Love Finds the One (Sully Point Book 2) (20 page)

She leaned over and hugged him, and then kissed him
tenderly, putting all her love into a kiss that deepened with every moment.
Finally, she said softly, "I love it." Moving back to sit up in her
own seat, Julia stared at the ring, and thought of how she wouldn't ever look
at it without realizing what a rare find a man like Cody was. "Seriously,
where did you get this? In the city?"

"No, I went to Lucretia Evans. She created it. Did a
damn fine job, too."

"I'll say. It really is perfect."

"She's got a wedding band, made to fit around it, like
a set."

"Wedding band...we're really going to do this, aren't
we."

Cody nodded. "I can think of any number of ways for us
to celebrate, but I think we'd better show up at the fish fry first," he
said with a grin.

She laughed. "I can't wait for them to see the ring."

"Dad is the one who sent me to Lucretia. You know, I
think he knew about us before we did ourselves."

As they drove to Frank's house, Julia kept turning her hand
this way and that, watching the sparkling gems. "I can't stop staring at
it."

"I'll be wearing a ring too, but it won't be quite as
fancy. Lucretia's got it all made up for me. She did some kind of engraving
thing on the band. Looks good."

Julia snuggled down in her seat and kept looking at her
ring. "I'm really happy you're going to wear a wedding band. And we can't
forget Holly in all this."

"She's going to see the ring tonight. She called today
and told me she planned to show up, as a surprise for Dad."

"I can't wait to see her reaction." Julia laughed.

They arrived at Frank's house and gathered everyone around.
Holly walked in right before they showed off the engagement ring. She stood
there looking surprised, but pleased, and gave them both hugs. Everyone was
impressed by the ring Lucretia had created. When Cody described his wedding
band to them, Julia noticed how his father nodded approval.

The fried fish dinner was delicious, and Julia felt as if
she'd put on a few more pounds just in one meal. Her body was starting to feel
normal again, now that she wasn't all skin and bones. When she thought about
how badly her health had deteriorated, and how she hadn't taken care of herself
she felt ashamed, but determined not to let it happen again. She'd begun to go
for runs each day, around town, sometimes with Cody joining her, to build up
her strength.

Holly approached the two of them after dinner as they were
sitting in the porch swing. "Am I truly forgiven? I still feel bad
about--"

"Stop," Julia said. "We understand, and we
forgive you. Now, let it go."

Holly pulled up a chair and sat down. "A wedding. And a
new business. Your mother is going to freak out, Julia, you know that,
right?"

Julia moved a bit closer to Cody who had his arm around her
shoulders. He gave her a gentle squeeze. "I know. So far, everything has
been kept under the radar, and she doesn't know. She has started emailing me
again, insisting I return to work. I guess she tried to get Dr. Deville to say
I should already be back at work, but he read her the riot act. I know she's
going to blow up at me fairly soon. At least now, I have my father on my
side."

They spent some time discussing her surprising talk with her
father. Then Holly wanted to talk weddings. Cody got up to go talk to Sam, and
Anna joined them on the porch. Soon all three women were deep into discussions
of flowers, wedding cakes, and whether a designer wedding dress was really
worth the money. By the time Cody came looking for her to leave, Julia was
overwhelmed.

"There are a zillion details," she said as they
drove to the boat. They'd decided to celebrate the engagement ring at his
place. "I had no idea weddings could get this complicated."

"Just remember, you only have to do what you want.
Don't let Holly talk you into things you aren't interested in doing. I fully
expect, when Holly gets married, it will be a major Hollywood production."

"I wonder if she will--get married, I mean. She never
seems to be ready to settle down."

"Look at me, babe. When she's ready, she'll be like me
I bet. And probably will get hit over the head by love just like I was."

They laughed together and held hands the rest of the way.
That night, as the boat rocked them gently, they made love with a quiet passion
which struck deep in both their hearts. At one point, Cody kissed away a stray
tear. "What's wrong?" he whispered.

"Nothing. Everything is perfect. That was a tear of
happiness."

Chapter 9

The news of their engagement spread like wildfire through
town the next day. When Julia went to the bakery for a coffee break at ten in
the morning, she was surrounded by well-wishers. And, of course, everyone had
to see the ring. Julia was pretty sure Lucretia's business was about to go way
up. Of course, people had to express shock at the idea of Cody settling down,
and there were some insinuations that he would never really be happy with just
one woman.

Julia knew she shouldn't listen to those comments, but,
every now and then, she felt a tiny flare of doubt. Then, she'd spend time with
him and all fears and doubts were swept away by their closeness, passion, and
love.

The ugly gothic building was painted a warm cream color. It
helped the look of the place enormously, Julia felt. The first floor had a
roomy, open feeling, with modular furniture. She'd placed a couch and two
leather chairs in the bay window area, with a colorful rug beneath. As she
accumulated computer parts, she set aside two rooms upstairs for storage.

Finally, she had her new coffee machine installed in the
kitchen, which was also stocked with paper plates and napkins to be ready for dozens
of goodies from the bakery. Notices had been sent out all over town about the
Open House at Julia's Place, and an evening party was planned for a small group
of select guests.

The morning of her grand opening, Julia was a wreck of
nerves and anticipation. She didn't expect to actually sell anything this first
day. The idea was to get people in, where she could explain what kinds of
services she would provide.

"Calm down, Jules, everything will be great
today," Cody told her as she was getting dressed. She'd changed clothes
three times.

"I can't decide how professional I should look."

"What you're wearing right now works fine."

She glanced in the mirror again to see black pants with a
deep blue silky top tucked in, silver belt at the waist. Her long black hair
swirled in waves over her shoulders--an attempt to curl her hair with electric
curlers. She knew the curls would all fall out by lunch. Her hair was too
straight to ever hold a curl for long. She put on black flats and addressed her
reflection. "I guess you're as ready as you ever will be."

"Come on, I'll drive you over," Cody said, giving
her a quick hug.

"Thanks, but no, I think I want to go by myself this
first morning. I need some minutes of quiet before opening, and you know I'd
just get distracted by you if you're there."

He smiled at her. "Distracting you is always a priority
for me." He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him where he kissed
her hard. "Okay, now you can go."

"Like I can think after that," she said shakily
and left laughing.

* * * *

Julia walked around the large open area and then sat at her
main computer. Her screen said 'Opening Day' in giant letters.
It's finally here,
she thought.
I'm really going to do this.
She felt determined and
confident and also just a little light-headed. This was a far cry from the
chaos of the ad agency and her mother's purview. She liked the calm feeling in
the building now. She liked knowing where every single piece of equipment, down
to the last computer chip and paper clip, was located. And, most of all, she
liked knowing she was the owner, boss of it all.

She got a cup of coffee and moved to sit on the couch. There
was a knock on the door and she jumped up to see Frank and Mrs. Gilchrest
outside. She unlocked the front door and let them in.

Mrs. Gilchrest was carrying a large floral arrangement
blooming with gerbera daisies, lilies, roses, and carnations, all in shades of
yellow and orange. She said, "I thought you might like this on your coffee
table here in front of the couch."

"They're beautiful! Thank you so much."

Mrs. Gilchrest said, "You're welcome." She nudged
Frank with her elbow.

"Yeah, well, I saw how you had those boxes upstairs
stacked on top of each other. I thought maybe you could use a shelving system.
I've ordered it, and it should arrive tomorrow or the next day. I'll bring it
over and set it up when it gets here."

"Frank, that was really thoughtful. Thank you," Julia
said and then gave him a hug.

He asked, "Did Kayla bring over the donuts and muffins
yet?"

"No, but she should be here any minute."

"I'll just go get us some coffee," he said and
motioned to Mrs. Gilchrest.

Shortly after that, the bakery delivery showed up and a few
people wandered in and began to talk to Julia about what she'd be doing.

By lunchtime, she was beginning to wonder if her voice would
last for the entire day. She'd repeated the same information more times than
she could count and already had several jobs lined up. Fortunately, she'd
printed up brochures listing her services. That way, not everyone had to get
the whole spiel from her directly.

Cody had been by at mid-morning but then was back in his own
shop. Tourist season was just beginning and business there had picked up.

Of course, throughout the day almost every person who'd come
in the building had asked to see Julia's ring, and had wanted to know when the
wedding would be taking place. As she grabbed a bite of a sandwich while
standing up in the kitchen, she wondered if the whole town expected to be
invited to the wedding.
Probably,
she thought.

She heard the door opening and moved quickly to greet the
next potential customer--who turned out to be her father. Standing still and
watching him breathlessly for a moment, she heard him say, "Hello, Julia."

She ran across the room to him and gave him a fierce hug.
"Dad, you came."

He chuckled. "Of course I came. Had to see what my girl
accomplished."

She pulled away from him and smiled broadly. "What do
you think?"

"Well, show me around, and I'll tell you. By the way,
were those gargoyles on the outside of the building?"

She laughed and nodded. Taking her father on a tour of the
building, she felt like a kid again showing off for him. He said little until
they returned to the main room and sat on the couch.

"Julia, you've done well. This makes sense financially,
as well as being good for you personally. I can tell by your face and how you
talk about it, you're going to have fun and that's what counts."

"Not the money?"

"The money is just a way to keep track. The fun is the
main thing. As long as you're passionate about what you're doing, you'll be
okay. Better than okay."

"Thanks, Dad. That means a lot coming from you."

He reached out and took her left hand in his. "But, I
think you have some other news to tell me, right?"

Her eyes opened wider. She simply hadn't thought to call and
tell him about the engagement. They weren't yet into a rhythm of being in touch
with each other. "Yes, I'm engaged. To Cody Grainger. He's from Sully
Point and owns a business--well two businesses actually. Grainger Charters--fishing
cruises--and the Bait and Tackle Shop."

"That's all well and good. Sounds like he's a young man
who's making something of himself. But, what I want to know is--what is it
about him that makes you love him enough to get married?"

Julia smiled softly. "He's like the part of me that was
missing, and now I've found it in him. He's responsible, and comes from a
loving family. He's fun and smart and supportive of me. I love him, more than I
can tell you, and he loves me. Now that we're together, I can't imagine living
a day without him."

"I'm happy for you, Julia, really happy."

"We haven't set a date yet for the wedding. I wanted to
get the business off the ground."

"Don't wait too long. If you're meant to be together,
then go for it." He stopped talking and appeared to think of something.
"When it happens, the wedding, would you like for me to walk you down the
aisle?"

Tears came to her eyes. "Yes, Dad, I'd love that."

He reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "No
crying now, not on your big day." He paused and the smile left his face.
"I need to tell you something Julia, and you're not going to like
it."

"What?" she asked, puzzled.

"There was a notice in one of the gossip columns in
last night's paper. It asked 'What ad exec and local heiress has left the
bright lights to start her own business in small town America?' Your mother has
to have seen it."

"No! Who would have blabbed that kind of gossip?"

"Somebody who noticed you weren't around and began
poking, probably got your location from one of your co-workers, then it would
just be a matter of sending someone here. Not too complicated."

Julia began to worry. "She'll come here, won't she? Mother--she'll
show up here today."

Her father said, "I'm afraid she will, so I'm here for
the rest of the day. I'll check out the town, but I want to be nearby or here
with you. If I'm not here, call me, just hit speed dial on your phone and if I
see it's you calling I'll race back here. I don't want you to have to see her
alone."

"I have to face her sometime. I guess today is as good
a day as any for that. It's time she knew I was all grown up. But that doesn't
mean I don't want you here. I can use the support."