Feeling suddenly energetic, she tucked the photo album back into the chest and stood up. She’d recently finished reorganizing the attic, so she had a good idea of where most things were, although there were a few boxes that still had unknown contents. That was why she didn’t quite know where the candlesticks were, but she had a feeling they were in the second box on the lower shelf in the corner, which had been heavy and had tinkled slightly when she’d moved it.
She began to rummage around eagerly and soon located the candlesticks exactly where she thought they’d be. There were only twelve of them, not enough for every table at Dean and Noelle’s wedding, but Vivian hoped they could be added to the centerpiece arrangements, since she knew that there were three different centerpieces planned.
She smiled, loving the idea of Dean and Noelle having some family heirlooms involved in the decorations for their wedding. Suddenly she remembered a couple of white lace tablecloths that she knew would be perfect for the place card table and the cake table. Humming cheerfully, she dug them out of the old linen chest, and then her humming faded as she went to the box where she’d placed many of Frank’s belongings. Slowly she took his best gold cufflinks from the box. They were encased in a green velvet box, and she opened it, studying the way they gleamed in the light. An ache of love for her husband welled up in her heart, and she closed the box again, looking forward to giving the cufflinks to Dean. She knew Frank would have wanted it, and she loved the idea of having something that was his be such an integral part of Dean and Noelle’s wedding day.
She was about to close the lid of the box when she froze. A photograph of her wedding to Frank, which had rested on his night table for most of their marriage, was tucked into the box. After he’d passed, she’d been too grief stricken to look at it, especially because it was a picture that he’d chosen himself and had framed in a sentimental silver frame made of linked hearts. It was a picture of the two of them laughing while they were in the middle of their first dance, and Vivian hadn’t ordered a larger print of it because it was blurry. Frank, however, had declared it to be his favorite picture of the two of them, and had proudly shown it to her the day he’d bought the frame and put the photograph into it.
Tears blurred Vivian’s vision, and she lifted the frame out of the box and gazed at the picture. She smiled, feeling a glow of love for her husband, despite the ways he’d failed her. She thought of the money he’d left and felt happy about it, even though the circumstances of him leaving it were bad. She knew that her children had been incredibly blessed by how things had worked out, and she knew that Frank would have been thrilled to know it.
Now they have what they need, Frank,she thought.You gave them that. Dean has what he needs to cover the cost of his surgery and the treatments without sacrificing anything for his and Noelle’s wedding, Julia will have enough space to be more comfortable while she’s adjusting to having two little ones, and Alexis and Hazel know that the money is there for them for whatever they might need. You provided for them long after we thought you could.
She stared at the picture for a few more heartbeats, remembering her wedding day and how much joy she’d had. “Dean is getting married, Frank,” she whispered. “And Hazel got married, and Julia did too. We all wished you could have been there. I love the idea of Dean wearing your cufflinks athis wedding. You would have been so proud of the way he’s persevered through these challenging months. He’s been so strong, and kept his spirits up better than anyone else I’ve ever known could have. And you’d be proud of the girls, too, seeing the way they care about their families and how creative and brave they’ve been. And I think you’d be proud of me too.” She smiled down at the image of Frank and carefully kissed the glass.
She added the picture to the box of items that she planned on carrying downstairs. She didn’t feel ready to replace the picture on the nightstand that had been Frank’s—maybe she never would be—but she wanted to hang it downstairs somewhere. Maybe in the hallway near the staircase, she thought with satisfaction.
As she picked up the box and headed toward the staircase, she felt as though a weight had been lifted from her. She finally felt at peace with the way things had turned out. At last, there was closure, and it felt like another unexpected gift.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Dean slipped his hand around Noelle’s as they strolled down the sidewalk toward Seaside Sweets Bakery. The wind picked up, causing leaves to scuttle across their feet. Noelle shivered a little and laughed, sniffing the air.
“Mm, someone’s got a fire going,” she said, sounding delighted. “There’s nothing like the scent of woodsmoke mixed with the scent of autumn leaves. It’s delicious.”
“Delicious, huh? More delicious than all of the cakes we’re about to try?” Dean grinned at her, thinking to himself that she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. She was wearing a yellow sweater that brought out the red of her hair, and she’d put on a shade of lipstick that made him think of the leaves that were turning red.
“Different kind of delicious.” She bumped her shoulder against his playfully. “What flavors are we trying out today?”
He shook his head, chuckling. “All I remember is lemon and chocolate. You and Hazel and Alexis and Julia were the ones who really picked out the list. I just smiled and nodded.”
She laughed. “I basically just smiled and nodded too. They had such good ideas and they’ve tasted the cakes here before.I know we also have vanilla with a raspberry filling. That one sounded really good to me.”
“That sounds good to me too.” Dean considered for a moment. “What about chocolate with raspberry filling?”
Noelle gasped and stopped walking for a moment. “Whoa. That sounds perfect.”
“I think so too. Oops, we decided on our wedding cake before the cake tasting.”
“Well, probably.” She squeezed his hand. “Let’s make sure we keep open minds, we might find a flavor that has us totally floored—oh no! Did I hurt your hand?” Noelle was always careful to be gentle with Dean’s hands, especially after the surgery.
He shook his head, smiling. “Not at all. I’m feeling really good. These treatments have really been helping.”
They shared eye contact, and he loved how happy she looked. He knew what she was thinking, that it was a guarantee that he would feel great on their wedding day. He felt sure of it himself, and he was full of relief and joy. He felt ecstatic about planning their wedding, especially now that both his pain and his worries were gone.
They arrived at Seaside Sweets Bakery a few moments later. Even though they were a couple of minutes early, they found the whole Owens family already waiting for them inside the bakery.
“They’re here!” Samantha cried as soon as she saw them.
Dean started to wave to her, and then his eyes bugged out a little when he saw that her boyfriend was standing next to her. He’d never met him before, and he felt an impulse to chuckle when he saw how sweet and nerdy-looking the red-headed, pale, and freckled boy was. He exchanged a look with Noelle, and it was clear they both thought Samantha must have picked a good kid rather than a smooth-talking popular kid. Dean felt proud of her.
“Come on over to the tables in the corner,” Vivian said, striding over to Dean and Noelle and giving them both a big hug at the same time. “Callie put all the cakes and the little plates and forks over there.”
Dean and Noelle followed Vivian and the rest of the family to where the cakes were, but even though they tried to nestle themselves into the corner, their big group ended up taking up half the dining area of the little bakery.
They began to sample the cakes haphazardly, everyone trying different ones. Hazel got worried that Dean and Noelle would end up not getting to try one of the eight flavors, and she carefully set aside plates for the two of them with ample squares of every flavor while everyone else munched their cake and cried out exclamations of approval.
“This is amazing,” Alexis said, her hand on her heart over the lemon cake.
“I love their chocolate,” Vivian said. “I’ve never had a chocolate cake better than the one they make here at Seaside Sweets.”
