Authors: Mariah Stewart
“Ha ha. I’m hanging up now and going back to work.” There was humor in his voice, and a natural warmth that she’d always found irresistible.
“What time do you think you’ll be by tomorrow? Berry has to be at the parade staging location at eight thirty, and I’d like to go with her.”
“I can meet you there. Where does the parade begin?”
“The corner of Andrews and Charles. Just look for the first car.”
“What fancy vehicle did they find to transport Miss B?”
“No idea what she’ll be riding in.” She lowered her voice as Berry and Cody came in through the front door. “She’s really quite taken with this whole thing, you know. There’s going to be no living with her for a while after this.”
Grant laughed. “She’ll wring every bit of fun from the entire day. She’ll have a ball.”
“I’m sure she will.”
“Oops, number four is on its way out. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“See you in …” she began, then realized he’d hung up.
“Who are you speaking to?” Berry peeked into Dallas’s office.
“I was talking with Grant but we’ve hung up. He’s going to meet us in the morning at the staging place.”
“Good. I’m sure Paige and Cody will enjoy the parade. As will we all.” Berry started to close the door, then stopped and poked her head back into the room. “If you have a free moment later, perhaps you could help me decide between two possible outfits.”
“I’d love to. But you know, whatever you wear, you’re going to look fabulous.”
“Goes without saying.” Berry closed the door and left Dallas to her work.
Saturday morning was clear and beautiful and blessedly free of the humidity that had plagued St. Dennis on and off for the past several weeks. Dallas was up and dressed and ready to go by eight, in case Berry needed help with anything. This was going to be a big day for her, Dallas knew, being honored by her hometown. Berry had tried on several outfits the night before with all the enthusiasm of a teenager trying on prom dresses.
“What do you think, Dallas?” Berry had sashayed out of her room in a lime green dress and a white hat with lime green and yellow flowers.
“Not your best color.” Dallas shook her head. “Not bad, but you can do better. What else do you have?”
Berry disappeared into her room and came back to the landing ten minutes later in a white dress of gauzy fabric that had colorful embroidery around its scoop neck.
“I haven’t yet found the right hat, but I know I have one,” Berry explained.
“That’s it,” Dallas told her. “Look no further. That’s a perfect dress and it looks super on you. Shows off your still-girlish figure quite nicely.”
“I thought so, too”—Berry grinned—“but I didn’t want to be the one to say it.”
“Take it off, hang it up before one of the dogs jumps up on you, and go find your hat.”
“I’m on my way …” Berry’s voice trailed off as she swept down the hall.
Breakfast had been at seven thirty, which gave Berry about forty-five minutes to dress. She’d taken every one of them, but Dallas had to admit it had been worth it. Berry
did
look fabulous, and Dallas told her so.
“You’ll turn a lot of heads today, Berry.”
“Yes, everyone muttering, ‘She doesn’t look too bad for an old broad.’ ” Berry flashed a look at Dallas. “Which is not to say that I see myself as an old broad. I do, however, believe there are some who might.”
“Misguided fools.”
Berry smiled. “Indeed.”
Dallas packed a canvas bag with several bottles of water for Berry to take in the car with her to sip on during the parade. The August sun could be unmerciful, and while Berry wouldn’t admit to feeling the effects of her age, Dallas knew that dehydration was no friend to the elderly. She sent Cody to get the dogs inside and went out back to pull her car around to the front of the house for Berry, telling her, “There’s no point in arriving at the parade sweaty and hot. We’ll drive, and I’ll find a place to leave the car.”
“All right, dear.” Berry poked her in the back. “But some of us don’t sweat.”
“Right.” Dallas picked up her bag from the kitchen table. “You glow.”
The drive took all of five minutes, because they ran into roadblock after roadblock due to the parade route. They arrived at the designated corner, and Dallas let Berry out of the car while she looked for a place to park. When Dallas made her way back, she saw a most elegant vehicle at the head of the parade.
Wow
, she thought.
A white Bentley convertible. Berry must be beside herself
.
As Dallas drew closer to the car, she realized that Berry was more than simply beside herself.
“Surely this wasn’t your idea.” Berry was addressing a tall, good-looking man with white hair who leaned on the passenger-side door with a certain amount of proprietary interest.
Dallas couldn’t hear the man’s response, but when Berry saw her niece approaching, he turned to follow her gaze, and Dallas knew exactly who he was and who had somehow managed to get him there.
“Hello,” Dallas said, extending her hand to him. “I’m Dallas, Berry’s niece—well, grandniece, but we usually drop the ‘grand.’ ”
“Archer Callahan.” His smile was charming, his eyes crystal blue.
No wonder Berry had fallen.
“Is this your car?” Dallas pretended not to have noticed Berry’s glare.
“Yes,” he replied. “An oldie but a goodie, as they say.”
“It’s beautiful. Are you loaning it for the parade?”
“Well, I’m driving it, but yes, we’re using her in the parade today.” He turned to Berry. “That is, if the guest of honor will
get in.”
“Of course she’ll get in.” Dallas smiled. “Why wouldn’t she?” She turned to Berry. “I have water for you to take in the car. Where would you like me to put it?”
“I can think of a place, but Cody’s standing right behind you.” Berry was looking at Archer, not Dallas.
“Berry, are you ready to lead us onward?” Grace appeared at Dallas’s elbow. “Oh my, don’t you look … well, ‘beautiful’ hardly does you justice today, Berry. Archer, doesn’t Berry look lovely?”
“She certainly does. I’d have told her myself if she’d stop biting my head off long enough for me to get the words out.” Archer stood with his hands on his hips, his gaze challenging Berry.
Oh, this is good
. Dallas suppressed a grin.
This is really good. Berry, caught off guard? And now speechless?
She stole a glance at Grace, who winked.
Gracie! You little devil, you …
“Well, we need to get on with the parade. We’re already seven minutes behind schedule and we have a very full day. Berry, if you’ll just get in, we can tell Beck we’re ready to roll.” Grace took Berry by the arm and turned her toward the car. “He’s got Hal out there detouring traffic until after the parade finishes up, but traffic is building, as I’m sure you can imagine.” Berry hadn’t moved. “What?” Grace asked.
“This was your doing,” Berry said under her
breath. “Don’t even try to deny it. You arranged for this car.”
“Well, of course I did. Henry Wagner was supposed to drive his old Cadillac as the lead car, but it has some mechanical problem, I forget what he said it was. We only just found out about it late yesterday. Well, the only suitable car I could think of on such short notice was Archer’s.” Grace patted Berry on the arm and led her one step closer to the Bentley. “The only other convertible would have been Hal’s old Buick, but he never did get that body cancer taken care of, so there are those rusty spots.” She lowered her voice. “We didn’t think that was quite the thing.”
Grace got Berry as far as the car door.
“Aunt Berry, you’re going to get to drive in this really cool car!” Cody was leaning over the side to look at the interior. “Lucky duck!”
For a moment, Berry appeared to be indecisive.
“Who owns this car, Aunt Berry?” he asked.
“Mr. Callahan owns the car,” she told him.
“Would you like to see the inside, son?” Archer asked.
Cody nodded vigorously.
“Come on over here and take a quick look.” Archer beckoned him. “The parade has to start.” He glanced over at Berry. “Are you ready, Grand Marshal Eberle?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be, Mr. Callahan.” Berry entered the car regally, and settled into the passenger seat. Dallas handed her the chilled bottles of water and called Cody to her side.
“The cars are going to start now,” Dallas told him. “We need to find Paige and Dr. Wyler.”
“I’ll see you at the end of the parade route,” Berry called over her shoulder as the car began to glide toward the center of town. “The marina, I believe.”
“We’ll be there,” Dallas called back.
After the car had rolled away, Dallas turned to Grace and asked, “How did you make that happen?”
“Oh, a little luck, perhaps a bit of magic.” A little smile played at the corners of Grace’s mouth.
“What did you do, wave your magic wand?” Dallas laughed.
“Nothing quite that dramatic. Besides, wands are so passé.” Grace patted Dallas on the back as she made her way toward the back of the line. “Now it’s out of our hands and in theirs.”
“Come on, Cody, let’s look for … oh, there’s Grant.” Dallas waved to him, and he cut between the cars to join them on the opposite side of the street.
“Where’s Paige?” Cody asked.
“Her aunt is crazy busy at Scoop already this morning, so she asked if Paige would come in and help out,” Grant told them. “I guess you’re stuck with me and your mom for now.”
“That’s okay.” Cody looked around. “Will we see the whole parade from here?”
“No, we’re going to walk up to the center of town,” Dallas said.
Grant took her hand, and she took Cody’s, and they quickened their steps to get ahead of the parade. Four blocks up, they ran into Brooke, her mother, Logan, and Brooke’s brother, Clay, all standing in front of Sips, the beverage-only shop in the very heart of town. Brooke introduced Dallas and Cody to Clay.
They’d already met her mother at Bowwows and Meows.
“I’m thirsty,” Cody said. “All that running up the street in the hot sun.”
“Yeah, me, too,” Logan complained.
“Come on, you two.” Clay tapped them each on the head. “And we’ll get something cold to drink. Anyone else want something?”
There were no takers, so Clay cut through the crowd with the two boys, Dallas watching anxiously.
“What’s the matter?” Grant leaned down to ask.
“There are so many people here,” she said. “I hope Cody doesn’t get separated from Logan and Clay.”
“Don’t worry about it. He knows where he is, and he knows where we’re going. Even if he got separated, he knows where to go.” Grant grinned. “He’d head right for Scoop.”
Dallas laughed. “You’re probably right.”
They could hear the high whine of the bagpipes that had been hired to accompany the cars filled with local dignitaries, and while they stood on the curb waiting for the parade to reach them, Dallas was aware of the cameras, aware that by tomorrow there would be pictures here, there, and everywhere of her standing in front of Grant, leaning back against him, his hands on her shoulders.
She could write the headlines herself:
MEET DALLAS’S LONG-LOST SWEETHEART! IS MARYLAND VET STILL THE LOVE OF HER LIFE?
She knew there was nothing she could do about it other than lock herself in the house, and she wasn’t about to do that, especially today, when Berry was being feted and fussed over—all while in the company
of her own lost love. She wondered how that was working out.
The Bentley was moving toward them, and soon was just feet away.
“Aunt Berry!” Cody cried excitedly as he and Logan returned to the curb. “Aunt Berry!”
Berry leaned around Archer to throw a handful of wrapped hard candies to the boys, but others in the crowd beat them to the goodies. Berry frowned and said something to Archer, who nodded and turned to Cody.
“Your aunt would like to know if you’d like to ride down to the marina with us?” Archer asked.
“Can I, Mom?” Cody looked first at his mother, but before she could reply, he ran to the car. “Can Logan come, too?”
“If it’s all right with Logan’s mother and with Mr. Callahan, it’s certainly all right with me,” Berry told him.
“Mom, can I? Can I go?” Logan begged.
When Brooke and Dallas both hesitated, Berry told them, “They’ll be with us. You can join us down at the marina in a few minutes. There’s a hospitality tent there. We can tell them to expect you.”
“All right.” Both mothers nodded.
Archer put the car in park and helped the boys to climb in.
“Cool car!” Logan called to his uncle Clay.
“Darn cool car.” Clay nodded appreciatively.
“Mom, we’re in the parade!” Cody yelled as the car began to move again and made a left on Kelly’s Point Drive to take the parade down to the marina and the park.
“I shudder to think what’s going to happen when this crowd starts down Kelly’s Point,” Grant commented. “I’ll bet the line into Scoop is going to come all the way back up here to Charles Street.”
“I hope Steffie made a lot of ice cream this morning,” Dallas said.
“I don’t think she has enough to feed this crowd,” he told her. “I’ll bet she’s sold out and closed by two this afternoon.”
“At least she’ll get to enjoy the day. What comes after the parade?” Dallas asked.
“The boat races begin. They’ll go on all day. First the speedboats, then the sailboats.”
They applauded the local high school marching band and numerous social and civic organizations before the parade came to an end. As Grant had predicted, the crowd followed the last marchers down Kelly’s Point Drive, past the municipal building and to the marina. On the grassy area behind Captain Walt’s, a green-and-white-striped tent had been erected, and it was there that Grant and Dallas headed. They met up with the two boys, and Berry, who was busy playing belle of the ball until she was tapped to kick off the boat races.
“What do we do now?” Dallas asked.
“I suggest we get the boys and go stand near the dais, where Berry will announce that the races are to commence. Then someone sets off a flare from the end of the pier, and the boats will be off,” Grant explained.