Chapter Three
~ Maddie ~
Usually, I don’t keep tabs on my daughter. She’s twenty-five years old and more than capable of taking care of herself.
However, tonight when I got home from my writers group at around eleven thirty, Jenna’s car wasn’t in the driveway. It’s not like her to be out late when she has such an important event the next morning.
My route home took me past the shop. The place was dark, and Jenna’s car wasn’t in the spot where she usually parks when she works late. It probably means she and her best friend, Tess Harrison, who owns the Briar Patch Bakery, decided to grab a late dinner.
I hope so. “She deserves to do something fun for a change.” I say this to my corgis, Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes, or Aggie and Homie, as everyone calls them. They’re lounging on opposite ends of the sofa. “Get down. You’re not supposed to be on the furniture.”
The way they tilt their heads to the side as if they’re trying hard to understand what I’m saying is so cute, I don’t have the heart to shoo them off.
I’ve just padded into the kitchen in my sock feet to put on some water for chamomile tea when Aggie and Homie start barking and jump down off the couch. I’m standing at the sink in front of the kitchen window when I see Jenna’s white Subaru turn into the driveway.
A couple of minutes later the dogs bark again at the quiet knock on the door at the top of the stairs that separates our living quarters.
The door opens. “Mom? Are you awake?” She bends down and pets her furry siblings and accepts their doggie kisses.
“I am. Come in. I just put on some water for tea. Would you like a cup?”
“Sure. That sounds great. It’s cold out there.”
“Everything okay?” My back is to Jenna as I set out another mug and tea bag.
Her silence lasts too long. I turn around and see the stress on my daughter’s pretty face.
“What’s wrong?”
Jenna exhales a long breath. “I had a visitor tonight. Riley showed up at my door. Drunk and loud.”
“Oh, my gosh, is everything okay?”
“I don’t know. I guess it will be as long as word doesn’t get out that he was here.” She shrugs. “I think it was just a case of cold feet. Or maybe it was the alcohol talking, but he was going on and on about how he couldn’t marry Grace Marie. He was being so loud that Mrs. Wimberly’s dogs started barking and she came out and saw him here.”
“Oh, boy.” I hand her one of the mugs and motion for her to go into the living room.
As the corgis settle at her feet, she fills me in, relaying how Riley ended up at her door.
“I didn’t let him come inside. I’m still trying to figure out if that was a mistake or not. He was so loud. Maybe if I’d let him come in, Mrs. Wimberly wouldn’t have seen him. After the big blowup with Grace Marie this morning, I’m scared this doesn’t bode well. Either Mrs. Wimberly is going to blab that Riley was here or… Do you think Riley might not show tomorrow?”
“I don’t know,” I say. My stomach knots in worry for her. As if it wasn’t difficult enough for her to deal with Patricia as they planned the wedding, now she has to worry about the flaky groom going AWOL.
I flip the switch on the gas fireplace and toss Jenna one of the plush blankets I keep in a basket alongside the sofa.
“He has a history of being unpredictable, and not always doing the right thing,” I say. “But, Jenna, if he doesn’t show up for his wedding, it isn’t your fault. Have you thought about that? Nowhere in the contract does it say that you are responsible for delivering the groom to the altar. They couldn’t pay you enough for that.”
Jenna nods, but it doesn’t look like a nod of agreement. “My common sense knows that, but my heart is reminding me I know what I know, and I should do more to make sure that this wedding doesn’t end in disaster.”
“Well, my bighearted daughter, you have a point, but I think you worry too much. Maybe you should call Ben. He’s the best man. He’s the one who should be in charge of riding herd over his wayward brother.”
“I did. I called him right after I left Riley’s condo. My call went straight to voice mail. First ring. I left him a message, but do you think I should call Charles and Patricia and just give them the heads-up that there might be a problem? I mean, that seems kind of extreme. I don’t want to get everyone in an uproar. And I don’t want to make Riley look bad if it was just the alcohol talking. But if it wasn’t… If he’s truly considering bolting…”
She frowns and then gives her head a quick shake.
“What is it?” I ask.
“He said something weird that I’m just now processing. But Mrs. Wimberly was standing there and all I wanted to do was get inside and get my purse so I could drive him home. So, I didn’t ask him what he meant. It was probably just drunken ramblings.”
“What did he say?”
“He said, ‘I’ve done some bad things. I’ve done some really bad things. I just don’t want to drag her into it.’”
“Hmm… You know Riley hasn’t led the most exemplary life. Maybe he cheated on Grace Marie and he’s feeling guilty about it?”
“Yeah, but he said he doesn’t want to drag her into it.”
I hold up my hands. “You want my advice?”
Jenna nods.
“I think you need to leave it alone. That’s Riley and Grace Marie’s problem to solve. If I were you, I wouldn’t worry about it. I’d just focus on the wedding and getting through tomorrow, and then everything is out of your hands.”
Jenna heaves an exasperated sigh. “I know you’re right. I just hate seeing him possibly mess up the best thing that’s ever happened to him. Since me, of course.”
She smiles and I’m glad. It means she’s stepping back a bit.
“Not your circus. Not your monkeys,” I say. “And to that end, if you are worried about him showing tomorrow, why don’t you call the other groomsman? Isn’t his name Todd?”
Jenna nods midsip.
“Even though he’s not the best man, it’s his job to be there for Riley. Groomsman is not just an honorary title.”
“I tried calling him, too, and I got his voice mail. I left a message for him to call me at any hour. Honestly, though, judging by how drunk Riley was, if Todd matched him drink for drink—or even every other drink—I don’t know what kind of condition he’ll be in. Riley was pretty wasted, if that’s indication. The sad thing is, I don’t know how close Riley is to Todd. Apparently, they were fraternity brothers, but since Riley has been in Atlanta, I don’t know how deep the friendship goes.” Jenna sips her tea.
“You know how it’s always been,” she says. “Riley has always been the life of the party. He always had an entourage as long as the booze was flowing and the party was rocking. But I don’t think I can name a real friend that he’s had for any length of time—beyond Grace Marie.”
“If you call Charles and Patricia, there’s a chance that Grace Marie will find out that there was trouble.”
“Exactly,” Jenna says. “That’s why it’s all the more important that I make sure this wedding goes as seamlessly as possible.”
My daughter is too hard on herself. She submitted a proposal of costs and her ideas for making the wedding spectacular, and she’d won over Patricia on her own merit. She even beat out other planners from as far as Nashville, Charlotte, and Atlanta.
“I think that you should trust your own gut,” I say. “The worst thing you could do would be to stir up trouble by involving Charles and Patricia when it was just Riley putting closure on his single life.”
Jenna grimaces. “My first reaction is to wonder if he is ready to get married if he has that many things he needs to close out the night before his wedding.” She shakes her head. “But you know what? You’re right. It’s not my problem. I got the drunk groom home safe and sound. He didn’t kill anyone or himself in the process. This is where my duty ends. Well, actually, it ends tomorrow after I make sure everything is in place for the wedding and reception.”
I nod.
“The next time an old boyfriend asks me to plan his wedding, if I even look like I’m considering it, I hope you’ll remind me to say no. It’s just not worth the headaches.”
“I’ll do that,” I say.
“Thank you. In the meantime, I need to go to bed. Morning is going to come early. This wedding is going to be perfect, even if I have to hogtie Riley and carry him to the altar myself.”