“Thank you, Trudy,” I said, handing back her phone. “They’re beautiful. I will cherish them and the thought behind them always.”
Robson leaned over and kissed Trudy’s cheek. Then he turned to the small crowd and held up his wineglass. “I would like to propose another toast.”
“Hear, hear,” Dad repeated, and winked at me as he lifted his glass with enthusiasm.
“To the angels among us,” Robson said, his affectionate gaze touching all of us in the room. “May they always guard our treasures, great and small.”
Epilogue
Two months later, on a gloriously sunny day in Sonoma, at the top of a terraced hillside overlooking the beautiful green valley, my best friend Robin married my brother Austin, surrounded by several hundred family and friends.
The food was fantastic, the wine was delightful, and the dancing continued late into the night. I was thrilled to be able to call Robin my sister every chance I could, mostly because she was brought to tears every time I said it. But more important, because we had been sisters of the soul since we were in third grade. I loved her as much as, or maybe a little more than, my own sisters. She had lived in my house for months at a time, and my parents considered her the fourth daughter—or was she the fifth?—they always wanted.
I finally took a break from dancing to rest my feet. I rarely wore heels, preferring to wear Birkenstocks when I worked in my studio—shoes that Robin referred to as “Hobbit wear.” Needless to say, my feet were feeling the stress.
The party had been going on for six hours now, and I was more than ready to leave. But as maid of honor, I felt it was my duty to stay until the bride and groom left. As soon as they were gone, though, I would be dashing out of there.
It wasn’t just the dancing that had exhausted me. No, it was something much more insidious. It was my mother’s girlfriends. They were on some kind of mission. Frankly, if I had a nickel for every time one of them had asked me when Derek and I were going to tie the knot, I’d have ended up with a great big pocketful of change.
Besides being a rude, clichéd question to ask, it was embarrassing for me. None of them seemed to care, though. A few of my mother’s friends had even asked me the question right in front of Derek. He had smiled politely, uttered some charming bit of fluff about me being the love of his life, and then extricated himself as quickly as possible. I didn’t have that luxury, since my mother would find out if I’d been impolite to her girlfriends. No, I had to stand there and smile and make excuses. It was weird. I should’ve come up with something funny to say, but those women caught me off guard every time.
I brushed those thoughts away and concentrated on all the wonderful parts of the day. Several of the Frenchman’s Hill families had been invited to the wedding, and it had been so much fun to see them enjoying themselves. I hadn’t seen them since Robson had rented a massive truck and a few of us had driven over to Frenchman’s Hill to deliver the heirlooms and treasure back to their rightful owners. That was a day I would never forget. And now we were all celebrating together as friendly neighbors. It was a lovely thing to see.
I watched Elizabeth slow dancing with Jackson on the dance floor. Those two looked awfully lovey-dovey, even though they continued to insist they’d never known each other in a past life. I wondered again if she might ever consider moving here. I knew that Trudy would love it if she did, and I would, too. Elizabeth and I had become good friends again, but it was more than that. If she made Jackson happy, we would all love her forever.
“Darling, are you ready to go?” Derek whispered in my ear.
I turned and wrapped my arms around him. “Almost. Where are Robin and Austin?”
“They left a half hour ago.”
“Oh. Darn.” I looked up at him and laughed. “We could’ve been out of here a lot sooner.”
“You were still dancing.”
“And my feet will kill me tomorrow.” I laid my head on his shoulder. “I’m glad Robin escaped without too much fanfare. She was afraid everyone would make a fuss.”
“They snuck away soon after the cake was served. I overheard your mother suggesting to Robin that they get out ‘while the getting was good,’ as she put it.”
“Smart woman.”
“The party appears to be winding down,” Derek said, “although the caterers and bartenders are still on duty.”
“Robin asked them to stay until midnight. But if she’s already gone, then as maid of honor, my work here is done. Let’s go.”
We walked arm in arm to the car, and just as Derek opened the passenger door for me, I noticed two people standing in the shadows nearby, under an oak tree.
“Who’s that over there?” I asked quietly, trying to see in the dark.
“Some neighbors, perhaps.”
“Wait. No, that dress looks familiar.” I looked closer. “Are they arguing?”
“It’s none of our business, love.” He tugged at my arm.