A Wedding in Truhart (24 page)

He disappeared for a moment and reappeared with lotion from the bathroom. Opening up the miniature container, he smelled it. “Mmm. This stuff smells great.”

Thank you, Ian. Who knew I would get to use the lotions his friend had given us in this manner?

“Let's get this shirt off,” Nick said. I raised my arms and let him pull it off. “That's better,” he said in a low voice.

I smelled the lotion and felt the smooth texture as his hands began kneading my tired muscles. His hands worked their magic and he coaxed my shoulders to relax. I felt as if I were sinking into the bed as his thumbs and the heels of his hands ran up and down my back. I hadn't realized just how tense I was. Then he unhooked my bra and pulled it away from my shoulders. I had a fleeting regret. Somewhere in the back of my drawer was a black thong and lacy bra that had cost way too much. Why hadn't I even thought about putting those on this morning?

He must have sensed my worries because he pushed harder. “Relax,” he said slowly.

For once I listened to him and let go of my concerns. I became a melting stick of butter under his fingertips. By the time he moved lower and eased me out of my jeans, I felt moisture between my legs. I waited for him to take off my panties. But he waited, sparking a new tension inside me. He straddled my legs next, gliding his fingertips down my spine and outward toward my hip. Then he dug his thumbs in the small of my back and pushed upward, smoothing out any lingering knots.

After several minutes he lightened his fingers and caressed my spine from my neck all the way down. Snagging a finger in the fabric, he drew my panties down my legs.

My limbs were like lead and my mind lost all ability to focus. I was just a living, breathing mass of nerves. Every touch, light or firm, soothed my troubles. I was at Nick's mercy. He knew that—seemed to relish it. His soothing words were like warm honey and I felt the tender caress of his lips as he trailed them up my body. My legs fell open and he delved in between them to my moist center.

But he didn't stop there. I felt myself being turned over and began to protest. “Sssh,” he soothed me. “This service provides frontal massages for free.”

My erotic meter entered the red zone and I looked down my body to catch a wicked gleam in his eyes in the dim light. His fingers repeated their pressure as they made their way up my body. He steered clear of my more sensitive parts and laughed softly when I cried out in frustration. When he finally arrived at the tips of my breasts he stopped and squeezed my nipples playfully.

“Hello, Bump,” he said.

I started to giggle. I would have kicked any boy who said that when I was younger. But coming from him, it was like a shot of sex adrenaline.

“I used to think of doing this and I would get hard.”

I opened my eyes wide, startled that he had ever thought of me this way before.

“Don't look so surprised,” he said. “Ever since you were almost seventeen I've wanted to touch you like this.” He kissed each breast. I thought I would explode from the pleasure he was giving me. I reached out to touch him, but he stopped my hands.

“No moving. This massage isn't over.”

He drew his fingers over my body as if I were a piano. I lay open to him and bit my lip to keep from moaning. When he finally dipped his fingers in between my legs and into me, I let out a small scream.

He increased the pressure and I gasped as one hand caressed my breast and he moved his head lower to touch me in the most sensitive spot with his tongue. I lost all pride and begged for more. But he forced me to wait until I pleaded with him for release. I reached for him, but he pulled back.

“No, Annie. This is for you,” he whispered.

His tongue and fingers moved faster. A moment later I cried out as I came in a spiraling, out of control, mind-blowing explosion. It went on and on as Nick coaxed everything out of me until I lay in an exhausted heap.

 

The night was young, and I was determined to give back what I had taken. I turned the tables and gave Nick the massage of his life. We ended up upside down on the bed, with the sheets strewn on the ground and his clothes scattered across the room. I had no idea how much time had passed, but the rest of the inn was quiet around us.

“I hope no one heard me a moment ago,” I said as I lay on top of him.

“Me too,” he said with a chuckle. “The last thing we need is Aunt Addie storming in here to save you.”

“She would probably bring a shotgun and force you in front of the preacher.”

“Hmmm.”

Several minutes later I brought us both back to reality. “I guess we Adlers will never be the all-American family. I can see the title of the segment on
The Morning Show
now: Hole in the Roof, Symbolic of Flaws in the Family.”

Nick ran his hand through my hair at the back of my head. “I'm sorry, honey. It was a pretty bad day, wasn't it?”

It wasn't the worst day of my life. Not by a long shot. The day my dad took his final breath was worse. The day we found out he had inoperable cancer was up there too. Seeing my mother fall apart after Dad died was awful. And then of course there was the girl on the ledge.

Nick had been right when he told me earlier that there was a lot more to fix than a roof. Maybe we all needed a reality check. I guess that was what I was thinking when I lost my head with Charlotte. I just wish I had found a less public way to point that out.

I rested my head where Nick's heart was, ran my hand along the stray hairs on his chest, and thought about all the times I'd said stupid things. And all the times I kept my mouth shut when I shouldn't have.

“I love you, Nick.”

His hand stopped and I didn't want him to feel obligated to say anything, so I continued. “When I was growing up, you were my hero. I swear I thought you lived on a mountaintop. But I was, well . . . a little brat. I wanted your attention, so I did everything I could to get you to notice me. I was your worst nightmare, I'm sure. But lately I realized that all my attention-getting antics had another purpose.”

He grunted and I figured that was good, so I kept talking. “Superheroes are always too busy saving the world. They never get the girl.” I moved my head forward and kissed his neck as I continued. “So I tried to drag you down, sometimes quite literally, so you could be closer to me.”

He was quiet, letting my words sink in. After a moment, his arms closed around me. I felt a low rumble in his chest. “So, have I fallen far enough?”

“Well, I love you. I will never be good enough for you. But for some reason that doesn't seem to bother you. So it's all good.”

“Why do you say that?”

He sounded annoyed. Maybe I shouldn't have told him I loved him. “I'm sorry. I just wanted you to know how I feel.”

He rolled me over and propped himself on his elbows as he took my wrists in his hands. “No. Not that. I know you love me. And I always knew you had a crush on me when you were growing up. It was never a secret.” Well, that was a little embarrassing. “But, Annie, why do you say you will never be good enough for me?”

I stared up into his beautiful brown eyes. “Well, because it's true. You know me, I always screw things up.”

“Sometimes you are so stupid, Annie.” He looked angry now. “The only person here who isn't worthy is me. You are the most unselfish, loving person I know.”

I didn't know what to say to that. My heart caught in my throat as I looked at him.

“Listen to me,” he continued. “I have known you your whole life, and I've never seen you do anything selfish.”

“Right,” I said with sarcasm.

“It's true. Even when you hustled people on the golf course, you did it for more than the money. You knew those old guys were lonely. They didn't care if they lost ten bucks. They had fun playing with you and talking about their lives, and you knew it. Annie, you are the kind of person who cares deeply. You would give anything to make the people you love happy. You would even give your last penny for this inn because of your mom and Aunt Addie. In the past few months you have sacrificed every last minute of your time just to make sure your little sister has the wedding of her life.”

“A lot that did for her. I pretty much screwed things up,” I said sarcastically.

“Are you kidding me? Charlotte made you choose between her wedding and defending your family. That was an easy decision for you.”

“Oh yeah. Right in front of Henry's family and their guests. Oh, and I almost forgot, next week's
Morning Show
audience.”

His brown eyes gazed at me with intensity. “Annie, you care like no other person I know. Don't make light of that. That's why I love you.”

His words made me speechless. And of course they made me cry. But these tears were good tears. As Nick smiled at my blubbering and drew me into the hollow of his shoulder, I welcomed them with all my heart.

T
he sun was still sleeping below the horizon when I felt Nick's warmth leave the bed. I reached for him and he bent over me, kissing my cheek.

“I have to see about some things. Stay here and rest,” he whispered in my ear.

The clock on the nightstand read 5:45 a.m. and I wondered what he had to do that was so important. “Where are you going?” I asked.

“Just checking on my mom and seeing if I can help get this wedding back on track.”

I rolled on my back and rubbed my eyes. “Do you think anyone will miss me if I stay in bed all day?”

“I will, for one.” He pulled on his pants and I watched in appreciation as his muscles flexed while he dressed. I found myself unable to stop smiling. He was mine.

Once he finished dressing, he sat next to me and ran his fingers through my hair. “Annie,” was all he said. It wasn't a question. It was a statement.
You're mine too.

I kissed the hand that trailed down to my face and he frowned. “I know it is going to be hard for you this morning. Why don't you wait here until I come back? We can go talk to Charlotte together.”

It was a wonderful gesture, and so typical of Nick. But I was stronger than that. I would have to get up soon to see about breakfast anyway. Even with a hole in the dining room roof, people would have to eat. Although I cringed at the thought of having to face everyone, I didn't need Nick to protect me from my own family.

“It's okay. I can do it.”

“Yeah, I always remember when you had to face your mom or Aunt Addie after getting in trouble. While Charlotte would hide and Ian would complain that nothing was his fault, you just held your chin up and took the punishment.”

“Yeah, but I wasn't quiet about it.”

“No. You had a word or two to say about the situation. I always admired your reasoning. So, no, you were never quiet about it . . . and you shouldn't be now either.”

When Nick left the room I stared out the window next to the bed and watched the sky brightening in slow increments. Sunrise wouldn't be for a while, but I could see the red glow on the horizon and wondered if the fact that the snow was falling more lightly meant the storm was almost over.

I washed up and dressed, thinking of how to apologize. Nothing seemed to fit. When I finally stepped into the hallway, I was relieved to see that all was silent.

I walked past the main stairway and the camera crew asleep on couches in the lobby. Once I was in the doorway to the dining room, I flipped on the light switch and surveyed the room. It was empty, but I felt a rush of cold air coming from the corner. The cake and snow had been cleaned up but I could see the stains on the carpet.

I walked over to the corner and looked up. A tarp was secured over the hole by four long two-by-fours that were nailed to the ceiling. The temporary canopy sagged from the weight of new snow. A breeze blew through the tarp, making me shiver.

“Annie?”

I turned around to see my mom standing by the kitchen door. She looked tired. But the light in her eyes and smile on her face were reassuring. She opened her arms and I went into them like I was five again. We stood together for a long time and I suspected she needed the hug as much as I did.

“I'm so sorry, Mom,” I finally said.

“Oh, honey. I didn't want you to know about the inn. How did you find out?”

I pulled away from her and looked down. Even with my height I had always felt smaller than my mom. But this morning I was more conscious of her petite frame and the wrinkles in the corners of her eyes.

“I saw the papers in your office. Mom, you should have told us earlier. We knew things were bad, but we could have found a way to help. All the bills and the notice of foreclosure, you shouldn't have had to deal with all that alone.”

“Why? This inn isn't your burden. You and Ian and Charlotte—you all need to live your own lives. I don't want you worrying or sacrificing your dreams for this crumbling old pile of wood.” She laughed when she said the last few words.

“We love this place as much as you do, Mom. Why wouldn't we want to help?”

She shook her head and hugged me again. “Oh, honey, this weekend was supposed to be about Charlotte and the wedding. I feel terrible that the roof caved in like that.”

“Well, it was a lot of snow. Even people with new roofs worry about that in a snowstorm.” I patted her back and put my arm around her as we stared at the mess in the ceiling.

“Well, now we have to figure out what to do,” said Mom. Eventually we turned and walked toward the kitchen. “Grady says he can try to crawl up there and see if he can fix it from the top, but I worry it will cave in more when he puts his weight on it.”

“I know I made things worse by yelling at Charlotte like that last night. When she started yelling at you, I just lost it.”

“Well, perhaps you should discuss it with her,” said Mom as she swung open the kitchen door. I took a step into the kitchen only to come face-to-face with my little sister.

She stood in the middle of the room, staring at me with red-rimmed eyes. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail that was uncharacteristically loose and messy. She wore a shirt that was two sizes too big for her and sweatpants. I looked over her shoulder to where Henry sat at the kitchen table. He held a cup of coffee and rose from his chair when he saw me, giving me a partial wave.

Mom poured coffee into a handmade mug and nodded toward the door. “Henry, let's go out to my office and have a cup of coffee while these two talk.” He nodded and I saw him brush Charlotte's back with his hand as he passed. The door swung back and forth on its hinges as they left the room. When it finally stopped it left a thick silence.

Charlotte and I avoided eye contact. I didn't know how to start, so I walked to the other side of the room and grabbed a mug from the cabinet. “Do you want any coffee?” I asked.

“Sure,” she said as she followed me to the coffeemaker. I poured her a cup. She clutched it to her chest and took a deep breath while I finished pouring my own. Then we looked at each other and started to talk.

“Annie—”

“Charlotte.”

We both spoke at the same time.

“Jinx,” we said together, a habit that never died.

I was glad for the icebreaker and shook my head. “You first.”

She sat down on the stool at the counter. “Annie, I am so sorry. I have been acting like such a jerk. From the moment Henry and I got engaged I have had only one thing on my mind. This wedding.”

“Well, I made things so much worse by losing it in front of everyone. And I know the Lowell family hasn't been the easiest.”

“Don't do that, Annie. You always make excuses for me when I behave badly. I'm not a little kid anymore.”

“I'm not saying you are. It's just that I know Henry's family has high expectations of you.”

“But that is just the problem, Annie. I got so full of this image of a fairy-tale wedding that the Lowells, and what they thought of me, became more important than my own family. It's ridiculous. I need to grow up and face the fact that nothing is perfect. So what if June doesn't like me? It wouldn't be the first time a bride didn't get along with her mother-in-law. And who cares if we get snowed out the day of my rehearsal dinner, and the dress goes missing . . .” Her voice trailed off and I knew she was thinking about the roof caving in. Things
had
been pretty bad.

“We just wanted this wedding to be so special for you.”

“You guys are my family. What happened isn't your fault. But at the same time it kind of is.” I raised my eyebrow. “You should have been the ones to bring me back down to earth long before last night. That's what families are supposed to do. I don't know why, but for some reason you treat me differently than you treat each other.”

“What?”

“I've always been a little bit jealous that you and Ian act like you want to kill each other half the time.”

I almost laughed.

“No, really, Annie. Ian would never have let you get away with the prima donna routine I pulled.”

I sat down on the stool at the end of the counter and let her words sink in.

“I know I am much younger, but most of the time you guys treat me like a piece of fragile glass. I can handle being teased and told to get over myself. I can handle being yelled at. I just can't handle it when no one stops me from turning into a royal bi—”

“Stop it! You are not that bad! This has been a rotten twenty-four hours, you have to admit.”

“It is no excuse for the way I have been behaving. I should have known this wedding would put a strain on things. And how could I miss all the clues that we were having financial trouble? I don't like the thought that I was giving Mom a hard time about the flowers, and threatened not to let Ian be on the video tape, or told Aunt Addie to remove all those thingies she likes so much.”

“You mean the macaroni reindeer?”

“Were those reindeer?”

I nodded my head.

Her eyes opened wide and she covered her mouth. “I always thought they were gargoyles.”

I almost spit out my coffee.

We talked for a long time after that.

Charlotte said that she and Mom stayed up late going over what had happened. Henry stayed up with them and held her hand through it all. He was upset to learn that Charlotte felt so much pressure from June. Henry told her the reason June was so obsessed with her image was due to her own experience fitting into the high society of Atlanta. Evidently, June came from a small town in Alabama. I guess Charlotte and I had misjudged her.

“I didn't realize that the reason you didn't come to Las Vegas was because you were busy here trying to pull this wedding together. How could I be so stupid?” Charlotte said.

“We didn't want you to know. But I didn't know Mom knew. I swear sometimes she has a crystal ball.”

We moved to the table and put our feet up on the chairs like we always used to do when we were younger. “Anyway, in the end it was for nothing,” I said. “We had no idea there was a possibility of foreclosure. So all the little things we did for the wedding didn't help the inn at all.”

Ian wandered in toward the end of the conversation wearing ratty old jeans and a ragged purple sweatshirt. He looked like he could use another five hours of sleep like the rest of us. He grabbed himself a coffee. When I explained Charlotte's feelings about how we had been treating her, he vowed to make up for lost time by teasing her and torturing her for the next twenty-four years.

“You might regret this new attitude from us, Charlotte,” I warned her. “But personally I'm relieved to send some of Ian's annoying sarcasm your way.” Mom and Henry returned and joined us at the table. Even Aunt Addie, in a purple paisley housecoat and fuzzy slippers, wandered in. She sat next to Ian. The two of them surveyed each other and nodded. For the first time I realized how alike the two of them actually were.

Nestor must have decided that the family wasn't going to murder each other after all, because he snuck in through the dining room and started cooking pancakes and sausage on the griddle. While he worked, we discussed ways to deal with the roof damage and the impassable roads.

Then the door swung open. “Did I miss breakfast?” Nick stood at the kitchen door still wearing his coat, his cheeks red from the cold.

“You better double that batch, Nestor. Nick is a garbage disposal,” said Ian. Nick ignored Ian and took off his jacket and threw it over a bench by the window.

“I think the snow is finally stopping.” He walked over and pulled out the empty chair next to mine. Then he leaned over and gave me a cold but solid kiss on the lips.

For a moment the room was silent. Mom and Aunt Addie sent each other a meaningful glance, and Charlotte leaned toward Henry, giggling behind her hand. Ian was the only one who seemed completely surprised. He stared at us for a moment and then turned to everyone else for an explanation. No one said a word. Still trying to figure things out, he looked back at me.

“Is something going on between you two?” he asked.

“Yeah,” said Nick. “Is that okay with you? Not that I'm asking permission.”

Ian's face darkened. “Not that you're asking? You're my best friend. Don't think for a moment that trumps family, you ass. You sure as hell better be careful with my little sister. She's not some kind of fling.”

“Ian!” I put my hand out toward him. He seemed serious for once.

“I know that,” Nick said to Ian, ignoring me.

I rolled my eyes as the two of them stared at each other in a standoff. It didn't last long. As soon as the pancakes arrived and the conversation around the table started up, they were talking again.

All the chatter and rattling of the pans must have made a racket because it wasn't long before June and Jessica opened the kitchen door.

“Mind if we join you?” asked June. She wore no makeup and was dressed in slim black pants and a black sweater. A rather simple look for June.

“Is anyone else awake?” asked Mom.

“Just us so far,” said June.

Then the most surprising thing happened.

Mom waved her hand. “Feel free to drag in chairs from the dining room if you and Jessica want to join us.” She didn't insist on serving them in the dining room and she didn't ask Ian to carry in the chairs for them. She would never have treated a guest like that. I saw her eyes twinkle as June and Jessica struggled with the chairs and the door. Even Henry stayed seated as they yanked the chairs to the table.