Home for the Holidays (17 page)

Margaret nodded.  “Andrea shot the back of his car,” she said.

Davies raised a brow.  “Which one of you is Andrea?”

Andrea raised her hand.  “Me,” she answered in a small voice.

Ruth was in her element.  She loved the thrill of the chase.  The fact they got their guy gave her a huge adrenaline rush.  “I caught him on camera.”

Davies turned to Ruth.  “Camera?”

She nodded.  “Yeah.  We set up surveillance at the party. When he went for the money inside the mailbox, we went in for the kill.  So to speak,” she added.

“Money in the mailbox?”  Davies was clearly confused.

Not Paul.  This was just the beginning.  There was a whole story behind it and he knew beyond a shadow of doubt that his beloved bride-to-be was right in the thick of it.  “So you set up a sting to flush out the extortionist.”

“To clear your name,” Lucy added as she looked at Paul.

He turned his gaze to the woman seated directly across from him.  “What are friends for?”

“We volunteered,” Dot said.

Captain Davies turned to Paul and chuckled.  “Man, you weren’t kidding when you said she was a handful.”

Gloria decided it was time to turn the tables.  “So.  I’m guessing Paul is no longer on leave and no longer under suspicion.”

Davies nodded.  “Paul agreed to help flush out the mole here in the department.  It looks as if we were working one end of the investigation while you fine ladies were working on the other end.”

Gloria had no intention of airing her dirty laundry and gave Paul a look that told him in no uncertain terms they would have a nice long chat later.  “Who was the mole?” 

Six sets of eyes turned to Captain Davies.  “Diane Stone.  She enlisted the help of her corrupt buddy, Evergreen. They hatched a plot to set Paul up.  In the meantime, they collected tidy sums of cash from Mrs. Verona.”

“But how…”

“How did Stone get into the men’s locker room?” Davies shrugged.  “The same way you two snuck in there, posing as cleaning people.”

Gloria glanced at Margaret and lowered her gaze.  Busted.

He went on.  “Paul caught Evergreen in the prostitution ring.  Evergreen and Stone joined forces where they schemed to defraud Mrs. Verona.  Evergreen made it look like he himself had been a victim to throw us off.”

“I saw a patrol car and government vehicle out back the other night…so I’m guessing that was Diane Stone and Commissioner Evergreen?” Gloria asked.

Paul raised a brow.  “It probably was.” 

Gloria had one final question.  “Why travel to Lansing?”

Paul grinned.  “I was doing a little research on Commissioner Evergreen.  That’s when we started to focus our investigation on him.”

“How did you know where to find him tonight?” Margaret asked. 

Captain Davies placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward.  “We had a sting set up for him tonight and when our inside guy noticed him hand a card to a beautiful, blonde lady dressed to the nines, they followed him to Belhaven.”

Andrea blushed.  “Do I look like a…”

Paul patted her hand.  “You are a lovely young woman, Andrea.  You hit the detective’s radar, that’s all.”

The women exited the cafeteria and stepped into the hall.  Captain Davies held the door and then followed Paul out.  “We’ll get your retirement party in the works.”

He turned to Gloria.  “Paul has agreed to stay on part-time and work special assignments.  Undercover when we need him.”

Gloria shifted her purse and peered at Paul.  “He has, has he?”

Paul put his arm around Gloria’s shoulder.  “No different than what you do, my love.  The only difference is I’ll get paid for it,” he joked.

Lucy laughed.  “He’s got you there, Gloria.”

Davies extended his hand, took Paul’s in a warm grip and patted him on the shoulder.  “I guess I’ll be seeing you at the wedding.” He winked and turned to kiss Gloria’s cheek.  “I can’t wait to see this beautiful bride.”

Outside on the front steps, Paul turned to Gloria.  “Am I in the dog house or can I drive my lovely bride-to-be home?”

“You better drive her home,” Ruth warned.  The girls each hugged Gloria and made their way over to Ruth’s van.

Paul opened the door of the unmarked police car and waited for Gloria to settle into the passenger seat.  “By the way, have I told you today how absolutely ravishing you look?” he asked.

Gloria grinned as she reached for her seatbelt.  “Flattery will get you everywhere,” she warned.

Chapter 20

Gloria smoothed the front of the dress with a trembling hand.  She tugged on a stray strand of hair that had fallen in her eyes.  “You don’t think the dress looks too tight?” she fretted.

“Nope! You are the most beautiful bride I have ever laid eyes on,” Lucy assured her.

Ariel, Gloria’s granddaughter, slipped her hand inside her grandmother’s hand.  “You look like an angel,” she said, her bright green eyes gazing up in adoration. 

Gloria knelt down and wrapped her arms around her only granddaughter.  “Why thank you, Ariel.  You look like an angel, too.  The prettiest angel in the whole wide world.”

Three towheads burst through the doorway and hopped over to Gloria.  It was her grandsons Oliver, Tyler and Ryan, dressed in miniature three-piece suits.  Her ushers.  “Grams.  Everyone is waiting!” Ryan said.

Right on cue, the organ music drifted into the room. 

Lucy, Dot, Margaret, Ruth and Andrea circled their friend while Gloria’s four precious grandchildren tucked in between and they bowed their heads.

“Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You that Gloria
finally
made it to the altar.  We thank You for this beautiful day where we can share in the joy of these two lives joined together and we pray for many years of wedded bliss,” Dot prayed.

“Amen,” the girls agreed.

“Ay-men!” Ollie shouted enthusiastically.

“Walk the girls to their seats,” Gloria instructed her grandsons.  The boys each dutifully grabbed the girls’ hands and led Gloria’s closest friends to their seats.

The place was jam packed with over one hundred of Gloria and Paul’s closest friends and neighbors…the entire Town of Belhaven. 

When the others disappeared, Ariel turned to Gloria.  “Ready Grams?”

Gloria sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes.  “Yes, Ariel.  I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

Ariel picked up her basket of flower petals and led her grandmother out of the library, down the hall and across the foyer.

Ariel sashayed down the red runner, dropping rose petals as she made her way to the front. 

Gloria stepped through the French doors and into the festively decorated room.  Her eyes were immediately drawn to the man standing at the front.  Not Pastor Nate, but the other one.  The love of Gloria’s life.

His eyes met hers and the corners crinkled as he smiled at his bride. 

Gloria’s heart fluttered and she tightened her grip on the bouquet of flowers she was holding.

Eddie and Ben, Gloria’s sons, stepped forward.  Eddie tucked his arm through his mother’s right arm while Ben slipped his arm through her left.  The trio began a slow stroll down the red carpet.

Ariel twirled around, the petticoats of her frilly satin dress dancing in the air.  She stopped near the front, next to her brother, Oliver, and her cousins, Ryan and Tyler. 

Gloria tried to pace herself as she moved forward in a slow, steady stroll.  She turned her head and smiled at the guests, all of the faces so near and dear to her. 

Gloria’s daughter, Jill, her husband, Greg, along with Eddie’s wife, Karen, and Ben’s wife, Kelly, looked on. 

Jill gave her mom the thumbs up.

Across the aisle, on the other side, were Paul’s children, Jeff, his wife, Tina, and his daughter, Allie.  They smiled at Gloria, happy that their father had finally found someone…the right one.

Ariel, impatient for her grandmother to pick up the pace, motioned her to hurry, which made the guests closest to the front chuckle.

In the row, seated directly behind Gloria’s children, were Dot, Ray, Margaret, Don, Lucy, Max, Ruth and Slick Steve or just, Steve, and Andrea and Brian.  Last, but not least, was Alice, who winked at Gloria when she caught her eye. 

When Gloria reached the front, Paul stepped to the side and gazed at his bride with adoration. 

Gloria bent down, hugged Tyler, Ryan, Ollie and Ariel. She released her hold and the children scampered off to sit next to their mothers. 

Eddie leaned forward, kissed his mother’s cheek, shook Paul’s hand and quietly made his way over to sit next to his wife.

Ben was next.  He kissed his mother’s cheek, wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace and then turned to Paul.  “She’s all yours.  Good luck.”

The crowd chuckled and Paul grinned.  “I can’t wait!”

Paul and Gloria solemnly turned to face Pastor Nate.  “Well, there were several of us here who wondered if this day would ever come.”

For the second time, the guests started to laugh and Gloria frowned. 

Paul he reached over and squeezed Gloria’s hand.

“Dearly beloved guests…”

The ceremony went off without a hitch and when Pastor Nate told Paul he could kiss his bride, Paul wrapped his arms around Gloria’s waist, pulled her close to him and kissed her passionately. He was reluctant to let go until the wolf whistles from the guests echoed in the room.

Gloria giggled and lifted a hand to her flushed cheeks. 

“Get a room!” a good-natured guest shouted.

“We did,” Paul informed them with a chuckle. Paul tilted Gloria upright and grabbed her hand.

“Ladies and gentleman, I am thrilled, beyond measure, to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Paul Kennedy.”

Applause erupted. Everyone jumped to their feet and clapped as Paul, holding tight to his bride’s hand, walked down the aisle.

The two of them waited on the other side of the doors as the guests and well-wishers, one by one hugged the newlyweds.

The last ones to exit the room were the Garden Girls.  “It was perfect,” Lucy gushed.

“One of the most beautiful weddings I’ve ever been to,” Dot agreed.

Margaret patted Andrea’s hand.  “Andrea, you outdid yourself.”

“Thanks,” she said.  “But I couldn’t have done it without Alice.”

“Of course,” Ruth said.  “Alice is like a speed demon, zipping around doing this and handling that.”

Alice smiled.  “Thank you.”

“Thank
you
,” Gloria smiled and hugged Alice. 

Alice tugged on her skirt.  “I must go check on the food.”

Dot nodded.  “I’m right behind you.”

Dot and Alice had joined forces to whip up some tempting dishes for the reception.  Although Gloria and Paul had paid for the food, Alice and Dot had insisted on putting everything together.  It was their gift to Paul and Gloria.

There were standing rib roast, mounds of fried chicken, crockpots full of meatballs, baked and mashed potatoes, fluffy rice, corn, green beans, and dinner rolls, not to mention scrumptious, bite size desserts. 

To top it all off there was the wedding cake.  Gloria decided on a simple sheet cake.  Half the cake was white and the other half chocolate.

While the guests lingered in the foyer sipping champagne and toasting the newlywed couple, workers quickly brought in round tables, covered them with white linen tablecloths and then placed the chairs around the tables.

Several tall, twinkling trees dotted the perimeter of the room and when Andrea dimmed the lights in the sunroom, the sparkling lights cast a romantic glow. 

The guests feasted on the scrumptious goodies. 

It was a festive event and a celebration that no resident of Belhaven would soon forget.

When they finished eating, the army of workers cleared the tables. 

“Attention everyone!” Andrea clapped her hands and the crowd quieted.  “It’s time for Gloria to toss the bouquet.”

Several of the single women clustered together in the front of the room.  Eleanor Whittaker, Sally Keane, Bea, Gloria’s hairdresser. Lucy was there, too, along with Andrea.  Ruth didn’t make a move as she sat in her chair and crossed her arms.

“C’mon Ruth,” Lucy urged.

“Nope.” Ruth shook her head and stubbornly refused to budge.

Gloria marched over, grabbed her hand and dragged her into the crowd.

Satisfied everyone was in place; Gloria turned her back to them, kissed the tip of the flowers and tossed the bouquet over her head.

Sally dove for it, Lucy jumped to catch it.  Despite their attempts to catch the bouquet, it landed squarely in Andrea’s hands.  She gazed down at the bouquet and turned to Brian.

Gloria grinned.  Brian had purchased an engagement ring for Andrea, but he had told Gloria he didn’t want to steal her thunder so he decided to wait.  Brian planned to propose to Andrea on New Year’s Eve.

Brian smiled and shoved his hands in his pockets.  Andrea scurried over and showed him the bouquet.

Brian leaned over and kissed her forehead.  “Guess we’re next,” he teased.  He winked at Gloria.

Gloria couldn’t wait until he popped the question.  Several times, she had almost slipped but caught herself.  She would never forgive herself if she ruined Brian’s big day.

It was time to cut the cake and Paul led his bride to the cake table.  He sliced a piece of white cake and a slice of chocolate cake.  They lifted the cake and waited for the pictures before gently placing the cake in the other’s mouth.

Music drifted from the sunroom and Paul and Gloria headed back inside for the first dance.  Gloria stepped into her husband’s arms and they slowly circled the dancefloor, lost in the moment.  So perfect…so right.

Gloria blinked back the sudden tears and Paul caught a glimpse.

“Oh no.  You’re not regretting it already,” he teased.

Gloria let out a shaky laugh.  “No. It is just so perfect.”

Paul lowered his head and tenderly kissed Gloria’s lips.  “God has truly blessed us.”

The song ended and the DJ Gloria and Paul had hired began playing a song for the mother/son, father/daughter dance.

All of Paul and Gloria’s children…and grandchildren swept out onto the floor and one by one danced with the bride and groom.