22. Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter 22
“So, all systems go for the bridal shower?” Mason asked.
It was three weeks later, the day before Laurel’s shower. They’d talked on the phone frequently, texted every day, and Linda was getting accustomed to this new normal.
It was fun knowing she’d hear from Mason each day. Sometimes it was six in the morning, before she’d even woken, sometimes it was mid-afternoon, as she was trying to wrap up work for Grady before she started on product development for her new line of business in the evening, or it could even be late evening if Mason had worked second-shift hours.
She’d received some sample packages from various printers and was comparing quality and price for her first order of to-do lists with magnets on the back for refrigerators. After selecting her favorite designs, she hoped to have the first order in hand within two weeks. She’d talked to Polly in Tampa, and Polly had promised to place an order as soon as Linda was ready.
Talking to Mason frequently helped, but it wasn’t as good as seeing him in person. There was no chance to rest her head on his shoulder, or clasp his hand, or stare into his confident brown eyes.
“We’re ready. It should be a beautiful event. I hope Laurel loves it.”
“She’d better. I know you worked hard on it.”
He was right, she had. From designing the invitation to selecting the venue to planning the menu, she wanted Laurel’s shower to be perfect. Yes, Erin helped, but she left the major decisions up to Linda, saying Linda knew her sister best.
Which she did. As much as she was looking forward to having the shower behind her, she was looking forward to spending the day with her family and Laurel’s closest friends. Two of their aunts had flown in from New York to attend, and her mother was over the moon. Her first daughter was getting married, and she was already dreaming about her future grandchildren.
“Thanks for that.” Linda looked at the clock. She needed to leave in twenty minutes to go to her nail appointment. Laurel would rail at the current state of her broken, chipped fingernails. “What are your plans for the day?”
“Going for a jog, then I’m going to contact my placement manager about my next gig.”
“Your next gig? Aren’t you in Seattle for two more months?”
“I am. But if I wait until the last minute, I won’t have a lot of choice about where I get to go next. I want to tell him now that I want to be placed in the same time zone as you. It will make keeping in touch a lot easier. I’m always calculating what time it is for you whenever I look at my watch. Which I do frequently.”
Wow. His next place? Linda was hoping he was going to look for some place closer. Chicago, Peoria, or even better, Bloomington. The Central Time Zone could land him in south Texas or northwestern North Dakota. Too far away!
“Oh,” she managed.
“Speaking of Seattle, when are you coming to see me?”
“Things are so crazy with Laurel’s wedding coming up. I don’t know.”
“Come on. Take a break and come see me. I’ll buy the plane ticket. What about June seventh? Come for the weekend. You'll love the Space Needle and Pikes Peak. I can’t wait to show you around.”
“What’s Pikes Peak?”
“Sorry, I mean Pike Place. The fish market. They throw fish.”
“That does not sound appetizing. Let me check my schedule and get back to you.”
She had orders coming that would need to be shipped out. And she had a list of local stores to visit to see if they would carry her stuff.
“You do that and get back to me. Have fun at the shower. Can’t wait to hear how it goes!”
Really, Mason? “I’ll update you, stat.”
He laughed, the sound filling her insides with a warm glow. She missed him and knew she’d make the time to go to Seattle. She hung up and added “check for flights” to her growing to-do list.
The shower guests had left; only Laurel, their mother Nicole, Erin, and Linda remained. They were sitting around the table, relaxing and gathering the willpower to haul all the gifts to the cars. They’d need more than just Laurel’s car to get it all to her house. Much to Linda’s relief, Erin volunteered to be the second pack mule.
“If the wedding goes half as well as today, it will be perfect!” Laurel declared. Linda glanced at her sister’s wineglass and wondered how many she’d had.
“It will be perfect!” Nicole said. “I have no doubts. Three cheers to Linda and Erin for making this day beautiful. From the food to the decorations, you did a fantastic job.”
“Thanks!” Linda held up her glass in response to her mother’s words. It’d been perfect. They hadn’t missed a single detail. Now most of the pressure was off her. All eyes would be on Laurel. It was her big day. Linda just needed to show up, not trip walking down the aisle, and dye her hair.
Darn. She’d forgotten about that part.
She didn’t want to dye her hair. The colors were part of who she was. She wouldn’t stop. She swirled the wine in her glass, contemplating. Finally, she had it. She’d get a wig. There were wigs that looked natural. Heck, it would probably be even faster getting ready for the wedding. She would throw her hair in a net and set the wig on her head. She pulled her phone out of her pocket discreetly, and added “look for wig” to her list.
“Mom, can you help me re-pin my hair?” Laurel asked. “I know a few curls fell out when I was hugging everyone goodbye.”
Their mother nodded, and they left for the restroom. Erin leaned back in her chair and looked at Linda. “So, Mason said you two met up in Florida.”
“Well, we were both there at the same time. We didn’t intentionally meet up.”
“Have you talked since?”
“A few times.”
“I knew it. He can’t hide anything from me.”
“It’s been nice to reconnect.”
Erin probably didn’t know how much it had hurt Linda when he’d left, unless Laurel had told her.
“That’s good. I wish he’d grow up and stop moving around so much. He’s twenty-eight, time to act like an adult. But he won’t. He’ll never come back to central Illinois, anyway. Too many memories of Mom. He can’t handle it.”
Linda hummed noncommittally.
“Dad and Terry think he may end up in Seaside Bay. The best memories were at the beach. Mom got sick here and never made it back there.”
“Uh, huh,” Linda mumbled. She wished her mom and Laurel would return. Looking down at her arms, she scratched at a small rash on her wrist. Hives. Erin’s questioning about her status with Mason was making her nervous.
“Anyway, what do I know? Mason has surprised me more than a few times.” Erin gave a shrug of her shoulders, the smile not reaching her eyes.
Linda reached over and squeezed Erin’s hand. She didn’t know why, but Erin needed it. Linda knew Mason’s grief; she’d seen it up close. Erin’s grief was different, but it was still there. It always would be. How could you ever get over losing your mother?
Erin squeezed Linda’s hand like she was grasping a life preserver.
Was Erin right? Would Mason ever stop moving around? She’d never be able to establish a retail store if she attached her heart to Mason. He loved to travel and explore. She couldn’t manage a retail store with that lifestyle, not unless it was on wheels.