“Mom, jeez,” she said, trying to assert herself. She knew full well this was all happening because she was pregnant, but still, it was supposed to be her big day. No matter how they got there.
Sharon Benton would not be chastised, though. “What? Just make sure it’s a pink bucket, so it matches the bridesmaid dresses,” Sharon amended the instruction with a little dig at her daughter.
Hope sighed.Here comes the bride.
Hope and Archie said, “I do.” And mercifully, Hope’s prayer was answered. She didn’t puke while at the altar.
Instead, she had to run like an Olympic sprinter during “The Chicken Dance” and lost it behind the bar.
It was a very special moment, on her very special day.
ChapterFourteen
Hope, Present Day
Hope hadn’t talked about her shotgun wedding in quite a while. It was a thing, back then, getting married before she started to “show.”
Funny how much has changed in the three decades since. If either of her girls were in the same boat, she would never in a million years expect them to marry if that’s not what they wanted. Or to quit school.
Aunt Emma was a good listener. And somehow, Hope felt lighter telling her about that time in her life. She would eventually share it with the Sandbar Sisters, she knew. They all had decades of adventures and misadventures to share.
Telling Aunt Emma why, among other reasons, she never returned to Irish Hills was enough for now.
“You had your hands full, very young.”
“I did, that’s true. It all worked out, though. My girls are amazing. If they’d ever call me back.”
Hope had left a message, albeit a strange rambling one, with both the girls. About separating from their dad and opening a restaurant. No calls back as of yet, though.
“Oh, they will. Don’t worry about that. And don’t worry about homicide by tornado. He was alive and kicking when I kicked him out of town.”
“Good, thank you. I did have nightmares early on, but then I had other tornadoes, so to speak, to deal with.”
“No worrying about the past, not when we have so much to do to face the amazing future!”
“True. So, your list of possible vendors?”
“Hand me your notepad.”
Hope did as instructed.
In pretty cursive, Aunt Emma wrote a list of farmers, the winery, and other locals Hope should check out.
“Here, every name on this list is a good source for your new venture.”
“I’ll call them all and pay a visit.”
“Wonderful. I’d do it fast, though. July Fourth is less than a month away. Tick tick!”
“Yes, true.”
Hope had no idea why the tick tick, but then Aunt Emma was old, and some of the stuff she said was probably nutty.
Tick tick?
“Okay, well, that’s taken care of. I’ve got several more errands to get to. Tonight is movie night, and I may be in good health, but if I don’t take a little beauty nap beforehand, I fall right asleep. It drives Peter to distraction.”
“Peter?
