Page 51 of Love's Bloom
At their nods, the conversation returned to the Gilford girls’ annual party.
Misty used that opportunity to slip away from the crowd. She had to see her sister and make sure everything was on track for the wedding.
###
When she arrived at Emmett’s house, all was quiet. Too quiet. Misty sat in her car, wondering what was wrong. She called her sister, and Crystal answered right away.
“What’s going on?” Misty asked. “It sounds as if you’ve been crying.”
“It’s Emmett’s father. He’s such a bastard,” said Crystal. “He arrived this afternoon ahead of time to talk to us. He’s arranged for a journalist to do an article on him, and he’s hired a photographer to take pictures at our wedding. This whole thing is all BS. Emmett can barely stand his stepfather. He’s gone to the Inn to talk to him again, trying to explain that this is our wedding, not another opportunity for his campaign.”
“Okay, I’m coming inside,” said Misty. She wanted to hug her sister and find a way to help her.
“Please do,” Crystal said. “I need to calm down, and talking to you will help.”
Misty found Crystal lying down in the master bedroom.
She sat up when she saw Misty. “Thanks for coming. I didn’t want anyone to know what was happening. This is supposed to be a happy occasion. It’s just like Emmett’s stepfather to do something like this.”
“We’ll just have to work around him,” said Misty. “Let’s call a security company to keep uninvited people away, including any journalist or photographer Everett has hired. We won’t make a fuss about it; just quietly take care of it.”
Crystal hugged her. “That’s exactly what we’ll do. I’m sure Emmett won’t mind. This way, there won’t be any confrontation with his stepfather. It’ll be a done deal.”
Together, sitting on the bed, they looked up information online and found a company in Portsmouth that provided security guards. Crystal called and left a message. Moments later, she received a return call. After arranging for someone to come tomorrow afternoon, Crystal ended the call and turned to Misty. “Thank you for thinking of this. It’ll make me feel better, and neither Emmett nor I will have to be involved in turning Everett’s people away.”
“How are things going with Emmett’s mother?” Misty asked.
“Okay. Once she gets comfortable with me, she can be sweet. And not having a daughter, Natalie loves knowing the details of the wedding. Thank you for inviting her to have her nails done. She is grateful to be part of the wedding.”
“How’s Natalie doing with Emmett’s stepfather?”
“It’s something I don’t understand,” admitted Crystal. “She’s willing to help him politically in the background, something she’s done for years. I think she feels beholden to him for rescuing her from a bad situation when she was a young single mother with a baby.”
“To each his own,” said Misty. “Families can be complicated. I’m lucky to have had you all these years acting as mother, father, and big sister.”
“And I’ve had GG and others to turn to,” said Crystal with a thoughtful expression. “Emmett and I will have the wedding we want because we’ll stick together. It’s a test, in a way, of what our lives will be like going forward.”
“I think you’re right to trust him,” said Misty. “Look what he’s given up to come to Lilac Lake. He could’ve been just a spoiled rich son of a politician instead of the general practitioner of a small town who desperately needs him.”
“Absolutely,” said Crystal. She studied Misty. “Where’d you get that smart?”
Misty held up a hand. “I think I’ve proven I’m not smart. I’ve made a bad mistake, and I’m praying I won’t have to pay for it over and over again.”
“Vince hasn’t shown himself yet,” said Crystal.
“What about the call from Florida?” asked Misty.
“It’s worrisome,” admitted Crystal, “but we’re on alert now. And, really, you can’t prove it was Vince. Maybe it was a misplaced phone call, a telemarketer.”
Sugar barked, and Emmett entered the room.
“How did it go with Everett?” asked Crystal, getting to her feet and going over to him.
Emmett shook his head. “The man has no scruples and an ego that won’t quit. I told him that we stand firm on our idea of a private wedding and that I won’t allow him to use us for publicity. He seemed subdued, but he didn’t actually agree not to use the wedding for his promotional purposes in the future.”
Crystal drew a deep breath and let it out. “Misty and I have come up with a plan. We’ve arranged to hire a security guard to keep away strangers, including newspeople and photographers. I trust Belinda Buckley from Captured Moments to do a good job photographing for us. I’ve met her. She’s new in town and trying to grow her business.”
“I hate to say it, but I don’t trust Everett to respect what we want,” said Emmett.
