Summer Kisses (59 page)

“Yes, but you’re not spending the night.” She pointed. “Is that clear?”

“Crystal.” He kissed her firmly on the mouth. “I love you.”

They wouldn’t be having sex tonight, they certainly weren’t sleeping together, and after the birthday party, he wouldn’t see her until tomorrow evening when he popped the question and asked her to marry him … immediately.

~~~

Lucky checked the three enormous flower arrangements on the front hall table. She’d had one delivered to each girl saying happy birthday. She stopped to smell one of the sterling silver purple roses in Mandy’s arrangement. It was heady and sweet.

Lucky had made sure that each arrangement had roses … for Rosie. The girls would probably never get it, but Lucky did. While she couldn’t bring herself to like the woman, she owed her a debt of gratitude for giving her three wonderful daughters.

She’d broached the subject of changing their last name to Strickland, and every single girl had asked what Lucky’s name would be after she married Will. They wanted her last name. She hadn’t given it much thought until that moment. Lucky had decided that she would be Lucky Strickland-Brodie, not because she cared one way or the other about Ricky’s last name, but she wanted the girls to have it. So they’d all agreed to be Strickland-Brodies.

The doorbell bonged. Since it was probably one of the caterers or party planners, she didn’t bother to look through the peephole and opened the door.

A tall man who looked slightly familiar stood on her front porch wearing khakis and a blue button-down.

“Can I help you?” Lucky smiled. She’d met him somewhere but couldn’t place his face.

“I’m Earl Ro—”

“Roberts. The EMT that came when Dawnie fell in the pool.” She moved aside. “Come in. Sorry for all of the chaos, but we’re having a birthday party.”

“So sorry, I won’t stay long … it’s just that…” He stepped inside and looked around. “Can I speak with you privately?” He glanced at a lady from the cleaning service who was dusting the blinds.

“Sure.” Lucky pointed to the dining room.

He walked through the open double French doors, and Lucky followed behind him and pulled the doors closed. “What’s this about?”

“I wanted to tell you when I was here last, but my boss was with me.” He pulled an iPhone from his back pocket.

She recognized it from the red, white, and blue
United States of Me
tour case. Her hands covered her mouth. They’d never recovered Ricky’s phone from the crash; the car had been so badly damaged that the phone was thought to be lost inside.

“I could get fired for this, but I was first on the scene of your husband’s crash.” He handed her the phone. “He didn’t die instantly; he recorded a message for you and was conscious when I found him. He made me promise I’d give it to you. I’ve come by many times, but the gate at the road was locked.”

Lucky’s whole body shook as she took the phone … Ricky’s phone.

“He left it under Voice Memos.” Earl reached over and touched the icon.

“Lucky Lady, I’m going to have to break a promise I made to you on our wedding day. I’m not going to be able to be there for you. My forever is at an end. I’ve loved you since the first moment I saw you, but I’ve done so many things to hurt you. I won’t ask for forgiveness, and I can’t justify my actions, but I love you.” Ricky coughed, and his voice was low and strained. “Take care of my girls and Will. Besides you, they’re the only family I’ve got. I never wanted to hurt you, but I always ended up doing just that. I’ve got to go now, my Lucky Lady, but I hope someday you’ll be able to smile when you remember me—”

The recording cut off. She played it again, tears streaming down her face. At the end, Ricky had been thinking of her. It shouldn’t matter, but it did. Knowing that, in his own way, he’d loved her did make her smile.

“Thank you.” She clutched the phone tightly to her heart. “You can’t know what this means to me.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t get it to you sooner.”

Lucky took his hand and half shook, half held it. “This is exactly the right time.” She nodded. “Exactly the right time.”

Ricky had sent her a message from beyond the grave. She decided that he was giving her his blessing to make the family they’d always wanted.

“Mr. Roberts, do you have plans for the evening? We’re having three birthday parties in one. I can’t promise the most stimulating of adult conversation, but we’d love to have you.”

This man had risked his job and gone out of his way to bring her a priceless gift. The least she could do was offer him some birthday cake.

“Thanks, I’d love to stay.”

What were the odds that the same EMT would work Ricky’s crash and Dawnie’s near drowning? Since the Bee Cave Fire Department wasn’t that big, the chances were probably pretty good. She chose not to think of that. This was a gift from Ricky, plain and simple. It was a good-bye and a blessing and a beginning.

~~~

Five hours later, Lucky plopped down in the nearest chair, slipped out of her shoes, and rubbed her feet. The party had been a success. All the planning and headache had been worth it when the girls had walked out into the backyard and seen the three-ring circus just for them. Their faces had lit up with wonder and gratitude and love.

She was willing to admit that trapeze artists, fire-eaters, lions, and tigers were a bit over-the-top for a birthday, but it was an evening she would remember forever, and so would the girls. For so long, her life had been emptiness that she’d told herself was happiness, but now she was making memories. Fifty years from now, she would sit on her back porch and still see and hear the first party she’d thrown for her girls.

Lucky sat up. What would she do for next year’s birthday?

“Are you ready?” Betts slid her Marilyn wig off and fluffed her hair. “We need to leave soon.”

Slowly, Lucky shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m going upstairs to take a long, hot shower, and then I’m crawling into bed, and I plan to stay there for at least twelve hours.”

Betts grabbed her arm and pulled her up. “Nope. We’re going to the Lake Austin Spa Resort. They’re expecting us.”

“It’s, like, one in the morning. They’re closed. Will scheduled us for tomorrow.” Lucky was too tired to pull out of Betts’s hold.

“I arranged everything. They’re waiting on us, and they have a gazillion spray-head shower hot and ready for you. Now, move your ass.” Betts grabbed Lucky’s wig and yanked it off. “We need to go … now,” she said slowly, enunciating every word.

“She’s right.” Charlie walked over, rolling a small suitcase behind her. She checked her watch. “We’re going to be late.”

Lucky looked from Betts to Charlie and back again. “This isn’t like the time the two of you told me we were going for a smoothie but neglected to tell me it was in Maui.”

“You’ve got to admit, it was the best damn smoothie you’ve ever had.” Betts grinned.

“Yes, but the five-hour plane ride and two-hour layover in LA sucked.” Lucky tried to sit back down, but both Charlie and Betts pulled her to the car.

“Some people are so unappreciative.” Betts sighed. “That smoothie was awesome.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying here.” Lucky dug in her heels, literally. She mushed them into the wet ground. “Why are you two doing this?”

“Because we’re your best friends, and I want a prenatal massage. Lake Austin Spa has a pregnant massage bed with a hole cut out for my tummy so I can lie on my stomach. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve laid on my stomach?” Her famous voice got louder. “Move your ass.”

Lucky shot Charlie a please-help-me look.

“Don’t look at me. I got the pregnant massage table speech ten minutes ago.” Charlie shrugged. “Count yourself lucky. My speech involved tears and her shoveling in giant spoonfuls of peanut butter. It was disgusting.” Charlie hated peanut butter but loved peanut butter cups. The woman was a mystery.

“Okay, I’m going, but I want to register an official protest in The Marilyns’ diary.” Lucky allowed them to lead her to Betts’s Cadillac Escalade.

“Done.” Charlie pulled out her smartphone and typed.

Betts looped her arm through Lucky’s. “She put the diary online now. We have our own Yahoo loop.”

“It’s just the three of us.” Lucky stopped. “Wait a minute. How long have we been online?”

“A couple of months.” Charlie put her phone away.

“When were you going to tell me?” Lucky glared at Charlie.

“It was in the last newsletter. Betts read it.” Charlie returned the glare. “You deleted it, didn’t you?”

“Why do we need a newsletter? It’s just the three of us.” Lucky glanced at Betts. “Why are we friends with her again?”

“She has excellent taste in chocolate, her father’s the governor of Louisiana and can fix parking tickets, and she’s marrying the Cajun Potato Chip King so we can have all the free chips we want.” Betts pulled out the key fob and unlocked the doors.

“All good points.” Lucky shoulder-nudged Charlie. “You can stay.”

“The love you two have for me is overwhelming.” Charlie returned the shoulder nudge.

“I need to go tell everyone good-bye.” Lucky turned toward the house. “Will’s going to worry and the girls—”

“Are asleep. Will knows you’re leaving. He planned the whole thing. He wants you well rested and relaxed…” Betts looked at Charlie, who scowled, and then Betts smiled. “Anyway, get in the car. We’re leaving.”

“This is part of Will’s secret plan.” Lucky stared at Betts. “You’re not going to tell me anything more.”

“Not on your life.” Betts climbed into the driver’s seat.

Lucky climbed into the passenger’s seat, and Charlie got into the backseat. Since Betts and Charlie were in on the plan and obviously approved, Lucky was willing to go along. She trusted Will, but the suspense was killing her.

“I don’t understand why we have to wear our Marilyn dresses to dinner.” Lucky pulled on the freshly laundered dress and latched it behind her neck. Lake Austin Spa Resort had wonderful amenities. She stood in front of the full-length mirror in the Lady Bird Suite surrounded by antiques and artwork, but it wasn’t home. She wanted to go home.

But Betts and Charlie were holding her hostage here and forcing her to get fantastic treatments like the Seven Centers of Life Chakra Massage and the Energy Balance Treatment with Tibetan singing bowls. Add in the gourmet food, the seaweed scrub, and the calming detox wrap, and it was downright torture. It was a wonder she made it out alive. Lucky smiled to herself.

Earlier, a makeup artist and a hair stylist had come to fix them up. Now they all had fancy hair and non-Marilyn makeup. When she’d asked how they were going to fit their wigs on over all these cascading tendrils, Betts had hushed her up.

Of all the spa weekends she had shared with Betts and Charlie, this was by far the strangest. Yes, they’d had fun, but Betts, and sometimes Charlie, would look at Lucky and start crying. Not the weeping sobs like they were in pain, but the occasional tears shed at weddings and graduations. Lucky knew she wasn’t getting married, and she’d long since graduated from anything that required a celebration. With Betts, Lucky chalked it up to hormones, but with Charlie, well, she was a sympathetic crier, so maybe that was hormones too.

“I don’t know, Mama, I’ll ask her.” Betts pulled the phone away from her ear. “Mama wants to know where you keep that china punch bowl thing that belonged to your great-grandmother.”

“Why? Are we having punch for dinner?” Lucky shook her head. This was the weirdest day. Apart from all the hormonal crying, Mama called every five minutes to ask where strange items were located. Will was hosting a big family dinner to thank her for putting on the birthday party, but this was getting ridiculous. A punch bowl?

“I don’t know.” Betts shrugged. “It’s Mama. She might want it to bob for apples.”

“Good point.” Lucky bent forward, pulled out her Marilyn red lip gloss, and added a layer. “Under the stairs behind Ricky’s china teacup collection.”

“Did you hear that?” Betts put the phone back to her ear. “Yes … yes … no, we don’t need you to belly-dance as entertainment during dinner.” She glanced at Lucky. “Nope … she’s okay. We’ll be there at six forty-one. Okay. Bye.” She pressed end and put her phone on the bathroom counter.

“What happens at six forty-one?” Lucky leaned against the counter.

“The sun goes down.” Betts smiled her I-know-something-you-don’t-know smile.

Lucky nodded. “I knew it. Mama’s really a vampire, and she changes into a bat after sundown.”

“I wish. If all she had was rabies, she’d be a lot easier to handle.” Betts added a layer of her own red lip gloss.

Charlie stepped into the bathroom. “Are y’all ready?”

Betts looked at her watch. “It’s only six fifteen. We’re supposed to be there at six forty-one exactly, or all hell will break loose.”

“Good, then we have time for a toast.” Charlie walked out of the room and came back with paper cups in one hand and a cherry Slurpee in the other. “I paid the busboy at lunch to smuggle this in for us. They take their healthy eating policy very seriously.” She set the Slurpee on the counter, poured some into each cup, and handed a cup to both Betts and Lucky.

They all held their cups out and said at the same time, “Rest in peace, Marilyn. A wise girl knows her limits, a smart girl knows that she has none.” Everyone took a long sip.

“Lucky, don’t spill. Will would hunt Charlie and me down and kill us.” Betts downed the rest of her Slurpee and threw the cup in the garbage can.

“All this secrecy is starting to piss me off. Let’s go.” Lucky tossed her cup in the trash.

“I’m ready.” Charlie gently dropped hers in the can also. “Everything’s packed and loaded in the car.” She held her arms out. “Group hug.”

Lucky and Betts wrapped their arms around Charlie.

“I love y’all so much.” Charlie patted Lucky’s back. “I know we’ve been weird today, but in less than an hour, you’ll know why. Just remember that we love you and we’re always here for you. The world may think that you’ve had an easy life, but we know the truth. You deserve all the happiness in the world, and we want you to have it. Enjoy tonight, and I hope you feel like a princess.”