Robin's Reward (Bonita Creek Trilogy Book 1) (28 page)

Chapter Thirty Three

When Jeff met Robin early the next morning, he sensed her excitement
. After stealing a few kisses he asked, “How’d the planning meeting go last night?”

“You’ll be surprised when you see the church and social hall with all the trimmings.”

“You’re filled with mysterious secrets.”

“Let’s call your parents this morning before we leave for Santa Rosa to tell them about our change of plans.”

“Do you want to tell them, or should I?”

“You’re their son; you make the announcement.”

After scrolling down to his parents’ number, he reached for Robin and draped his arm around her shoulders. Jeff’s father answered.

“Hi, Dad . . . Yes, we had a nice Thanksgiving. How about you? . . .
Good, good. Listen, Robin and I wanted to tell you some exciting news. We’ve decided on a springtime wedding. Mid to late March to be exact.”

“Congratulations! Let me get your mother. Candace. Jeff’s on the phone. He and Robin are getting married in March.”

Jeff’s mom came on the line and congratulated her son before asking if she could speak to Robin.

“She wants to talk you.”

Jeff kissed her nose as he handed Robin his phone.

“Hello, Robin. Sounds as if you’ve had some excitement around there lately. We’re happy about the change in dates.”

“Hello, Candace. I am, too. I’ve always wanted a springtime wedding.”

“Jerry and I would like to host your wedding reception. We guessed with your parents and grandparents being deceased you were probably going to hostess everything yourself. It’d be our honor to give you and our son the reception you’d like to have. It’ll be our wedding gift. Choose whatever you want for decorations, food, music—anything you want—and we’ll take care of paying for it.”

Overcome by emotion, Robin was unable to respond to her future mother-in-law. Jeff gently took the phone from Robin’s hand.

“Mom, Robin’s a little emotional right now. Thank you for your generous offer. It’s thoughtful of you and Dad to give us a nice reception. I’ll talk it over with my bride and get back to you with details.”

Robin began tugging on Jeff’s sleeve to get his attention.

“Say yes,” she spoke in a shaky voice. “It would mean a lot to have your parents involved in our special day.”

“Mom, I just got the official go-ahead. We both appreciate this gesture. Will you share our appreciation with Dad?”

“Yes, son. I’ll tell your father. We couldn’t be happier about this change of wedding dates. Robin will be a beautiful spring bride. It goes without saying you’ll be the most handsome groom ever, even if I am slightly biased in your favor.”

He chuckled and disconnected the call.

“I’m going to love being part of the Clarke family,” Robin said.

“How many days left until we’re officially husband and wife?”

“I don’t know since we haven’t officially set the date.”

“Let’s look at a calendar and decide right now,” Jeff suggested.

“How about Saturday, March 22nd? Are you available that morning around eleven o’clock?”

“No, I won’t be available. I’m getting married that day,” Jeff laughed. “How’d you settle on the 22nd so quickly?”

“I thought it might be a good day for our wedding since it’ll be the one-year anniversary of the day we first met.”

~*~

Robin and Jeff accomplished a lot with their day. After confirming with the church secretary March 22nd was available for their wedding and reception, they ordered all of the engraved paper goods. They shopped for gifts for their attendants. Robin found a pair of ivory ballerina flats to match the fabric from her dress just perfectly. They chose Jeff’s tuxedo with all the trimmings at an upscale rental shop in Ukiah and reserved it. They toiled on until they found a pair of well-fitting black dress shoes for Jeff—at the sixth shoe store they visited.

Later they telephoned Jeff’s cousin, Doug, to tell him the new wedding date.

“I’m not at all surprised about this development, cousin. You’ve got it really bad for this lady. You hardly talk about anything but your bride anymore.”

“Sorry, Doug. I swore I’d never become one of those head over heels in love kind of guys.”

“I’m just teasing you, JC. I couldn’t be happier for you two. I can’t wait to meet your future wife in person. I know she must be an exceptional woman if she’s committing to living with you for the next half century or more. I can give her the lowdown on your bad habits. I’ll see you in a few days when you return to Illinois.”

“Talk to you soon. And thanks, Doug.”

Jeff asked a close friend from college, Matthew, to serve as a groomsman at the ceremony. Matthew immediately accepted and said his wife, Sarah, would be excited about making a trip to California. Jeff had served as an usher in the couple’s spring wedding a couple of years earlier.

~*~

It was time for Jeff to return to Illinois to work. He planned to return to Bonita Creek for a brief Christmas visit.

“I’m sorry I won’t be here to help you with all the wedding details, but this is the only scenario I could conjure up so we could be married in March. Trust me, the next three weeks will pass by at the speed of light. In fact, I bet you’ll be so busy you won’t have time to miss me.”

Robin’s tears washed her cheeks at the airport as Jeff hugged her.

“I’ll be all right. I’ll pretend we’ve never even met. If I live in denial for the next three weeks, when you arrive back in town for Christmas it’ll all be like a dream.”

“Just remember I love you with all my heart and this might be one of the last times we’re separated by a great distance for the next sixty or seventy years.”

“You always say just the right thing to make me feel loved.”

He leaned in close and whispered in her ear, “You are infinitely loved. You’re my other half and the best part of my life.”

He gave her one more kiss before walking to the boarding gate for his flight. Once there, he turned around and raised his hand to wave goodbye.

Chapter Thirty Four

Christmas, New Year’s, and Valentine’s Day passed by quickly.
Jorie, Penny, and Robin met often to work on the wedding plans. In mid-February, Penny corralled Robin after the church service.

“Mrs. White wants to throw a bridal shower for you on the eighth. She asked me to get a list of people you’d like to invite so she can start working on the invitations.”

“I can’t let her do that. I’ve been married before. It wouldn’t be right.” Robin was firm.

Penny laughed. “She knew you’d try to refuse. She reminded me because you and Thomas were going off to college in Oklahoma you didn’t have a shower the first time around. Let her do this for you and Jeff. You deserve it.”

“Okay, but I still feel funny about it.”

“She’s making it a linens shower since she thought you probably have a lot of kitchen things already.”

“I do, but I could use some new bedding and towels.”

“Good to know,” said Penny.

~*~

“Everything looks so lovely, Mrs. White. Thank you for doing this for us,” Robin said.

“You’re welcome. Everyone accepted the invitation, so we should have a nice crowd here today.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing everyone. Is there anything I can do to help you?”

“No, you just enjoy your guests. Penny and Jorie have volunteered to be my helpers.”

Soon the doorbell was ringing non-stop as Robin’s friends and co-workers arrived with gift bags and boxes. Everyone mingled until Marian White announced it was time for Robin to open her gifts. She was overwhelmed with the guests’ generosity. She and Jeff received linens of all types. There were hand-embroidered pillowcases, whimsical dishtowels, frilly aprons, and casual and formal tablecloths. Several ladies gave her monogrammed bath towels, bed sheets, and pillowcases. There were handmade knitted throws and crocheted afghans. Several guests had made matching patchwork potholders, placemats, cloth napkins, and table pads. Someone even gave the couple a set of matching barbeque aprons with their names stenciled across the front.

The church quilt group presented Robin with a hand-quilted double wedding ring quilt using the traditional pastels she adored. Penny gave Robin a cotton and lace nightgown and robe ensemble with delicate pink and white roses embroidered at the necklines.

Soon there was one gift remaining on the table. It was a flat box wrapped in gold paper with a huge black organdy bow.

“There’s no card on this one,” Robin said. “Maybe it fell off. Does anyone want to claim this pretty package?”

The ladies looked around the room at each other and shrugged in puzzlement.

“I’ve never seen a black bow on a bridal shower gift, have you?” her Aunt Ginny commented.

The other guests shook their heads in silent response. There was an air of anticipation in the room.

Robin opened the box and pushed aside the black tissue paper and said, “Oh, how nice.”

She held up a leather-bound photo album with Jeff’s and her initials embossed on the front cover. Their wedding date was on the lower right hand corner.

“What a thoughtful gift,” Penny said.

Robin opened the album and shuddered as her hand flew to her mouth in disbelief. She choked audibly and the guests sat up, startled.

“What is it? What’s wrong, Robbie?” Penny looked over Robin’s shoulder to see what the problem was.

“Oh, no. This is
so
not funny.”

Mrs. White got up and walked over to the cousins. She turned the pages of the album and said, “I can’t believe someone would do this, Robin. I had no idea. This one was delivered yesterday afternoon by a delivery service. When I asked who had sent it he said it was confidential. I’m so sorry.”

“What is it, Marian?” asked Olive, the pastor’s secretary.

“Do you mind if I share, Robin?” Mrs. White asked.

“No, go ahead.”

“Someone made a photo album of Robin’s wedding to Thomas. One page says, ‘Better luck the second time around, loser.’ There are photos of Thomas and Robin at their wedding with crude captions under them. Their wedding invitation and the program from the wedding are included but someone burned the edges of both.”

The guests audibly sighed and groaned in disgust.

Marian White continued, “Whoever made this included a copy of the Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage officially stamped by the county recorder’s office. At the end the person wrote, ‘Best wishes, Jeff & Robin. Love, A Concerned Friend.’ It’s utterly tasteless.”

“We all know who did this,” Robin’s voice trembled. “Susan Stinson. She’s the only person I know who’d do something this cruel. Besides, the handwriting matches hers all the way down to the heart drawn over every ‘i’ and ‘j’. Why won’t she leave us alone?”

Olive spoke quietly, “Her mother told me Susan got out of prison just last week. Or I suppose it’s a hospital for inmates.”

“Looks like she used her free time to create a custom gift designed to hurt Jeff and Robin,” Penny added.

“I’ll have Andrew call her mother to discuss this,” Marian volunteered.

“I’ve a mind to walk over there right now and give the girl a talking to,” added one of the other church ladies. “Susan’s always been different from the rest of you girls, but this is going too far.”

Conversations sprung up between the guests and soon the noise was deafening. Someone flashed the lights off and on in the living room and things quieted down.

“Let’s not let Susan’s meanness ruin Robin’s shower. We’re here to celebrate our friend’s new marriage,” said Jorie with a smile. “I happen to know we have some fun games to play along with some delicious food to enjoy.”

“Let me put this away for you,” said Penny as she slid the album and the box from Robin’s clammy hands.

It took the bride-to-be several moments to gather her composure. Then she spoke from her heart.

“Thank you all for your generosity. Jeff and I will enjoy using your lovely gifts in the years to come,” said Robin tearfully.

~*~

“This game is called Name the Love Song. I’ll play a few chords of a love song and you shout out the name of the song. We chose a mix of songs from the fifties, sixties, seventies, on up to the present so there’ll be a chance for everyone to win. Marian will keep a list of who gets the first correct answer for each song. The one with the most correct first places will win a prize.” Jorie sat down at the piano and began the game.

Everyone smiled and tried to have a good time, but the strain of Susan’s tactless and hurtful gift left a negative cloud hovering over the gathering. Marian invited her guests to fill a plate in the dining room and return to the living room to eat and visit together.

Through some miracle, Robin held her emotions in check until the shower was over and everyone had gone home. She collapsed on the sofa and cried. Penny heard her sobs from the kitchen and ran in to sit with her cousin.

“Should I call Jeff?” Penny asked.

“Would you please? Use my phone like you did when Susan—”

“Where’s your purse?”

“In the guest bedroom.”

Robin heard Penny’s voice but couldn’t tell what she was saying to Jeff. Soon she walked back to the living room holding Robin’s phone.

“He wants to talk to you.”

Robin held the phone to her ear.

“I know. It’s totally unbelievable. I wish you hadn’t gone out with this whacko. It’s the reason she’s doing this, you know. You dated her, and she thinks she has some hold on you. She thinks she owns you. She’s lashing out at me because I
took
you from her. Why did you have to take her out? We wouldn’t even be on her radar if you hadn’t led her on. What?”

Robin was silent for a while and then took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, Jeff. It’s all the stress and strain of having to deal with Susan
over
and
over
again. Marian said she’d tell the pastor and have him go talk to Susan’s mother. Maybe it’s time Mrs. Stinson gets involved even though Susan
is
legally an adult.”

She listened to Jeff for another couple of minutes.

“If Pastor White’s talking to her mother doesn’t work, I agree with you. We’ll have to get the sheriff’s office involved again. She’s already in violation of the agreement she made with the district attorney’s office.”

Jeff spoke again and Robin smiled at last.

“I love you, too. Thanks for being there for me.”

She held out the phone to Penny.

“He wants to talk to you again.”

“Hello . . . Yes, I agree. I’ll stay with her every night until you get here. Jorie will help too. I promise to call if anything else comes up or if she needs you . . . Okay, bye, Jeff.”

Penny turned off the phone and sat next to Robin.

“Jeff thinks it would be a good idea for you to not be alone at night until they can get Susan back into the hospital—or jail. I’ll pack up a few things and come back here to pick you up. We’ll take your gifts to your home and then call the sheriff.”

“Thank you.” Robin reached for her cousin’s hand.

“Robbie, I will
not
let anyone harm you. We’ll get help to handle this weirdo. Now let’s pray for protection and peace.