Chapter Ten #3
Granny James was dressed for travel. Her tan Burberry trench coat, dark slacks, and sensible shoes were simple but smart.
Harper noted that her hair was shorter, a blunt cut tucked around the ears.
Younger in style, she thought, though Granny looked pale with fatigue.
Granny James appeared a bit disconcerted from the effort of getting out of the truck.
She adjusted the belt of her coat with crisp movements as she looked around to get her bearings.
Harper knew a pang of guilt since she didn’t go with Taylor to pick her up, but she had fallen behind in dinner preparations.
She could only imagine Granny James’s reaction when she saw Taylor pull up with his pickup truck.
Harper rushed down the stairs. “Granny James!”
The moment Granny James spotted Harper her face blossomed with a wide smile of adoration. “There she is! Come here, my darling bride!” Granny James exclaimed. “I’ve traveled a long way for this moment.”
Harper ran the distance into her grandmother’s arms. Catching her scent, joy blanketed Harper and her earlier worries dissipated. She felt enveloped in her grandmother’s love. “Oh, Granny, I’m so glad you’re here.”
When they separated there were the usual polite questions and complaints about the trip, enough for each of them to catch their breaths and regain composure. Granny James looked around the compound, her eyes bright. She sighed with pleasure when her gaze rested on the cottage.
“Welcome, Imogene!” Mamaw called from the front porch, where she’d waited to give the two a moment alone.
“Marietta!”
Mamaw began her trek down the stairs to greet her.
“Come in and put your feet up! I have a pot of tea waiting especially for you. You must be exhausted after that long flight.” She came walking across the gravel, arms extended in welcome.
Granny James stepped forward to receive a warm hug of welcome and a kiss on the cheek.
“It’s so good to be back,” Granny James said. “You don’t know how many times I’ve thought of Sea Breeze in the past months.” A flutter of sadness shadowed her eyes. “But I’m here now.”
“As we thought of you,” Mamaw replied. “Lord, we have so much to catch up on. And plan. And celebrate. I hear wedding bells!”
“Isn’t it all too exciting?” Granny James replied, though her tone was weary. “I simply must get out of these travel clothes first.” She turned to Taylor. “Thank you for hoisting all my luggage. It’s at moments like these I’m delighted my granddaughter is marrying such a strapping young man.”
Peering into the rear, Harper saw a steamer trunk and two large suitcases.
“Good Lord, Granny, what did you bring?”
“Only the necessities, dear. We’re having a wedding, after all.
Parties and dinners. One can’t be too prepared.
” She lifted a white leather bag with a heavy, locked clasp.
“I carry my jewels in my hands, of course. One can’t be too careful.
” She sniffed and said as an aside, “My other things will come along at a later date.”
“Other things?”
“Why yes, dear. We’ll talk about that later,” she said in a hushed voice before turning to Marietta with a beaming smile.
Taylor headed toward the front stairs with the two suitcases.
“Oh no, dear,” Imogene called after him. “I’m staying in the cottage.” She turned to Harper. “Isn’t that right, dear?”
Harper froze like a deer in the headlights. “Uh, no. I’ve put you in the main house. Closer to me.”
“Oh.” Granny James’s smile fell. “But I do love my little cottage.”
Harper exchanged a quick glance with Mamaw.
Mamaw spoke up. “Actually, Imogene, I’ve moved into the cottage. To give the young ones space of their own.”
“You’ve moved into my cottage?” Imogene asked with no doubt of her displeasure.
“I wasn’t aware that it was your cottage,” Marietta replied, taken aback.
“But of course. It was understood. I said I’d be back.”
“And so you are,” Marietta replied evenly. “And you have a lovely room for your visit.”
Harper watched the exchange, felt the sudden chill, and worse, saw the old competition between the Grande Dames spark again.
“My darling grandmothers,” Harper intervened. “We are all here, together. That is what matters. Not where one sleeps.”
Pink blotches appeared on Granny James’s cheeks as she pinched her lips tight.
“Let’s not spoil your homecoming with arguments of where you’re going to sleep. It’s only for a short while. And besides,” Harper added, slipping her hand under Granny James’s arm with a gentle squeeze. “I want you close to me, Granny. So we can have lots and lots of chats about the wedding.”
Granny James smiled weakly and patted her granddaughter’s hand. She really had no choice but to appease the bride after such a tender declaration.
Harper guided Granny James to the front stairs. “You’ll love the room I’ve prepared for you. And it’s closer to the pool. I heated it already. Extravagant, perhaps, but if I know you, you’ll be swimming every day.”
Imogene cast a lingering glimpse at the cottage, but her final gaze rested on Marietta—and her eyes narrowed.