Page 52 of Moonlit Harbor Nights

“I’ll get some glasses,” Hazel offered, and the two of them sashayed into the kitchen together.

Vivian’s head was immediately filled with questions about the wedding. She wanted to know where Julia hoped to have the reception, what time of year she and Cooper wanted to get married in, what kind of wedding cake they wanted to have—but she reminded herself that Julia probably didn’t know the answer to those questions herself yet.

“I can’t wait to plan the wedding with you,” Vivian said, thinking of how much fun it had been to plan Hazel’s wedding.

And I had some reservations about that boy too,Vivian thought, shaking her head when she thought of Hazel’s ex-husband, who Hazel had married right out of high school.I have no reservations about Cooper. He’s such a good man.

Alexis and Hazel trooped back inside from the kitchen, bearing two bottles of white wine and five wine glasses.

“A toast,” Alexis said, before she’d even finished pouring the first glass of wine. “To Julia and Cooper, and their lasting happiness.”

Laughter ensued as they hurried to fill their glasses so that they could make the toast.

“To Julia and Cooper!” Dean declared loudly, and they all took sips of the gold-colored wine.

“Mmm, that’s an excellent Pinot Grigio,” said Alexis, smiling over the crisp flavor of the beverage. “I love wines with a bit of a citrus kick.”

“It’s more of a whisper than a kick,” said Dean, pretending to be a deep-voiced wine connoisseur.

“I love you guys,” Hazel burst out, and laughed when they all immediately went to hug her. “I mean it. I’m so thankful we’rehere together celebrating Julia, and that we’re facing this new Judd McCormick fiasco with each other.”

“Me too,” Alexis agreed warmly.

“Ahh, the McCormick fiasco.” Dean frowned. “In the middle of Julia’s happy news, I almost forgot about it.”

“Maybe we should,” Julia said. “Let’s just forget about it and be happy. I bet if we take the peaceful route, it will all work itself out.”

Alexis chuckled. “Well, of course Julia wants peace—she’s living on Cloud Nine, not Planet Earth.”

The rest of the family laughed at her joke.

“Here on Planet Earth, people sue each other,” Hazel teased, and her siblings groaned over her wry humor.

“I don’t want to sue,” Vivian spoke up. “I know we’d be justified in pursuing retribution, but I don’t think that’s the right course to take. I don’t want to retaliate. I think we should simply stand by our values, just like we did when the McCormicks slandered us in that magazine article. Everything worked out fine then, and I bet it will all work out fine this time around too.”

Her children murmured agreements. She knew that they would defer to her wishes in the situation, since the pub belonged to her and the final decision was hers to make.

Although she’d sounded confident in her decision, her heart felt unsteady with worry. It was true that a peaceful approach had worked in the past, but she couldn’t help wondering if they were going to make it through this time.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Terrence set down his cup of coffee and looked out the window. Outside, the snow was beginning to melt into patches as February warmed its way toward spring. A cardinal fluttered into the bird feeder that was hanging in Terrence’s front lawn, just in front of his picture window.

Ordinarily, when he had a Monday off, he loved nothing more than sitting and drinking good coffee or tea and reading a book. If any birds landed on his bird feeder, he would take a break to watch them, admiring their sharp, quick movements and their delicately small features.

Today, however, he found himself unable to focus on anything. His thoughts kept returning to the conversation he’d had with Vivian, in which he’d warned her not to trust Alan. He couldn’t stop thinking about the angry look on her face she’d had just before turning around and leaving him in the bakery alone.

Maybe I made a mistake,he thought with a sigh.But I felt sure that Alan couldn’t be trusted. I still feel that way. I hope I’m wrong, though. I hope Vivian has nothing to worry about.

He sighed, knowing that Vivian probably had a crush on the handsome car salesman. Terrence inwardly kicked himself againfor not thinking to buy Vivian a beautiful bouquet like the one Alan had bought her.

He sighed again and looked down at the book that was resting in his lap. It was a nonfiction book about the Industrial Revolution, and while ordinarily a well-written book like that would be able to capture his attention unceasingly, he’d barely managed to read a few sentences.

He looked back out the window. The cardinal was gone, and he felt strangely disappointed by its absence. He wondered if he should talk to Vivian. Maybe if they had a conversation about everything, he would be able to make things right. After all, he hadn’t meant to upset her, and maybe now that she’d had some time to cool down, she’d realized that he really had been looking out for her.

He shook his head.I should apologize to her. I stand by what I think about Alan, and I still think my concerns are justified, but I feel I owe her an apology. I was out of line, bringing it up the way that I did.

Sighing, he stood up. He walked into his kitchen to get himself another cup of coffee, and halfway there, his stomach started to growl. He realized that he hadn’t eaten lunch, and he glanced at the clock. It was almost two in the afternoon.

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