Celia's Puppies (45 page)

“
Katy was talking about
your mother,” Jacob said. “Delphie’s tried to tell you or get you
to talk about your mother.”

“
She’s brought up my
mother about ten times in the last few months,” Jill said. “I
always change the subject. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“
Your mother didn’t want
me to,” Jacob said. “I would have told you eventually. She wasn’t
sure how she’d do in ‘the real world.’ She’s been in Costa Rica for
a long time. But the Marlowe school kids adore her. Especially the
children from the motels. She speaks their language on so many
levels. Everyone at the Marlowe school loves her.”

“
Of course,” Jill
said.

“
I want to show you the
postcard and ask you if you notice something,” he said. He gave her
the postcard. “I assume you got this on Halloween?”

Looking over the postcard, Jill nodded.

“
What am I supposed to
notice?” Jill asked.

“
There’s no address, no
stamp.”

“
But the mailman gave it
to me,” she said.

“
The mailman gave you some
mail,” he said. “This was in the box. He must have stuck it in with
the mail so you’d get it.”

“
Oh,” Jill said. “It just
has my name. There’s no mark on it at all.”

“
Your mother thought you
would notice that and realize she was in town,” Jacob said. “She
assumed you would show me the card and I would tell
you.”

“
That’s pretty different
from what happened.”

Jacob nodded.

“
Where’s Mama
now?”

“
She’s waiting for you at
the Castle,” Jacob said. “She is waiting to help you get
dressed.”

“
Get dressed?”

“
I thought we’d get
married this morning,” Jacob said.

“
But my family. I want my
Katy...”

“
They’re waiting for us at
home. Mike told Megan, Steven, and Candy about your mother today.
They’ve spent the day with her.”

“
Oh,” Jill said. “Candy
called about noon, but I’ve been so upset.”

“
Everyone we know is
waiting for us. Val set it up.”

Jacob’s hand cupped her face.

“
Marry me this
morning.”

Jill stood from the couch. She held out her
champagne glass to Jacob, which he filled. She made a gesture with
her hands and he stood.

“
Let’s get married this
morning.”

He hooked his elbow in hers and they drank.
Giggling, Jill threw her arms around him.

“
This is the most romantic
thing I’ve ever heard of,” Jill said.

“
You know Alex and John
got married thirteen hours after they met.”

Jacob took her hand and they made their way
through the workshop.

“
I said romantic not
insane. Alex and John are a little nuts, you know,” Jill
said.

Jacob laughed. He punched the numbers into
the security lock and they made their way down the stairs to the
coal tunnel.

“
I do have some bad news,”
Jacob said. “I’d planned to whisk you away on a honeymoon, but I
can’t do that now.”

“
Because of the
financing?” Jill asked.

“
I knew you read my
texts,” Jacob said.

Blushing, Jill nodded.

“
Yes, and everything
else,” Jacob said. “All of Lipson Construction is closed today,
Saturday, but we have to work tomorrow.”

“
At least we have today,”
Jill said.

“
I was hoping you would
say that,” Jacob said. “I also didn’t get you a wedding present.
You can ask me for anything and I’ll get it.”

“
I didn’t get you one,”
Jill said.

“
You are the present,”
Jacob said.

“
Oh. I can ask for
anything?”

“
Anything.”

“
I want to know why you
don’t want to be a psychic,” Jill said.

“
When we have more time,
I’ll tell you the whole story. But that doesn’t count as a wedding
gift. Any thing. The key being ‘thing.’”

Jill fell silent as they walked the rest of
the tunnel to the bottom of the stairs to the Castle.

“
There is one thing,” Jill
said. “Tanesha’s grandmother is going to lose her house. Tanesha
was supposed to start med school this fall but she deferred school
to save her grandmother’s house. Could you buy it for
me?”

“
I meant some thing for
you.”

Jill raised an eyebrow at him. He
laughed.

“
You’re amazing. Consider
it done,” Jacob said.

They climbed the wooden stairs to the
Castle.

“
I won’t see you until we
are at the alter.”

Jill beamed at him.

“
I’ll be there waiting for
you,” he said.

She threw herself into his arms. He held her
tight.

“
Don’t change your mind,”
he said.

“
I won’t,” she said. “I
love you.”

They were kissing when the door to the
Castle opened. Within moments, Jill was rushed off to their attic
loft. Jacob followed Mike to his apartment. He was under the shower
jets before he realized what was truly happening.

His dream was coming true.

He would marry Jill today.

~~~~~~~

Between Sandy’s blow dryer and Heather’s
makeup brush, Jill couldn’t hear or see anything. As if it was
every day life, her mother had chatted with her through a fast
shower. While they both cried, she helped Jill dry off. In the next
half hour, Jill went through some version every beauty treatment
known to human kind – nails, hair treatments, pedicure, waxing,
facial, you name it.

Samantha had even arranged for her boyfriend
to give Jill a wrap but Jill declined. One gorgeous man with all
these women? That was bound to be a mess.

Tanesha kept Jill’s champagne glass full
while her mother and Megan kept her giggling with funny stories.
Candy popped her head in to say ‘hi,’ then ran off to take care of
the cake. Valerie arrived with Jill’s dress and Claire Martins!
Like old friends, Claire and her mother hugged then went to work
getting Jill into her wedding dress. Thigh high cream silk hose
with a seam up the back, Spanish lace cream colored boy shorts, and
a from-Paris French bustier under a magnificent cream colored
strapless dress with cream lace roses. Her toes were adorned in
cream colored Paris-purchased Christian Louboutins to match.

More than once, Jill was ordered not to
cry.

But the moment Katy ran across the apartment
wearing her matches-Mommy dress, Jill burst into tears. Looking
from face to face of the women who loved her, took care of her,
stood beside her in joy and pain, she saw how blessed she had
always been.

Before she knew what was happening, the
women had slipped out of the loft taking Katy with them. Jill and
Sandy stood alone in the middle of the loft.

“
I’ll help you down the
stairs,” Sandy said.

“
Can you believe this is
really happening?” Jill hugged Sandy.

“
Yes, I can,” Sandy said.
“You deserve it.”

“
So do you,” Jill
said.

“
I know. Someday I’m going
to have my own perfect wedding.”

“
To Aden?”

“
I hope so,” Sandy said.
“He’s asked me a bunch of times but...”

“
You have to get used to
the idea?”

“
Let’s say, I’m warming to
the idea.” Sandy laughed at how well Jill knew her. “Take off those
stilettos so you don’t fall. I’ll hold the dress. Do you need to
pee?”

“
I’m all right,” Jill
said.

They walked toward the door to the long
stairway to begin the journey toward the Chapel. Before they got to
the door, Jill stopped.

“
Sandy?”

“
Yes, hon.”

“
Thank you for being my
forever friend.”

Sandy clutched Jill to her.

“
Thank you for being my
forever friend. Let’s do this. There’s cake waiting for
us.”

“
God, I love wedding
cake,” Jill said.

“
Me too. Especially for
breakfast!”

Sandy opened the loft door.

Chapter Fifty-Five
At last

They thread their way through Jacob’s old
apartment to the long stairwell. Sandy held up the bottom of her
dress, and Jill began her descent. Reaching the landing, she
slipped on her Louboutins and turned left into the main Castle
living room.

Jill stopped so fast that Sandy ran into
her. All of her friends, Jacob’s friends and their friends stood to
create the borders of a small pathway. Each person held a cream
colored long stem rose.

Sandy nudged Jill forward between the
people. She walked past her friends from Pete’s Kitchen. As she
passed, they gave her their well wishes, congratulations and hugs.
Each friend gave her a cream colored rose. Risto, the beefy cook
who broke up Jacob and Jill’s second kiss, had tears streaming down
his face. He gave Jill a bear hug which caused the crowd to cheer
and clap.

Rosa, the housekeeper who took care of Jill
and Katy last summer, stood with Sarah and Scooter. The dogs had
cream colored roses in their collars. The dogs barked and wagged at
Jill when Rosa gave her a hug. Rosa’s sons stood in their Lipson
Construction shirts behind their mother. The men waved to Jill as
she continued on.

Valerie’s publicist, Jennifer, and, her
designer friend, Ramon, hugged Jill. Ramon whispered that he set up
the chapel just for her. Jennifer added that the flowers were
Ramon’s idea. Thanking them both, Jill took her roses and continued
walking to the chapel.

Continuing through the tunnel of people,
Jill passed her old work friends from Ashforth construction. Darla,
Ashforth’s office manager, whispered that she would start working
in Lipson Construction’s acquisitions department tomorrow. Jill
laughed. When her hands filled with cream colored roses, Sandy took
them from her.

Jill moved toward Alex Hargreaves, standing
between her husband, John Drayson, and her twin brother. Alex
winked at Jill while the men kissed her hand. Paddie, his father,
Colin, and his mother, Julie, stood across from Alex and John.
Paddie leapt from his father’s arms into Jill’s. The little boy
rubbed his face against Jill’s neck. When Colin pulled the child
away, Julie gave Jill their three roses with their
congratulations.

She saw the Denver Zoo volunteers who helped
them when Katy was stung by the bee. Shirley, Edward and Mary gave
Jill their roses. Their lined, wrinkled faces beamed with joy.

Molly, who managed Jacob’s rehabilitation
business along with Jill’s budding decorating business, her
husband, Pete, and their three children stood next to the zoo
volunteers. Flustered, Molly wasn’t sure if she could or should hug
Jill. Jill hugged her. Molly kissed Jill’s cheek. Pete gave Jill
their five roses.

As she crossed into the Castle kitchen, she
saw a bunch of people from Lipson construction standing in rows,
two deep. Many of them she’d seen before but didn’t know. Each
person gave her a rose.

For protection from the coal dust in the
tunnels, Sandy helped Jill into a long overcoat. Together, they
went down the stairs where Lipson Construction employees filled the
entire coal tunnels. They screamed, clapped, and hooted for Jill.
Dozens of roses were passed forward for her.

Turning toward the Castle’s Chapel entrance,
she saw MJ with Honey riding piggyback. Honey’s small head peeked
over his broad shoulders. He held her legs with his arms.

“
You’re not coming in?”
Jill asked.

“
Got to keep the natives
quiet. This riff raff...” Honey pointed to the Lipson Construction
employees who cheered. “Need a little management.”

Jill laughed.

“
Go on,” MJ
said.

MJ’s partner, Sergeant Margaret Peaches, and
the rest of MJ’s team stood near the hallway to the chapel. Every
team member brought their wife or partner. These military people
said the nicest things with their congratulations.

Samantha Hargreaves and her boyfriend, Art
Rasmussen, stood near the entrance to the Chapel hallway. More than
most of the people here, Samantha knew Jill’s long journey to marry
Jacob. Samantha kissed Jill’s cheek. Jill gave her a teary hug,
then entered the hallway.

Senator Patrick Hargreaves and his wife
stood near the entrance talking to Valerie, Megan, and Jill’s
mother. When they saw Jill, the Senator and his wife ‘ooh-ed’ and
‘ah-ed’ over Jill and her gorgeous dress. After Sandy helped Jill
out of her overcoat, Valerie and Megan collected the roses and took
them into the chapel. The Senator and his wife left the hallway to
give Jill, her mother and Sandy a moment of privacy.

“
Mikheil will come to get
you,” Jill’s mother, Anjelika, said into Jill’s ear as she held her
close. “Bless you Jilly. You’ve always been the very heart of
me.”

“
I love you, Mama,” Jill
whispered.

“
Your Papa is inside with
Claire and Ben. He won’t be able to stay long, but wouldn’t miss
this for the world.”

Jill sniffed.

“
No tears, my dear.”
Anjelika let go of Jill. “Sandra? Will you work your
magic?”