She sighed. “This is so good.”
He buried his face in her neck and inhaled. “You really need to take better care of yourself. Tell Gavin you quit.”
“Do you really want to leave your best friend in the lurch?”
“Then he can make you work less,” he groused. “It’s unfair that you work weekdays and weekends.”
“I haven’t worked a weekend in months.”
“Except today…”
She laid her head on his shoulder. “By the way, your mother texted me.”
His muscles tensed underneath her cheek. “For what?”
“She wants a general contractor.” Hilary tapped her lower lip with her fork. “I’m not sure why. She mentioned something about an incident at the grove, but…” She twisted around so she could face Mark. “Have you heard anything?”
“Nope, but I can ask.”
“I wonder why she wants to work on the grove. I thought she was moving away.”
“She is, but Iain said she isn’t leaving until next year. Apparently she’s volunteered to help Jane plan the wedding.”
Hilary gasped. “Wow. That’s unusual.” She couldn’t imagine Ceinlys volunteering weeks of her time to help anybody. On the other hand, she did love her children. So maybe she was doing it more for Iain than Jane. “It’s going to cost Iain.” Ceinlys had expensive taste.
“Actually he’s not paying for it.”
“He isn’t?” Her eyes widened. “Who is?”
“Jane’s dad.”
“Oh my god.” Hilary knew Jane’s family wasn’t rich. They were lower middle class people, who had enough to provide for themselves but little extra. “And Iain agreed to this?” Hilary asked, remembering how much their own wedding had cost. They hadn’t done anything too extravagant—or so Mark had insisted, even though she’d thought it was crazy—and kept the affair as small as possible, but even then the total bill had come out in the mid six figures.
“He was outvoted by Mom.”
“No way. Seriously?”
He nodded.
“I can’t decide if I should feel sorry for Jane or not.”
“Mom’s not that bad. She’s mellowed out a lot recently.” Mark grew pensive as he gazed at a spot beyond the blank TV. “She’s less…brittle now that she’s divorced.”
Hilary reached over and linked her fingers with his. “You’re right. She seems happier.” At least outwardly so. The woman had too much pride to let people see any inner pain.
Still, Hilary couldn’t help but think that Ceinlys regretted her decision to get rid of her husband. Unnoticed, she’d seen Ceinlys walk out of a room after Salazar at the hospital where Vanessa had delivered Ryan. Tears had spiked her eyelashes, and her face had a ghostly pallor that made Hilary wonder for a moment if Ceinlys was actually going to pass out.
“Anyway, let me get that contractor’s number,” Hilary said. “I don’t want her upset with me.”
* * *
“What do you think?”
Ceinlys started when she realized the florist was staring at her expectantly. She hadn’t listened to a word he had said. Her gaze darted to the glossy photos. So many options, so many colors. “We’ll have to decide on the bouquet later, after we have her gown, but for now you should draw up three schemes to choose from, maybe something with some blue.” It would ensure Jane would have something blue at the wedding if she cared about stuff like that.
“I can get them to you tomorrow if that’s acceptable.” Kevin smiled, revealing rows of straight teeth that had been recently bleached. In a black turtleneck, dark jeans and sneakers, he looked like a Steve Jobs wannabe without the glasses. Not that he had any talent for computers. He had an assistant for that.
“Excellent. It’s an outdoor wedding at the grove, so we don’t need a lot,” she said in a voice cool with moneyed authority. She didn’t want anyone to think Iain and Jane were being miserly. Wes might have his pride, but then there was also Iain’s pride to consider.
“Of course.”
She gave him a regal nod, then checked the time. She’d asked Jane to do her own wedding gown shopping with her friends and get something she would feel comfortable in. Ceinlys would not interfere the way Shirley had…
Ceinlys pulled out a gorgeous white dress with a full skirt and small pearls sewn to the bodice. The design was otherwise simple and elegant, and the sheen of the satin bodice would make her look luminous.
Shirley merely pursed her lips. “Come now. We can do better than that. It would look positively cheap on you.”
The coolly delivered verdict killed the joy bubbling inside Ceinlys. She stared at the dress she’d picked out, trying to see it from her future mother-in-law’s point of view. Still, she didn’t understand how it could look cheap. The dress would show off her bare shoulders—one of Ceinlys’s best features—and the material was costly. She’d never touched anything so fine and beautiful.
“What you want is this.” Shirley gestured a careless hand toward another dress, made mostly of ivory lace and satin. It covered the shoulders, the fitted sleeves long and elaborate, and came with a cathedral veil edged with lace and tiny diamonds. The store assistant came over with a cathedral train to match.
The gown was stunning, but too formal for Ceinlys’s taste. She couldn’t imagine getting married in it, but somehow her protest died in her throat under Shirley’s cold, steely gaze.
Did it matter what Ceinlys wore? This was about her marrying the man of her dreams. Salazar had already fought with his mother over his choice of bride. She didn’t want to cause more friction over something as inconsequential as a dress. Besides, even if she’d never imagined getting married in something like it, she could get used to it. It wasn’t as though she’d dreamed of marrying someone like Salazar either.
“It is beautiful,” Ceinlys said, managing to pull her lips back for a smile.
Shirley’s expression did not warm. “You have much to learn.”
That had proven true. Ceinlys had learned quite a lot under Shirley’s disapproving gaze.
Shoving aside the old memory, Ceinlys squared her shoulders. It was time she began restoring the grove.
Chapter Nine
As Salazar sat down, Al poured him a coffee.
“Here’s the daily report, sir,” Al said.
Salazar looked at the printed letter-sized paper. He used to peruse the Wall Street Journal, but now he read the report from the staff at the grove. Lawyers were still squabbling over the damage three ways—Team Pryce, Team Insurance and Team Trucking Company, the last two of which were being intransigent. They should just pay for the damned thing. So what if it was expensive? Maybe the driver shouldn’t have fallen asleep. It wasn’t Salazar’s problem the man couldn’t tell the difference between the gas pedal and the brake.
Of course Ceinlys had already started on restoring the house and the damaged field. He didn’t understand her drive. There were other places to hold a wedding, even on short notice. But for some reason she was determined to have Iain and Jane marry at the grove.