Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
“She said she needed a real estate lawyer to prepare it, and she was told it could take months. Apparently, the one official who processes these things at the county level was out for weeks because he had back surgery, and now there’s a backlog.”
Devlin shook his head. “Small towns, man.” He pulled a package of ground beef out of a plastic bag. “Fridge or freezer?”
“You can leave that out. I’m going to use it for dinner.”
“What are we having?”
“Spaghetti Bolognese. My friend Ellie’s husband Gianni gave me his family’s secret recipe for meat sauce. Although I basically had to beg for it.” I started filling a pot with water.
Devlin came up behind me, bracing his hands on the edge of the sink next to my hips. “You begged, huh?”
I giggled as his mouth tickled the crook of my neck. “So hard.”
“I’m jealous. You begged another man for his sauce.”
“I didn’t beg him like I beg you, silly.” Laughing, I turned off the faucet. “You’re the only man who’s heard me beg like that.”
He sank his teeth lightly into my shoulder. “Good. By the way, I have news.”
“Yeah?”
“Jennifer Bates called. We have a date for our pitch meeting—October twenty-seventh.”
I spun around to face him. “A whole month away.”
“That could be a good thing. We still have prep work to do. I want to get a contractor hired before we go, so that work can begin immediately once the money comes through. And maybe the official with the bad back will get the deed processed by then.”
“You sound awfully confident.”
“I am.” He pressed his lips to mine. “You should be too.”
October arrived. The leaves changed colors, and I changed my name, which Gran wanted to celebrate. She invited us over for dinner and made my favorite meal from when I was younger—chili and cornbread.
“Alexandra was always such a good eater,” Gran said after we’d finished eating but were still sitting at the table. “I never had to get after her to finish her plate. Were you like that?” she asked Devlin.
“I was a pretty good eater.” He leaned back and draped his arm across the back of my chair.
Gran looked pleased. “I bet your children will have good appetites too.”
“Okay, Gran.” I stood up and took my dishes to the sink. “We don’t need to get into that now.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s too soon.” Returning to the table for her dishes, I pinned her with a laser-beam stare. “We just got married.”
“Well, one always wants to plan ahead.”
“We’re enjoying the moment.” I went to the sink once more, and Devlin followed me, placing his bowl and utensils on the counter.
“Can I do the dishes?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Don’t worry about—”
“What a marvelous husband!” Gran interrupted. “Lexi, darling, take him up on it, and you come upstairs with me. I have something for you.”
Devlin took me by the shoulders and steered me away from the sink. “Go. I’ve got this. Dash and I were always on dish duty after dinner in my house.”
“Okay. Thanks.” I followed Gran out of the kitchen and up the stairs, which she climbed slowly, with one hand gripping the banister. She talked the whole time.
“I was just thinking—and of course, I don’t mean to meddle too much—wouldn’t it be nice to have some sort of party for you here? To celebrate your marriage?”
“It’s not necessary.”
“But I didn’t get to see you walk down the aisle, or say your vows, or see the groom kiss the bride! And I know a Las Vegas wedding is legal, of course, but it’s not sentimental. It’s not traditional. Don’t you want a wedding ceremony with something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue?”
“I wore a blue sweatshirt,” I said as we finally reached the top of the stairs. “You saw the picture.”
She sighed as she shuffled down the hall past my old bedroom toward hers. “That’s not what I meant.” Ambling over to her closet, she opened the door and looked up. “I’m not sure I can reach. Can you help, darling? It’s that white hat box.”
“Of course.” I went over and lifted down a white box. The thick layer of dust on its surface made me sneeze.
“Bless you. Sorry about the dust—I haven’t taken it down in years. Not since you and Tabitha used to ask to play dress-up with it.” She lifted the top off and took out her veil. Gently shaking it out, she placed it on my head, tucking its comb into the hair at my crown, and smiled. “There. See? Go look in the mirror.”
I didn’t want to, but I saw no way out. Reluctantly, I turned toward the corner of the room, where an old cheval mirror stood in a wooden frame.
And there I was in Gran’s wedding veil. I bit my lip.
Gran appeared behind me, her eyes misty as they met mine in the glass. “You look like a dream,” she said, placing her hand on her heart. “And I just want to see it come true.”