Chapter 27
Twenty-Seven
They flew back to California after Evan and Grace’s wedding and spent the rest of the winter there while Dan worked remotely for clients in Rhode Island and consulted on numerous cases with the innocence project.
When she wasn’t dealing with wedding plans, Kara enjoyed the downtime as well as outings with Dan’s sisters and other friends she met through him. It was a fun, relaxing time, but she was ready to get back to work on Gansett by the time spring came.
They were thrilled to be with their friends on the island and to catch up with everyone.
Dan and Kara entertained them with stories about their ongoing efforts to keep her mother from taking over their wedding, which was getting close.
“She’s furious that we’re having a clambake for the meal,” Kara said.
“How come?” Maddie asked. “That sounds yummy.”
“She wants filet mignon and foie gras and other stuff I can’t pronounce,” Kara said.
“We want casual and fun and low-key. She wants highfalutin, high style and high stress. She’s driving me crazy!
Oh, and the kicker? She thinks it’s rude that I didn’t invite my sister Kelly—you know the one who stole my boyfriend who’s now her husband? ”
“Um, point of order, babe,” Dan said. “He’s your ex-boyfriend.”
Kara laughed along with everyone else. “Make that my ex-boyfriend.”
“Much better,” Dan said, patting her leg.
“So what do you do about that?” Janey asked. “If you don’t want her there, you shouldn’t have to invite her.”
“That’s what I say,” Kara replied. “But she goes on about how Kelly is my sister, and it’s time for bygones, yada, yada.”
“Sorry,” Sydney said, “but the bitch stole your man. Er, um, your ex-man. She doesn’t get to come to the wedding, sister or not.”
Everyone agreed with Sydney.
“You see why I choose to be part of this family rather than the one I was born into?” Kara asked.
“And we’re damned happy to have you,” Stephanie said.
Judith had been relentless in her efforts to take over Kara’s big day. Kara had complained to Bertha about it on several phone calls. Her grandmother had advised her to stay strong, to have the day she wanted, no matter who she upset with her choices.
One night, a week before the wedding, Dan was massaging Kara’s shoulders.
“You’re so incredibly tense.” He’d brought her home right after a dinner gathering at Janey and Joe’s because he could tell she wasn’t in a partying mood.
Now he had her positioned in front of him in bed and was trying to help her relax. “Your muscles are like rocks.”
“It’s wedding stress. I can’t take much more of it.”
“I have a suggestion that might not win me any points with my future mother-in-law but will win me all sorts of points with my future wife.”
“I can’t wait to hear this.”
“Stop taking her calls. Stop reading her texts. Just stop everything with her.”
“You want me to stop speaking to my mother a week before our wedding?”
“Well, I don’t want that, but she’s making it impossible for you to enjoy what should be the happiest time in your life, and I find that highly unacceptable.”
Kara turned her head so she could see him behind her. “I love when you go all lawyerly on me.”
“Then how about I file an injunction prohibiting her from contacting you until after we say ‘I do’?”
“As much as I love the thought of that, I’d hate to have you stuck in her crosshairs, too. It’s bad enough that I’m there.”
“I’d happily take a bullet for you.”
“Don’t even say that. I’ve had enough of you being injured to last me a lifetime.”
His low chuckle drew one from her, too. “That’s what I want to hear. Laughter and happiness and nothing but pure joy, which is what I feel when I think about being married to you.”
“I can’t wait to be married to you. I just wish the wedding hadn’t turned into such a circus.”
“The wedding could be an actual circus with a big top, elephants and clowns, and I wouldn’t give a flying fuck as long as you were there to marry me.”
“You mean that, don’t you?”
“I mean it.”
“So you’re suggesting I let the wedding turn into a circus?”
“I’m suggesting you do it exactly the way you want it and ignore anyone who tries to deter you from having what you want on your day.
And PS, babe, we’re paying for it, not them, so we get to do exactly what we want.
” He’d insisted on paying for it so she could have it her way, thus the months of back-and-forth with her mother, who wanted to control the whole thing.
“That’s true.”
“So, no more calls or texts or fights with your mother?”
“No more.”
“That’s my girl.”
“I hope you know what a shitshow you’re marrying into with my family.”
“I’m not marrying them. I’m marrying you, the one person in this entire world I can’t live without. If that means taking on the Ballard family shitshow, too, then sign me up.”
“You’re crazy, you know that?”
“How can I not know when you’ve been telling me that since the day we met?”
She rested her head on his shoulder, and he put his arms around her. “I have an awful feeling that Kelly will show up whether I invite her or not.”
“So what? Let her see how happy you are with the rich, handsome stud you landed while she’s stuck with Matt the cheater for the rest of her life.”
Kara laughed so hard, her body shook with it, which pleased him endlessly.
“Not sure which part of that was funnier—you calling yourself a rich, handsome stud or her being stuck with Matt the cheater for the rest of her life.” She wiped laughter tears from her eyes.
“In case I forget to tell you this, I’m so glad you wore me down and forced me to fall in love with you. ”
“I’m afraid I have to object to your terminology.
There was no ‘force’ involved. Rather, I employed a combination of devastating charm and a level of perseverance never before required with any woman to get you to fall madly in love with me.
It was a tough battle at times, but well worth it in the end. ”
“You’re too much, Torrington.”
“Maybe so, but I’m just enough for you, and I can’t wait to marry you.”
“I can’t wait either.”
Before their big day, Dan and Kara had to deal with the case pending against Jim Sturgil for the assault at the engagement party.
Sam Rhodes, the assistant attorney general prosecuting the case, had taken the eight o’clock boat from the mainland to meet with Dan and Tiffany.
Their testimony would be critical to the prosecutor’s case, and Sam had wanted to ensure they were all on the same page before the upcoming trial.
Dan and Kara were seated on the same side of the table as Tiffany and Blaine in the conference room at the public safety building that housed the police and fire departments.
“I want to thank you all for meeting with me today,” Rhodes said. “My goal here is to make sure we’re completely ready for trial. It’s important that you tell me everything you remember about that day, so there can be no surprises.”
“You have the police reports,” Blaine said. “We were very thorough in our reporting of this incident.”
“I do, and I commend your department for an excellent job, Chief, but I need to ensure that the testimony matches the reports. Mr. Torrington, I’d like to start with you.”
Dan walked Rhodes through the incident, from the second Jim showed up uninvited at the engagement party at the Summer House. He’d been drunk and disheveled, with an axe to grind against Dan, whom he accused of ruining his law practice on the island.
“Why did he think you’d done that?”
“I came out here looking for some peace and quiet and a place to write my book, and when people heard I was here, they started coming to me for legal advice. I’d gotten my Rhode Island license when I helped to get Charlie Grandchamp out of prison, so once the word got out that I was taking a few clients, I had more than I could handle.
Apparently, that was the death knell for his already struggling practice. ”
“Why was his practice struggling if he’d been the island’s only lawyer?”
“I can answer that,” Tiffany said, seeming to steel herself to have to talk about the incident.
“When Jim left me, he did so in grand style, taking every stick of furniture we owned, except my bed and our daughter’s bed.
He even took the dresser that held her clothes.
People around here didn’t like that he’d done that, and then, when I wanted to open my business, he made trouble for me.
The island’s residents went to bat for me with the town council and left him humiliated once again.
His reputation took a beating during all that. ”
“The police report states that you attempted to confront your ex-husband at the engagement party, Mrs. Taylor,” Rhodes said.
“I did.”
“Why did you do that?”
Tiffany glanced at Blaine, probably remembering how furious and frightened he’d been by her attempt to defuse the situation. “I was trying to stop him before he made it worse. I asked him to think about our daughter and what he’d be doing to her if he hurt someone.”
“And he had the knife in his hand at this point?”
Tiffany swallowed hard. “Yes, he did.”
“Then he called my wife a stupid bitch, and I grabbed him around the neck,” Blaine said. “He fought back, and that’s when Dan got hit by the knife.”
Rhodes took furious notes, nodding as they added each new detail.
“What’re the chances he’ll take a plea?” Dan asked.
“Slim,” Rhodes said. “According to his attorney, he’s very defiant.”
“Still.” Tiffany shook her head in disbelief. “After all this time, he still doesn’t get that he brought this on himself.”
“I’m not seeing any indication of contrition,” Rhodes said.
“Could I talk to him?” she asked, drawing a shocked stare from her husband. “Maybe if I could remind him what’s at stake for his daughter, he might be willing to see reason.”
“That’s not happening,” Blaine said in a flat, emotionless tone that brooked no room for negotiation.
Uh-oh, Dan thought, knowing Tiffany wouldn’t take that lying down.
“What if it would help?” Tiffany asked her husband. “What if I could convince him to take the deal and spare all of us a trial that his daughter will one day have to hear about?”
“If you’d like to see him,” Rhodes said, “I could make that happen.”
“She’s not going anywhere near him,” Blaine said.
“I’ll let you talk about that on your own.
” Like Dan, Rhodes apparently sensed a marital meltdown in the works.
“In the meantime, I appreciate your help in filling in some of the blanks for me, and I’ll be in touch ahead of the trial.
” To Dan and Kara, he said, “I understand your wedding is next weekend. Please accept my congratulations.”
“Thank you,” Dan said. “Are we done?”
“For now,” Rhodes said.
The four of them left the conference room, and no one said a word until they were outside.
Dan shook hands with Blaine, who looked furious. “We’ll see you at the wedding?”
“Yes, you will. Looking forward to it.”
“See you then.” Dan put his arm around Kara and led her to the parking lot.
“Whoa, Blaine is pissed.”
“I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t want my wife anywhere near that guy either.”
“But what if Tiffany could talk him into taking a plea? She’s right about the effect a trial could have on Ashleigh. In such a small town, people won’t forget that.”
“I agree, but I’ll be surprised if Blaine lets Tiffany do it.”
“I’ll be surprised if Tiffany doesn’t do exactly what she wants.”
In the end, Kara was right. Tiffany met with Jim and persuaded him to take the plea deal for the sake of their daughter. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and would serve six months in jail but would retain his law license.
It was a relief to everyone involved to have the incident behind them, especially Dan and Kara, who were counting the days until their wedding.