A Time to Gather (38 page)
They rushed toward her voice at the far end. There she knelt, in the dirt, covered with it, surrounded by a pile of dried-up stems and leaves.
“Look at this!” She grinned, gently brushing her fingertips through the earth. “Here and here. And over there. Rosemary. Oregano. Jasmine. Honeysuckle. African daisy. Aloe and cholla. And more.” She looked up, her eyes wide and glittery. “They didn’t die!”
The courtyard was last on their to-do list. The fire had ravaged it. All the rooms of the U-shaped house opened onto it, and that was where junk had accumulated as the rooms were cleared. And Lexi had lost interest in it. No one else cared for the plants quite like she did.
“They didn’t die!” Lexi exclaimed again. “There they were, sprouting under dead stuff and beneath the broken fountain pieces. Isn’t this wonderful?”
Claire pressed a hand to her mouth.
Just like herself and her family. They had been sprouting under dead stuff, beneath broken pieces. Life hidden from view now emerged.
Yes, it was wonderful, indeed.
R
osie slid from her SUV, grateful for the high vehicle. It made the balancing act atop three-inch heels much easier to perform than if she’d climbed up and out of a low car.
“Hi.”
She spun on said heel, nose to Erik’s chest, an expanse of stiff white shirt outlined with silky black lapels.
She looked above the bow tie. “Hi.”
Nuts. How had she missed his approach? There were probably a number of reasons. Preoccupation with shoes. Skittishness about being Beaumont’s “date” at the Hotel Del with San Diego’s most elite. Admiration of the sweet little church before her, tucked back off a side road in the trees northeast of Santa Reina. Edginess over the plans, which included Erik riding with her back down into the city to the reception, about an hour’s worth of alone time. Like a real date.
“You look beautiful.”
Rosie let her immediate negative response fizzle away unspoken. Bobby and his wife had stopped by the house before she left, her own cheering squad. They said she was beautiful inside and out. Tall, blonde, and blue-eyed? No. But stunning in her own way. She should receive all like compliments with gracious dignity.
She smiled. “So do you.” So much for gracious dignity.
He grinned. His not-so-subtle glance took it all in. Her hair, falling in waves to her shoulders. The new black dress, simple, straight, made of some silky fabric with sequins. The heels, that vain concession to slimming linebacker calves.
“Did you bring your gun?”
“No.” She smiled.
“Good.” Erik dipped his head and kissed her cheek.
She laughed, pretending like her feet remained on the pavement. “Did you think I would you shoot you for that?”
“You never know.” The setting sun glittered in his eyes behind his dark lashes. He smiled and crooked his elbow, holding it out for her to grasp.
It helped with the balancing act.
R
osie sat in a pew.
And waited for the heartbeat to slow, for the brain to focus on something besides the image of Erik. Tuxedos were designed for guys who looked like him. And that kiss? Friend to friend, sure. But still.
She sighed to herself and studied the church. It was much smaller than hers and of a different persuasion, yet similar with its crucifixes, stained glass windows, and incense. The program in her hand included traditional liturgy. Candles were lit on the altar. Flowers lined the altar rail.
Only a handful of people were in attendance for this private event of Claire and Max’s special day. There was no organist, but off to one side a string quartet played soft classical music. She knew the musicians were close friends of Claire’s.
Tuyen sat beside Rosie, lovely and happy. The haunted expression in her eyes had faded.
Ben and Indio occupied the same pew on Tuyen’s other side. A thick bun at the nape of Indio’s neck replaced her usual braid. Ben kept tugging at the collar of his formal shirt.
The priest walked in from a door behind the altar. Gentle faced, silver haired, dressed in white vestments, he was a large man. Rosie likened him to a teddy bear.
Max came next, followed by Erik and then Danny, all handsome in black tuxedos and white shirts.
The music changed to the familiar tune for brides, and everyone stood, turning to the back of the church. Lexi started first down the aisle, followed by Jenna. They carried small bouquets of purple and white blossoms and wore black dresses. Claire wore a magnificently beaded ivory dress that reflected every light ray in the church. She carried a bouquet full of whites and off-whites.
Rosie sighed to herself. Wedding, re-wedding, blessing, renewal of vows. Whatever. It was all beautiful beyond words.
A
ll those months of dreadful anticipation had been such a colossal waste of energy!
As it turned out, the only difficult part of the church ceremony for Lexi had been resisting the urge to grab the photographer’s camera. From her bridesmaid’s perch up front, she had longed to record every nuance of the scene.
Unabashed tenderness shone in her father’s eyes as he gazed at her mother. The back of her mother’s hair glowed; the beads on her dress refracted candlelight into a thousand tiny rainbows. The pure white baby’s breath in the bouquet her sister held contrasted with the black of her dress, a study in stark beauty. An otherworldly peace settled Erik’s features. Danny stood statuelike, the rarest of rare sights.
Of course the tears in her own eyes might have botched her ability to focus the lens.
Now it was over. The ceremony part anyway. She stood with everyone outside the Hotel Del on Coronado Island. While the photographer snapped formal family shots, a new dread steadily chewed away at her earlier bliss. In just minutes she would have to go into the reception.
The unprecedented shindig held horrors for her.
It meant hundreds of strangers who would eye her as the youngest daughter, sister of the drop-dead gorgeous one.
It meant Nathan Warner. Or it didn’t mean Nathan Warner. Would he show up or not? She wasn’t sure which was worse.
It meant the countdown had started for her parents’ departure. Their honeymoon, a cruise down the Mexican Riviera, was to last a week. Seven days could be an incredibly long, long time.
And the reception meant an abundance of food, an easy escape from the panic associated with the whole scene.
Now the camera flashed on the last official Beaumont clan photo. It was an outdoor shot, the hotel’s exterior lights beaming on their faces, the sky and ocean invisible in the dark in the background.
Only Kevin was absent. She missed him. They all missed him. For one photo, they even posed around an empty area that Jenna would fill in with a picture of him. Jenna bawled, of course. She’d been doing a lot of that. Even Lexi was feeling sorry for her.
The photographer raised his head. “Lexi, you did not smile.”
Everyone groaned. Behind the woman holding up a spotlight, Rosie chuckled.
“Sorry, sorry,” Lexi said. “I’m ready now.”
Forcing herself to pay attention, she clamped a smile into place and got through it.
It was time to join the party already in progress. As a group they entered the hotel and moved through the hallways. Lexi followed Erik and Rosie. Their heads were close together as they conversed.
Her brother had come home from rehab subdued and reflective, fragile around the edges, even. When he greeted her with a hug, he whispered that a leopard could change his spots with some help. She adored him. She adored Rosie. She hoped they adored each other.
Max sidestepped over to her and matched his stride with hers. “What are you giggling at?”
She nodded forward. “Curious couple.”
“Indeed.”
“I was just thinking I hope they adore each other.”
He laughed. “I was just thinking, would you like me to hang out with you until we see if this Nathan character shows up?”
Lexi stopped and faced him. “Dad, this is your party.”
“And you’re my daughter.”
With that simple sentence, Lexi’s world stilled again. Her daddy loved her. Her heavenly Father loved her even better. Peace and joy chased away the hovering dread.
She smiled. “Thanks, but I’ll be okay.”
And to think she wanted to skip the whole re-wedding business.
N
athan was there. He stood inside, not far from the entrance, right in the center of an otherwise open path from the doors to the tables. He was the first person Lexi saw as she entered the ballroom.
She paused. Sights and sounds bombarded her. There were zillions, not hundreds, of people milling around. There were balloons and streamers and flowers. There was music from a string quartet. There was loud laughter and bubbling conversation.
Nathan smiled and walked over to her. The boy-next-door had morphed into something else. A tuxedo replaced the rumpled clothes, shiny black shoes the sandals, stylishly moussed copper sprigs the unkempt hair.
She liked the other look.
But she liked this one too. A lot.
“Hi, pretty lady.”
The phrase swirled in her mind.
Pretty lady.
It was what Kevin always called Jenna. Secondhand, it turned her to slush. Firsthand, backed up with a gaze from the warmest eyes imaginable, it might melt her into a puddle right then and there.
Earlier that afternoon she had talked with her grandmother and poured out her confusion surrounding this guy. Nana prayed for her what she requested—that she would not be stupid and gullible. Then, like always, Nana added more. She asked God to give Lexi a trusting heart and the wisdom to know the balance between the two.
She probably shouldn’t fall in love with him after the first three words out of his mouth. “I thought you were short on pickup lines.”
“That wasn’t a pickup line. I meant it.” He smiled again. “And if you give me a second chance, I’ll prove it to you.”
“How will you do that?”
“I will escort you through this maze of people who are most likely scaring the bejeebers out of you. I will meet your parents and win your dad’s approval. I will dance every dance with you. Then I will ask you out for tomorrow. Maybe a walk on the beach and dinner.” He held out his hand, palm up. “Any or all of it will be an honor.”
Okay, so maybe dreading the reception had been a colossal waste of energy too. Maybe the fumble queen of relationships had exited along with what’s-his-name, the fireman. Maybe Erik was right—leopards could change their spots.
With some help.
Lexi smiled at Nathan and placed her hand in his.
S
unday afternoon Claire stood beside Max on the deck outside their cabin, on the cruise ship bound for Mexico. Leaning against the rail, they watched the California coastline shrink from view. Brilliant flecks of sunlight danced on the ocean’s surface. Soft breezes carried a salty scent with promises of adventure.
Max kissed her. “I love you, sweetheart.”
“I love you.”
“They will be fine.”
She laughed. “How did you know?”
“That you were thinking about the kids?” He grinned. “Probably the phone calls first thing this morning gave it away. I can’t believe you invited them and my parents to breakfast. Our
honeymoon
breakfast, I might add.”
She wrinkled her nose at him.
Part of the reception had been to treat the young people and Ben and Indio to a night at the Hotel Del before everyone went their separate ways. The plans called for Max and Claire to depart for the ship while the others enjoyed a leisurely morning however they chose. There was no talk of a group breakfast.
Still, Claire had harbored hopes. Their twenty-four hours of togetherness had been too sweet. Why not stretch it just a bit longer, savor the presence of everyone together? Her heart overflowed with the joy of being with all four of her children, her brand-new precious niece Tuyen, and her dear in-laws.
She phoned their rooms bright and early. Evidently the previous
evening had been enough togetherness for the others because she received groggy “no thanks and good-bye already” from the girls, the guys, and even Indio.
Max bumped his shoulder playfully against hers. “They will be fine.”
“Jenna’s having such a hard time. She looked so sad all night. I don’t know how—”
“Shh. God knows. All we can do is be there for her and pray. The others will watch over her this week. Okay? We can take a week off from anxiety.”
“Okay.”
“Way to be, Claire. I’m going to change the subject.”
She sighed. She really had to relax and let go of the kids. “Go ahead.”
“Wasn’t last night just a great gift? And that Nathan was a surprise, huh? I like him.”
“Me too. He had an obvious calming influence on Lexi.”
“Yes. Speaking of calm, Erik is a new man.”
“What an amazing transformation.”
“Our God is an amazing God.”
“Amen.” Claire took his arm and nestled against him. “So is my husband. Thank you for giving me a wedding after all these years. It was an extraordinarily beautiful one.”
“Thank you for marrying me again after all these years.” He kissed the top of her head. “It has been a journey of sowing and reaping good and not-so-good.”
“And gathering the kids close.”
“But not for breakfast.”
“Ha-ha. Max, I know it hasn’t been easy working through the not-so-good stuff, but I’m grateful we did.”
“It’s made all the difference. We’ve learned to trust God and to trust each other.”
“And find that safe place with each other. Do you think we can really create it now for others?”
“Claire, I’d say that’s already begun within our family. The Hacienda Hideaway can only be an extension.” He chuckled. “Did I mention I called the kids last night?”
She looked at him, puzzled.
“Told them if they dared show up for breakfast, they were in big trouble.”
“You didn’t!”
He laughed.
She leaned against him, hiding a smile, and basked in his love for her.
In silent wonder they watched as the horizon swallowed the coastline. Sky met sea in a blur of silvery blues.
