Christmas Wedding (5 page)

She smiled confidently. “That way we can get to know each other. Just we three girls, as it were. Won’t that be cozy?”

Melanie concealed her true feelings well. She gave Nelda one of her dazzling smiles, the kind she had learned to perfect for the judges during her pageant days. “Oh, yes, cozy. Yes, let us girls drive into town together. I wouldn’t miss this chance for us to get to know each other better.”

Her voice dripped honey. Now that Melanie had Nelda’s number, perhaps she was going to be a match for her future mother-in-law after all.

“
There, Nelda, that is St. James,” Melanie said, driving slowly past the stately Gothic Revival church. “That is where we’ll be married on Saturday. The Wilkes family have been members here for four generations.”

I leaned forward from the back seat and said to Nelda, “The parish was founded in 1729.”

“
Hardly old when compared to the churches in Italy,” Nelda said with a sniff of her nose.

“
I know, Nelda. I have toured Italy. So has Melanie. We love Italy’s old churches. But we are also proud of our own.”

“
Why, of course you are, dear.” She made a show of looking over both sides of Market Street. “This is a dear little town.”

We continued east on Market, circling around the Kenan Memorial Fountain. Melanie pointed to the immense dazzlingly white mansion. “That is the Bellamy Mansion,” she told Nelda. “We’re holding the rehearsal dinner there on Friday night. It’s within walking distance of the church.”

Again, I leaned forward. “Melanie’s friend Elaine is catering the rehearsal dinner and the reception. Elaine is the best.”

“
We’ve been friends since high school,” Melanie said.

“
How precious,” Nelda commented.

Driving west again, Melanie drove past the Burgwin-Wright House and explained how it had been the headquarters of Lord Cornwallis during the Revolutionary War. Nelda had no comment to that.

“
That is the oldest standing building in the town,” I said, pointing to the Mitchell-Smith-Anderson House. “It was built in 1740.”

Still no comment from our guest.

“
Since I cancelled my appointment so we could have this little tour,” Melanie said with a sweetness so syrupy any one should know it was fake, “we have time to show you the restored riverfront.”

Nelda sniffed. “No. Don’t bother. Just take me to the hotel.”

“
Oh, we’ll be delighted to deliver you any place you say,” Melanie said without a trace of sarcasm in her tone.

“
We ought to dump her in the river,” I muttered under my breath.

7

Our nice weather was holding and according to the weather man would continue throughout the weekend. Then, in time for Christmas, we’d get a cold front next week. When our local weather man talks about a cold front, he is referring to temperatures in the fifties and sixties, rarely freezing.

A few hours after dropping Nelda Cameron at the Wilmingtonian Inn, I changed into slacks and a sweater and drove out to Airlie Road to meet the bridesmaids at the Bridge Tender restaurant for dinner. Melanie had told us to dress casually, and we’d all turned up in slacks and jeans, with sweaters and hoodies. Since the evening was pleasant we opted for a large table on the deck.

“
Ain’t this weather grand?” Kiki asked everyone in her hearty, booming voice. She introduced herself to the other girls. She’d been in Charlotte, working on her decorating project for the mayor yesterday and today. “I’ll be driving back to Charlotte after this dinner,” she told me. “But I’ll be here for the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner on Friday. I like driving. And I don’t get much chance to drive in New York.”

“
I miss driving too,” Kelly Lauder said. “I live in New York also,” she told Kiki, Candy Murray, and Faye Brock, whom she’d never met.

Kelly and Crystal Lynne had grown up in Wilmington, and Faye in Southport. “We’re used to having June in July,” Crystal Lynne said.

“
And we all know who you are, Kelly,” Faye said with a dazzling smile. “I can’t walk into CVS without seeing your pretty face on the cover of a magazine.”

And then everyone was talking at once, explaining about their careers, their families. Faye was married to Danny Brock, the president of the North Carolina Association of Realtors, and they were both good friends of Melanie’s. And Candy was married to Bo Murray who ran a Cadillac dealership in Greensboro. The others girls were single. Crystal Lynne was a widow. I was the only divorcee in the group. I detest failure. But not this time, I promised myself. This time I’ve got a winner.

We decided white wine would do us the least harm and ordered two bottles for the table. As the waiter did the honors, I glanced at Melanie and gave her a wink. This was fun. Very festive. We were in our element. Letting our hair down – just the girls.

But there was one fly in my white wine and I remembered him. “Kiki, what has Ray been doing this week?”

“
He chartered a yacht yesterday and spent the day and the night out on the water.” She looked out over the waterway to the spanking white yachts tied up at the Wrightsville Marina across Motts Channel. “I gotta get me one of those someday.”

The talk turned to boating and water sports.

“
Oh, and speaking of yachts, wait until you hear this,” Melanie said loudly. “The boys, as you know, are holding their bachelor party on Cam’s yacht. And you’ll never guess who invited herself. My future mother-in-law, Nelda Cameron! Nelda crashed the bachelor’s party.”

The bridesmaids laughed. They had been hearing stories about Nelda’s snooty behavior and the way she looked down on the town we all loved. She was not scoring any Brownie points with these girls, despite her famous reputation.

Across the channel Blue Water Restaurant was doing a brisk outdoor business in the pleasantly warm evening. And there were people on the pedestrian walkway of the drawbridge just off to our left.

I glanced at Melanie. Had she spent the night with Ray on the yacht? And had they been returning from a night together when I saw her kissing him in front of The Verandas that morning? I hadn’t a clue.

“
Now we don’t want to overeat,” Melanie said, “so we can fit into our dresses. I’d recommend the Asian Tuna, very tasty, and not fattening.”

“
Naturally you’d think of that, gal friend,” Kiki told Melanie with a bellowing laugh. “All you itty bitty girls can eat raw tuna if you want. I’m a meat and potatoes girl, myself. I’m going for the steak. I never gain weight. I got big at sixteen and I’ve stayed the same size ever since.”

Everyone smiled, but no one asked her what size that was. Even I didn’t know.

“
We have a little something for all of you,” I said, and dipped my hand into the shopping bag at my feet. I handed out presents, and there were shrills of delight as the gift boxes were opened to reveal shiny gold quilted wallets.

“
I love mine,” someone said.

“
Oh, I need a new wallet,” another said.

Melanie stood, raising her wine glass high in the air. “I’d like to make a toast to all you girls whom I love so much. To Crystal Lynne, and Candy, and . . .”

Melanie’s wine glass exploded in her hand. One moment she was holding a glass of white wine. The next moment, the glass flew apart, raining glass shards and white wine on the table.

Everyone screamed, including diners at other tables. Then we jumped up and scattered, away from the glass littered table.

Melanie was speechless, still holding the stem of the glass in her hand, and wearing the most astonished expression.

“
I’ve never seen anything like it!” someone shouted.

Two waiters appeared, saw the disaster, and ran for the manager. He arrived quickly. “Cover that mess with a table cloth,” he instructed. “We’ll clean up later.”

Turning to us, he said, “Ladies, I am so sorry. We’ve never experienced such an accident. We pride ourselves on safety. Please, don’t be alarmed. We’ll move you to another table. Order whatever you want. This dinner is on me.”

The girls were positively twittering. “I don’t believe it,” Candy said. “That glass exploded all by itself.”

Everyone was talking at once, speculating. Melanie’s face had grown white. Everyone was talking but Kiki, who looked dark, solemn, and pensive.

8

I was meeting Melanie for lunch at Aunt Ruby’s on Thursday. But on Thursday morning I had, unbelievably, nothing on my calendar so I spent the morning lolling in bed with my honey. I described the breaking glass incident.

“
The glass must have had a crack,” he guessed. “So that when the waiter poured the cold wine into it, it shattered.”

“
It exploded, Jon. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“
Was anyone hurt?” he asked.

“
No. Not a scratch. We were lucky. But how strange.”

“
Move a little closer,” he said softly. “I think I can make you feel better. Much better.”

I giggled and pounced on him. “OK, wise guy. Prove it!”

At noon I walked over to Front Street and arrived just as Melanie was driving up.

“
Aunt Ruby was so mysterious,” Melanie said. “She insisted we come here for lunch today. Two days until the wedding and with all we have to do. She said Binkie would not be here, and that we had to talk. She wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

“
You know, Mel, just the other day you were complaining that she was unavailable. Remember? You were convinced she was sick. I sure hope that is not what all of the mystery is about? And where’s Binkie? He’s been scarce too.”

Melanie had found a place to park a half block from Binkie’s cute little bungalow and we had walked together to his front door. He had inherited the house from his mother. After he and Aunt Ruby married, they divided their time between his house here and the Chastain family home in Savannah. But the soaring poverty and crime rate in Savannah had finally gotten to Aunt Ruby and she donated the house to the city, feeling that they had a better chance of keeping the vandals and the homeless at bay than she.

“
I know when I’ve been beaten,” she had said about her efforts to preserve our family home in a hostile environment.

I rang the bell at the Front Street house.

Aunt Ruby opened the door immediately as if she had been standing on the other side. “Hello, my dears,” she said. “Come in. Come in.” And she gave us each a warm embrace.

“
Aunt Ruby, you’re looking well,” I said, and gave Melanie a meaningful look that was meant to say: See, she’s not ill. She was dressed in a royal blue dress with a double strand of pearls and pearl earrings. With low-heeled black patent leather pumps, she looked as if she were dressed for church or lunch at the country club. Aunt Ruby colored her hair, a light warm brown. I’d never seen a strand of gray.

“
Come on back to the parlor. I’ve made sandwiches and iced tea. And we have a guest.”

I followed her down the narrow hallway with Melanie at my heels and into the parlor which was decorated exactly as Binkie’s mother had left it: nice mahogany antiques, faded chintzes on the Chippendale pieces, and down-filled plump cushions.

Aunt Ruby’s guest sat perched on the edge of the sofa. The look she gave us was speculative. And apologetic. It cried out: Please approve of me.

Melanie’s mouth dropped open as she faced the woman and it was like she was looking into a mirror. Then, hands on hips, she demanded angrily, “Who the hell are you? And why are you impersonating me?”

“
I’m sorry if I startled you,” Melanie’s look-alike said.

“
Melanie, mind your manners,” Aunt Ruby said firmly. “She is not impersonating you. Why would she? She is who she is.”

“
And exactly who is that?” Melanie demanded.

“
Look,” Aunt Ruby said, “let’s all sit down, and calm down. I’ll explain everything.”

We were raised to mind and respect our elders so we chose our chairs and sat and waited for Aunt Ruby to explain. But I couldn’t help staring at the stranger in my aunt’s parlor.

“
Ashley. Melanie. I don’t know quite how to put this. There is no good way. So please, prepare yourselves for a bit of a shock. This is Scarlett Barrett. She is your mother’s daughter. She is your step-sister.”

“
What!” Melanie and I screeched together. We were so shocked we each flung out a hand to grab the other’s, clutching for support.

“
It’s true,” Aunt Ruby continued. “And I am so sorry to break it to you this way, but there was no easy way to tell you.”

“
Ashley, Melanie,” Scarlett said soothingly, “I know it must be hard for you to have me sprung on you out of the blue. But it is the truth. I am your older half-sister. I have always wanted to meet you, but Auntie Claire said you didn’t know about me, that it would . . .”

“
Auntie Claire said!” Melanie exclaimed bitterly. “Our mama? Our mama discussed us with you?”

“
Why yes, Melanie, she did. Now please don’t be upset. I didn’t come here to upset you.”

“
Well then, why did you come here? Have you been skulking around? Have people seen you? I have a reputation to maintain. So does Ashley.”