Ain't She Sweet (Seven Brides for Seven Mothers #2) - Whitney Dineen Page 0,98
a warning tone.
She interrupts, “Fine, it’s none of my business. Call some of your friends and tell them about tonight. I’ll see you later.”
She hangs up before I can say anything else. I open the envelope in my hands and pull out a sheet of paper. It reads:
James,
I’m sure you’ve already heard that Cash and I have left. I’m truly sorry for any trouble our being there has caused Tara. I’m sure you know that I still love her and probably always will. Be good to her. Give her the life she’s always wanted. You’re one lucky man.
Romaine
Wow, how about that? Romaine isn’t the total prick I pegged him for, not that I want to hang out with him or anything.
I hurry to get dressed before heading over to Tara’s house. Penny is wiggling around my feet, so I pick her up and carry her out for her morning constitutional.
As we pass the front desk, Chris calls out, “Tonight, we party!”
I stop over to talk to her. “Where’s the press? This is the quietest it’s been here in a couple of days.”
“I’m guessing they’re just waking up to the news that there’s no wedding. I’m hoping for a mass exodus soon.”
“And my mom?” I ask.
“She’s on party duty, turning a wedding into a welcome to Spartan party for Tara.”
I nod my head. “I’m on my way over to see her now.”
“You mean she didn’t stay here last night?” Chris sounds surprised.
“You’re as bad as my mom,” I tell her. “You two must have been a pretty racy duo back in the day.”
“We knew how to get it done,” Chris replies. Ew.
I walk out the front door and put Penny down to do her business before getting into my truck. The day is cold and crisp and somewhat dreary as the sun hasn’t made its appearance yet, but it’s a wonderful day.
“Dad,” I say in my head. “I hope you can see us. It looks like Tara and I got off the ride and we’re both in one piece. I wish you could’ve met her. She’s the most wonderful, infuriating, sexy woman I’ve ever known. Not to get all sappy, but I think Mom’s done it again. First she hooked Brogan and Addie up and now me and Tara.
Life is good, Dad. We miss you like crazy, but life is good.”
Chapter Fifty-Three
Gwen
Walking into the ballroom on Billy’s arm makes Gwen feel like Cinderella. Her handsome prince is a seventy-year-old formerly homeless vet. She would have never thought that was her destiny.
“You look beautiful tonight,” Billy leans in and whispers in her ear.
“You look pretty snazzy yourself,” she replies, admiring the suit she helped him pick out earlier today.
“As far as I’m concerned, this is your party, too, and I wanted to look nice for you,” Billy tells her.
Gwen takes his hand and leads him over to their assigned table. She and Ruby spent part of the morning putting place cards out. They left two empty seats at every table so that Tara and James could move around the party and easily talk with everyone.
Gwen is glad this is Tara’s party and not hers. While she looks forward to meeting people, she’s more interested in the man sitting next to her than everyone else combined. Life has given her a second chance at love, and she has every intention of taking it.
Tara
Things I Love About LA
Palm trees
The Hollywood sign
Zuma Beach
Pink’s hotdogs
Space Mountain at Disneyland
Things I Love About Oregon
My job
My house
The quiet
The seasons
James, but shh … he doesn’t know yet.
Sorry Rupa, I don’t need yoga or a spinal twist to see which one of these locations wins.
I’m having more fun tonight than I thought possible. I dance with James multiple times. I dance with Henry and Geoffrey who pop in after dinner service. I even dance with James’s plumber. The people of Spartan are being wonderful to me. They ask a lot of questions, but I have a feeling the excitement over my real identity will die down quickly.
James introduces me to his friend Cheryl, who tells me, “You got yourself a good one, girl.”
“That I do,” I tell her.
She leans in and confides, “I’m in the market for a new man myself.” She points to Geoffrey and asks, “What’s his story?”
“He’s the chef here,” I tell her. “Haven’t you met him before?”
“I’ve heard of him,” she tells me. “But he’s only been here for a couple of years and he mostly keeps to himself.”