Page 79 of Home Body
The quaint inn sat in the middle of the last block in one of the three-story buildings that made up the historical main district of the small town. Kenyon couldn’t get inside the door fast enough. “Hello,” she greeted the front desk clerk, who she didn’t recognize. “Do you by chance have a man named Bart staying here?”
“Miss, I can’t give out…”
“Yes.” A familiar voice came from behind. There he was, Bart the Bartender, tall, slender, blond, and beguiling. A duffle bag sat at his side as if he was ready to leave town.
Kenyon walked straight to him and fell into his arms. “I assume you’re here to ask me out.” Too tired to be coy, she’d gone straight for the obvious.
“I am. But I’m about to leave to get back to work today – my family’s construction business, remember? – I have to go back today but I thought maybe you’d go out with me this weekend. I would’ve called but I don’t know your last name.”
She spied a stack of newspapers on a table and handed him one, pointing to her name on the front page. “That’s me.”
“Kenyon O’Brien. Wow. You got the job! Congratulations. That’s awesome. This looks like quite a story. You’ve been busy since you got home.”
“I have. But let’s get back to your question. How would you like to go to a wedding with me on Sunday?”
“Is…it…your wedding?”
She punched his shoulder. “You know better. My friend Dalia. Well, it turns out she’s my half-sister, too. Or something. We haven’t figured that all out yet. I have a lot to tell you.”
“I see. Sunday sounds great. What would you say about dinner on Friday to catch up?”
“That would be wonderful.”
She walked with him to his car where they kissed goodbye. And kissed again. He drove off leaving her feeling like this hadalready been one of the best days of her life. She had the job she wanted, she’d helped solve a cold case, and she might even have a new boyfriend.
Finally, infused with the lightness of profound happiness, she could rest and went home to get that much needed sleep.
CHAPTER 46
Sunday, the day of the wedding, began with the morning sun casting its glittering, golden warmth over the farm as if blessing it for the momentous event to come. Dalia and Rose did their chores, Rover herded his sheep, and Mamie fussed in the kitchen making a variety of small cakes.
Dalia had made their intricate three-layer white wedding cake the evening before. Prior to that, they’d been at the Farmers’ Market as usual on a Saturday and Mamie announced she may have got carried away inviting townsfolk to the wedding. At least she’d remembered to tell them to bring lawn chairs, food, and their own drinks.
Brody had gone to his parents’ house in Detroit the night before for dinner with his mom, dad, two brothers, and sister-in-law to explain how he’d fallen crazy in love with Dalia and her family. He’d explained everything to his parents on the phone and they’d agreed to attend the wedding, but his mom had asked, “Is she pregnant?” That left Brody realizing he should sit down with his family in person to explain how he felt and how happy he was over this wedding. Dalia suspected his parents were going to continue to have a hard time with this becauseit all happened so fast. She wasn’t expecting warm, fuzzy acceptance from his clan.
But that wouldn’t stop her and Brody from having this wedding. Nothing could stop them.
They’d originally invited about seventy people including Brody’s family, Kenyon’s family, Kenyon’s friend Jessa, Mr. Van Natter and his date whose name they learned was Margaret, Inez Crow, Saul Steinburg, Sheriff Wisniewski and his wife, Prissy, Sheriff Allen and his wife, Mamie’s quilting club, and the congregation from their small church. But Mamie’s Farmdale Farmers’ Market invitation had spread like wildfire, so they had no idea how many people would show up at one o’clock that afternoon.
It was as informal a wedding as one could ever get. And Dalia loved it.
Kenyon arrived two hours early, wedding dress in hand. A couple of women from church had come early, too, to help out in any way possible, and it took all three of them to carry the bulky bag up the stairs. They hung it on a peg on the wall in Dalia’s room where she unzipped the bag. They all gasped with delight as the ivory tulle spilled out.
Rose’s little eyes popped with pleasure. “Mommy! It’s the dress!”
“Yes, love. Miss Kenyon let me borrow it. Isn’t that nice of her.”
“Thank you, Miss Kenyon,” Rose gasped. “It’s the prettiest dress ever.”
“My pleasure. Rose, there’s something your mommy and I talked about that I want to ask you.” Rose’s mouth fell open in quandary. “Seeing that we’re like family now, would you like to call me Aunt Kenyon instead of Miss Kenyon? I feel like I’m your aunt, so I would like that.”
Rose’s little head spun around to check with her mother, who nodded. “’kay. Aunt Kenyon.” The girl giggled with her fingers at her lips.
Kenyon hugged her niece, and they turned their attention back to the dress and getting the bride ready for her big day. Dalia did her own hair, which fell in loose curls down her back, and her own makeup, which she left beguilingly natural. Kenyon also brought the veil, and Dalia adored its delicate touch on her skin. When she was done, Mamie, Kenyon, and Rose all marveled at her beauty.
Dalia was surprised at how calm she felt, at how certain she was that this was the right thing to do. She didn’t even worry about setting up everything, as more church friends had arrived downstairs and shoved Mamie out of her own kitchen so the mother-of-the-bride could check on her daughter and get ready herself. There were people outside doing she knew not what, but as long as the preacher showed up to render the vows, Dalia didn’t care about anything else. A demanding bride she was not.
The three women turned their attention to getting Rose ready. In only a couple of days, Mamie had whipped up a princess dress worthy of a royal coronation with a silk top covered in tulle and a ballgown skirt in alternating layers of tulle and lace, all in Rose’s favorite shade of pink. They caught up her curly hair with freshly picked pink roses and sprigs of heather from the garden. Her pink glasses added to her adorableness.
