She looked at the caller display. It wasn’t unusual to see the person’s cell phone number missing. Most of their clients and suppliers had unlisted numbers. “Hello. Hannah Williams speaking. How can I help you?”
No one answered.
“Are you there?”
Brett moved closer.
“Hello?” When no one spoke, she hung up.
“Who was that?”
“I don’t know,” Hannah said. “It was a private number. They probably called the wrong person.”
Brett ran his hand around the back of his neck. “I hope so. If it happens again, let me know.”
Hannah left her phone beside her. A random, misdialed call was nothing to be concerned about. And as long as they didn’t contact her again, she didn’t have anything to worry about.
***
By Wednesday, Hannah was still jumpy whenever her cell phone rang. It was irrational to think the call on the weekend was anything other than a wrong number. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get the image of Dave’s bruised body out of her head. The police weren’t any closer to finding the men who’d hurt him, and his father was still uncooperative.
In some ways, today’s meeting with Margaret Jenkins and her daughter was the perfect antidote to her depressing thoughts. And, as they’d expected, the mother of the bride had a list of items she wanted to discuss.
“Did you find the organza bows for the ends of the pews?” Margaret asked.
Claire opened a box of samples they’d brought to the meeting. “I found them in San Diego before Christmas.” She showed Mrs. Jenkins the pretty, pale lemon bows. “They’ll look stunning against the wooden seats.”
Margaret’s fingers touched the delicate fabric. “I’m impressed.”
Beverly, the bride-to-be, smiled at her mom. “You’ve been worried all week about these bows and they’re beautiful. Claire and Hannah know what they’re doing.”
Margaret patted her daughter’s hand. “I know, but I can’t help worrying. I want your day to be perfect.”
“It will be,” Beverly insisted. “And you’ll enjoy it even more if you don’t stress about every little thing.”
Margaret looked at her list. “You’re right. I don’t need to worry about some of these things.”
Beverly handed her mom a pen. “Start crossing out the unimportant items.”
“I’ll try.” Margaret bit her bottom lip and started deleting some of the entries. “This isn’t easy,” she muttered.
“Letting go never is,” Beverly whispered. “You can do it.”
Mrs. Jenkins looked at her daughter. Her eyes misted over. “I’ll miss you when you move to San Antonio.”
Beverly’s smile wobbled. “I’ll miss you, too, but that doesn’t mean you can stop crossing items off your list.” She pointed to the paper. “Do we really need to look at the cake topper again? Claire sent us a photo of the one the baker recommended and it’s lovely.”
With a flourish, Margaret ran a line through the entry. “If you’re happy with it, that’s all that matters.”
Hannah gave a silent cheer. She glanced at her sister and saw the same relief on her face. Margaret was a wonderful client, but she worried about everything.
After Margaret had gone through the list, she handed it to her daughter. “Have I missed anything?”
Beverly scanned the page. “It looks good to me.” She gave the sheet of paper to Hannah. “Can you help mom feel less worried by answering these questions?”
“I’ll do my best,” Hannah said. The first item on the list was the white doves. She’d spent a few hours yesterday trying to find doves who liked flying in the cold, but there weren’t any. “I’ve spoken to three dove breeders. Unfortunately, it’s too wet and cold for the birds to fly anywhere. However, I have another suggestion.”
She took a helium-filled silver balloon off a table. “What if each guest wrote a wedding wish on a tag attached to a balloon? I’ve color-coordinated this balloon to match the bridesmaid’s dresses, but you could have any color. After the wedding, when everyone is outside, Beverly and Craig could release the balloons into the air. It would be a wonderful end to the ceremony and create an amazing photo opportunity.”
