A Criminal Celebration in Hillbilly Hollow Read online

  Autumn led me outside of the church to where Summer was standing waiting for us.

  “Do you like the arch?” Summer asked.

  I nodded. “I absolutely loved it. I can see it in my mind,” I gushed.

  Summer laughed softly. “It’s perfect, isn’t it? But not quite as perfect as what’s to come. Come on,” she said excitedly.

  I followed the two sisters down a short path and around a wall.

  And then I saw it. I gasped, my jaw dropping open with shock. It was every bit as special as they had led me to believe. A large plunge pool sat beneath a flowing waterfall. Lilies floated on the surface of the pond and frogs hopped around it. The water was crystal clear and I could see small koi swimming lazily through it.

  I could already imagine Billy and me standing right here in this spot, getting our photos taken, the waterfall in the background.

  “I love it,” I said. “I didn’t expect to, but I do. I love all of it. Thank you, ladies.”

  2

  I was sitting in the driver’s seat of the truck, but I hadn’t started the engine yet. I was content to relax for a moment and take in the atmosphere of the grounds of Hope Community. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that, actually, this was genuinely the perfect location for Billy and I to have our wedding. I was a little annoyed at myself for writing it off so completely in the beginning before even looking at it. It made me wonder what else I had missed out on. What other experiences would have been perfect but I had missed them because I had judged them with no real knowledge of what they were about and decided they weren’t for me?

  I pulled my cell phone out and texted Billy.

  ME: Hope Community is perfect. U’ll love it. I’ll tell U everything when I see U. Are we still on 4 lunch?

  BILLY: If U love it, I’ll love it. And yes, we R. Can’t wait to hear all the details.

  I smiled to myself. I loved that he trusted my judgement so completely.

  I checked the time. I still had well over an hour before I would be meeting Billy for lunch so I decided to drop into Suzy’s store and see her.

  I put the truck into drive and headed away from the church, glancing back over my shoulder as I left. Who would have believed this place had such a magnificent view? And that waterfall was something else.

  I thought about Suzy and baby Emma Rose. I was so happy when Suzy announced she was naming her baby after me. I mean, talk about the highest honor.

  I had been surprised at first when Suzy had announced she was returning to working in the store so quickly after having Emma Rose, but the more I thought about it, the more it was Suzy all over. She was an excellent mom; she had taken to it like a natural. But she had always worked, and I knew sitting around waiting for Emma Rose to need feeding or changing would be driving her to despair. There was only so much cleaning a person could do around the house. So she took Emma Rose to the store with her each day, and there was rarely a moment when the baby wasn’t being fussed over by one or another of Suzy’s customers.

  I parked the truck and hopped out. On a whim, I stopped at Bertie’s Bakery and bought two cream donuts, before making my way down to Suzy’s store, looking in the other shop windows as I went.

  When I reached her store and slipped through the doorway, Suzy’s face lit up at the sight of me and she darted out from behind the counter.

  “I’m not coming to hug you. I saw the bag from Bertie’s,” she said with a laugh.

  I laughed with her as she pulled me in for a hug.

  “I’m kidding of course. How’s the blushing bride? Did you fire that awful Summer Martin yet?”

  “Of course not,” I said. “It’s not like she burned the church down.”

  “No, but she didn’t take any notice of the kind of people you and Billy are, did she? Or she would never have tried to drag you up to Hope Community.”

  I had of course told Suzy about the venue issues and her advice had been to fire Summer.

  “Actually, I think she knows our tastes exceptionally well,” I said.

  Suzy’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “You liked it?”

  “Oh my gosh, Suzy. I loved it,” I gushed.

  I told her about the view, the waterfall and the way the inside of the church was laid out, including the amazing floral arch.

  Suzy laughed and held her hands up. “Okay, I take it back. Don’t fire her. She’s good.”

  She looked pointedly at the bag in my hand. “So, now that’s out of the way, how about we talk about the important things? Like donuts.”

  “How did you know they’re donuts?” I laughed.

  “Because I know you,” she said as she held her hand out for the bag. “I’ll go get us something to drink.”

  I was already heading for the nearby stroller before she was out of the room. I scooped Emma Rose up and hugged her close, breathing in deeply and smelling the gorgeous new baby smell of milk and baby powder.

  “She smells a bit sweeter than she did at three o’clock this morning when she left me a poonami. Seriously, Emma, you have no idea how much mess there was. How does something so small create so much chaos?” Suzy called through from the break room.

  I shook my head. “No idea,” I said.

  “It’s just a good thing they’re so cute,” Suzy added.

  I could hear her rattling around as she made us some coffee. She returned with two steaming mugs and two plates with the donuts on them.

  “Do you want me to take her so you can eat your donut in peace?” Suzy asked.

  I shook my head, holding Emma Rose a little tighter. “No way,” I said. “I need my snuggly time.”

  Suzy laughed and bit into her donut.

  “So, you’ve got your venue issues worked out. Is that the whole wedding planned and done then?” she asked when her mouth was no longer full.

  “Pretty much,” I said. “Billy and I are having lunch today, where we’ll go over the favors and choose our favorite. We need to finalize the floral arrangements. And then it’s just last minute stuff like make-up, hair and nails.”

  “Are you having a spray tan?” Suzy asked.

  “I don’t know yet.” I shrugged. “Summer thinks I should. She’s booked me in for one, but I haven’t decided whether or not I should go to the appointment.”

  “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” Suzy asked.

  “Umm, I could end up looking ridiculous,” I said.

  Suzy laughed with me.

  “If Summer is as good as you say she is, she’s not going to send you to a tanning shop full of amateurs. They’ll know what color will best suit you, and it won’t be bright orange.”

  We finished our coffee and donuts as we talked.

  “Enough about me,” I finally said. “Tell me about you. How are you coping with the no sleep thing?”

  Suzy shrugged. “In some ways, it’s not as bad as I expected, but in other ways, it’s worse. She’s in a fairly good routine, so there’s that. I was worried she’d be one of those babies who are up all night. Obviously, it’s good that she’s not, but sometimes the routine is part of the problem. Like, I lay in bed unable to sleep, just watching the clock and counting down to the next time she’ll be awake. And because I’m breastfeeding, I have to be up every time she is.”

  “It must be hard,” I said. “Especially now you’re back at work.”

  “Work is what keeps me sane, to be honest,” Suzy said. “And I always have someone else scheduled to open the store, so I don’t have the pressure of knowing I have to be here early if I don’t want to be.”

  “It sounds like you’ve gotten it all worked out,” I said.

  “I don’t know about that.” Suzy laughed. “There’s so much to learn and so much I hadn’t even considered. It’s definitely not something you can learn out of a book, Emma. I thought I was prepared. I’d read all of the baby books, practised diaper techniques, bathing, everything. And none of it works how you think it will. I’m definitely winging it. But do you kn
ow the best part of it all? I always thought it was a cliché when people say you don’t know what love is until you have a baby. But it’s true. Honestly, I have never ever felt love like this. That caught me completely by surprise, but in the most amazing way.”

  I smiled. It was obvious how much she adored Emma Rose. I could see it in the way she looked when she held her. How her eyes rarely left the baby whenever someone else was holding her. How she could talk about her for hours on end.

  “How’s Brian finding it all?” I asked.

  “He loves being a dad, but just between me and you, I think he’s a bit underwhelmed.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “How so?” I asked.

  “You know Brian. He’s hands on, and he’s great with her. He changes diapers, bathes her and everything. But I think he’s secretly looking forward to her being a bit older, so he can interact with her and play with her more.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I get that. He’ll love it when he can run around with her and teach her games.”

  “Exactly. Anyway, listen to me droning on about my life. You’re about to get married, Emma. We should be talking about that. Are you excited?”

  I smiled. “Yes, I really am. I mean, I’m nervous. Not about marrying Billy – I’m sure he’s the one. But I’m nervous about the actual ceremony, you know? Like what if I fall over walking down the aisle, or what if I mess up my vows? But yes, I’m mostly excited.”

  “Try not to worry about stuff like that. It’ll all be fine, and the day will fly by. Just try to relax and enjoy it.”

  “I will,” I agreed.

  “And I’ll be right there by your side, so I’ll make you a deal. If you do fall over, I’ll throw myself on the ground with you and we can both look ridiculous together. How’s that?”

  “Perfect.” I laughed.

  Then I checked the time, shocked at how quickly the day was flying past.

  “Well, I’d better go and meet Billy or his lunch break will be over before I get there,” I said.

  “Wow,” Suzy said. “Is it that time already? Madam here will be wanting lunch herself soon.”

  She stood up and held her arms out for Emma Rose.

  I handed her over somewhat reluctantly. I was definitely getting quite broody being around the baby so much and seeing the beautiful bond between her and Suzy.

  “I can’t wait to be a mom myself,” I said.

  “Oh, you’ll be great at it. I’m already thinking about my next one.”

  We said our goodbyes and I went back to the truck.

  I headed out towards Billy’s place. I’d said I would go to the surgery so we had longer together, but Billy insisted on us having lunch at his house. He said he liked to be able to leave the surgery and break the day up a little bit, which I understood.

  I pulled up outside of Billy’s house, noting that his car was already there. I hopped out of my truck and went and rang the doorbell. It felt strange using the doorbell of a house I would be moving into soon.

  Billy pulled the door open. Smiling warmly when he saw me, he leaned in and kissed me.

  As I kissed him back, I noted the large knife in his hand.

  “Do you always open the door prepared to be attacked?” I asked with a laugh, pointing to the knife in his hand, as he stepped aside and I walked in.

  “What?” He looked down and realized what he was holding. “Oh, I didn’t think. I’ve just finished making us some sandwiches. Go on out to the deck and I’ll get rid of this and bring them out.”

  I walked through the living room and out of the patio doors onto the decking. The backyard was beautiful, so peaceful and cut off from the rest of the world. I sat watching bees dance among the honeysuckle as I waited for Billy.

  I heard the door sliding open and I grinned up at him as he came outside. He carried a large tray with our sandwiches and a jug of lemonade with two glasses balanced rather precariously on it. I half stood to help him, but he shook his head and put the tray down on the table.

  “See, I have the balancing skills,” he said laughing.

  He poured us both a glass of lemonade and I picked up my sandwich. It was perfect, a super soft bun packed with freshly roasted chicken, crispy lettuce and ripe, juicy tomatoes.

  “This is lovely,” I moaned as I bit into the sandwich.

  “It’s hardly culinary genius,” he said.

  “Compared to my skills in the kitchen, trust me it is.” I laughed.

  “So, tell me about this church,” Billy said.

  “Oh Billy, it’s wonderful,” I said. “The view from the front of it is divine. The gardens are beautiful, and through the trees, you can just glimpse the town. And behind it all, the mountains, purple and perfect. It’s like a movie scene. Inside, it’s all white and gold and the pews are this beautiful mahogany. The flowers will look amazing on them. There’s even an arch for us to stand beneath to exchange our vows, and it’ll be decorated with flowers.”

  He smiled at my enthusiasm. “You sound like you like it more than our original location,” he said.

  “You know what? I think I kind of do. You haven’t even heard the best part yet. Around the back of the church, there’s this secret garden. It’s got a plunge pool covered with lilies and full of frogs and fish. And there’s the most beautiful waterfall cascading down into it.”

  “It sounds perfect,” he said. “I don’t mean this to sound awful, I mean I’m not glad the original church burned down or anything, but I am glad we’ve changed the venue.”

  “You are?” I asked, a little surprised.

  He nodded. “Yes. I know you liked the original church, but you weren’t excited about it like you are about Hope Community. You weren’t raving about how nice it was, how perfect everything would look.”

  “No, I guess I wasn’t,” I agreed. “I did like it, and I thought it was perfect at the time, but that’s only because I hadn’t considered Hope Community Church as an option. I think this has shown me I need to be more open minded and give things I assume I won’t like a chance.”

  “Maybe that’s something we both should try more often,” Billy mused.

  “I called in to see Suzy earlier,” I said, remembering the later part of my morning. “She’s really taken to motherhood like a natural.”

  “There’s nothing that woman can’t do if she puts her mind to it,” Billy said.

  “That’s true,” I agreed.

  “How’s Emma Rose?”

  “Gorgeous as always,” I said. “She’s so cute. Her little nose, her pink cheeks. She makes me want to just squeeze her and never let go.”

  “I think Suzy might be upset if you did.” He laughed.

  We finished the sandwiches and I drank some lemonade.

  “Oh, I almost forgot. The wedding favors are in the truck. I told Summer we’d let her know today which ones we want. Would you mind grabbing the box from the back of the truck?”

  “Not at all,” Billy said.

  He stood up, gathered our plates and headed inside. I got to my feet and stretched, feeling lazy after having spent half of the morning sitting around with Suzy and now sitting around out here too. I glanced through the dining room window, smiling to myself when I saw the stack of wedding presents there, waiting for us to open them later.

  It would be like a fresh start for us, new things for a new life. A life I would be sharing with Billy. I couldn’t wait to get moved in after our honeymoon and start our lives together. This house was beautiful and it was already starting to feel like home.

  Billy came back out to the patio with the box. He set it down on the ground and we sat cross-legged on the grass as he opened it up. We dug through the box, oohing and aahing at the various selections Summer had given us.

  “Well?” I said.

  “I’m not crazy about the ones with the chocolates,” Billy answered. “The chocolates look nice enough, but they’re not very personal, are they? I’d like to give our guests something to remember the day by, something they can keep.”<
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  “Me too,” I agreed. “So the chocolates are out. I kind of like this one.”

  I held up the item that had caught my attention the second I spotted it: a small silver scroll. It had my name and Billy’s name engraved in a heart and beneath it, the date of our wedding.

  “Yes, me too,” Billy said.

  I grinned at him. I loved that we had the same tastes in things. The wedding planning had been a fun adventure we had shared, rather than a series of fights and compromises.

  Billy’s forehead furrowed in the way it always did when he was thinking.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “I was just thinking. I do like the scroll and I think our guests will appreciate the sentiment, but I think it would be nice to also give them something for themselves. How about we ask Summer to combine the scrolls with something edible as well? Just to sort of give them a treat?”

  “I think that’s a lovely idea,” I agreed. “Let’s go whole hog and give them all a chocolate and salted caramel heart each, too.”

  Billy nodded and grinned.

  “Yes, why not? We’re only going to do this once, so let’s do it right.”

  I reached out and squeezed his hand.

  “I’ll go call Summer now,” I said.

  I stood up, moved into the living room and called Summer. She answered with a curt “Summer Martin” almost as soon as the call connected.

  “Hi Summer. It’s Emma Hooper,” I said.

  “Emma, how great to hear from you. Is everything okay?”

  “Oh yes, everything’s great,” I told her. “I just wanted to talk to you about the favors.”

  “Perfect. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon. I know you said today, but I’m very impressed with how efficient you are. You know, with some brides, I’m still chasing them for answers the day before their rehearsal dinner.”

  I shuddered at the thought of leaving something so important to the last minute like that.

  “So which favors have you chosen?” she asked.

  “Actually, we’re wondering if it would be possible to combine two of them?”