The Wedding Circle Read online

  Jeremy gave her an impulsive hug and another of his lingering kisses. “That’s my Maurie,” he said, pulling back with a smile that was definitely on the sexy side of wicked. “Hey, why don’t we leave the dishes for later and head on in to that purple bedroom of yours? I’ll fire up this little votive candle I just blew out and take it in with us.”

  She didn’t hesitate, quickly wiping her hands on the lavender dish towel hanging over the sink. “You just lead the way. I didn’t make any dessert.”

  4

  Sneaky Boys, Sneaky Men

  An unexpected little drama at The Twinkle Twinkle Café was unfolding, and Maura Beth was there to witness it from start to finish. She, Periwinkle Lattimore, and Mr. Parker Place had huddled at one of the larger tables during the lull between the lunch and dinner crowds, and were planning the menu for the upcoming visit of the Mayhews and the Brentwood McShays. The Robber Bridegroom review and potluck was less than a week away, so there was a sense of urgency in their give-and-take; but everyone was in a cooperative mood, realizing the importance of the event. They had gotten as far as the first course when Periwinkle’s trusty waitress, Lalie Bevins, emerged from the kitchen with her son, Barry, in tow. He was doing his best to pull away from her, but she was having none of it.

  The family resemblance was very striking. Mother and son had the same round, rosy-cheeked faces and short stature. They parted company dramatically when it came to their dark hair, however; she wore hers slicked back in a ponytail tied with an ordinary rubber band, while he had engineered his into trendy-looking, short spikes. To further announce his presence to the world around him, Barry sported a blue-green tattoo on his right forearm that read in big block letters: I’M STILL GROWIN’

  “Miz Peri, Mr. Place, Miz Mayhew,” Lalie began, acknowledging each of them with an exaggerated nod. “I want y’all to hear this from the horse’s mouth. Go ahead, son, tell ’em!”

  Barry said nothing at first, flashing on his mother all the while.

  “You’re not goin’ anywhere until you tell ’em!” she insisted, holding firmly on to his arm.

  “What’s this all about, Lalie?” Periwinkle asked, putting her pen and paper aside for the moment and rising from the table.

  “His sassy little girlfriend is what,” she answered quickly. “You tell ’em right now, Barry!”

  “I didn’t think it’d be such a big deal, Miz Peri. Honest,” he finally managed. “It was just one baked custard is all. I sneaked one to my girlfriend, Mollie, when she came in yesterday. I’ll pay for it myself if you want.”

  While Periwinkle seemed to take the confession without blinking, Maura Beth could not have been more surprised to hear it. She’d received nothing but glowing reports from Periwinkle about The Twinkle’s first home delivery boy. Indeed, the brand-new Twinkle in a Twinkle takeout service was catching on, and Barry Bevins was getting rave reviews from all over Greater Cherico in the form of unsolicited phone calls from satisfied customers. And so far, he had yet to run a stop sign or red light, been caught speeding, or made so much as the tiniest dent in The Twinkle’s white-panel van.

  Maura Beth sat back and marveled at the way Periwinkle skillfully handled the situation. “Well, Barry, you must be goin’ out with an invisible girlfriend because I didn’t see her in here yesterday, and my eye doctor says there’s not a thing wrong with my vision. So what’s the real story here?”

  “Umm . . . well, Miz Peri, Mollie came in the delivery door in back when you and Mr. Place were on a break.”

  Periwinkle raised an eyebrow. “Was this the only time you’ve helped yourself to food without telling us?”

  He appeared to be considering his options—his eyes darting around like pinballs before he finally spoke. “Well, there was one more time. But that’s all, I swear it. And please don’t blame Mollie. She didn’t ask me to do it. I was just tryin’ to impress her, I guess. But, well, she did tell me once that she’d like to try something that had sherry in it. She, uh, dares me to do things a lot.”

  “You realize you can’t be sneakin’ food from the restaurant, young man. But if you’d asked, I would have worked out something for you—like maybe half price because you’re an employee.”

  “Are you . . . gonna fire me?” he asked, blushing bright pink and staring down at his sneakers.

  Periwinkle exchanged glances with both Maura Beth and Mr. Place but somehow managed a stern smile. “I believe in second chances because our customers have told me you’re gettin’ their food to them on time. Miz Connie McShay out at the lake swears by you.”

  Barry looked up, brightening considerably. “Yeah, she’s my biggest tipper. Same order every time—lotsa tomato aspics.”

  Periwinkle maintained her somber tone. “You understand that the second chance I’ll give you is based on no more freebies from the fridge when nobody’s around, don’tcha?”

  “I think you should dock him, no matter what, Miz Peri,” Lalie put in, her nose in the air. “He needs to learn him a lesson. I didn’t bring him up to steal from people, especially from someone who’s been as good to me as you have. It’s prob’ly ’cause his father and me got divorced when he was little. I’ve tried to do my best with him on my own.”

  “Tell ya what,” Periwinkle said, taking it all in with a serene demeanor. “You pay half price for the two you stole, Barry, and I’ll consider we’re even. Have we got a deal?”

  “Yeah, we got a deal. Thank you, Miz Peri,” he answered, looking very relieved as the two shook hands.

  “And you don’t have to sneak your girlfriend in the back door, either,” Periwinkle added. “You bring her in through the front so we can visit and get to know her a little better. That is, if you’re serious about the relationship. I have to assume you are, the way you’re movin’ my custard on the sly.”

  “Yes, ma’am, I am,” Barry told her with conviction in his voice. “I mean, I’m sixteen now, and I have this real good job here. Hey, there’s nothin’ I like better than drivin’ all around town. I sure never thought I’d get paid for it and get such awesome tips. These two high-school buddies a’ mine, Scott and ‘Crispy’—well, his real name’s Lawrence, but he likes bacon so much we all call him Crispy—anyhow, my buddies are so jealous of the money I’m makin.’ And then they both wish they could be goin’ out with a hottie like Mollie Musselwhite. It’s so sweet—I got it all over ’em.”

  “You keep at it, son. I can assure you that being a hard worker will impress any sixteen-year-old girl. And when it comes to tips, here’s the best one I can give you about women in general: We’re all of us on the lookout for solid, responsible men,” Periwinkle told him.

  “Well, I think it’s a good thing we nipped this in the bud,” Lalie said, getting in a final word. “It was Mollie’s mother who called me up and put me on to it, and I brought it straight to ya as soon as I heard, Miz Peri.”

  “For which I thank you.” She paused to reflect, briefly bit her lip, and then nodded. “So, I think we’re done here.”

  At which point Lalie and Barry headed back into the kitchen and Periwinkle resumed her seat, gathering her notes in front of her once again. “Now, where were we, folks? I believe we’d whittled it down to either a cucumber and red onion salad or my tomato aspic for the first course.”

  “I vote for the cucumber and red onion,” Mr. Place said. “Not quite as heavy on the tummy in this August heat, you know. By the way, that was well done back there with Barry.”

  Periwinkle’s smile was clearly not of the surface variety, and she even winked at him at the end. “There’s nothin’ I can’t handle, Parker.”

  Maura Beth quietly observed the two of them throughout the rest of the meeting. It was the subtle things she couldn’t help but notice: a stolen glance now and then; the tone of voice they used with one another; even reaching out to touch in what could only be described as a flirtatious manner. It was becoming apparent that they were probably moving beyond the friendship stage. Periwinkle had even suggest
ed as much to Maura Beth recently. “Parker’s just such a change from Harlan and those sneaky ways he tries to take advantage of me,” she had revealed at one point. “But Parker’s pastries aren’t the only thing sweet about him, and I think I’m ready for that kind of man in my life right now.”

  But Maura Beth also wondered frankly just how open they were prepared to be about their relationship and what steps they might take next. Yes, it was the millennium, but it was still the small-town South and all that came with that. A burgeoning romance between a black man and a white woman might not attract the attention it once did, but it still wasn’t the sort of thing it was wise to flaunt. Not to mention that he was still living with his elderly mother, Ardenia, on Big Hill Lane, and Periwinkle still drove home every night to her house halfway between Cherico and Corinth, thankfully with audiobooks from the library to keep her company. Was some sort of epic change looming on the horizon?

  Periwinkle was pleased with all the decisions she, Maura Beth, and her Parker had made earlier regarding the upcoming dinner for the parents of the bride and groom. The menu had been set: cucumber and red onion salad; followed by spice-rubbed, grilled chicken breasts with homemade chunky salsa; and finally, Parker’s key lime icebox pie for dessert. Despite what she had heard about Maura Beth’s parents, she couldn’t imagine that anyone could possibly be picky about delicious fare like that. After all, her livelihood was based on the truism that everyone spoke the common language of good food.

  Now it was time to close up and drive home at the end of yet another successful day of business at The Twinkle. Her Parker had made it known from the beginning of his employment that he didn’t much like her being the last one standing at ten o’clock every night, and he had intervened as the gentleman he was.

  “I don’t mind staying a half hour longer to lock up with you,” he had insisted that first time on the job. “I’d feel better about things.”

  “Hey, I’ve done it for years, and I’m a big girl,” she had told him. “I have mace on the premises, and I took a self-defense class a few years back. You just go on home and look after that sweet little mother of yours. You give Ardenia my best, now.” And with a carefree wink, she had sent him on his way ahead of her—even if their send-offs these days had now escalated into long, heartfelt hugs, followed by delicious little pecks on the cheek.

  In fact, the warm, fuzzy feelings generated by their latest good-bye were coursing through her veins as she turned the back-door key and headed toward her Impala. She always parked it in the slot beside the big, rusty-looking Dumpster, which for some reason she had come to think of as a stout sentinel looking after her precious Twinkle. She was also daydreaming about the humorous text she had received during the dinner service from up-and-coming country singer, Waddell Mack, telling her that he planned to stop by The Twinkle next time he was passing through Cherico on his way to Nashville. i hear ur place is word of mouthwatering, the text had concluded, causing her to break out into laughter to the surprise of everyone working in the kitchen. Why, if he actually showed up and ate her food, she might just have to start a wall of autographed celebrity pictures! That might really put The Twinkle on the map!

  Thus, her guard was down when the long shadow cast from a nearby streetlight fell ominously across the asphalt stretching out in front of her. In an instant, her arms were encircled and pinned behind her as a gruff male voice declared: “Guess who, Peri?”

  She felt like she had been stabbed with a hypodermic full of adrenaline as she got out a couple of piercing screams for help. But the voice immediately intervened. “Stop all that yelling, Peri! It’s just me, Harlan!”

  He loosened his grip, allowing her to break away from him. Then she spun around, her eyes filled with contempt. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?! You scared me to death sneaking up on me like that!”

  “It was just a joke. I didn’t mean anything by it. But seriously, I need to talk to you,” he said, softening his tone a bit.

  She brandished her car keys in front of his face. “Some joke! You see these? I was fixin’ to put your eyes out with ’em. Or give you a swift kick to that almighty junk of yours you prize so highly. What on earth’s wrong with you? You wanna talk to me—you call me up like a normal human being and say what you gotta say. Or you show up in broad daylight when there are witnesses around. Whadda you mean stalkin’ me like this in the parking lot?”

  “Stop making such a fuss. I wanted to get it straight from you,” he continued, exhaling as she lowered her keys.

  “Get what straight from me?”

  The lines in his face definitely hardened. “Don’t you play so innocent with me, Peri. You know damn well what I’m talking about. Is it true that you’re seeing that . . . that—”

  She cut him off quickly, thrusting the keys at him once again. “Don’t you dare say that word to me! Don’t you even think about it!”

  His laughter was dismissive. “I was gonna say . . . that pastry chef. See? You got all huffy for nothing.”

  “Oh, you don’t fool me. I’m sure you were thinkin’ it, and it’s not the least bit funny,” she said, backing away from him slightly. He was still intruding too much on her personal space. “It’s no business of yours if I am good friends with Parker or what’s goin’ on between us. But let me remind you that you and I are divorced, Harlan John Lattimore, and that means it’s over and done with. I thought I made that crystal clear to you when I turned down that so-called second proposal of yours a few months ago. Fact is, you’re still the same irresponsible, pretend cowboy you always were. You’ll never grow up—not in our lifetime. You oughtta try to see yourself as everybody else does for a change.”

  He inched closer to her face again, and she could smell that he had been drinking. “Spare me the lecture, Peri. Hell, I just can’t believe you’d prefer this black man to me,” he continued, contorting his lips into a sneer. “You keep this up, and it’ll ruin your business for sure. It’s one thing to hire this man to make some extra money on his desserts. I get that part. But it’s another thing entirely if you’re seen all over town acting like some damn fool, giggly teenager on her first date. Makes me sick just to think about it. You don’t think people are talking about you behind your back? I’m only telling you all this for your own good, I hope you realize. Talk about looking at yourself in a mirror!”

  Now it was her turn to laugh him off. “Yeah, I know you’ve always had my best interests at heart. Ha! That’s why our marriage lasted so long. But you keep this stalkin’ stuff up, and I’ll get a restraining order against you. I mean it, Harlan. I don’t have to take this foolishness, so you better get over your jukebox-playing, line-dancing, womanizing self. I don’t wanna see you around The Twinkle even if you haven’t eaten for a month and you’re flat out starvin’ to death. You’re not welcome here on my property, and that’s my fair warning.”

  He lifted his chin dramatically, twitching his nose as his eyes narrowed to slits. “If that’s the way you want it, then, Miss High and Mighty!”

  “Call me whatever you want. But you just remember those two big words, Harlan: restraining order. You’ll get off my case here and now if you know what’s good for you.”

  He mumbled something under his breath and started to walk away. Then he turned on his cowboy boot heels at the last second and wagged a finger at her. “You can’t get rid of me so easily after all we’ve been through. And don’t come crying to me when all this doesn’t turn out the way you thought it would!”

  “Believe me, I won’t,” she said, snickering. “And your veiled threats don’t scare me the least little bit.”

  She watched him storming off into the darkness and suddenly realized she needed to catch a breath. Her blood was racing, and she felt more vulnerable than she had in a very long time. When she had finally calmed herself, she slid into the front seat of her car and sat behind the wheel thinking about what had just happened. Should she tell Parker about the distressing incident? The last thing she want
ed was any kind of confrontation between the two men. That might bring the black versus white issue to an ugly conclusion.

  She started the car and then turned on the air-conditioning, finding unexpected comfort in the rush of white noise it produced. Maybe if she just told her best girlfriend, Maura Beth, and sought her advice, leaning on her shoulder for once. What about her mother over in Corinth? Or perhaps she should just say nothing and hope for the best. Surely Harlan was just talking a tough game and trying to soothe his wounded male ego. It was easy to picture him as nothing more than an aging buck with a huge set of antlers, posturing and snorting at the air; then flicking his tail and running away into the woods to hide at the first sign of being stood down.

  5

  Bye Bye Broccoli

  Jeremy and Maura Beth were sitting across from each other at the breakfast table a few days before the big visit of their parents. “You still have no clue what Becca’s surprise girlie luncheon—as you keep calling it—is all about?” he wanted to know. It wasn’t the first time he had pressed her on the subject.

  She was momentarily lost in thought and then looked up from her cereal with a wry grin. “Hey, cut the woman some slack. She’s pregnant and probably crazed with hormones. That’s the best I can come up with right now. All she would tell any of us was that it was going to be me, Connie, Periwinkle, and Miss Voncille—the original core of the book club.”

  Jeremy took a sip of his coffee before throwing out his latest theory. “Okay, try this one on for size. I have to be good at reading the minds of all my students, you know. That’s how you maintain control in the classroom—you anticipate the next moves of those fermenting teenaged brains. So, I was thinking that Becca might have an important announcement to make, and she wants her very bestest girlfriends at her side for a big dose of courage.”