Second Chance Girl
Page 44

A happy sale, she thought as she wrote up the receipt. Her mortgage was paid for the next two months and she had money left over to buy more buttons.
Atsuko took the receipt and the box, then put both in her Prada handbag. She started for the door, only to turn back. “By the way, your English gentleman friend got in touch with me this morning. Apparently he’s sending over a little something for the auction, as well. Something from his estate back home.”
Ulrich hadn’t mentioned anything to her. “Did he say what it was?”
“No. I was hoping you’d know.”
“Sorry. I don’t have a clue.”
“Then we’ll find out next Thursday.”
Atsuko waved and left. Violet thought about asking Ulrich when she saw him, then decided she preferred to be surprised. For a second she fantasized that he’d asked his grandmother to ship over one of the family’s fabulous diamond rings. He would drop to one knee and...
“You’re being ridiculous,” she told herself out loud. “It’s something giraffe-like. Nothing more.”
Oh but how she wanted it to be more. Much more.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CAROL HAD ALWAYS thought of herself as the more sensible of the sisters. While Violet always looked so pretty and put together with her accessorized outfits, Carol was more concerned if she could get grass stains and grazing animal poop out of her clothes.
She’d been fine with that. She loved her work and never in a million years could imagine herself happily sorting through huge jars of buttons or tying the perfect scarf for the right outfit. But surrounded by lace, tulle and a very stunning wedding gown, not to mention gorgeous shoes, she found herself wondering if she was just a tiny bit too utilitarian. Even more troubling, she felt the first ping of wistfulness. Until this very moment she’d never thought about being a bride.
Oh, sure, she’d thought about getting married, but that was different. That was about being in a relationship, about finding someone to love who would love her back. That was about family and future and having babies and all that kind of stuff. She was talking wedding.
Cakes and invitations and showers and receptions and rings and yes, an amazing lace-covered, fitted wedding gown that made Maya look like the most beautiful woman in the world.
“There aren’t enough words,” Carol admitted, walking around the bride-to-be. She took a couple more pictures before carefully setting the veil in place and adjusting it. “You’re stunning. Del is going to faint when he sees you.”
“I hope not.” Maya bit her lower lip. “I wouldn’t mind him being blown away, but I’m not that excited about him fainting.”
“Good point. He’ll have trouble catching his breath. How about that?”
“Perfect.”
They were at Mathias’s house. One of the smaller spare rooms had been converted to wedding central. Maya had asked Carol to come by and help her with a few last-minute details. One of them was to take some pictures of her in the dress so she could send them to their friends in China.
Carol passed over the phone. Maya scrolled through the photographs and nodded happily. “Exactly what I wanted. Thank you so much for helping me this morning.”
“Happy to do it. This is fun.”
Later, when she was alone, Carol would allow herself a few minutes of wedding fantasy. Nothing overly detailed—just her in a dress and the man of her dreams waiting at the other end of the aisle. Mathias would look so—
Her brain slammed on the brakes and then quickly backed up. Mathias wasn’t the man of her dreams. He couldn’t be. They were friends and that was it. He wasn’t a man who had romantic relationships and she wouldn’t settle for anything less. As for how she felt about him...best not to go there.
Carol unfastened the long line of buttons so Maya could step out of her dress. Together they put it back on the oversize hanger, then fluffed and straightened so it hung perfectly. A sheet was draped over the dress to protect it from accidents and prying eyes.
They went into the kitchen where Maya fixed tea, then they sat on the sofa by the window. Sophie joined them, obviously hoping for some kind of cookie. She settled next to Carol, leaning on her heavily before finally slumping down with her head on Carol’s lap.
“I think I’m ready,” Maya said as she passed over a cup to Carol. “Can I say that? Do I jinx myself if I do?”
“You seem really prepared. I think you’re safe.”
Maya flashed her a smile. “Thank you. You’ve been so great. I want to say I’m sorry Mathias roped you into helping, but I’m not. Every time we had a videoconference, you were so engaged while being totally calm. That helped a lot.”
Carol was surprised by the assessment, but also pleased. “I was happy to help. A lot of my friends are in the wedding business.” She made air quotes with one of her hands. “But I never get really involved in any of the weddings. This has been fun for me.”
“Me, too. To be honest, it’s hard to imagine how it’s all going to come together. Pallas has been fantastic, handling the details.” She sipped her tea. “This is the lull before the storm, as they say. Your fund-raising event is Thursday night, the rehearsal dinner is Friday and then the wedding is Saturday.”
“When does your family arrive?” Carol asked.
Maya shook her head. “I don’t really have any blood relatives. I have friends coming in from Fool’s Gold. Eddie and Gladys are my stand-in grandmothers. They’re going to be flower girls, which I totally love. Mayor Marsha is going to perform the ceremony. Elaine, Del’s mother, and I are close, so she’s going to be standing in for my mom as I get ready that morning. Other people I know are coming. It will be great.”
Carol thought that it said a lot about Maya that even though she’d lost her biological family, she’d created a family of the heart for herself.
“How do you get along with Ceallach?” she asked, curious about the man who had such an influence on his sons.
Maya’s expression turned cautious. “How much do you know about him?”
“As a person, not much. As someone who has met several of his sons, I can’t decide if I’m going to shake his hand or slap him upside the head.”
Maya relaxed. “Okay, so you know what to expect.”
“Not exactly but I plan to be braced and on guard.” Not for herself, she thought. But for Mathias.
“Ceallach is practically a legend,” Maya told her. “He’s brilliant and famous and difficult. Elaine worships him. I wouldn’t want their marriage, but it works for them and I guess that’s what matters. As for how he deals with his sons... Del and Aidan got ignored and the other three had too much attention. I guess it’s safe to say each of them are scarred, in their own way.”
Maya leaned toward Carol. “I can’t figure Ceallach out. It’s not just that he has to be the center of attention, it’s that he needs others to be suffering. I don’t know if that makes sense.”
“It does.”
“I’ve done some reading. Sometimes I wonder if there’s something wrong with his brain. I don’t believe that being that gifted means you have to be crazy or anything, it’s more about the way he treats people, especially his sons. He has no empathy, no sense of anyone but himself.” She shook her head. “Sorry, I am way out of my area of expertise here. I should simply tell you to smile and keep your distance.”