Page 9
He grinned. “Tell me again. Why am I marrying you?”
Reggie’s mother smiled. “Because you’d be lost without me.”
“That I would.”
They kissed. Then Vince waved and went to the garage. Burt stared after him, sighed when the garage door closed, and curled up in his bed by the recliner on the left. Belle eyed him suspiciously before collapsing on the sofa, resting her head on Reggie’s lap.
“So, where are we with the wedding?” Reggie asked as her mother took her seat in her recliner.
“Sometimes I think I’m organized, and other times, I’m not sure. Dena and I were discussing the bridesmaid issue yesterday.”
“She mentioned that. Mom, it’s totally up to you. If you want us to be bridesmaids, then we’re in. If you don’t, we’re fine with that.”
“Thank you. I’m leaning toward no. It’s not as if this is a real wedding.”
Reggie nodded, trying not to show her glee. “But you still want Belle to be your flower girl.”
“Of course. You’ll need to make her a dress. Something pretty with lots of lace and maybe a train.”
“A train might scare her, Mom. She could think she was being chased.”
“All right. Then just a pretty dress in either red or green.”
Reggie stroked Belle’s face. “We’ll put you in red because that looks good on you, doesn’t it?”
Belle slapped her tail against the sofa.
“Do you want to have a wedding shower?” Reggie asked.
“No. I’m too old. And no gifts.”
“People might want to bring something.”
Leigh waved her hands. “Have them donate to the town benevolent fund in our name. It’s not like your father and I need anything. We’re fine with what we have. We just want a big party.”
“And a wedding.”
Her mother smiled. “Yes, and a wedding.”
Reggie went upstairs to unpack. Belle followed, glancing around anxiously, as if expecting Burt to burst out from around a corner and attack her.
“You’re fine. He’s zonked out by the recliner,” Reggie pointed out.
Belle’s worried expression didn’t relax.
Reggie led the way to her old bedroom. It had been updated the summer she’d come back from her first year of college. The pale blue walls were restful, and she’d packed up her high school memorabilia, leaving the shelves and surfaces mostly empty.
Belle walked over to the huge bolstered dog bed in the corner and sniffed.
“He hasn’t been on there,” Reggie told her. “Mom keeps the door closed.”
Belle didn’t look convinced and sniffed every inch before finally settling down. Reggie unpacked Belle’s things first. She stacked her dog’s coats, booties and scarves on the landing by the stairs and put her pajamas in a drawer in the larger dresser. She’d just put her own suitcase on the bed when she heard footsteps on the stairs and a familiar voice calling, “You made it.”
Belle leaped to her feet and hurried out to greet Dena. Her tail whacked Reggie in the thigh, causing her to jump and cry out.
“That’s going to leave a bruise,” she muttered, following her dog to greet her sister.
They hugged. Reggie looked at Dena’s pale face.
