Valentine’s Day . . . Four Days Until the Wedding
Piper was awakened by a knock on the door. At first she was disoriented, but quickly it came to her: Sarasota and Kathy’s wedding. They were going downtown this morning for the dress fittings. She had to get up.
She rolled out of bed and went to the door, opening it a crack. A bellman stood in the hallway holding a tall vase of pink roses.
“For me?” asked Piper, smiling brightly she opened the door wider. “Hold on a minute. Let me get my wallet.”
The bellman stepped into the room and set the flowers on the dresser.
Piper pressed a couple of singles into his hand. “Thank you,” she said. As soon as the door closed again, she unsealed the small envelope attached to the arrangement.
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY, PIPER
LOVE, JACK
She smiled as she studied the card, realizing that it was the first time Jack had actually written the word “love” to her. He had yet to say the word. Neither of them had. But Piper had sensed it was coming. She closed her eyes and inhaled the sweet scent of the roses.
She wondered where it would go with Jack. Piper knew he wanted to go further, and in many ways she did, too. But her last foray into love, and the ones before that, had ended with disappointment. Piper was afraid of making another mistake.
Deep in her heart, she acknowledged that love involved taking risks. Being guarded and closed was not the route to happiness. By nature she was open and affectionate. Yet something inside her warned her to be cautious.
Piper laughed out loud at that thought. Her father was always complaining that she was too fearless for her own good, constantly warning her to be careful. Little do you know, Dad, how careful your little girl can be.
Several of her friends had already gotten married. Now, at twenty-seven, Piper was making wedding cakes, watching more couples pledge to spend their lives together. Were they brave? Did they analyze everything the way she did? Or did they just know and merely follow their hearts?
Piper did know one thing: Jack Lombardi was already her best friend.
She walked over to the window and looked outside. It was still raining. Though the lightning and thunder had stopped, the sky was gray and there were whitecaps on the water. She watched a big brown pelican circle before making a clumsy landing on the Gulf. Once settled, the bird floated gracefully, rising and falling with the waves, undeterred by the raindrops.
After a quick shower, Piper started to pull on a pair of jeans but thought better of it. Instead she took her favorite leggings and a light blazer from the closet. She had no idea what Kathy would be wearing this morning or where they’d go for lunch, so she thought it best to dress in something that would be appropriate anywhere.
When she was ready, she proceeded down to the inn’s small café, where a continental breakfast was being served. Her parents were already there, lingering over their coffee.
“Hey there, lovey,” said Vin when he saw her.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, you two,” said Piper as she kissed both her parents on the cheek.
“How’d you sleep?” Terri asked.
“I died. Nothing like sleeping to the sound of the ocean.”
“The thunder didn’t keep you awake?” asked Terri. “It did me.”
“Nope,” said Piper, pouring herself a bowl of cereal. She took a banana and a container of skim milk from the buffet table.
“I don’t think you should leave your windows wide open at night, Piper,” said her father. “You’re on the ground floor, and anybody could climb right in.”
“Okay, Dad,” said Piper as she peeled the banana. It was easier to agree than to argue. She was accustomed to her father’s preoccupation with safety. Why cause him any more worry than he already had? Piper sometimes wondered what it must be like in her father’s mind, always looking three steps down the road to the dire possibilities ready to beset everyone and everything. It exhausted her to think about it.
Terri put down her empty coffee cup. “What time is your appointment for the dress fitting?” she asked.
“Kathy is picking me up at ten,” said Piper. “Afterward we’re going to go out for lunch, if she’s still up for it. What are you guys doing?”
“Nora wants me to come over and look at her dress,” said Terri. “Then I thought I’d go and buy the ingredients for the cake.”
Piper looked concerned. “I could do that with you later this afternoon, Mom,” she offered. “Why don’t we plan on three o’clock?”
“Great,” said Terri. “I’ll meet you back here at three.”
Piper turned to her father. “What about you, Dad?”
“Dan asked if I wanted to come over to Mote. He’s giving a lecture today on sharks and other dangerous sea life.”
Piper smirked. “Wow, that’s just screaming out your name!”
“Laugh if you want, Piper,” said Vin. “But it’s always good to know as much as you can about something that could hurt you.”
Piper flipped through a magazine as she waited in the lobby for her cousin to arrive. From time to time, she looked toward the entrance. She was surprised to see the young man with whom she’d placed the order for the hex sign at Fisher’s gift shop the day before. He was carrying in a stack of white cardboard bakery boxes. His brow was knit in concentration.
“Hi,” said Piper as he got close to her chair.
He stopped and looked at her uncertainly. Piper could tell he didn’t immediately recognize her.
“I was in your shop yesterday. I ordered the marriage hex sign?” she reminded him.
The teenager nodded. “Oh, yes. Do not worry. I am going to work on it today.”
Piper laughed. “I’m not worried. I didn’t expect it to be done that quickly.”
She loved to observe people. It helped her as an actress. She never knew when she was going to steal a mannerism she’d noticed and bring it to a character she was playing. She studied the young man’s face. His worried expression made her want to reassure him. What was troubling him? She couldn’t even speculate. She had no idea what went on in the Amish world.
She gestured to the boxes he was carrying. “Are those pies from Fisher’s?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said. “I deliver them fresh every morning.”
“Yum,” said Piper. “My family loves them. It’s great to know we don’t have to drive all the way over to Pinecraft. We can just have them here. I hope one of those is peanut-butter cream.”
The young man smiled a little bit. “Yes, and Dutch apple crumb and southern pecan.”
“I’m never going to fit into my bridesmaid’s dress,” Piper said with a groan. “Whatever. Kathy will have to deal.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Piper saw Kathy walking toward them across the lobby. As she drew closer, Piper could see that her cousin’s eyes were bloodshot and the skin beneath them was puffy. Either Kathy hadn’t slept well or she’d been crying—or maybe both.
“I see you’ve met Levi,” Kathy said.
“Yes . . . well, we haven’t actually been formally introduced.” Piper stuck out her hand. Levi put the boxes down on the table and returned the handshake. His palms were clammy.
“Nice to meet you,” he said politely, immediately picking up the boxes again. “Well, I better get going. I have other deliveries to make.”
Piper and her cousin watched as he walked toward the café.
“He’s nice,” said Piper. “But he seems so serious.”
“Levi is a good kid. And so is his sister, Miriam.”
“Is she the one who served dinner last night?” asked Piper.
Kathy nodded. “Mm-hmm. She cleans house for Mom and helps some of the other people in the town-house complex. They’re both totally honest and such hard workers.”
“It must be rough being an Amish teenager,” said Piper. “Everyone else their age is out partying and doing things they don’t want their parents to find out about.”
“Don’t worry about Levi, Piper,” said Kathy. “He’s having fun. He’s in the middle of that period when the young people go wild and experience the outside world before they settle down into the Amish life for good. The other night I saw him at the Beach Club, and he was downing those beers like a champ.”