Sweets Galore: The Sixth Samantha Sweet Mystery (The Samantha Sweet Mysteries) (10 page)

“Good morning, dear,” Bessie
greeted when Sam pulled up to the curb in her colorful bakery van. Bessie’s blond
hair was perfectly styled, as usual, and her blue eyes showed no hint of Nina
Rae’s little snit from the night before. “You look very rosy today.”

Was the altercation with Jake
still showing on her face? Sam glanced at herself in the rearview mirror. Deciding
her aunt was merely being nice, she shoved the rest of her concerns aside.

“I worked on my cake this morning.
It’s nearly finished,” she said as she navigated her way around the plaza
square and out into traffic.

“Oh—I can’t wait to see it. Sam, you’re
going to be a beautiful bride.”

It was one of those things
everyone said to every bride. But it was nice to hear it. She reached over and
squeezed Bessie’s hand.

The restaurant was only a few
blocks away, a place chosen by Nina Rae. Sam had never eaten there but knew of
it by reputation and because she’d delivered cakes to the back door on a few
occasions. Nina Rae, Lily and her cousin Willie stood in the tiny lobby, along
with a surprise.

“I asked Zoë to come, dear,” Nina
Rae said. Her mouth still held a bit of the miffed expression she’d worn last
night.

Sam sent Zoë a
quizzical glance and got a small shrug of shoulders in reply.

“Mother, could we—?” Sam tilted
her head toward the exit. Without waiting for a response she placed a hand on
her mother’s shoulder and steered her to the door.

“Be right back,” she said quietly
to Zoë.

Outside, she led Nina Rae to a
shaded spot a few feet from the door. A light breeze ruffled her hair.

“Okay, say it.” She faced her
mother. “Is it this business about that inheritance?”

Nina Rae’s shoulders stiffened.

“Because I don’t know that I’m
getting anything at all, other than a plane ticket. If it turns out to be
something valuable you know I’ll share it with Rayleen. Probably with Willie
too. But what if it turns out to be a property that has a lot of expenses? Does
everybody want a share of those?”

She didn’t wait for an answer.

“Mother, this week is supposed to
be happy for me. Can we let unanswered questions rest, at least until we know
what’s involved? Please?”

“Why, Samantha Jane, of course I
want this week to be a happy one. I don’t know why you would think otherwise.”
At least the tight lines around her mouth had relaxed.

“Good.” Sam glanced toward the
door. “Let’s go join the others.”

Back in the restaurant’s lobby she
sent a subtle thumbs up to Zoë and Zoë returned a small wink just before they
were shown to their table. White linens at lunchtime, full place settings, two
crystal glasses at each place. Sam began to think she should have dressed up a
little more, but then glanced at her cousin. Willie, the girl who was more
comfortable on a horse than in a restaurant, any restaurant, was staring in
dismay at the array of table finery.

“Willie, you’ll have to come out
to our place and visit the horses again,” Sam said, taking a seat beside her
cousin. “I think they miss you.”

Willie smiled and visibly relaxed.

“So, Samantha Jane, when am I
going to see your beautiful wedding dress?” Nina Rae asked from the other end
of the table.

Sam pictured the zipper, not yet
fully closing, and reminded herself to go by and try it on again. It was
getting to now-or-never time. If the thing didn’t fit today, she would have to
rush it over to Rupert’s friend and beg for a mercy alteration.

“Nina Rae, you know it’s bad luck
to see the bride in her dress before the wedding,” Lily said.

“Oh, sis, don’t be silly. That’s
for the groom. Certainly not for me.”

“The cake is nearly ready,” Sam
said, putting a bright little note into her attempt to change the subject. “I
think you’ll love it, Mother. All the autumn colors you like so well.”

That sent the discussion off to
the subject of what everyone else was wearing, which got them through ordering
their meals and the delivery of beverages to the table.

“Now, Samantha, I want you to let
me know how I can help. I feel like I haven’t done a thing to get you ready for
this, and I can’t believe you handled all of it without a wedding planner.”

“I think it’s all under control,
Mother.” Sam’s teeth ground together. She was in middle school again, with her
mother’s reminders about her homework every single night. She forced herself to
relax.

“The bouquets?”

Sam saw her chance for a peace
offering. “Oh gosh. Maybe you could pick them up in the morning? I’ll give you
the directions.”

That netted a smile.

“And your photographer? Will he be
there on time?”

“We’re keeping that informal.
Rupert is an excellent photographer and he’ll take most of the photos. But
anyone who wants to snap away can certainly join in. The more the merrier when
it comes to pictures, right?” Sam turned to Zoë for a lifeline.

“Darryl is putting disposable
cameras on all the tables.”

“Oh, I like that,” Lily said.
“Informal shots are always more fun.”

“Oh! Speaking of which—” Nina Rae
reached into her purse. “We need pictures of the luncheon. Since Rayleen
couldn’t be here.”

Sam wasn’t sure how showing her
sister pictures of an event she couldn’t attend was going to make her feel
better about it. Just as Sam felt sure Rayleen would hear about the inheritance
before anyone found out if it actually existed. She tamped down the thought and
smiled when instructed. Luckily, their meals arrived just then and Sam turned
the conversation to ask what everyone planned on doing for the afternoon.

“Well, we visited most of the
galleries yesterday,” said Lily. “And aside from one little place where Bessie
found something she wanted to go back for . . . I’m not sure.”

Sam told them about several
interesting museums, including Kit Carson’s house and the home of the former
governor where a dramatic escape had taken place during the Pueblo Revolt. That
should keep them busy for an afternoon, but if they tired of history they could
always visit the D.H. Lawrence House or the Mable Dodge
Luhan
place for a dose of culture. Willie seemed torn between revisiting the horses
at the ranch or checking out the Carson house where the famous frontiersman
once lived. At least Sam had dodged the idea that they might all come over and
watch her try on her gown. She left half the food on her plate and skipped
dessert and decided she was as ready as she would ever be.

Outside the restaurant, she left
Bessie with the others and, pointing them in the direction of the nearest
museum, escaped. She still needed to get back to the bakery to put the flowers
on her cake, slip by Kelly’s to try on the dress, and make a few calls about
some of the details which she would never admit to her mother that she’d
forgotten. It was already well after one o’clock and she had to be back at
Zoë’s at five for a quick rehearsal, after which the family planned yet another
restaurant meal—a welcome for
Rayleen’s
family and
unofficial rehearsal dinner.

As the van idled at a traffic
light Sam debated how to allocate the time. Would it be worth a quick dash out
to the house to call for help from the wooden box? She decided it would and
turned on to Paseo del Pueblo Norte, hitting the speed dial number for Kelly on
her phone. A quick reminder about tonight’s dinner.

At the house she ignored the Lab
and border collie as they dropped their toys at her feet and hoped for a game
of fetch.

“Sorry. In a minute.” She let
herself inside and dashed up to the bedroom.

The wood sent warmth through her
arms and into her body as she held onto the box and closed her eyes to absorb
it more fully. After a few moments she set it back down. This exercise was more
to test whether the dress was going to fit than to give her hours of boundless
energy. People would notice that.

Back outside she tossed a ball for
each dog, then got into her van and left. The morning replayed itself in her
mind as she headed toward the center of town. Jake and his never-ending pleas
for money.
Why me, and why now?
It
occurred to her that there was something more going on in his life. He’d hinted
at financial problems—gambling, maybe? Drugs? Woman problems with the
terminally cute Evie? Surely Tustin Deor and his ilk could come up with the
money for their new project without coming to average people like Sam—wasn’t
that what venture capitalists did? If these guys were so well connected, they
certainly had a lot of other ways to finance their show. She resolved to put
the whole thing out of her mind. With any luck Jake would give up the quest and
leave town.

The little house was dim and quiet
when she arrived, empty feeling without her personal possessions even though
she’d left the furniture and nearly all the kitchen gear for Kelly. In her
former bedroom she debated whether to call Rupert for assistance with the dress
again. Bless him, he was agreeable as ever and said he could be there in ten
minutes. She tossed her clothes on the bed and pulled on the body briefer she’d
brought along. Stepped into the gown and adjusted the cap sleeves. When Rupert
pulled the zipper, it slid effortlessly up. All the way. Without a hitch.

“Girl, I think you’ve got it.” He
asked her to turn around. “Oh my. This is absolutely fabulous. Take a look.”

He turned her toward the full
length mirror on the closet door. All at once Sam remembered why she’d chosen
this dress. The champagne-colored fabric and the tiny pearls gave her skin a
radiant glow, and the skirt just grazed the floor when she stepped into her
shoes.

Thank you, she whispered. Was it
the influence of the box? She didn’t care. The gown fit and she was happy for
any little advantage to make it so. She twirled in front of the mirror and gave
over to the relief and joy that flooded her. It was a major item, now off her
checklist.

As soon as Rupert left, she
carefully hung up the dress and made sure the veil and shoes were nearby. Kelly
would meet her here tomorrow to dress for the wedding. Her wedding. It was
finally going to happen.

She gave a deep sigh and suddenly
felt tired. Relief from the whole week’s stress flowed through her and she sat
on the edge of the bed. Her eyelids became heavy. Just for a minute, she told
herself as she stretched out and let them close. Just one little minute . . .

A persistent sound came through a
dream about trying to find their gate at the airport. In the dream it was some
kind of pager but when Sam’s eyes snapped open she realized it was her cell
phone. She sat upright, her heart pounding. What was she doing here? Patting
the bedspread she located the phone.

“
Darlin
’
are you on the way?” Beau asked. “Everybody’s here.”

Here?
Oh my god, she thought. Zoë’s place. The rehearsal.

“I’m nearly there,” she said.

She leaped off the bed and grabbed
up her pack, her heart pounding. In the mirror her face looked sleep-puffy and
her hair stood up in disarray.

“How did I go so totally out of
it?” she said to the room.

She ran her fingers through her
hair and raced for the back door. Luckily, Zoë’s house was only a couple of
minutes away. She steered into their long driveway and jerked to a stop. Beau,
Zoë, Darryl, her parents and the minister were standing beside the vine-covered
pergola where the ceremony would take place.

“Sorry,” she said, breathing hard.
“I was—”

“It’s okay,
darlin
’.”

Nina Rae gave her a
don’t-be-irresponsible look. Her father merely looked as if he’d rather be
watching a ball game on TV.

The minister, a man Sam didn’t
know aside from the fact that he’d officiated at Beau’s mother’s funeral
earlier in the year, looked a little impatient. She sent him an apologetic look
and took her spot where he indicated. She blinked her eyes and willed herself
to focus.

The whole run-through took about
fifteen minutes and everyone seemed glad to be done as the sun set and the
evening air began to chill.

“Everything okay,
darlin
’?” Beau asked as they walked toward Zoë’s cozy
kitchen where she’d announced there was hot cider.

“I just crashed,” Sam told him. “I
guess after all the pent-up stress, my body finally said you’re going to rest.
Already I feel better. And . . . the dress fits!”

He wrapped an arm around her
shoulders. “Good. And I’m glad you’re relaxing.” They held back as the others
went inside. “Do you realize that by this time tomorrow we’ll be on our way to
catch our flight, Mrs. Cardwell?”

She turned toward him and let the
kiss linger.

“My mother’s probably staring out
the window,” she murmured against his lips.

“Want to give her a show?”

“No!” She leaned back and looked
into his ocean blue eyes. “Sneaking off would be more tempting, but we better
stay sociable.”

They linked hands and went inside.

“Now what time are we meeting for
dinner?” Nina Rae asked as soon as Sam stepped into the warm kitchen.

“Soon. Have we heard from
Rayleen’s
group yet?”

“They got in about an hour ago and
your daddy said we would pick them up at their hotel, right Howard?”

He nodded, poking a slice of
cheese into his mouth.

Beau touched Sam’s elbow. “I need
to stop by the office and make sure everyone’s got their assignments for the
weekend,” he said. “Shall I come back by here to pick you up?”

“I’ll just meet you up at Chez
Monique. That way you don’t have to hurry.” Her parents had insisted on paying
for dinner at the fanciest place in town, and this one with the somewhat
pretentious French name fit the bill. Located on the side of the mountain
overlooking town it was noted more for the prices and décor than for the
quality of the food. “I can ride up there with Zoë and Darryl and we’ll come
back for my van later. Mother and Daddy are picking up Rayleen and Joe Bob and
the boys.”