“Are you coming, Mom?” Madison peered through the doorway, and her eyes came to rest on her mother. “It’s almost time.”
Seated at a dressing table, Andrea had her back to the door while putting the finishing touches on her makeup. At the sound of Madison’s voice, she swiveled to face her daughter, and her breath caught in her throat. Had it really been only a year since their horrible time of trouble—a year which had seen such dramatic changes in all their lives?
One thing was for certain: Madison was coming into her own. This damaged child whom she’d been so protective of—the girl she’d thought defenseless—had, over the course of a year, grown a hard outer shell. Now Madison projected an aura of self-confidence, and there was a new lilt to her step. Although Andrea had never thought she’d live to see this day, she had to admit that Madison could, most likely, handle just about anything life threw her way.
Andrea’s eyes roved over the young woman’s svelte frame. The pale green sheath she wore did little to hide her budding figure, and it surely highlighted her green-gold eyes. “You look scrumptious, Maddy.”
“Thanks.” Madison tossed a head piled high with curls that were held in place by a pearl-studded clip. “I asked the hairdresser to copy a style I found in Glamour Magazine.”
“It suits you.” Andrea said, but in the next moment, she feigned a look of dismay. “Hey, I’m supposed to be the belle of the ball, and here you go stealing the show.”
Madison hitched her shoulders and grinned. “I do like this dress.”
“I’ll bet Garrett does, too,” Andrea muttered, extending her arms. “Come here and give your old Ma a parting kiss before she steps off the gangplank.”
Giggling, Madison rushed into her mother’s arms. “You’re not Wendy, Mom.”
“No, and you’re not Tinkerbelle.” Andrea held her daughter at arm’s length, eying her critically. “You’ve grown up.”
Madison drew away. “Not quite, Mom.”
“Tell me, how are you handling Garrett and Tyler?”
Madison snorted. “Ugh! It’s crazy. I like Garrett. He’s the real deal… so mature.” Andrea bit her lip to keep from laughing. “But Tyler is… so sweet. I don’t want to hurt his feelings.”
Andrea clasped her daughter’s hand. “Honey, sometimes it’s better to let a guy go, rather than to keep stringing him along.” Madison’s brow furrowed, and Andrea changed her tack. “For tonight,” she said, “I suggest you three simply enjoy the evening and not worry about the future.” She brought her daughter’s hand to her mouth giving it a quick kiss before releasing it. “Oftentimes, the future simply takes care of itself.”
Madison’s face brightened, and she nodded. “Good idea.”
“Hey, y’all!” Sally Bray swept into the room with her usual take-charge attitude. “My!” She looked the two up and down. “Don’t you clean up nice!”
For the occasion, the voluptuous real estate broker had donned a pink, tea-length gown, which showed off her curves while playing up her peaches and cream complexion. “As do you, Sally.” Andrea turned back to her reflection in the mirror and angled her head from side to side. “What do you think about this headpiece? Is it too much for an old broad?”
“Not at all!” Sally eyed the cream-colored, velvet headband studded with tiny seed pearls that crowned Andrea’s head. “It coordinates perfectly with the lace on your dress. Honestly, I love it.”
“Thanks.” Andrea nodded toward the open door. “What’s it like out there?”
“The clan has gathered and awaits your presence.” Sally raised her brows, an impish grin on her face.
“Oh, dear,” Andrea muttered, wringing her hands. “Suddenly, I’m wondering if I should go through with this.”
“Mom!” Madison wailed.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Sally said. “You’ve simply got a case of the last-minute jitters. If you didn’t have them, you wouldn’t be human.” She made a shooing motion. “I’ve been told we should take the back staircase. So come on! You don’t want to keep that crowd waiting.”
Ignoring her mother’s troubled face, Madison grabbed Andrea’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “To the gangplank,” she cried merrily.
Casa’s newly installed, commercial-grade kitchen was abustle with white-coated caterers busily preparing the wedding feast under Derrick’s direction. A raven-haired woman darted in, toting a large box. She crossed to the sink, preparing to unload its contents. “Wait,” Derrick cried, throwing his hands in the air. “Don’t wet them!”
“Huh?” She held the box mid-air.
Derrick swooped in and snaked an arm about the attractive female’s waist while, at the same time, relieving her of her burden.
A fellow with a jaunty toque atop his head looked up from a huge, steaming pot he was tending on the stove. “Are those the morels?”
“Yep.” Derrick nodded and then turned back to the woman. “Jasmine, I’m afraid your stint at the Dew Drop Inn has not prepared you for the world of haute cuisine.”
“What are you talking about?”
“All you need to do to these beauties is get out any of the sand that might have accumulated in their jowly little pockets. Then gently wipe them off with a slightly dampened paper towel.” Derrick demonstrated, selecting a six-inch specimen. “You see how fragile they are?”
The comely brunette widened her eyes. “Got it,” she said. “Didn’t know. A-okay, boss.”
“Sorry.” Derrick pulled Jasmine close and nuzzled her neck before releasing her. “I get a bit crazy about morels.”
“Why?” She reached for a paper towel.
Derrick turned back to her and shook his head, a rueful smile on his face. “I don’t know. Maybe because they are not only delicious but rare.” He returned to the enormous Norwegian salmon he was deboning. “Morels grow in the wild and are only available for a short window in the spring.” He flung an arm out, indicating the mushrooms. These babies came all the way from Northern Michigan, shipped here by a friend of mine who owns a restaurant in the heart of the Sleeping Bear Dunes.”
“Wow!”
“Jasmine, we are here to both nourish and entertain. It’s a noble calling, one I bought into long ago. Perhaps you might consider what it is we’re doing every time we feed someone.”
Derrick’s lecture was interrupted when Sally barged in. “Okay, people,” the powerhouse realtor regaled, “time to get a wiggle on. A bride is waiting in the wings.” She looked pointedly at Derrick. “She needs an escort. Do not let her down.” Sally put hands to hips and glared at him. “Again.”
At those words, Derrick came to attention. “No. I won’t.” He ducked in to plant a quick kiss on Jasmine’s forehead. “Got to go, Jazz.” He wiped his hands on his apron and then hitched it over his head and tossed it.
“Derrick!” Jasmine howled, “don’t you dare leave me.”
“I’ve got this, Mr. Nelson,” the chef waved Derrick away, a sardonic grin on his face. “And you’ve got bigger fish to fry.”
The caterers guffawed at Derrick’s predicament, and he took the ribbing in good stride. “Really funny,” he said, grabbing his tuxedo jacket from off the back of a chair. “Thanks guys. I’ll be back soon.” Then he clasped Jasmine’s hand. “Come with me. It’s about time you met the family.”
Margaret glanced around at her new digs. She loved this newly renovated house. There were no stairs to climb, and everything was tidy—in its place and manageable. When all chicks had flown, and it was just her alone, Casa had become entirely too much of a burden. She’d found herself rambling about the place, unable to keep it clean, let alone maintained properly.
Now everything was perfect, and she felt as though a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Better yet, all she had to do was look out this window and see Casa resurrected in all its glory. Margaret put her face to the living room window. “Oh, John,” she murmured, “how I wish you were here to witness this.”
A rapping on the door brought her back to the present.
“Nana, we need you. It’s time.”
Margaret hurried to the door and threw it open. At the sight of her beautiful granddaughter, her eyes brimmed with tears. “Ah!”
“What’s the matter?” One look at her grandmother’s face, and Madison’s eager smile faltered.
“Nothing, sweetheart. It’s just…”
“You don’t like my hair?”
“No! I love it. You look amazing.” Margaret extended her arms. “You remind me… of me.”
Madison allowed herself to be embraced before drawing away. “What do you mean?”
“Darling, until you have grandbabies of your own, you’ll never really understand. Just know that you make me very proud.”
“Why?”
“Because I see myself in you—your backbone and determination—to say nothing of the fact that you’re a mermaid.”
Madison giggled. “Yeah. We’re swimmers.”
“We know how to navigate, kid, you and I.”
Madison grabbed her grandmother’s hand. “That’s right,” she cried. “And we need to navigate over to the big house. Mom’s getting married.”
“Really?” Margaret allowed herself to be dragged out the door, laughing all the way.
Earlier in the week, Daniel had arranged for the pool to be drained and a temporary wood floor laid over it. The platform was now set with rows of white folding chairs facing a latticed bower festooned with orchids and cut roses. The guests milled about on the terrace and lawn, chatting with friends and neighbors. From her vantage point in the great room, Andrea peeked out from behind a linen drape at those who’d assembled to mark this occasion, and her anxieties fled. Here were the people she loved most in the world. Nathan McCourt, whose frame towered above the others, was the first of many friendly faces she picked out from the crowd. He glanced her way, and she caught his eye and waved at him. A silent communication passed between them, and when he responded with a thumb’s up, she knew that this elegant man would always have her family’s back.
Margaret and Madison bustled into the room, and Andrea spun around to face them.
“Andy,” Margaret exclaimed, “how lovely you look!”
Andrea took in her mother’s carefully made-up face, her form-fitting taffeta gown, and she marveled at the matriarch’s ageless beauty. “Gosh. You, too, Mom,” she said.
“Yeah,” Margaret snorted, “just call me the old maid of honor,” and they all chuckled.
“It’s true, though,” Sally quipped as she distributed bouquets—baby’s breath and carnations for Madison and Margaret, calla lilies for Andrea. “The acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree. Good genes at work in this family.”
Derrick dashed in, shrugging into his formal jacket. “Well, darlin’,” he said, eyeing his ex-wife. “Rather than meet you at the end of it, I’m ready to walk you down the aisle.” He extended an arm. “Shall we?”
Sally put two fingers to her lips and whistled loudly. “Alright, y’all, time to take your seats.”
Eager for the party to get started, the guests quickly found chairs while the priest came to stand beneath the wedding bower. From an outdoor speaker, the first measured notes of Pachelbel’s Canon in D sounded, and all in the assembly came to attention.
Flanked by a straight-faced Garrett on one side and a broadly grinning Tyler on the other, Madison was first down the aisle, and at the sight of the beautiful young people, there were titters of appreciation from the guests. Everyone in attendance knew of Madison’s recent travails and seeing the girl looking so happy proved a balm to many a soul. Nathan followed the young threesome with an ebullient yet regal Margaret on his arm. The music segued to J. Clark’s Trumpet Voluntary, and as one, the wedding guests rose to their feet.
Daniel appeared before the priest, and Nathan, Garrett, and Tyler fell in beside him. Madison and Margaret took their places to the right of them as Andrea and Derrick processed down the aisle. When the former couple arrived at the makeshift altar, Derrick shook hands with Daniel before bending to bestow a tiny kiss on Andrea’s cheek. “Love you, babe,” he said, a brief look of regret crossing his face. “Good luck.”
The ceremony passed in a blur. Andrea tried to hold and capture every minute of it, but it simply wasn’t possible to do so. It was as though she were dreaming.
Afterward, she looked out over the crowd and her eyes fell upon the usually dour Margo. Her former nemesis was looking surprisingly carefree and beaming at her so openly that Andrea couldn’t help but think perhaps she’d judged her too harshly. The typically stoic realtor was surrounded by Stewart, Jeremy, and Craig and their attractive wives, and Andrea thought how fortunate she was to have such supportive colleagues. Together, they’d gotten through the worst of the housing bust, the stolen escrows debacle, the horror of Madison’s kidnapping. They’d weathered the storm, and today, Andrea’s heart was full to bursting.
“Mrs. Armstrong, try one of these.” Daniel forked a freshly shucked oyster from its pearly shell and brought it to her lips.
“Ulp!” Andrea put her hands before her and backed away. “My tummy says no.” In the next moment, she bolted away. “Sorry,” she called out as she charged up the stairs. Daniel followed her progress, a perplexed look on his face, but then Nathan’s voice interrupted his reverie.
“Hello there,” the tall man clapped Daniel on his back. “Congrats. You did it!”
“Yeah,” Daniel grinned at his cohort, “sealed my fate.”
“Well,” Nathan looked out over the enormous tent, the manicured grounds, and then his eyes darted about the tastefully appointed interior. “It doesn’t seem too onerous a task.” He arched a brow and smiled. “With a smart, savvy, gorgeous wife factored into the mix.”
“Ah, here she is.” Daniel beamed at Andrea as she scurried toward him. “Is everything okay, sweetie?”
“Right as rain.” Andrea turned to Nathan. “But I must admit whenever I begin to feel guilty for having waylaid this amazing man,” She ducked in for a quick kiss with Daniel, “I am heartened to know that he is settling in near to his best friend in the world.” She grinned at the financier. “That’s you, Nathan.”
“I couldn’t be happier,” the tall man admitted. “I’ve missed my brother. It’ll be a great comfort having him close.”
The caterers had packed up, the wedding guests long since departed. Margaret had retreated to the little house—Madison dragged herself off to bed after having danced the night away. Now it was just Andrea and Daniel. They were sitting on the dock, perched over the ocean, staring out over a black expanse canopied by a gazillion stars.
“Are you still sure of this?” Andrea asked, lightly resting a palm on Daniel’s thigh.
“Absolutely. Like it or not, I’m dug in.”
Andrea tossed her head and laughed. “Good!”
“It was an amazing day, a wonderful party. I couldn’t be happier.”
“Me, too.”
“But what came over you?” Daniel drew away, searching her face. “I was worried.”
“There’s something I need to tell you.” Andrea ducked her head, suddenly unable to meet his eyes.
“Oh, my God,” Daniel hooted, drawing away. “How could I have been so blind? Your loss of appetite, the nausea… Why didn’t you tell me?”
Andrea gnawed at her lower lip. “I don’t know what you mean,” she dissembled, a small smile playing about her lips.
“You can’t fool me.” Daniel’s eyes twinkled, and he reached for her. “You’re pregnant!”
Playfully, Andrea made as if to pull away, but Daniel was undeterred. He splayed the fingers of one hand over her abdomen. “Tell me it’s true. You’re carrying our baby, my child.”
Daniel had never experienced a birth, and this was much more than he’d bargained for. To see the love of his life convulsed in agony had never been on his agenda. But Madison and Garrett were offering their support from the waiting room, and he knew he had to step up. “Breathe,” he insisted, clasping Andrea’s clammy hand in his. “Come on, sweetie. Almost there.”
“Oh, my God!” Andrea cried, convulsed by another contraction. “You do it.”
The female OBYGN doc laughed. “Maybe in the next life, huh? Your husband’s right, though. The baby’s head is crowning. Almost there, Mrs. Armstrong. One last push.”
“Nana, he’s too little to swim,” Madison cried as she clambered into the pool.
Margaret stood waist-deep in the water, feet firmly planted, the baby held snuggly in her arms. “Nonsense,” she said. “This little guy’s a swimmer. Just look at these sturdy limbs.”
“Mom,” Andrea entreated, “are you sure about this?”
Margaret turned to her daughter and lowered her brow. “I taught each of my three children to swim—you included,” she said, in an aggrieved voice, “and you are all terrific swimmers. Isn’t that so?”
Daniel drew his wife close. “Let her be. She knows what she’s doing.”
“Ugh,” Andrea grumbled. “I hate this.”
Margaret raised her arms, hesitated for a moment, and then tossed the nine-month-old before her into the water. Almost immediately, the little tyke flipped onto his back, flailed his arms, and somehow managed to keep afloat.
Madison couldn’t contain herself a moment longer. She dove under, only to come up beside her baby brother. Positioning her hands beneath him, she supported his tiny back. “That’s right, Haydon, you got this,” she said, all the while assuring his head was elevated.
“He does, indeed,” Margaret cried. “Bring him to me, Maddy. We have a very rare creature on our hands!”
“What’s that?” Madison asked as she slogged through the water, her baby brother in arms.
“A merman,” Margaret hooted. “A real live merman, Madison!”
Andrea was standing at her bedroom window, gazing out over a slate black sky dusted with a smattering of twinkling stars when Daniel came up behind her. “What are you thinking?” he asked, nuzzling her neck.
Andrea allowed herself to melt into Daniel’s broad chest. “Just that I’m so grateful you came into my life.” She turned to him, throwing her arms around him. “Never in a million years would I have imagined I’d be back here—living in Casa—with my…” She stood on tiptoes, kissed him lightly on the lips, and then drew away, her eyes shining, “my wonderful, handsome husband.”
“Mom!” At the sound of Madison’s strident voice, the two jolted apart, panicked expressions on their faces.
“Coming,” Andrea cried as she and Daniel charged out of the bedroom and down the hall to the nursery.
“Maddy, what is it?” Daniel was the first to burst through the doorway. No sooner had he gained entrance than Andrea plowed into him.
“You scared me half to death, Madison.” Andrea pushed past her husband. But before she could take two steps into the room, Daniel’s arms had encircled her waist, and he was whispering in her ear, “Shh… don’t frighten him.”
Andrea took in the sweet tableau that greeted her eyes: Madison, amid an assortment of toys and stuffed animals, sitting cross-legged on a braided rug and tottering before her on unsteady feet, a rosy-faced Hayden. The babe’s wee fingers were tightly clasped around his sister’s thumbs, and he seemed determined to keep them there.
“You see,” Madison chortled, “he is so strong.” Gently, she pried her thumbs from her brother’s hands, at the same time scooting backward, her arms outstretched. “Come on, Hayden, show Mommy and Daddy how you walk to Maddy.”
Andrea gasped as the toothless, grinning child took first one, then another uncertain step toward his sister.
“I can’t believe it,” Daniel breathed. Madison moved out of the way at the same time, motioning to Daniel, and he scrambled to take her place. Crouching down and extending his arms, he said, “Come to Daddy, Hayden.”
The boy took three more staggering steps and then fell, giggling, into his adoring father’s arms. Andrea dropped to her knees beside Daniel, and Madison snuggled up next to her. The three let their arms fall around one another.
“Madison, how long have you been… practicing?” Andrea asked.
The teen shrugged. “I don’t know. A week maybe. Ever since he took his first swim.”
“Ah,” Daniel said. “I guess you figured if he could stay afloat—”
“Yeah.” Madison snorted. “I thought if he could swim, he sure as heck could walk.”
“Oh, honey!” Andrea kissed Madison’s forehead. “You were absolutely right. What an amazing sister you are.”
“Your mother’s spot on.” Daniel squeezed Madison’s shoulder. “That kid is lucky to have you looking after him, Madison.” He swooped in for a quick kiss. “And I’m really lucky to have the sweetest, kindest step-daughter on the planet. So very proud of you, honey.”
Andrea awoke to an orange glow shining directly into her eyes. It was winking at her from between the narrow slats of a plantation shutter. Perhaps it had been a bad dream that roused her from sleep, but now she was wide awake, and she couldn’t ignore the inexorable pull the moon exerted. Daniel lay somnolent beside her, and as tempting as it was to snuggle up next to him and go back to sleep, she felt compelled to creep from bed and pay homage to the moon.
Once outside, Andrea surrendered to the warm night’s embrace. With ears full of the whirring of insects and the shrilling of tree frogs, she darted down the lawn and out to the dock.
“Hey, Andy!” Her mother’s distinctive voice came to her from out of the darkness. Andrea’s eyes soon adjusted, and she could make out a form perched at the end of the pier.
“Mom, what are you doing?” Andrea hunkered down next to her mother.
“Same thing you are, silly!”
Andrea chuckled. “Sally was right about us.”
“What do you mean?”
“The acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
“Ah! I guess it’s true.” Margaret leaned back, propping her hands on the dock and gazing at the night sky. “But look at that moon, would you?”
“It’s glorious.”
“I’d say!” Daniel’s voice startled the two women, and they swiveled to face him. “What are you two sorcerers doing out here?”
“Daniel!” Andrea cried, “I thought you were asleep.”
“And I thought you were sleeping beside me. I missed you.”
“Your timing’s perfect,” Margaret said, extending an arm in his direction. “Daniel, help this creaky old lady up, won’t you? It’s time I toddled on.”
“Don’t let me scare you off,” Daniel said, but he reached for Margaret.
“Not at all. I’ll leave you in good company.”
“Shall I walk you?”
“Good heavens, no! I know this property like the back of my liver-spotted hand. But thanks, Danny.” Margaret gave him a quick hug, patted Andrea on the shoulder, and headed back up the dock. “Night, you two.”
Andrea scrambled to her feet. “Nighty night, Mom,” she called after the retreating figure. In the next moment, she was in Daniel’s arms. “Do you remember the last time we saw a moon like this?” she asked.
“I do,” Daniel bent to kiss her. “And this is what I wanted to do then—”
“But I rebuffed you. Foolish me.”
“Yes,” Daniel said. “I got my feathers ruffled. But look at us. It’s what I have the privilege to do now.”
There was such a tug and pull with Daniel, Andrea thought, before all reason fled, and she surrendered to his kiss.
When she drew away, breathless, she smiled at him. “Yes. It was a little over a year and a half ago when that swollen moon beamed strange emanations down upon us.”
“Bewitching me, for sure.” His laugh was rich and warm as he gazed about, feigning confusion. “How is it I came to be in this place, anyway?”
“Just damned good luck, mister!”
Daniel turned back to Andrea and drew her close. “I guess that’s so,” he said. “I got lucky, alright. I never imagined I’d end up here, in Vero Beach.” He ran his fingers through her hair, letting them gently come to rest against the nape of her neck.
“When I think of that first night… how confused I was…” Andrea shook her head.
“What?” Daniel lightly rubbed a thumb against Andrea’s ear.
“It seems like a lifetime ago,” Andrea admitted. “I was attracted to you, and you, my dear husband, were so mysterious.”
“Didn’t do a good job of that,” Daniel said, a self-deprecating tone to his voice.
“Then there was the horrible abduction business.”
“Yes, we’ve been through a lot. But, hey! Casa’s been restored. I have a stunning wife. We’re parents to a beautiful daughter and a darling baby boy.” He shook his head, marveling at his good fortune. “The future’s looking rosy, my dear.”
Daniel drew her close, and Andrea clung to him with an urgency that could not be ignored. “Let’s go to bed,” he whispered. “We’ll open the shutters and make love under this beguiling moon.”
“Best offer I’ve had in a long time.” Andrea clasped his hand, and the two ventured another look at that distended, gleaming orb. “Goodnight, moon,” Andrea cried gaily. She dropped his hand and capered up the dock and across the lawn, and Daniel raced after her, laughing.
Andrea tore through the doorway, but Daniel paused on the threshold for one more glance skyward. “You, old devil moon,” he breathed, “work your magic again.”
THE END