Page 43 of The Wedding Toast
Zia nodded.
“No, why – do you think I should be?”
“Oh no.He’s happy really.He likes it here, but it’s not his place, is it?”
Darlene chuckled.“It sure isn’t.”
“But the flowers love him – they like him and my mom the best.”
“Flowers always like him, flowers and anything that grows.”
Zia nodded sagely.“They can tell who loves them and he does.”
Darlene eyed the girl as they walked.“You been talking to him then?”
“Only a little bit.He liked it but he didn’t know what to say back.”
“I reckon you’re right about that.We’ve been married over forty years, and I could say the same thing – well, I couldn’t ever say that I only talked to him a little bit.Give and take we can do, but when it comes to talk and listen, we have different strengths.Anyway … did you give him a name?”She’d been waiting for the kid to name Chuck – and to see how he might react.
Zia nodded solemnly.“He is Sir Strongheart – the Keeper of the Fields.”
Darlene had to swallow a couple times.“Aww, that’s… beautiful.”
“It’s just true.”
“You’re right.It is.It fits him perfect.”Darlene might have been hoping to be able to tease him about whatever name the child gave him, instead she was deeply touched.
“Did he like it?”she had to ask.
Zia grinned up at her.“He did.He didn’t say so, but I could tell by the way his eyes crinkled.”
Darlene laughed.“Well thank you, little lady.I reckon you probably made his day with that – and mine too.I’ll have to start calling him Sir Strongheart, it suits him.I probably shouldn’t ask – I’m afraid to hear what you’ll say but … did you come up with one for me yet?”
“Oh yes.You’re Lady Darling.You are the mother of the Queen of the Cornflowers.And you are Sir Strongheart’s lady.”Zia gave her a sassy smile.“And the first time I heard your name I thought you were called Darling – I think it suits you.”
Darlene squeezed the girl’s hand.“Well, thank you, sugarplum.I love it.”
They’d reached the greenhouse but there was no sign of Chuck or Walt.“What do you think, should we go see your mom at the garage?”
Zia sighed.“Yeah.I was supposed to go check in so that she knows I’m okay – and that I’m not annoying people.”
“Aww, we can let her know that you’re good on both counts, why don’t we?”
Alara had been working so hard on building the arch it wasn’t even funny.Darlene hadn’t been inclined to like her at first – what kind of woman let her child run wild to be taken care of by strangers while she worked?She was happy to have been proven wrong though.Alara had made clear that she was only happy to let Zia run free on the estate because she knew it was a closed environment, there were good people around – and there was security on the front gate.
As they walked by the point where the driveway split, Darlene was surprised to see not one, but two planes parked near the hangar.As she scanned the area around them, she smiled when she spotted Trick and Elliott.
“Look who just landed.”
Zia followed her gaze.“Landed?”she asked with wide eyes.
“The pilots,” Darlene said with a conspiratorial grin.“Jacob has a plane, and his best friend has one too.They’re helping to bring in all the guests.Those two fly Jacob’s plane.”
Zia’s eyebrows lifted.“They fly the plane?”
“Sure do.They’re real-life pilots.You ever been in a plane before?”
Zia shook her head slowly, eyes still locked on the two men approaching.“Are they always so tall?”
