clean on the sides, but his naturally dark hair and light skin made for a dramatic change. Down by his neck and ears, you could see skin. By the time it got nearer the top of his head, dark. A thick part was shaved so you could see scalp again, but then there was this really huge, full, very stylized pompadour and the very back of his head had a little design shaved into his neckline.
It was very dramatic and perfect, and if my hair could look half that dramatic I’d be thrilled, although not on my wedding day.
“Jenny upstairs?” He had such a beautiful voice. Some people are blessed.
“Yep. We’ll give you time to setup. I think Cara needs a cup.”
He laughed and carried his gear upstairs, biceps bulging.
“Where do you find these people, Teagan?”
“Jenny used to sell me product at a department store. She was doing a makeover-type thing as a kind of interview for the brand she wanted to impress, and she asked me to be her model. She had to practice. We got to talking. I found out that she did freelance work, and a couple of times when Jessie had business stuff, I had her come over and do my face.”
“Really? Why have I never heard about this?”
“I don’t tell you everything, dingleberry.”
I couldn’t keep the sadness out of my voice. “You used to.”
“True. Don’t go all Cara on me. It’s not a big deal. Over the last couple of years, I’ve just gotten busier and busier, and sometimes I skip over details.”
“So where did you find Guy?”
“Guy is Jenny’s husband.”
“Really?”
“Why is that surprising?”
“I guess we all have biases. I assumed a guy so well-groomed and doing hair … ”
“Not cool, Cara.”
The doorbell rang again. I assumed it was Agatha to show me my dress. I stayed in the kitchen and put on the kettle while Teagan went to answer the door.
I was wrong.
“Look who made it.” Teagan followed Suzi into the kitchen.
“Oh, yay!” I gave her my best smile.
Wedding Tea Page 11
