The Wedding Caper Read Online Free PDF

feel if they knew we were
paying them with money my husband had stolen from them in the first place.
    Thankfully,
the wedding talk turned to other things, and Brandi and Scott lost themselves
in each other’s eyes. Warren and Brad took to discussing the ins and outs of
investment banking, and Nadine and I. . . well, we
talked about everything from our joy at becoming mothers-in-law to the Bible
study she led on Monday mornings at her church in Savannah. Apparently there
was more to this woman than met the eye. As she talked about caring for the
homeless and feeding the poor, my heart twisted every which way. The love of
the Lord literally beamed from her eyes, and I found myself captivated.
    Throughout
the meal, my mind wandered back to the lesson of the day. I couldn’t help but
be taken with Nadine’s social graces as the evening continued on. Nothing contrived or fake. Simple. Genuine. Real. God-given.
    If Nadine
Cunningham didn’t have her hands so full caring for the poor, leading a Bible
study and ministering to the sick, I dare say she would make an excellent crime
fighter.
     
     
     

 
    Chapter Four
     
    Ah, Saturday. My favorite day of the week.
    On the
morning after our steak dinner, about halfway into a lovely dream about
hauntingly beautiful willow trees in Savannah, Georgia, the piercing ring of
the telephone roused me from my slumber. I groped for it and knocked my alarm
clock off the bedside table in the process. It, too, rang out several times
before I finally managed to shut it down. Amazingly, Warren slept through the
whole thing.
    That
settled, I answered the phone, doing all I could to hide the grogginess, as
morning phone-answerers often do. “H–Hello?”
    “Mom?”
    “Brandi,
is that you?”
    “Yep.”
She dove headlong into a lengthy, animated conversation about a wedding dress
she’d seen in a bridal magazine, one she’d “have to have or die.” I leaned back
against my pillows and listened in rapt silence as I attempted to come awake.
Hearing her happy-go-lucky voice reminded me of the plans I’d made for my own
wedding, over twenty-seven years ago. Had I been this ecstatic, this. . . high-pitched?
    “Sounds
great, honey.” I’m not sure how many times I spoke those words. At least a dozen. After Brandi finally wound down, she
informed me that Candy wanted to chat. I couldn’t help but grin. Even living on
their own, these girls still needed their mama—nearly as much as I needed
them.
    True to
form, Candy approached our conversation from a quieter, less emotional stance. And why not? Two very different girls. Two very different ways to handle a wedding. Not that
I minded. Thankfully, this daughter would give my pocket book a bit of a rest.
She and her fiancé, Garrett, had settled on a date in June, giving us a little
breathing room between ceremonies. The two really seemed to suit one another.
Warren and I had secretly confided in one another that Garrett would probably
prove to be lower maintenance than Scott. And, of course, the fact that he
worked as a computer tech didn’t hurt. Might even come in handy one day.
    I found
myself relaxing as Candy spoke. She told me about the
music she’d chosen for their first dance. My mind soared back to my own
wedding. Warren and I had danced to “At Last,” one of my personal favorites and
from that day on labeled “our song.” Ah, love. The melody floated through my
head and temporarily carried me off to a blissful state.
    Until
my husband let out a snore from his spot in the bed next to me.
    I glanced
his way, and found him twisted up in the covers with Sasha sleeping soundly at
his side. Nudging him with my elbow did the trick. He rolled over and the room
once again fell silent. The puppy whimpered then settled back down again, this
time lopped across his feet. Warren never suspected a thing.
    Warren.
Suspect.
    No, I
wouldn’t let my mind go there. Not this morning. I tried to focus on happier
things—like wedding