by J A Whiting
A single tear, glistening in the moonlight, rolled down Ezra’s cheek … and then the ghost was gone.
8
White, cream, champagne-colored, and some blush pink long dresses hung on a rack in the boutique like ball gowns from a fantasy story. One by one, Lin and Viv slowly moved the hangers to see each dress more clearly.
“How are we going to choose our wedding dresses? Every one of these is gorgeous.” Viv’s blue eyes wandered over each of the gowns, some simple in cut and decoration, others more elaborate with sequins, crystals, and lace, and many in-between styles in fanciness.
“What sort of dress did you have in mind?” Lin asked. “Have you thought about the style or color you want?”
“I’ve flipped through bridal magazines, but I haven’t thought about the details of what I want it to look like. Have you?”
“Not really. I thought maybe a soft, off-white color? Not blinding white. But I’m not sure.”
A woman came over to help them and the cousins explained about their fall double wedding.
“That’s great. How exciting and fun.” The woman’s name tag said Sherry on it. “What styles have you thought of?”
“We have no idea,” Lin revealed.
“I’ll show you some different styles and choices of color that would go nicely with your physiques and builds,” Sherry said. “Where will the wedding be?”
“We’re having it at the Yacht Club in September. We’ve already reserved the date. We have the big ballroom, the terrace off the ballroom, and the gardens,” Viv explained.
Sherry nodded. “Such a lovely place.” The woman chose four dresses from the rack and handed two to Lin and two to Viv. “Would you like to start with these? Have you picked anything out that you like? While you’re trying these on, I’ll gather some more and bring the gowns to the dressing rooms for you. There are big mirrors on the far wall.”
With Sherry’s help, Lin and Viv spent forty-five minutes trying on wedding dresses and standing in front of the mirror checking how they looked.
“I don’t know.” Viv turned from side to side. “I like all of them, but I haven’t found the one that sort of pops for me.”
“I feel the same way.” Lin pulled her hair up into a loose bun. “Any of these would be great, but I want to try on some more before I decide.”
“We can check out another place, if you want to,” Viv suggested.
Lin smiled. “There’s a huge selection here. If we go somewhere else, it will make me more confused than I am now.”
They tried on more gowns and when Viv stepped to the mirror this time, she and Lin both said at the same time, “This is the one.”
The off-white satin dress had cap sleeves, a v-neck, and tiny pearls all over the bodice. It looked like it had been designed and made just for Viv.
“Gosh.” Viv stared at herself in the mirror. “It’s perfect.”
Sherry hurried over carrying a long, delicate lace veil with French lace edging and used the attached comb to slip it into Viv’s hair.
“Wow, look at that,” Viv said softly. “The veil is the finishing touch.”
“You look beautiful,” Lin gazed at her cousin with a loving expression. “It’s just right.”
Sherry brought over a few pairs of earrings for Viv to try while Lin returned to the dressing room to put on a different gown.
Sherry helped her out of the one she was wearing and into the next dress, and when Lin looked in the mirror, she knew she’d found her wedding gown. The pearl white, sleeveless dress had a scoop neck, a lace bodice with tiny leaves and tendrils embroidered in the fabric, and yards of soft chiffon billowing from the waist to the floor, simple and elegant.
Lin blinked at her reflection and imagined Jeff standing by her side in his tuxedo, and then her vision began to swim and a different couple could be seen in the mirror.
Standing together with their backs to Lin, a young man wearing an eighteenth-century suit and a young woman dressed in a simple white gown trimmed with delicate lace held hands and faced a minister. A few people stood on each side watching, but Lin couldn’t make out their faces.
The man slipped a gold band onto the bride’s ring finger as she held a bouquet of flowers in her right hand, and then he leaned in for a sweet and tender kiss.
Seeing the side of his face, Lin knew the groom was Ezra Cooper. The bride must be Abigail.
Lin’s heart was light with the joy that floated from the happy couple, and the corners of her lips went up as she watched them complete the wedding ceremony.
When Ezra caught Lin’s eye for a millisecond, she could feel a momentary flash of sorrow as if the man knew what lay ahead for them. She wished she could reach out and warn them of what fate had in store so she could change the course of their lives. She lifted her hand, reaching forward and when her fingertips touched the mirror, the vision disappeared into wisps of white smoke that floated gently away.
“No,” Lin whispered.
Viv turned around and looked pointedly at her cousin, concerned that something was amiss. “Lin?”
“I’m fine. I got a little woozy for a second.”
“I’ll get you some juice. Trying things on can be tiring.” Sherry hurried away.
“Are you sure you’re fine?” Viv’s eyes narrowed.
Lin gave a nod and held the chiffon skirt to the side. “What do you think?”
Viv said sincerely, “I think you look like some kind of a fairy princess. It looks beautiful on you.”
“I think we both have found our gowns.” Lin forced a smile.
Sherry returned with two glasses of juice and some cookies for the cousins.
“I feel better already,” Lin reassured the shop owner. “Thank you.”
The woman found a finger-tip length veil with tiny crystal beads sewed along the edge that clipped to Lin’s bun. The veil complemented the style of the dress and completed the elegant picture.
Sherry said she couldn’t believe the cousins had found their wedding gowns so quickly downplaying the fact they’d been in the store for three hours. The dresses and veils were paid for and arrangements were made for the cousins to return for minor alterations once they had purchased the shoes they would wear.
“Oh, gosh,” Viv said with a shake of her head. “I forgot we have to choose shoes, too.”
“Not today. Let’s do that another time,” Lin suggested. “I’m exhausted.”
The young women went down to the docks and found a bench to sit on by the water.
“Who knew trying on dresses could wear you out?” Lin pulled a clasp out of her hair and let it tumble loosely over her shoulders.
“What was going on in there when you spaced out at the mirror?” Viv eyed her cousin with suspicion.
Lin explained what she saw in the mirror and how her emotions swung from joy to sadness, and that she had an overwhelming urge to warn Ezra and Abigail.
“It’s far too late for that, I’m afraid.” Viv let out a long sigh. “Was Ezra in the room? Did you feel cold?”
“No. It seemed to be just a vision. I had no sense he was in the shop. I didn’t see him. I didn’t feel his presence around me. What I saw in the mirror must have been a vision from the past, it was Ezra’s and Abigail’s wedding day. I must have picked up on it because we were trying on dresses for our own weddings.”
“That makes sense.” Viv tapped the side of her face with her index finger. “Or does it?”
Lin chuckled. “I’m not sure much of anything makes sense these days. What does Ezra want from me? The fall his wife took doesn’t seem to have been from foul play, at least nothing like that was implied in the short news announcement we found in the library or from what Anton found.”
“I guess you’ll have to watch and wait. Ezra will give you another hint.” Viv teased her cousin. “Especially if he senses you don’t have a clue what’s going on with him.”
“I really don’t know what’s going on with him.” Lin’s shoulders droope
d. “I don’t know how to help him.”
“Maybe there isn’t anything to do. Maybe Ezra just wanted to communicate with someone who can see ghosts … someone who was also empathetic and understanding of his wife’s accidental death and the terrible loss he endured.”
Lin nodded. “The poor man. And poor Abigail. She and Ezra had everything going for them and then she lost her life, and the household became a den of sadness.”
“When you had the vision, could you see what Abigail looked like?”
Lin looked out over the boats in the harbor. “Only from the back, and a little from the side. Her hair was a soft, sandy blond color. I couldn’t make out her eye color. She was slender, but not skinny, and despite her short height, I got the fleeting feeling that Abigail could take care of herself very well.” Lin clasped her hands in her lap. “I could also feel the love they had for each other, and knowing what they’d lost covered me in sadness. Last night in the cemetery standing by their graves, I felt the heaviness of Ezra’s sorrow there, too.”
“Why doesn’t Abigail appear to you?” Viv asked.
Lin gave the slightest of shrugs. “That’s a very good question. And one that doesn’t appear to have a good answer.”
9
When Lin and Jeff carried the folding chairs from the parking lot down to Jetties Beach, they saw Leonard waving to them from halfway down the sand.
“Everyone’s here already,” Lin noticed as they approached their group of friends, everyone arranging their chairs in a semi-circle to face the stage.
On the north side of Nantucket on the sound, Jetties Beach was a popular place with summer tourists for its gentle surf, large jetty, restaurant, restrooms, a café, and a large parking lot. Kayaks and sailboats could be rented there and a children’s playground was tucked off to the side.
Leonard, Heather, Lori, the Snows, and Libby and Anton sat down to chat before the music started. As part of the music festival, Viv and John’s band would be playing prior to a well-known pop-rock band took the stage. There was still an hour to go before the concert start-time.
Lin placed her chair next to Heather’s niece, Lori Michaels, and Jeff went over to talk with the Snows.
“How are things going?” Lin asked. “Are you enjoying living on the island and working in Heather’s law office?”
“I am. The island is incredibly beautiful. I can hardly believe I’m living here.” Lori had her dark blond hair plaited into a braid. She had on jeans, a checked blue shirt, and a navy pullover. The young woman had an easy, friendly way about her.
“Are you living with Heather?” Lin asked.
Lori nodded. “She has an accessory apartment at the back of her house. I’m all settled in. You told me the other day that you left the island for a few years. What were you doing while you were gone?”
“I went to the mainland for college and after that, I was working as a software developer. I’d been dating the same guy for a few years and we broke up. My grandfather owned a cottage here and when he passed away, he left the house to me. I was ready to come home,” Lin said with a smile. “Where did you grow up?”
“Outside of Boston. My parents are still there. I was working in Boston and was ready for a change when Heather invited me to come work with her. I visited the island with my mom and dad when I was little. The beaches are the best here.”
Lori kicked off her sandals and pushed her feet into the sand. “I was about ten when we came over for a week and ever since that trip, I dream about the island. It’s always the same dream. I dream it a couple of times a week, sometimes more. I’m in town walking around the stores, looking in the shop windows. It’s evening and the air is warm. After I go down to the docks to see the boats, I walk home. The house I’m in is so beautiful and peaceful. I’m so happy there. I walk through the rooms. They’re decorated with such nice furniture, rugs, soft lighting. Right before I wake up, I’m standing in a hidden room, it’s sort of a secret room that has a window that looks down to a room on the first floor. A woman is sitting in a rocking chair facing away from me. She’s looking out a window at the water.”
With a grin, Lori shifted in her beach chair and looked at Lin. “That’s the end of the dream.”
“Do you know the house in your dream? Did you stay in it when you were younger?”
Lori shook her head. “I don’t know the house. I never see the outside of the house in my dream, not even the neighborhood or the street. The inside is big, but I’ve never been in it in real life.” The young woman smiled. “I feel like I know the place from wandering around inside of it in my dreams. Heather told me sometimes there are house tours on the island. I’ll have to sign up when one of them is offered. Maybe I’ll find the house from my dreams.” Lori picked up a handful of sand and let it slip through her fingers like the tiny particles were inside an hourglass. “Do you ever dream the same dream?”
Lin felt uncomfortable. “I used to when I was little.”
“What did you dream?”
“I dreamt about being bullied. When I was in elementary school, a girl I thought was a friend, told a lie about me. It was mean. It made me feel … helpless and betrayed.”
Lori’s face fell. “Do you still dream it?”
With a shake of her head, Lin said, “No. It’s gone. It stopped after I moved back here.”
“I hope mine doesn’t stop because I moved here. I love that dream.” Lori leaned closer to Lin. “Leonard seems really nice. Heather likes him. Are you and Leonard related?”
Lin was surprised to hear the question. “No, we’re friends … and business partners. He is nice. I’m glad to see Leonard and Heather enjoying themselves together.”
“Heather needs someone. She works way too much, has always been so focused on her career and her charitable interests. Leonard is good for her.”
Lin asked the young woman about studying law.
“As an undergraduate, I studied history. Colonial America and early American history were my favorite periods. I also love the old houses, the sea captain’s houses, the gardens. I decided to go to law school.” Lori grinned. “And unlike many of my colleagues, I loved everything about the study of law. I’m drawn to it for some reason.”
“You’re lucky you found what you enjoy doing,” Lin said with a nod. “Are you married?”
“Oh, gosh, no. I can’t even find a boyfriend.” Lori laughed. “I date plenty, but nobody is a good match. It’s discouraging. I feel like I’ll never find the right person.” She asked Lin about Jeff and the wedding plans. “It sounds great. Where are you having the ceremony itself?”
Lin said, “At the yacht club, I guess. We haven’t gone over the logistics yet.”
“Plenty of time to figure it out,” Lori said. “I think I’ll go get a drink at the restaurant. Want anything?”
Lin declined and Lori and Heather went off across the sand to the restaurant to bring some food and drinks back to the group.
Leonard came over and sat down in Lori’s beach chair. “How’s it going, Coffin?”
“Pretty good. Viv and I picked out our wedding dresses yesterday.”
“Surprised there were any dresses left, the two of you waited long enough to get them.”
With a chuckle, Lin said, “It’s not late at all. It’s only April. The wedding isn’t for five months. I took pictures of Viv and me in the dresses.” She was about to pull out her phone. “Want to see them?”
“Nope. I want to be surprised.”
“Really?” Lin wasn’t expecting that answer. “Want me to tell you about the dresses?”
“No. I want to see them for the first time at the wedding. I am invited, right?”
“Yes, you’re invited. And you’re not the groom, you know, so it’s okay if you see the dresses before the wedding.”
“I don’t want to see them. I told you I want to be surprised. It’s bad luck.”
“I didn’t know you were so superstitious,” Lin teased.
Leonard sighed.
“I saw Marguerite’s dress before the wedding. It was bad luck.”
“Oh.” Lin’s heart contracted with sadness.
Years ago, Leonard’s wife, Marguerite, died in a car crash on the mainland when she went to interview for a job. The loss of his wife sent the man into a tailspin that lasted for years, and he didn’t pull out of it until he and Lin became friends and business partners.
The similarities between Ezra and Leonard suddenly struck Lin. Both men lost their young wives to accidents, both men fell into the depths of misery and depression after their wives died. Ezra succumbed to his grief, and Leonard might have done the same if he and Lin hadn’t become close to one another.
“So don’t show me the dresses.” Leonard looked out at the darkening sea. “I know its foolishness, but I’m not taking any chances.”
“Okay,” Lin told him, and after a few moments of silence she said, “Heather’s nice.”
Leonard looked at Lin and rolled his eyes. “Yes, she is. Don’t give me the third degree about her, Coffin. We’re taking things slow. Leave it at that.”
“If it was me who was dating someone new, you’d ask me questions about it.”
“Yes, I would, but this is different. You’re young, I’m old.”
Lin stared at her friend. “I don’t know what on earth age has to do with anything.”
A sly smile crossed Leonard’s lips. “I brought it up as a trick to keep you from cross-examining me.”
“It won’t work,” Lin told him.
“I didn’t think it would. I’ll have to think of something else.”
“I’m your friend. You’re supposed to tell me stuff.”
“I tell you plenty.” Leonard saw Heather and Lori coming from the beach restaurant struggling with the containers of drinks and food and he jumped to his feet to go and help them.
Lin thought about how hard it must have been for Leonard and Ezra to go through the loss of their spouses. She was happy that Leonard was turning his life towards happiness after so many years of suffering.
