Robin's Reward (Bonita Creek Trilogy Book 1) (29 page)

Chapter Thirty Five

Penny hummed as she meticulously sewed crystal beads
to Robin’s wedding jacket. In ten days Robin would be marrying Jeff. The bride would be in this studio the next morning for the final fitting. Penny smiled in anticipation of her cousin’s surprise and pleasure when the spectacular jacket was unveiled in its completed state for the first time.

After the stress and strain of the latest drama involving Susan Stinson, things were slowly getting back to normal. Mrs. Stinson was appalled by her daughter’s actions after her release from the hospital. The doctors had assured her Susan’s emotional issues had been dealt with and solved.

When Susan sent the wedding album to Robin’s bridal shower, the doctors agreed the young woman needed more treatment. A collective sigh of relief was breathed when Susan was placed in a behavioral hospital.

Robin had been a bundle of nerves until Susan was escorted to the hospital a few days earlier. Now the wedding festivities were in full swing, and Penny hoped there’d be no more distractions or problems for the bride and groom. They deserved to enjoy their wedding, reception, and honeymoon.

Penny held up the jacket for inspection. There was a mother robin tending a nest of four baby birds. Robin had confided they hoped the Lord would bless them with four children. A hand-embroidered figure of a man running symbolized Jeff’s favorite hobby. A large heart with the couple’s first names sewn in cursive writing along with their wedding date was embroidered beside conjoined outlines of the states of their births—California and Michigan.

The highlight of the garment was the large dahlia embroidered on the back of the jacket. It was embellished with clear crystal beads which would shimmer and dance at the wedding. Dahlias were Robin’s favorite flower. Even though the couple had changed the season and location of their wedding, Penny finished the jacket using her original design.

Penny’s and Jorie’s lilac organza dresses were completed and tailored to perfection. The Edwardian style garments were pressed, covered in white tissue paper, and hanging in the studio’s otherwise empty closet. The bride hadn’t seen the two attendant’s outfits. She was privy only to the colors and general style Penny had chosen for those ensembles. Jorie had been sworn to secrecy about her dress. Penny wanted her cousin to be completely surprised when she saw her two best friends at the wedding.

At her final fitting the previous morning, Jorie had exclaimed, “Robin is going to be so happy with our dresses. You’ve outdone yourself.”

Penny beamed. Pleasing Robin on her special day was foremost in her mind. With a deep sigh, she covered the bridal dress and jacket for the night and closed the studio door.

~*~

The next morning was cold and rainy. Robin arrived loaded with a small suitcase containing her lingerie and shoes for the wedding and a bag of muffins from the bakery. The two chatted non-stop as they ate breakfast. After tidying up the kitchen and brushing the food from their clothes, they both carefully washed their hands before making their way into the design studio.

“I hope you like your bridal dress and jacket. Each detail was created especially with you and Jeff in mind.”

“I’ll be grateful for whatever you’ve created for me, but I know before I even see the outfit it’ll be magnificent. You do beautiful work, and I’m honored you agreed to design and sew up our outfits for the wedding. It’s a contribution no one else could possibly have made to our wedding day.”

As Penny unveiled the bridal dress, Robin’s face broke into a wide smile.

“It’s exquisite.”

The bride reached forward to touch the delicate fabric used to make the one-of-a-kind dress. The fitted empire waistline cascaded down into a full skirt barely reaching Robin’s ankles. There were no sleeves in the dress. Instead, Penny had finished the armholes with fine couture facings. The dress’s sweetheart neckline was lined with fine hand-embroidery using silk threads and silk ribbon. Clear crystal beads were sewn between the embroidery and silk ribbon embellishments to add an attractive sparkle to the dress. The hem was adorned with the same adornments used at the neckline. The dress was understated elegance at its finest.

“Let’s try it on for size. I don’t think we’ll need to make any alterations because the muslin fit you so well, but we don’t need any surprises on March 22nd, do we?”

“No, no need for surprises of any kind after what we’ve been through with Susan during the past few months,” Robin said.

She changed into the underclothes and shoes she would wear with her dress. As Robin raised her arms over her head, Penny carefully slipped the dress over her head. Both women remained silent. Penny zipped the dress closure and turned Robin around so she could look at her reflection in the full-length mirrors. Penny watched her cousin’s face closely in the mirrors and was pleased when she saw Robin’s face glow at the sight of her hand-crafted wedding dress.

“I don’t know what to say. It’s absolutely gorgeous. Best of all, it fits like a glove.”

“Let’s see how you feel about your jacket. Turn back around so I can slide it over your arms.”

Following Penny’s directions, Robin faced away from the mirrors and allowed her best friend to slide the matching jacket over her waiting arms. Penny moved toward her front to smooth the jacket over the dress. Then she twirled Robin around to face her reflection.

“Oh, my goodness, Penny! This is the most stunning piece of clothing I’ve ever seen in my life. Jeff isn’t going to believe this. I look amazing. Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ll hug you when I get out of this outfit.”

Penny felt tears gathering in her eyes. Robin did look beautiful.
Thank you God for your guidance and wisdom. I couldn’t have created this ensemble without Your presence.

“I almost forgot—let’s try on your headpiece, too. Then you can take it with you to the hairdresser for your hair trial later today.”

Penny carefully unwrapped the handmade headband she’d made to coordinate with the wedding ensemble, and placed it gingerly on the Robin’s head. Thinking a bridal veil might make Robin feel uncomfortable at her second wedding, she’d crafted a unique headband. The two-inch wide band was made from the same fabric as the wedding dress and jacket. Penny made silk ribbon roses in various sizes and applied them to the headband along with a generous sprinkling of crystal beads. The headband was literally the crowning touch to Robin’s wedding ensemble.

As the cousins gazed at the bride’s reflection in the mirrors all four eyes glistened with unshed tears of joy and love.

“You’ll be the most beautiful, radiant, treasured bride ever . . . When Jeff sees you coming toward him in the sanctuary, he’ll be spellbound.”

“All thanks to you, Penny. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your God-given creative talents to make this remarkable outfit for my wedding day.”

“You’re welcome. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. You do realize that, don’t you?”

Robin turned to face her cousin, “Yes, and I feel the same way about you. Anything, ever and always.”

The two women embraced each other loosely so as not to damage the special wedding outfit.

“This outfit isn’t so fragile Jeff won’t be able to touch me, is it?”

“Now why in the world would he want to touch you while you’re wearing this outfit?” Penny joked with a twinkle in her eye.

“No special reason, I guess.”

“Don’t worry about fragility. I individually knotted each bead when I sewed it to the garments and headband. Now let’s get these carefully packed away until the big day,” directed Penny patiently.

Robin spent a few moments examining all of the surprises Penny had hidden on the inner lining of the jacket. When Penny turned the jacket around to show her the dahlia gracing the jacket’s back, Robin giggled.

“You thought of everything, Penny.”

“We can store the dress and jacket here until your big day if you want. Mr. Jeff won’t sneak a peek if it’s stored here.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Ten minutes later Robin was on her way out Penny’s door to attend to myriad errands and details for the wedding and honeymoon trip. Penny covered the jacket and dress and carefully placed them on the iron clothing rack she had mounted to the wall of her studio. As she stepped back, the satisfied designer sighed and locked the outside door to her studio.

Chapter Thirty Six

The wedding weekend arrived at last.
Jeff picked up his parents, sister, and cousin Doug at the airport in Santa Rosa and brought them to Robin’s cottage for dinner. She’d been buzzing around all afternoon cooking, washing dishes, and setting the table with her grandmother’s best china and crystal. She was taking a breather when the doorbell rang. She untied her apron and checked her face and hair in the hall mirror before opening the door.

A smiling Jeff was standing with man who looked like an older version of himself, an attractive middle-aged woman, a cute college-aged young woman, and a man about his age who was wearing a grin.

“Welcome to my home, everyone,” Robin said. She held the door open wide to allow everyone to enter. Jeff snagged a kiss from Robin on his way into the cottage. Once everyone was inside Jeff stepped forward to make the introductions.

“Mom and Dad, I’d like you to meet the future Mrs. Clarke, Robin.”

Robin shook hands with the elder Clarkes and found herself lassoed into a bear hug by her future father-in-law. “Good to finally meet my new daughter-in-law.”

“Thank you, Jerry.”

“Now it’s my turn,” said Jeff’s mom as she hugged Robin. “You’ve made us all very happy, Robin.”

“Thank you, Candace.”

Jeff slid over to the young woman whose smile resembled his own. “This is my sister, Pamela. You can call her Squirt if you want.”

Pamela slapped Jeff’s sleeve as she stepped forward to hug Robin. “I’m so glad we’re going to be sisters.”

“Me, too,” Robin replied.

“And this guy is my cousin and best friend, Doug.”

Doug moved forward to shake hands with Robin. “Glad to meet you, Robin. Later on I’ll share the dirt on your future husband if you want.” Doug and Jeff chuckled.

“Oh, no you won’t. I don’t want her backing out at this late date,” Jeff teased.

“Everything’s ready if you want to eat now. Otherwise, we can chat first and eat in a little while.” Robin looked at her guests for their input.

Jeff’s father spoke first. “I don’t know about everyone else, but we’ve been traveling all day and I’m hungry for a home-cooked meal. That airplane food hasn’t gotten any tastier in the forty-five years I’ve been flying.” The other guests and Jeff nodded in agreement.

“Sounds good. The dining room is right this way.” Robin led the way into the elegant dining room featuring built-ins with glass doors and brass handles.

“Your home is beautiful, Robin,” Candace said.

“Thank you. I was fortunate to receive it from my grandparents. You all have a seat, and I’ll be right out with dinner.”

“May I help you with anything in the kitchen, dear?” Candace asked.

“Sure. You can pour the drinks. We have iced tea, hot tea, and lemonade. Oh, and I have some sodas in the fridge, too.”

“I’ll handle all that for you then,” Candace replied before she began taking drink orders from the others.

Jeff followed Robin into the kitchen. “Everything looks great.” He nuzzled her neck with a kiss or two.

“Thanks. Will you fill the ice bucket for your mom?”

“Sure.”

“Your family seems glad to be here.”

“Oh, they are. They’re glad to finally be getting rid of me permanently.”

“You big tease,” Robin laughed as she stood on her toes to kiss him.

“Enough monkey business, you two.” They broke apart as Candace walked into the kitchen.

“Busted again,” Jeff said with an exaggerated eye roll. “I’ll leave you two ladies to do your magic while I go entertain the other guests.”

“I got the drink orders, Robin.”

“Thanks. Help yourself to the fridge. Jeff filled the ice bucket for you.”

“Robin, can we talk for a moment, please?”

“Sure, Candace.” Robin stopped removing food from the refrigerator and faced her future mother-in-law.

“I just wanted to tell you personally how happy we are that our Jeff found a woman like you to marry. You’re intelligent, sweet, kind, and you want to be a mother. The perfect package.”

“Well, I don’t know about being perfect, but I do love your son with all my heart and I’m looking forward to a lifetime of showing him how I feel.”

“Robin, I know I said it on the phone earlier, but if there’s ever anything I can do to help you in any way I hope you’ll let me know.” The older woman placed her hand in Robin’s and smiled.

“That’s very generous of you, Candace. I hope we can become close even though we’ll be living almost two thousand miles apart.”

“We will. You’ll see. Now, where are the glasses for the drinks?”

As the two women got busy with the last minute touches for the dinner, they chatted about the wedding plans and Robin’s wedding dress.

~*~

The planning for the big occasion was falling into place perfectly until the evening of the wedding rehearsal. Not only would Pastor White officiate the wedding ceremony, Robin had asked him to escort her down the aisle. Since his counsel and kindness had buoyed Robin after her difficult divorce, she wanted him to be involved as she transitioned into her new marriage.

Everyone except Jeff had been told the pastor would escort the bride to the altar. At the rehearsal, Pastor White managed to avoid revealing his double-duty as the bride’s escort.

“Since her escort is unavailable at this time, the bride can walk up to the altar on her own this evening.” He added, “I’ll discuss the escort’s duties privately with him at a more opportune time.”

The wedding party withheld their laughter as the minister deftly evaded admitting
he
was the bride’s escort. Jeff was so nervous about doing and saying everything correctly he didn’t pay much attention to the mystery surrounding the escort’s identity.

~*~

Robin waited impatiently behind the closed doors of the narthex for Penny to summon her after Jorie’s first solo. It seemed like things were taking a lot longer than expected.
What are they doing in there?
Curious, she opened the sanctuary door and poked her head through.

“Is it my turn yet? I thought maybe you forgot me,” she laughed lightly.

“I could never forget you, Robin,” said a familiar male voice.

Robin noticed Pastor White’s frown and Jeff’s anxious scowl. Penny and Jorie were huddled together near the altar while the organist was hitting some unusually sour notes.

Wedding rehearsal forgotten, Robin stomped over to the man wearing a frown. “Why are you here?” Her voice was tight as her hands moved to her hips in a defensive stance.

“Hi, Robin. I realized I made a big mistake when I left you. Can we talk somewhere, privately, before you make a bigger mistake and marry this guy?”

Even though no one had spoken the man’s name, Robin could tell the exact moment realization slammed into Jeff. He rushed toward Robin. Tension settled heavily on the sanctuary.

“Thomas?” Jeff’s deep voice echoed through the silence.

“Who are you?”

“Jeff Clarke, the groom.”

“This doesn’t concern you, groom, so back off.”

Jeff took a step forward before Robin grasped his arm firmly and shook her head slowly. Pastor White had joined the group and suggested they move to his office to finish the conversation in privacy.

“This is between Robin and me,” Thomas said.

“Whatever you have to say to me, Thomas Bennett, will be said in front of Pastor White and Jeff.”

“As long as I get to talk to you before you jump into a new marriage, I don’t care who hears me.”

Thomas hasn’t changed in the least. He’s still arrogant and demanding.
Robin’s thoughts and feelings about her former husband were clear.
Lord, please guide us through this conversation, and bless us all with patience and understanding.

The four sat in Pastor White’s study and studied each other for a couple of uncomfortable minutes before Thomas spoke. Robin noticed the years had dulled Thomas’s teen idol looks. Dark circles accented his eyes, and he was gaunt and pale. Robin wondered if he was ill.

“Robin, I made a terrible mistake leaving you a few years ago. I’m asking for your forgiveness. Will you give me another chance?”

“Really? You’re serious?”

“Yes, I’m dead serious.”

“You’re unbelievable, Thomas. You’ve got some nerve to come in here on the eve of my marriage to another man and ask me to take you back. Just how stupid do you think I am?” She shook her head in disgust. “It took years, but I am
so
over you.”

“Come on, Robin. What about Christian charity and forgiveness?”

“Don’t preach to me, Thomas. What happened to your second wife?”

“Uh, well, it didn’t work out like I hoped. I caught her fooling around with my agent, so I kicked her out.”

Pastor White cleared his throat and spoke up. “Thomas, what makes you think Robin wants to take you back? She’s obviously moved on in her life.”

“It’s not any of your business,
Pastor
, but I think Robin and I had a good, loving marriage. I’ve matured. I realize now I was foolish to dump her like I did.”

Robin shook her head in disbelief as Jeff seethed in anger. She took a deep breath.

“Thomas, our relationship is over—completely and eternally. I don’t love you, and I certainly don’t want to renew our relationship. My future will be with Jeff. I have no doubts about his love and devotion.”

“But, can’t we talk before you make a final decision? It’ll be like old times. Remember how we used to laugh and cuddle and—”

“Enough, Thomas! Show some decency, please, and have some respect for Robin’s feelings,” Pastor White said firmly.

“Don’t you have anything to add, mister groom?” Thomas taunted Jeff.

“I’m thankful each and every day you set Robin free. She’s an amazing woman, and I’m blessed and grateful she’s agreed to be my wife.”

“Rub it in, why don’t you? You’re just as high and mighty as
she
is. You two deserve each other,” Thomas sneered.

“This conversation is officially over,” Pastor White said as he stood and motioned Thomas toward the exit door leading to the parking lot.

“Thomas, I do have one question. How did you know I was getting remarried?” Robin asked.

“Suzie Stinson. She keeps me posted on everything going on around here, especially anything involving you. She thrives on gossiping and stirring up trouble. She loathes you. Haven’t you figured it out by now?”

Just before he exited, Thomas turned around and said, “My condolences on your cat’s demise.”

Pastor White rushed Thomas outside and slammed his door. The usual genteel church leader spoke in a raised voice to Thomas for a few minutes before returning to his office and closing the door quietly.

“Anything we should worry about, Pastor White?” Jeff asked.

“Nothing I can’t handle, if necessary. I told Thomas if I see his face remotely near the church grounds tomorrow I will call the sheriff and ask him to be arrested for stalking, trespassing, and harassment.”

Robin inhaled a ragged breath. “Oh no, you don’t suppose he’ll try to crash the wedding or reception, do you?”

The pastor smiled mischievously.

“I may have mentioned I was aware of at least two outstanding warrants for his arrest for things he did before he moved away. Things he hasn’t answered for yet. He decided rather quickly he’d better leave town as soon as he can pack and check out of the motel. I’m just glad Susan Stinson is back in a locked facility or else we’d have to deal with her shenanigans, too.”

Pushing out of his chair the pastor smiled at them.

“Now, let’s go practice a wedding, shall we?”

“I didn’t know Thomas was in trouble with the law,” Robin was visibly upset.

“I didn’t want to trouble you with his criminal activities when you returned to Bonita Creek after college. He had some trouble with vandalism and under-aged drinking shortly before you two married and moved to the Midwest.”