Beside a Dreamswept Sea (46 page)

“What’s gotten into you?”

Love, she wanted to shout. A huge, unselfish dose of love. “Nothing. You’ve gotten
out
of me.”

“Don’t say that, Caline. We had a lot of good years together.”

Had they? Had they really? “You had a lot of good years, Gregory. I was just along for the ride, making them better for you.”

“You were happy, damn it. Don’t tell me you weren’t happy.”

“At first, yes. But then things changed.” Something miraculous was happening inside her. Something so miraculous she couldn’t tag it with a name. Yet she understood it completely. For the first time, she saw their relationship exactly as it had been. Exactly. And she felt, honestly felt from the bone out, that she deserved better. She deserved Bryce and the M and M’s. “Look, I didn’t phone you to rehash our pasts. That’s all over now.”

“I don’t want it to be over. I want you back.”

“No. You have a wife and son, and you belong with them.”

“Because of the child?”

“Your child needs you, but the simple truth is I don’t want you, Gregory. I don’t love you.”

“Caline!”

“Don’t, okay? My love never meant anything to you. If it had, you wouldn’t have done what you did. So don’t insult us both now by pretending otherwise.”

“But—”

“But, nothing.” She paused to pull in a breath and prayed a second wind of courage would infuse her. “I called to warn you not to mess with me anymore, Gregory. Or with mine. That includes Bryce and our kids.”

“You don’t have any kids.”

“At two o’clock today, I’ll have three—officially. And if you stir up so much as a puff of air to hurt any of them, any of us, I’m going to come at you from places you didn’t know you had.”

“Don’t threaten me, Caline. We both know you’re too weak to—”

“Don’t bet on it. You’ll lose. I was weak. I feared you. But I’m
not
weak and I
don’t
fear you anymore. I never will again. You mess with me or mine and you’re going to find out exactly how strong I’ve become. It won’t be pretty. We were married fourteen years. You swept a lot of dirt under rugs and hid a lot of skeletons in closets. We’ll start with the IRS. Maybe wave a few red flags at the insurance commissioner and the attorney general. The point is, you have dirt and skeletons. I have the dustpan holding all your dirt and the keys to your closets. If you do anything, anything at all that even carries a faint scent of harm, I’m going to sneeze and open locks.”

His breath rattled through the phone, but he said nothing.

Her palms were soaking wet. The phone slick in her hand. She swiped her palm over her nightgown, grabbed the phone, then swiped her other palm dry. “You know I can do it, Gregory.”

“You won’t.”

“I love them. You know from experience the lengths I’ll go to for those I love. How in hell can you doubt it?”

“Damn it.”

A burst of triumph exploded in her stomach. “I take it we’re agreed then, and you’ll be leaving us alone.”

“It doesn’t appear you’ve given me any choice.”

“No, I haven’t.”

Smiling, she hung up the phone.

Someone tapped at her door. She looked toward the heavy wood. “Yes?”

“Cally, it’s me. Bryce.”

“Don’t you come in here. It’s our wedding day and I can’t see you before the ceremony.”

“You mean you’ve decided to go through with it?”

She walked to the door, pressed her palms against the wood, as if she were touching him. Tears of joy stung her eyes. Her sense of worth was restored. “You bet I am, Counselor.”

“Cally.”

One word. Five little letters, but they held so much meaning she couldn’t hold it all in her heart. “I phoned Gregory. He won’t be bothering us anymore.”

“I would have handled him, honey.”

“I needed to do it myself.” She smiled, her vision blurred. “And now I have.”

“I’m proud of you.”

“Me, too.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Later,” she sniffed. “I’ve got a wedding to get ready for.” A wedding that would be perfect if only she could tell the wonderful man on the other side of the door that she loved him. With all her heart.

“Okay. But later.”

“Okay.” She muffled a sniff behind her hand.

“Did I remember to tell you Jimmy’s picking up Selena at the airport?”

“Suzie’s Selena?”

“Yeah, Selena Mystic. She could only come in for the day because she’s on a business trip. Suzie invited her.”

“Selena’s very important to Suzie. I’m glad she’s coming.”

“You’re something, Cally Tate.”

“I keep good company, Counselor.” Sensing he was about to leave, she called out. “Bryce?”

“Yes?”

“Tell Suzie to stay away from the water.”

“What?”

“Just tell her, okay? The pond
and
the ocean.”

“Okay. Is there a special reason, or is it just a general warning?”

She leaned a shoulder against the door. “It’s probably nothing. But it might be important. See, I had this dream . . .”

A gentle knock at the door
had Cally and Miss Hattie swiveling their heads to see who had come.

“I do believe the entire village has traipsed through this bedroom this morning, Cally.” Miss Hattie tsked, and shuffled to the Great White Room’s hallway door.

“Only half,” Cally said. “The women.”

The door opened, and a beautiful brunette stood there. Petite and classy, dressed in warm autumn colors that made her skin look translucent, she walked in smiling. “Hi, Miss Hattie.” She gave the angel a warm hug.

Cally lifted a questioning brow. Over her shoulder, Miss Hattie gestured she had no idea who the bubbly woman holding her was. She looked to be in her twenties. Very pretty in an offbeat kind of way.

She released Miss Hattie and stepped fully into the room. “My God, there’s a lot of love in here. So much it almost knocks you off your feet.”

Miss Hattie smiled, clearly liking the woman. “That’s because it was Cecelia and Collin’s room at one time.” She let her gaze drift fondly over everything in the room. “Most of the important things in their life happened in this room.”

“You can feel it, can’t you?” She closed her eyes, as if sucking in the ambience. “It’s so powerful.”

“It’s soothing,” Cally said, more to remind the woman she was there than anything else.

“That, too.” She grinned and extended her hand. “Sorry, I was awed. I’m Selena Mystic.”

“Oh, dear heaven.” Miss Hattie beamed a smile. “John’s sister, Cally. You’ve heard Bryce mention John and Bess Mystic.”

“Yes, I have. But I’ve heard Suzie talk even more about Selena. You’re her ultimate authority on everything.”

“Don’t be jealous, for pity’s sake.”

“I’m not.” Cally lied. In a real sense she was. She wanted to be that important to Suzie.

“You are,” Selena assured her.

A fissure of surprise opened up in Cally. “Are you psychic?”

Selena’s face went red. “I’m embarrassed. The truth is I’m, er, sensitive. But I’m usually much more restrained. I was so excited to finally meet the woman who’d captured Bryce’s heart, I forgot my manners.”

Cally smiled and forced herself not to think that she hadn’t captured anything. “Well, I’m really glad to meet you.”

“Thanks. Suzie told me all about you and her island.”

“Well, it’s not exactly hers.”

“Now, Cally, dear,” Miss Hattie interrupted, fluffing a pillow on the bed. “Suzie was sitting with the children when Millie told them that the island belonged to them, so I expect it is hers, too.”

“It belongs to the villagers,” Cally explained to Selena.

“Yes, I know.” Her eyes gleamed with excited curiosity. “Jimmy mentioned that there were two graves out there.”

“Yes, dear.” Miss Hattie patted a spot on the bench, inviting Selena to sit down. “Dixie Dupree’s and that of another lost soul.”

“John nearly destroyed himself looking for Dixie. I’m so glad he’s finally at peace on the matter.”

“And with Bess.” Miss Hattie let out a sigh. “My, but we were worried about them.”

Selena nodded that she’d been troubled, too. “They’re fine now. They would’ve come, but T.J. begged them to stay and help him keep Maggie home.” Selena looked to Cally then added, “Maggie’s due to have her and T.J.’s first baby any day now, and there’s no way she’d let John and Bess come to Bryce’s wedding without her coming, too.”

“She always has been a sassy thing.” Miss Hattie smiled.

Clearly sassy was a great compliment. Cally looked to where her dress hung on the outside of the closet door. “I’m looking forward to meeting them. Bryce speaks so highly of all of you.”

“They’re dying to meet you, too. For the record, we’re all immensely relieved. Bryce didn’t get a fair shake with Meriam. Even Bess thinks so, and she and Meriam were close. Well, as close as anyone could get to Meriam.” Selena tipped her chin and looked deeply into Cally’s eyes. “He’ll be content with you.”

Cally felt as if the woman had looked into her soul. “I hope he will.”

“I know he will.” Selena smiled, lifted a hand, palm up. “Sensitive, you know.”

She stood up. “Don’t let me keep you. I just wanted to say hi and to check you out so I can call home and lord it over them that I met you first. They’re going to love you as much as Bryce does, Cally. No fears there.”

She turned to Miss Hattie. “You did well, Miss Hattie.”

What she was talking about, Cally didn’t know, but obviously from her moist eyes, Miss Hattie did.

She dabbed at them with her handkerchief. “I know you have to leave right after the wedding, Selena, but I hope you’ll come back to Seascape when you can stay for a while.”

“I’d love to.” She left the room with the same burst of energy in which she’d entered it.

“She’s a whirlwind.” Cally smiled.

Miss Hattie turned from the door back to Cally. “She’s a troubled soul, dear. But she’ll be back.”

Not for a second did Cally entertain a thought of Miss Hattie being wrong about Selena. She was troubled, and she would be back.

Surprised at the number of villagers
who’d come, Cally walked up the aisle of the little church, her hands trembling around the bridal bouquet of narcissus and yellow carnation blossoms. She resisted the urge to check her tea-length dress one more time. Miss Hattie had pronounced it perfect, and if the angel said the soft cream crepe adorned and trimmed with pearls was perfect, then that was that.

Miss Hattie sat right up front, of course, next to Miss Millie. Vic and Hatch were there, too. Hatch had traded the yellow bandana he wore at his throat for a silk ascot. That he had gone to the trouble for them made Cally smile.

Mayor Horace Johnson and his snooty wife, Lydia, sat on the left with their son, Andrew Carnegie, who kept his gaze glued to Nolene Baker, who sat with Lucy and Fred. Jimmy watched Nolene, too, and Cally fleetingly wondered if Nolene had any idea she held the man’s heart. Probably not yet. From all Cally had heard, Jimmy was waiting for Nolene to grow up before claiming her.