12. Tessa #3
As they continued to watch, the woman in the black dress let go of the bride-to-be, taking hold of her outstretched left hand to admire her new ring. She exchanged a brief conversation with the couple, then reached up and held her soon-to-be son-in-law in a big hug as well.
“They really seem to all get along, don’t they?”
In response, he snugged her tighter against him. “That’s exactly what I’d want. A family I could get along with, as well as someone who got along with mine.”
Tessa swallowed hard at the idea. She’d never met Greer’s family, even though she’d heard a lot about his mother and brother.
“Would that be a dealbreaker? If your family didn’t like your girlfriend?” she asked, casting a quick glance at him before she realized her error. But still, the truth stood tall in her words.
She hadn’t been asking about a theoretical engagement. She wondered if Greer’s family would like her.
“Impossible,” he said, cuddling her into his chest as he rested his chin on her shoulder. “They’re going to love you.”
“Everyone, meet my son-in-law to be!” the red-headed woman in the black dress announced, drawing more cheers and applause from their group.
By now, the excitement of the moment had passed for nearly every other bystander there, narrowing down the ring of those affected to Tierney’s family and friends.
“Alright, are you ready for this?” Tessa asked, pulling in a deep breath for strength.
“Now or never,” Greer said, standing up and letting his arms go lax around her middle.
He took her hand once more, the two of them moving toward the woman she hoped really was Tierney, feeling Greer just a half step behind her.
She knew he was there to support her, and in this position, he had her back.
It made all the difference in the world.
“Um, excuse me?” Tessa asked as she approached the woman. She wasn’t particularly close, but it looked like she was about ready to get sucked into another conversation, and she had to shoot her shot while she was brave. “Was that your daughter who just got engaged?”
“It sure is,” the woman said, beaming a smile at the two of them.
“Congratulations,” Tessa said, first and foremost. “They look like they’re really happy together.”
“They are,” she agreed. “I couldn’t have asked for a better man for my daughter.”
“You don’t happen to be Tierney, are you?” Tessa asked. Moment of truth.
“I am,” the woman said, curiosity lighting up her eyes.
“I’m Tessa, and this is Greer,” she said, gesturing to the mountain of a man behind her.
She had hoped that the woman’s eyes would light up in recognition, like maybe Natalie had told her what her name was.
When it was clear she still didn’t recognize her, she tried to clarify with, “Tessa Montgomery?”
“I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head and looking over at Greer just to make sure. “I don’t recall.”
“We were just at Natalie’s Antique Emporium, out in New York?” she said, drawing on any and all details she could give her. Assuming she’d connect them, of course. “We were the ones searching for the necklace.”
“Oh!” she said, her face finally lighting up in realization.
“Yes, of course. I did get a call from Natalie about the necklace. I never had any idea that it had been on loan. It’s so strange you should ask.
I just found it a few weeks ago. Up until then, it’d been at the bottom of a trunk of my mother’s things for decades now.
How did you find us all the way out here? ”
“Natalie said you were visiting Harbor’s Head. We happened to be passing through town in the bike pack.” All true, and way less weird than tracking her down across three states on a holiday weekend.
What was she even thinking of approaching her like this?
“Forgive us for asking,” Greer said, stepping forward and giving her his wide smile. The kind that would charm anyone. “But that necklace means so much to my girlfriend and her family. It was originally her great-grandmother’s before she sold it, and well… We can see how much family means to you.”
“It does,” she assured him, breaking into a warm smile for him, her eyes tracking to the newly engaged couple before returning to them.
“The thing is,” he said, leaning in like he was telling her a great big secret. Tierney automatically tilted her head, all ears for the conversation. “We’d give just about anything to have it back in the family again.”
“My parents are celebrating their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary,” Tessa said, wanting more than anything to seal the deal. “When my dad found out the necklace was still out there, he very much wanted to give it to my mother.”
Tierney seemed to calculate something in her mind as she regarded the two of them together. But the expression that washed over her face after that made Tessa’s heart plummet. She seemed to come to a decision, looking them directly in the eye as she timidly smiled, all while her eyebrows furrowed.
“I really wish that I could help you, but I can’t.”
When she didn’t elaborate, Tessa couldn’t help but ask, “Why?”
“Because,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “I don’t have the necklace anymore.”