Hope Springs - 05 - Wedding Cake (23 page)

“Sweet Louise,” Charlotte stood up and said with a grin. “I was hoping you’d make it here before the ceremony.” They hugged tightly as the other women stood.

“Well, something looks different about you,” Beatrice noted, stepping over to greet her friend. “But it’s certainly not because you look like the blushing bride.”

“I guess that’s what happens after a certain age.” Louise smiled and hugged Beatrice.

“Louise, my love, it is sure good to have you home.” Jessie moved over to greet her friend as well.

“And speaking of blushing brides, you look beautiful,” Louise said, holding out her hands and taking a long look at Jessie, who had just had her hair and nails done. She was glowing.

“It all seems so silly,” Jessie replied, dropping her arms.

“Nothing silly about it,” Louise responded. “I think it’s high time that man gave you a real wedding complete with a fine shindig.”

“You seemed to have done fine without all of the hullabaloo,” Beatrice said.

“Ah, Bea, you still mad I didn’t let you plan a wedding ceremony for me and George?” Louise asked. “That you didn’t get to put together some nice recipes?”

Beatrice shook her head. “I thought our little get-together at Lester’s was quite lovely,” she replied.

“Indeed, it was,” Louise noted. “So, Charlotte, when did you arrive in Hope Springs?” she asked. She walked over and took Charlotte by the hands.

“Yesterday,” she replied. “I’ve been at Mom’s.”

“How is Joyce?” Louise wanted to know. She had not seen Charlotte’s mother in a long time.

“Same, good,” Charlotte answered. “She’s coming to the ceremony tomorrow,” she added.

“How wonderful! I look forward to seeing her again,” Louise said.

“It’s not so much that you look different as it is that you look funny.” Beatrice eyed her friend. “What is wrong with you? ”

Jessie punched Bea in the side with her elbow. “Bea, that’s no way to talk to Louise. Her husband just died.”

“Oh, right,” Bea responded. She kept looking at Louise. “Is that it then?” she asked.

“Is what it?” Louise asked, trying to figure out what Bea was driving at.

“No, that’s not it,” Bea answered herself. “Something is up with you,” she said, studying her. “And it isn’t grief or blushing bride stuff.”

Jessie waved the comment away. “Louise, did you get everything taken care of?” she asked. She knew that their friend had remained in Maryland until all the paperwork had been taken care of. She also knew that George’s daughters had been staying with her since their father’s death.

Louise nodded. “It was all very dignified at the end and everything went smoothly. George and the girls reconciled before he passed and they got everything straightened out. It was all very nice,” she said.

Jessie smiled. “I’m glad you could be a part of that,” she noted.

“You get the house cleaned and emptied out?” Bea asked.

“Went on the market last weekend,” Lou responded, still feeling Bea studying her every move. “Would you quit looking at me like that?” she demanded.

Beatrice eyed her again and then looked away.

“How do you feel?” Charlotte wanted to know.

Louise shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s all still so weird. Me marrying George. Me taking care of Roxie’s husband, being around all of her things. Then me burying him. Being with the girls as we took care of all of the arrangements.” She shook her head.

“She’d have thought it was funny,” Louise added, motioning toward the gravestone. She was talking about Margaret.

Jessie smiled. “She would have laughed her butt off about all of this.” She glanced down at the grave. “That’s why we came, we wanted her to hear everything.”

“Looks like you’re having a picnic,” Louise commented.

“Just a little liquid refreshment, enjoying a toast, you know,” Charlotte noted with a smile. “Will you join us?”

“Of course,” Louise answered.

Charlotte bent down and got another plastic cup from the stack they had just bought from the store. Then she poured some champagne from the bottle. “Cheers,” Charlotte said.

Louise took a sip and smiled. “Cheers to us all,” she responded.

The women picked up their plastic cups as well and took a sip.

Louise drew in a breath and glanced around and then back at Margaret’s grave. “She would have loved that you and James are having a renewal ceremony, Jess. She would have wanted to walk you down the aisle.” Louise moved closer to Jessie. “She may have even bought herself a new dress!”

“Well, let’s not get carried away,” Jessie responded. “Margaret hardly ever bought herself anything,” she added.

“Yeah, but Louise is right,” Charlotte said. “She would have splurged for this occasion. She would have loved this.” She cleared her throat and knelt down to touch the top of the headstone.

The women were silent for a few minutes.

“I miss her so much,” Charlotte said, choking back tears. “Sometimes I just wish I could hear her voice, you know?”

Jessie dropped her hand on Charlotte’s shoulder. “We all miss her.”

“I came out here the night before I left with George,” Louise confessed.
“I brought my lounge chair and just sat here talking to her for the longest time. The preacher even came out to check on me.”

The women looked at Louise and laughed, recalling how she had done the same thing when Roxie died.

“You weren’t drunk, were you?” Charlotte asked, remembering how Louise had taken a thermos of whiskey to Roxie’s grave.

“No, not this time,” she replied. “Although I did bring a martini and pour it over her on her birthday,” she added with a smile. “Margaret told me she liked vodka martinis when she was young.”

“She told me it was margaritas,” Jessie said. “So that’s what I brought her.”

Charlotte laughed. “What about you, Bea? Did you douse the grave with some hooch too?”

Beatrice was still studying Louise. She wasn’t paying attention to the conversation.

“Bea.” Jessie nudged her.

“What?” she asked, suddenly noticing how everyone was staring at her. “What?” she asked again.

“Nothing,” Charlotte replied.

The women were silent again. A few cars passed on the road beside the cemetery, and they would look up to see if they recognized anyone.

“You had sex with him, didn’t you?” Bea asked.

“What?
” Louise shouted back.

“George,” she replied. “Did you have sex with him?”

“Beatrice,” Jessie yelled. “That is none of your business!”

Charlotte started to laugh. She sat down on the grave and leaned her back against the headstone. “This I got to hear,” she said, looking toward Louise. She took her cup and drank a sip of champagne.

Louise glanced at Charlotte and then back to Beatrice. “Bea, I did not have sex with George. He was terminally ill,” she noted. “And I’m gay,” she added. “What is wrong with you?” she asked, kicking some dirt toward her friend.

Beatrice kept watching her. “Something is different, funny,” she said again. “So, if it wasn’t sex, what is it?” she asked.

“Beatrice, will you leave Louise alone?” Jessie said. “She’s just buried her best friend’s husband and handled his estate. She’s just driven from Maryland, for heaven’s sake. She’s tired.”

“She’s more than tired,” Bea noted.

“I thought you gave up those cable stations,” Lou said to Bea. “Didn’t your mailman turn you in?”

“Eldon did not turn me in. He just delivered the bill,” she said defensively.

“And how much was that bill?” Jessie wanted to know.

Beatrice took her eyes away from Louise and turned to Jessie. “It was a lot,” she answered. “I’m paying it in installments,” she added. “And Dick doesn’t know.”

Louise laughed. “And you think I’m the one hiding something?” she needled her friend. “You think I have a secret?”

“Yes, I do,” Bea replied, turning back to Louise.

“Man, do I miss all of this,” Charlotte said with a big grin. “I love those women at St. Mary’s, but none of them are as funny as you two.” She pulled her legs up and crossed them at the knees.

Jessie and Louise glanced at each other and then sat down beside Charlotte. Beatrice remained standing over them.

“You remember what Margaret used to say about having secrets?” Jessie asked, leaning against the grave marker.

“Secrets are like babies and spring flowers. It may take a long time,
but sooner or later, they pop out.” Louise and Charlotte recited the saying together. They looked at each other and laughed.

Louise looked up at her friend. “Beatrice, sit down here with us.”

Beatrice sighed. “I can’t. I have on a new pair of panty hose,” she said.

“And you’re worried you’ll get them dirty?” Charlotte asked. “That’s why we have the blanket.”

“No, I’m worried that I will split them,” Beatrice replied. “I had to buy a size too small because that was all they had at the boutique.”

“Get your butt down here with the rest of us.” Louise tugged on the hem of Beatrice’s dress.

Beatrice carefully lowered herself to sit on the ground with her friends. “I don’t understand why we can’t sit on chairs like normal people,” she complained.

“Because, Beatrice, you can call this group a lot of things, but normal is not one of them.” Louise laughed and slapped her friend on the back.

“Now, Pastor Charlotte.” Louise turned to the young woman. “What is going on with you and the new man we keep hearing about?”

Beatrice snapped her head toward Charlotte to hear the answer. Charlotte immediately noticed the reaction and waited before responding. She watched Beatrice suspiciously and then turned back to Louise. “There’s nothing to tell,” she replied. “We broke up,” she added.

“Ah, honey,” Jessie said, taking Charlotte by the hand. “I hadn’t heard.”

“I’m sorry, Charlotte,” Louise said, reaching over and patting her on the leg.

“It’s okay,” Charlotte said. “I just don’t think a long-term relationship is in my cards.”

“Why would you think that?” Jessie asked, surprised to hear her friend’s comment.

Charlotte shrugged. “I just think I do better on my own, you know? It’s complicated trying to work at the women’s shelter and have a relationship.” She pulled a blade of grass from the ground next to her.

“When did you break up?” Beatrice asked, even though she already knew the answer.

“Three weeks ago,” Charlotte replied. “I broke it off.”

Beatrice seemed surprised that she had answered honestly and didn’t make a remark.

“And you really think it’s over?” Jessie asked, sounding very concerned.

Charlotte turned to Jessie and then nodded. A few tears stood in the corners of her eyes. She shrugged. “I’m never getting married,” she said.

“Oh, honey, let me be the first to say, you can never say never.” Louise reached up and hugged Charlotte.

“It’ll work out,” Jessie said, cupping Charlotte’s chin in her hand. “You’ll see,” she added. “Just because this wasn’t the one doesn’t mean you won’t find Mr. Right.”

“Or as in Lou’s case, Mr. Right Now,” Bea said.

Louise punched Bea in the leg, causing her to tip over.

Charlotte shook her head. “I don’t know. I think maybe he was Mr. Right. It’s just I’m Ms. Wrong.” She looked away.

No one made a comment. Charlotte cried a bit more and then wiped
her eyes and nose. “Okay, this is not supposed to be a pity party,” she announced. “Margaret would tell us to drink up this champagne and then leave this cemetery and go eat some cake!”

The women drank the last from their cups. Jessie nodded, and she and Louise pulled each other up. Charlotte stood up and offered Bea her hands. Bea took them and was pulling herself off the ground. As she was being helped up she turned to Louise one last time, and Louise noticed the glance.

“All right, Mrs. Beatrice Newgarden Witherspoon, now is as good a time as any to give you my news. You are right. Something has happened. Something is different!”

The three women turned to Louise, waiting.

“I’m loaded!” she exclaimed. “George left me five million dollars!”

Charlotte suddenly dropped Beatrice’s hands and then looked on helplessly as Bea dropped back flat on her butt, the panty hose ripping loudly as she fell.

I
thought Louise said he didn’t have any money.” James was in the front bedroom with Charlotte. She was helping him fix his tie. They were supposed to walk out of the house and into the backyard for the ceremony first. Jessie, Louise, and Beatrice, along with all the daughters and granddaughters, were in the master bedroom, putting the finishing touches on the bride, who would come out last.

The backyard at Jessie and James’s house was arranged with folding chairs and one large tent with tables where the food would be served. There were tiny white lights strung in the row of apple trees that bordered both sides of the property. There was a small canopy draped in fragrant bright pink flowers at one end, which was where the wedding party would stand for the ceremony. The event had been rescheduled for a couple of months after the original date, but all the details went as planned. Beatrice had made certain that everything was handled and she had worked all morning making
sure the chairs were set and the venue was perfectly arranged. The people began to gather at three-thirty in the afternoon, and the service was to begin at four. The weather was perfect, with a slight breeze for the early summer day.

“Well, that’s what she thought,” Charlotte responded. “But it turns out George was quite the investor. He bought tech stocks in the early nineties, sold them before the market dropped, bought land, sold it before the real estate crash, and anyway”—she shook her head—“I can’t remember all of the details, but I do know that she says he was worth millions.” She looked at her work on James’s tie. “Perfect,” she said with a smile.