“Oh, I would have bought more wine if I’d known!”
Goldie hugged her tightly. “No worries. I raided the cellar at the restaurant.”
Hope was right behind Goldie. And another hug came her way. “Let us help you carry stuff inside.”
As they did, it was Viv’s turn to burst out of Nora House.
Viv!She was stunning, glowing, healthy!
“You look so beautiful, so beautiful!” J.J. said and meant it.
The last time she’d seen Viv, her old friend was fresh off the battle for her life. Now, she looked like the embodiment of the spring blossoms that were bursting out all over the place.
J.J. felt a pang of guilt. She’d vowed to be there for Viv during her cancer recovery. They all had. But J.J. had bailed. She’d run. But she still didn’t see any other way after the tornado.
The scrum of Sandbar Sisters made their way inside Nora House. This place was her sanctuary as a kid; more home than home sometimes. And even now, J.J. felt instantly at home here.
As they walked through the mudroom entry, past the kitchen, and toward the open family room, J.J. was pleased to see Libby hadn’t modernized or updated yet. There was new paint and some new touches from Libby throughout the house, but much of it was the same, with Emma’s vibe still permeating the space. Nora House wasactuallyvintage, not faux vintage. It appeared that as much as Libby had worked to restore things, build things, and bolster Irish Hills, she also knew it was the history of the place that gave it its heart.
Nora House was, in some ways, just as much hers as it was Libby’s.
She thought she’d be safe from memories of Dean here. How could she have forgotten the best one?
1996
The day was a little overcast. J.J. was nervous, not that it would rain, but that Jackie would say something offensive, or Jared would knock a beer over on the delicate upholstery.
Why did I agree to this?
Nora House had been her solace as a kid, back when she imagined that nothing less than a member of Duran Duran was husband material.
It was an accident, really, that this had come to be. Aunt Emma had her head in J.J.’s shampoo bowl, and she saw it.
“Is that an engagement ring?”
Emma had sat up, water dripping everywhere, and grabbed J.J.’s soapy hand.
“It is,” J.J. told her. “I mean, it’s not up to your level of jewelry, but yeah.”
“Nonsense!” Aunt Emma said as she hugged her.
“Sit back down. You’re getting water everywhere.”
J.J. had just gotten her cosmetology license, but Shelly still had her washing everyone’s hair like she’d started yesterday. Two years of driving an hour down to the Toledo School of Beauty and she was still fighting Shelly for her own clients.
Aunt Emma was one of those clients, but this little power play by Shelly had turned out to be a surprise gift for J.J.
By the time Shelly had set Aunt Emma’s bouffant, J.J. had a wedding venue fit for old money.
Emma insisted on Nora House, buying a dress for J.J., and getting Reverend Alden to come to the house to perform the ceremony.
At first, it seemed like a dream come true, but now that the big day had arrived, J.J. was concerned.What if Dean’s friend Moose sits in an antique chair and busts it? Will this be way too fancy?
The house was buzzing with activity. Aunt Emma had insisted not only on throwing J.J.’s wedding and reception, but also on getting the food and drinks. There was a staff of people putting together a buffet that would be assembled out on the back porch after she and Dean said their vows.
Luckily, the guest list was impromptu and small. The original plan had been to go to the courthouse and be done with it. There wasn’t time for save the date cards or a regiment of Princess Diana-inspired bridesmaids. Still, it was a more significant affair than J.J. had ever imagined, aside from her fantasy wedding to Duran Duran bassist John Taylor, of course.
When the time came to tie the knot, J.J. had two “bridesmaids,” her brother Jared and her mom, Jackie.
