Some Bright Someday (Maple Valley #2) - Melissa Tagg Page 0,78
Mara’s wedding after school on Thursday. At first, she’d thought to buy them matching dresses. But Colie had naturally gravitated toward more subdued colors like the simple navy blue dress she’d eventually chosen—while Violet had had her heart set on finding an outfit to match her cast. Which meant she was decked out now in a neon pink number that could probably serve as lighting at the outdoor wedding after the sun went down. She was in her room across the hall at the moment, packing a purse with whatever it was she apparently needed for the wedding.
Cade, currently surrounded by toys in the middle of Jenessa’s bedroom, was looking just as spiffy as his sisters in a white shirt and gray pants, matching gray vest, and red bow tie. Like a handsome little man.
Another handsome man would be knocking on their door soon. The thought was enough to send nervous energy cascading through her whole body. How she was going to survive this night without dissolving into a puddle of absolute delight, she had no idea.
All she knew was that she’d never looked forward to an evening more. In the three days since she’d shamelessly asked Lucas to be her date, she’d pretty much counted the hours.
Her eagerness was likely compounded by the fact that she’d hardly seen the man in the past few days—not alone anyway. She’d been trying to spend at least a little longer in the office each day in hopes of giving Paige a bit of a break, and she’d taken the kids out to the Everwood last night to spend the evening with Mara. Not exactly the bachelorette party her friend deserved, but they’d had a blast giggling the night away all the same.
Lucas and Noah had come over for dinner Thursday evening after her shopping excursion with the girls, but between Violet’s chatter and Noah’s presence, there hadn’t been much in the way of intimate conversation.
That she was even mentally using a word like intimate in relation to Lucas still floored her. But she couldn’t have denied her growing feelings if she’d wanted to. And she didn’t want to.
No, what she wanted to do was explore them. Maybe even get a little carried away in them. Because for days now, there’d been a magical little murmur in her heart, whispering that this might be the best thing that had ever happened to her.
Jenessa gently turned Colie back to the mirror. “I think you picked exactly the right dress. The only thing that would make it better is this.” She produced a small gold locket from behind her back. She’d gone looking for it yesterday morning, found it in an old jewelry box at the back of her closet.
She swept Colie’s hair over her shoulder and dropped the necklace in place.
“Is it yours?” Colie asked.
“It was. But I think now it should belong to you.” She connected the clasp and stepped back. “Take a look inside.”
Colie dipped her chin and opened the locket, her eyes going wide. “It’s Mom’s picture.”
It was tiny and grainy, a photo Jenessa had pulled from one of Tessa Hollis’s still-active social media accounts. It’d work until they could find a better photo. “I thought maybe you’d like to keep her close to your heart.”
Colie whirled so quickly, she stepped on Jenessa’s foot. But the impact was nothing compared to the force of the girl’s embrace. She threw her arms around Jenessa’s waist and buried her head against her body.
And Jenessa’s heart lurched. She shouldn’t have done her makeup so early. If the tears pooling in her eyes managed to escape, she’d show up to the wedding with mascara stripes on her cheeks. But it’d be worth it.
Because this was the other best thing that had ever happened to her—these kids who, in two weeks and one day, had become her whole world.
She’d heard little from Carmen since that home visit on Tuesday, other than scant replies to her daily check-in emails. Maybe that was a good sign. Maybe it meant Carmen had forgiven her for not telling her about Violet’s arm and for letting two men live in the cottage out back.
One of whom was knocking on her door now. At least, she assumed that was Lucas, his rapping echoing through the house and kindling her already burning excitement.
But she let Colie’s hug linger, rubbing her palm over the girl’s back and kissing the top of her head. “I’m pretty crazy about you, little girl.”