Chapter 18
CHAPTER 18
As soon as Jack starts driving Lizzie gets a text from her dad.
I got word that the crisis has been averted. Don’t go to the office. Come home, I’m working from here. “Huh, okay, so my dad is working from home this afternoon apparently,” she says. “So I guess that’s where we’re headed.”
“Sounds good to me,” Jack says, taking the turn that heads to the Martin’s house.
As they turn the corner they see the driveway is full of cars, including Matt’s work van.
“What the heck?” Lizzie says, unbuckling her seatbelt.
“I think maybe our families are up to something,” Jack says, grabbing her luggage from the back of his car.
“Here, let me help,” Lizzie says. She extends the handle on her suitcase and tries dragging the suitcase across the crushed shell driveway, she finally gives up the third time it tips over and picks it up.
As they arrive at the door, unsure of what awaits them inside, they each take a deep breath.
“You jump, I jump, Jack,” Lizzie says. “Sorry, I have to stop saying that,” she says laughing. Before either one of them has a chance to open the door it swings open. They look down and Lizzie’s four-year-old niece, Sophie is standing there.
“Surprise, Aunt Wiz! Happy Birthday!” she exclaims.
Matt comes over and scoops her up, he's laughing. “Yeah, she couldn’t quite get the concept down about congratulations, or best wishes, for her every celebration is either a birthday or Christmas.” He leans in and gives his sister a one-armed hug. “Congratulations, Wiz.”
“Okay, I’m cool with Sophie calling me Wiz? I’m not sure how I feel about this becoming a family thing,” she says, mock-scolding him.
“Hey, man,welcome to the family,” Matt says, giving Jack a big hug.
“I am very happy to be joining you,” Jack says, smiling. “Thanks for having me!”
“Hey, we’re just thrilled anyone is willing to take her on,” Matt says, looking over at his sister and laughing.
Just then the rest of the family comes rushing over, now aware of their arrival.
“Oh my goodness!” Lizzie exclaims as her parents, and Jack’s, and Matt’s wife Shannon all emerge from the living room and rush them in a huge, group embrace. “I can’t believe this!” Lizzie and Jack look at each other, stunned by the exuberant reaction.
Gabby and Peter, at the front of the pack, both envelop their daughter in a huge hug.
Gabby is teary, “I am so happy for you, honey! You and Jack are so good together, I couldn’t be happier.” She can’t stop hugging her.
Peter hugs her, “I don’t know what magic you two used to end that standoff, but thank goodness that’s over!”
“I can’t believe he gave up on his grudge so easily, but Jack is quite the charmer,” she says, looking over at him and smiling.
Jack’s parents, Jane and David have grabbed their son, and Lizzie smiles when sees his very quiet, and slightly reserved dad positively glowing and ruffling Jack’s hair. It’s sweet. And she’s very relieved to have averted a crisis and be here now with their families.
As they all spill from the entry into the kitchen Lizzie and Jack are shocked to see the place completely decorated, and the island covered with amazing food.
“How did you ever pull this off?” Lizzie says, taking off her coat, which her dad immediately takes from her. “We didn’t even know we were coming back today until a few hours ago!”
“I swear, the next time I need an event at the library organized I am calling all your parents,” Shannon says. “They put this all together in about two hours. I can’t believe it.”
Gabby and Jane are standing with their arms around each other, and point to each other. “She did most of it,” they both say, and then laugh.
“Peter and I are just good at following directions,” David says. “It was a complete and total labor of love.”
“We cannot thank you enough,” Jack says. “We certainly aren’t going to need a wedding planner with you four around.”
“Okay, I don’t know about that !” Gabby says, widening her eyes. “I think this is about my level of party planning. A few streamers, a pinata, and some takeout from Bradfords. I’m assuming you want a bit more than that.” She pauses, “Is it too early to ask if you’ve set a date?”
Lizzie and Jack look at each other.
“Well, nothing definite, but we’re thinking pretty soon?” Lizzie says. “We’re thinking we’ve been engaged before, so why wait?” she says laughing.
“Definitely. We just want to get married already,” Jack says.
“Spoken like a true romantic,” his mother, Jane says, laughing.
“If we all work together we could totally pull that off. I mean, if you’re not thinking big venue and all that,” Shannon says.
“No,” they both say at the same time.
“We definitely don’t want a big, expensive, stiff event. We want fun, pretty small and relaxed, right?” Lizzie says.
“Yup, I couldn’t stand to have a huge production. I want people to have fun and just be themselves. You know what would be cool? I once went to a wedding in Vermont where they had a grilled cheese bar, wouldn’t that be fun?” Jack says, looking hopefully at Lizzie.
“Oh I love that!,” Lizzie says, beaming. “This is going to be a lot of fun to plan. I want silly, and fun!”
“Oh! Games! We need games!” Matt says. “Like bocce, and croquet and-”
“No lawn darts,” Peter jokes.
“Definitely no lawn darts,” Matt says. “Maybe we could even have it at the property, depending on where you’re at in building.”
“Well, the crew is showing up tomorrow ready to break ground, we’ve amassed quite a large group, thanks to all our investors, and we had hoped by fall to have it mostly done, but we might be able to do something there, or there’s always the Marshview,” Jack says.
“Well now all you need is a date,” says Jane.
Everyone pulls out their phones.
“What month are we looking at?” Matt asks.
“Hmmm, May?” Lizzie says, hesitantly, looking at Jack who nods in agreement.
“Wow, that’s soon!” Gabby says. “Okay, so the 14th and the 21st or both Saturdays, and it’s before Memorial Day weekend which is always packed in Cranberry Harbor,” Gabby says.
“Do you have any preference? Does any day sound better to you?” Jack asks Lizzie.
“I’m kind of thinking the 21st sounds good, and gives us another week.” She turns to Jack. “Are you sure just building Terra Marique isn’t enough pressure without adding planning a wedding to the mix? We could just elope,” she jokes, looking at their parents.
“No!” Peter, Gabby, Jane and David all exclaim.
Jack laughs. “Okay, no eloping. And it will be a great motivator, to get things as far along as we can,” he jokes. “With the on-site manager and the crew we have, the project should go along well. We’re also using some eco-friendly prefab parts, so that’s going to move along the building process. I want to get people living there as soon as possible. And let the gardeners and farmers get to work before it gets too cold to get some fall plantings in. I think May 21 at Terra Marique or the Marshview sounds perfect. How do all of you feel?” He asks their assembled families.
Gabby has been handing out flutes of champagne to everyone as the discussion has been going on, so they are all ready to toast the happy couple.
“Yes!” They all raise their glasses, even Sophie, with her little cup of apple juice.
“Yes!” Sophie calls out a few seconds too late, but with more enthusiasm than everyone. “What are we yessing?” she then asks.
Lizzie crouches down, “Our wedding, honey,” she says, toasting her with her glass. “I have a question, will you be my flower girl?”
“Yes!” She says, then turns to Shannon. “Mommy, what’s a flower girl?”
“A flower girl is one of the most important people in a wedding,” Lizzie says. “You wear a pretty dress, carry a basket of flower petals and drop them as you walk down a path. And then Uncle Jack and I will be married, like your mommy and daddy, and Grabby and Pop.”
“Huh, okay, I’ll do it.” She's quiet for a second. “And no one will be mad that I made a mess with the flowers?”
Lizzie hugs her. “No, it will be a beautiful path outside and everyone will be happy. I promise!”
“Okay! I’m in!” Sophie says, hugging her back. Everyone oohs and ahhs and gets emotional.
“I have no idea where she got that!” Shannon laughs.
“We have an awful lot of food that is just sitting there,” Gabby says. “How about we all wipe our eyes and celebrate!”
“Here, here,” Peter says. “I’m famished! All this crying really works up an appetite!” He starts handing out plates to everyone as they que up.
Lizzie takes a plate from her dad and gives him a kiss on the cheek.
“Thanks, Dad,” she says.
“For the plate?” he says, smiling at her.
She laughs. “Well, sure, but for everything else too. This is not where I could have ever imagined my life a year ago, and yet, here I am, back in Cranberry Harbor, working with you, engaged, again to Jack, it hardly seems real. I may have to pinch myself. I’m so grateful to have you and Mom in my corner.”
“Always and forever, honey,” he says, hugging her. “And yes, it is very real, honey, and I cannot begin to tell you how incredibly grateful I am for how it’s all turned out. To see you this happy,” he begins to choke up, “is everything to your Mom and me. All we ever wanted was that. Getting to work with you every day is just icing on the cake.”
“Back at you,” she says, as she places some vegetarian lasagna on her plate.
Peter goes back to being the host, and Lizzie takes a moment to look around at everyone. She and Jack catch each other’s eyes and smile at one another from across the room. Cranberry Harbor does it again. In that moment she knows this is where she wants to be, with these people, with this man. And with that amazing looking cake her mother just put out on the table.