A festive air spread throughout the library during the two weeks leading up to the wedding. Angela was a well-liked member of the library staff, and several patrons stopped by to congratulate her on her upcoming nuptials, often bringing gifts. I was filled with a sense of excitement as the wedding day drew closer. As one of Angela’s maids of honor, I was part of the bridal party, and by now I’d met many of the invited guests. I saw firsthand how Angela and Steve were affected as their wedding drew near. Nervous, yes, but happy to be starting married life together.
It was also the first wedding I’d be attending with Dylan. At times I got swept up in wedding fever and occasionally found myself imagining how I would want our wedding to be—the setting, the service, even the menu. But as quickly as these thoughts came, I brushed them aside. Dylan and I weren’t getting married—at least not anytime soon.
The early June weather ranged from the mid-seventies to the low eighties, with not a rain cloud in sight. The wedding celebration was being held at the Gilbert House, once a centuries-old private residence, just outside of town. When it was turned into a wedding venue and catering hall, they added a large bluestone terrace and a beautiful rose garden. Angela was hoping that the warm weather would continue so that the cocktail hour could be held outdoors.
The Tuesday afternoon after the bridal shower, I was in my office and had just finished responding to a bunch of emails when I received a surprise visit from Julia and her little daughter, Tacey. Julia was married to my cousin, Randy Singleton. We were very fond of each other, but our busy lives usually didn’t allow us to spend much time together.
Tacey ran into my arms for a hug. “Cousin Carrie, Cousin Carrie, guess what! I just signed up for kindergarten!”
“That is a big, big step,” I told her.
“The teacher said I wrote my name really well. And Singleton has lots of letters.”
“Good job,” I said and shot Julia a questioning glance. “The teacher asked her to write her name?”
“That was part of the interview.”
Interview? “Now there are requirements to get into kindergarten?”
I was half-kidding, but Julia made a scoffing sound. “Your child is supposed to be able to write his or her name, be familiar with if not know how to write the letters of the alphabet in both upper and lower case, numbers one to twenty, and shapes and colors.”
“Wow!” I exclaimed.
“I know them all—don’t I, Mommy?”
Julia stroked her daughter’s head. “You sure do, honey.”
“And now Mommy and me are going to pick out some books to read, right Mommy?”
“Yes, we are, Tacey.”
Tacey grinned at me. “And we want to invite you to a barbecue. You and your boyfriend.”
“Well, thank you both.”
“I know it’s short notice,” Julia said, “but I hope you guys can make it this Sunday afternoon. It’s just family—you and Dylan and Aunt Harriet and Uncle Bosco. The good weather’s expected to hold, and Randy can’t wait to try out our new grill.”
“Sounds great. I’m off Sunday and I’ll check with Dylan.”
Julia glanced at her watch. “And now, Tacey, we should get our books and start for home.” She gave me the look of a harried mother. “Randy’s coming home early so I can serve dinner at five and he can watch Mark and Tacey while I see a customer.”
“Of course,” I said. “I’ll text you tonight about Sunday.”
“Mommy, can I stay with Carrie while you choose some books for me?”
“Honey, Carrie has to work.”
“I can spare a few minutes to spend with my favorite girl cousin,” I said.
“Well …”
“You can pick out three books for me and I’ll stay here with Carrie,” Tacey said.
Julia and I exchanged glances. “Okay, Tacey. Ten minutes. Then we have to go home.”
“Thank you, Mommy.”
This child is four and a half! I marveled, because I knew why Tacey wanted to stay with me. She was the only other person I knew who could see and talk to Evelyn Havers. In fact, she and Evelyn were very fond of each other. Tacey used to try to offer Evelyn cookies, which upset Julia because she thought her daughter had an imaginary friend. I could only imagine how she’d react if she knew that Tacey had a relationship with a ghost.
“Have you seen Miss Evelyn?” she asked as soon as we were alone.
“Many times.”
Tacey pursed her lips. “Is she all right?”
“I’m perfectly fine, my dear,” Evelyn said as she manifested before our eyes.
“I’m so glad!” Tacey stretched out her arms before she remembered that she couldn’t hug Evelyn.
“I heard you tell Cousin Carrie that you registered for kindergarten today,” Evelyn said.
“I did, but school doesn’t start until September.”
“You’re going to love kindergarten, Tacey,” Evelyn said. “You’ll have so much fun and make lots of new friends.”
“I suppose.” Tacey’s voice fell. “It’s such a big school, bigger than nursery school.”
“Of course it’s bigger. You’ll be a big girl in September. Almost five.”
They spoke softly, and I turned back to my computer to give them some privacy. I was the only person who knew of this unusual bond between my little cousin and Evelyn and how much they cared for each other.
Finally, I turned to them. “Tacey, time to say good-bye to Miss Evelyn.”
When Evelyn left, Tacey hugged me. “I wish Miss Evelyn could come to the barbecue on Sunday.”
“I know you do.”