“Of course you’re right,” Emily told her. “Hey, Samantha, get your butt back down here. We’re about to try on dresses.”
With the true skill of an actress, there wasn’t so much of a hint of Samantha’s earlier dismay reflected in her eyes when she returned, and a deft use of makeup covered all traces of her tears. Her smile for Cora Jane’s benefit was as bright as ever.
They carried the boxes into the living room. Samantha poked at one. “If the first thing out of here is orange, you can count me out.”
Emily laughed. “Would I do that to you? I told you we’d be going with pastels, though since we’ve set the date now for late summer, I decided on slightly deeper shades.”
She opened the box and pulled out a slim dress the color of a ripe peach and handed it to Samantha, then extracted a similar dress in turquoise for Gabi. She regarded them hopefully. “Well? What do you think?”
“Summer at the beach,” Gabi said at once. “They’re beautiful, Em.”
“And that color was made for you, Samantha,” Cora Jane said, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “You girls will be beautiful.”
“And now for me,” Emily said. “I’m changing in the bathroom, though. I want to make an entrance. Gabi, do you want to help? I can’t reach all the buttons in the back.”
Gabi went with her, then stood by as Emily extracted an exquisite fairy-tale dress with a beaded bodice and narrow skirt that swirled into a flowing train. It was the back that made her draw in her breath. It dipped low with dozens of small buttons drawing attention from the small of her back to well below her hips.
“Sexy, huh?” Emily said with a grin. “I figure if people are going to be looking at my backside during the service, then it ought to put on a show.”
“It’s stunning,” Gabi told her. “And exactly right for you. It’s elegant and classy, yet you’ll look like a princess.”
Emily beamed. “Exactly the look I was going for. Hurry with those buttons. I can’t wait to see Grandmother’s face.”
“She’s going to cry,” Gabi predicted.
“Well, I know that. I just hope she’ll get all the tears out of her system now, so she’ll be all smiles on my wedding day.”
“Not a chance,” Gabi said. “She’ll be as emotional then as the rest of us. I expect to bawl my eyes out.”
Emily frowned at her. “Don’t you dare. I don’t want all my wedding pictures to look as if I made my entire family miserable by getting married.”
“Fine. I promise we’ll look as if we’re relieved to be rid of you,” Gabi teased.
“I thought older sisters were supposed to be more supportive,” Emily lamented.
“You’d be thinking of Samantha. I’m here to be the thorn in your side.”
Gabi opened the door, did a little flourish, then stepped aside to allow Emily her grand entrance.
As predicted, Cora Jane’s eyes instantly filled with tears. So did Samantha’s.
“Well, heck, if the two of you are going to cry, then who am I to be holding back,” Gabi said. “Sorry, Em, but you’re just so darn beautiful and we are so incredibly happy for you and Boone.”
When she glanced at her sister’s face, she noted that Emily, too, had tears in her eyes. Oblivious of her dress, she crossed the room and gathered them all close.
“You guys are the best,” she whispered.
“And you, my sweet girl, will be the loveliest bride ever,” Cora Jane said, then grinned. “At least until these two get with the program. I imagine they’ll give you a run for your money.”
All three of them laughed at the unmistakable challenge in Cora Jane’s voice, but it was Emily who uttered a warning.
“Just as long as they don’t steal my thunder, understood?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Gabi said.
“Never dream of it,” Samantha added. “This is your big day. The next few months are all about you, just the way you like it.”
Emily frowned slightly at that. “Hey, wait a minute.”
“It’s okay,” Samantha said. “We love you, anyway.”
“And I’d like to point out that I’ll be having a baby before this big wedding,” Gabi commented. “I wouldn’t mind at least a few minutes in the spotlight. In fact, after going through hours of labor, I may want a parade in my honor.”
“Oops,” Samantha said, grinning. “I almost forgot. You’re not just getting a little pudgy around the middle. That’s a baby you’re carrying.”
“So amusing,” Gabi commented.
“Enough,” Cora Jane scolded. She poured the nonalcoholic champagne into fluted glasses. “To the Castle women, each of you unique and amazing!”
“And to the woman who’s been our example,” Emily said, lifting her glass to Cora Jane.
After that, the tears flowed yet again, right along with the bubbly. Gabi hoped they’d always remember the moments of unity like this one and not the dissension and sibling rivalries that occasionally divided them. With luck and maturity, those were well and truly in the past.
17
Wade had been working with Tommy Cahill on a new oceanfront home for the past week. He’d also been keeping a close eye on Jimmy, whose usual exuberance and impudence were nowhere to be found. After several days of giving the kid his space and hoping Jimmy would come to him, Wade tired of waiting.
The kid had left the house, walked over the dunes and was standing by the ocean, his hands shoved in his pockets, his shoulders slumped. He could have been the poster boy for teenage angst and dejection.
Wade walked up beside him. He kept his gaze straight ahead, waiting some more.
“Hey,” Jimmy said eventually.
“Hey, yourself.” When Jimmy added nothing, Wade asked, “Everything okay?”
Jimmy shook his head. As Wade studied his expression, there was no mistaking the worry in Jimmy’s eyes.
“Want to talk about it?”
After a long silence, which Wade patiently waited out, Jimmy revealed, “I haven’t heard anything about the scholarship. Mr. Castle said I should be hearing soon.”
“And
