AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“FYI, Mom,” her daughter said. “I spoke to Gage. He’s calling the mayor now to remind him of the water contract that’s due for renegotiation and to tell him to call off his dogs on us. The contract is a big deal and important to the mayor. Gage says we’ll be moving again in minutes.”
“Excellent news,” Genevieve said. “It’s nice to be on the right side of a person with power.”
Willow continued. “We’re going to push the schedule for everything back twenty minutes. It shouldn’t be a problem at all. I’ll see you soon.” Willow disconnected the call.
Helen folded her arms over her chest and fumed. “Nelson is such a weasel. He’s done this to be pissy because he wasn’t invited to the wedding.”
“Why should he have been invited to the wedding?” Genevieve shook her head in wonder. “That’s ridiculous. He’s never met Jake or Tess.”
“I know,” Helen agreed with a scowl.
Genevieve rolled down her window and stuck her head out to see how long the line of cars stretched. “It looks like we might be beginning to move.”
Helen brightened. “That was fast. Love to see Nepo Nelson taken down a peg or two. The man is—”
“Enough of him, Helen,” Genevieve interrupted. “We have a celebration to attend. Let’s think happy thoughts.”
“You’re right. Happy thoughts. How about this? What a difference a year makes, right?” Helen took hold of her sister’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Why, this time last year, we were knee-deep in planning our renovation project at Raindrop. Now we’re all spruced up and open for business and hosting our first wedding. You weren’t talking to your children. They weren’t talking to each other, and now we’re all one big, happy family.”
“Yes.” And yet a ribbon of unease fluttered through her.What a difference a year makes.Something about that sentence didn’t sit well with her at the moment. Was it because Helen knew about Willow’s date to the wedding and Genevieve hadn’t? Because the sight of that new pearl necklace Helen had bought on her trip had given rise to Genevieve’s own green-eyed monster? Maybe because this wedding reception marked an ending for Genevieve as well as Tess and Jake’s new beginning?
Helen was right. The Raindrop Lodge project was officially done. Zach Throckmorton’s Independence Construction company had completed the last of the new cabins they’d planned for the resort earlier this month. The decorating was completed the previous week, just in time for the wedding guests’ arrival. The project that had brought Genevieve to Colorado was finished. Over. Kaput. The sands of its hourglass were empty.
Happy thoughts, mother of the groom. Happy thoughts.“I see champagne on ice. Why haven’t we broken into it?”
“Because when I asked you if you wanted a glass as we left the church, you said no.”
“And you listened to me?”
Genevieve reached for the bottle, but Helen slapped her hand. “It’s too late now. We’re turning into the entrance. We’ll be at the lodge before you can wrestle the cork free. Knowing your luck, the wine will spray, and we’ll both get wet. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to look doused and soused in the wedding pictures. Wait two minutes and get a glass from a passing waiter.”
Genevieve stuck out her tongue at Helen. She hated when her sister was right.
Helen sniffed. “I wouldn’t want that nasty thing in my mouth, either.”
The old saying from their childhood lifted Genevieve’s spirits, and she laughed. “Oh, Helen. I’m so happy for Jake.”
“I know. Me, too. So, who do you think is next in line? Lucas? Willow? Brooke?”
“Not Brooke. It’s too soon after the divorce. And Lucas? Who knows what goes on in his mind? He’s been running since the day he was born. I don’t know if he’ll ever settle down. And Willow?” Genevieve lifted her shoulders. “Sounds like you’re in a better position to know what’s going on in her mind than I am.”
“Now, Genevieve,” Helen chided.
“Don’t ‘now, Genevieve’ me.”
“You are in a strange mood, aren’t you? Well, I guess it’s your due. Your baby just got married. It’s natural for your emotions to be jumbled up.”
The car stopped in front of the lodge, and a waitingattendant opened the door. Genevieve looked up at the building and her pique melted away. Raindrop Lodge and its surrounding grounds looked lovely.
Festival lighting defined a party perimeter between the lodge and the lake. Round tables draped in the colors of the sunset surrounded a temporary dance floor. A string ensemble played softly in the background during this, the cocktail hour, and the dinner that would follow. Once dancing kicked off, a DJ would take over the music duties to boost the party atmosphere.
Genevieve got her glass of champagne and began to make the rounds greeting guests. The crowd skewed younger than at Willow’s and Brooke’s weddings, where the guest list had included more Prentice-family friends. Jake and Tess had invited a few Lake in the Clouds locals they’d gotten to know during their time here last spring, so Genevieve did know people. It was just a different wedding than previous family celebrations. She wasn’t throwing this wedding. She wasn’t the hostess. She was a guest. That’s how it should be with the bride and groom in their thirties, right?
Right.
So why did it make Genevieve feel like an old cow put out to pasture?
She was just being emotional, like Helen said. She needed to get over herself and enjoy the evening. The wedding party arrived and was introduced to much fanfare. Jake gave a little speech thanking everyone for coming, then he and Tess enjoyed their first dance.
