Cut to the Chaise Read online

  After Michelle had shown them every nook and cranny of the events room, even a dressing room off to one side where a bride and her bridesmaids could freshen up before their entrance, she guided them outside to the gardens. When they’d passed through the French doors at the rear of the events room, Caprice immediately noticed the riot of color to the right around a huge fountain. The fountain was simple rather than ornate with three tiers in ombre-like colors. The top tier was rust stone, the second tier was brown stone, and the third-tier black stone. Daffodils danced all around the fountain in colorful yellow, white, and blush.

  The groaning of a motor caused Caprice to take a few steps forward and look to the left at the long garage. Now two of the doors were open and another had just closed. She caught a glimpse of what looked like a late sixties MG. It was dark green with a high polish.

  She pointed to it and asked Michelle, “What year is the MG?”

  “That’s right, you like classic cars. You own a restored Camaro,” Michelle remembered. “You and Travis would have common ground there. Restored classic cars are his passion. He has several of them. That’s a ‘65 MG.”

  Bella, Roz, and Nikki had walked toward the garden and the fountain. Bella was pointing to a reddish-colored ornamental grass.

  Caprice’s attention returned to Michelle. She understood the expense of restoring a car and what those cars were worth if they were restored authentically. “That’s an expensive passion,” came out of her mouth before she could catch it. Then she added, “My car took several years to restore with my dad and Vince’s sweat equity along with some of their friends’ time. But I do love it, so I can understand Travis’s interest in classic cars.”

  Michelle motioned to the garage door that wasn’t open. “One you can’t see is a red Thunderbird convertible. We rent it to just-married couples who want unique transportation from the church to the winery. You might want to think about that.”

  She’d tell Grant. That was something he might like to do.

  After another exacting look at the gardens, they returned inside the events room, all of the women agreeing the landscaper had done a superb job. Caprice knew Michelle hired only the best. The winery’s gardener had planted the gardens to transition from one season to the next, adding annuals for each month. Azaleas would soon be blooming.

  After a last examination of the venue, they returned the way they’d come. As Caprice glanced at the entrance to the tasting room, movement on the porch there caught her eye. There was a dog. She supposed it was the stray Michelle had spoken of earlier.

  Without thinking twice, she ran over to the porch and walked up to the steps. The dog looked like a Schnoodle, a mixture of schnauzer and poodle. He was about twenty inches high . . . possibly twenty pounds. He tilted his face as he looked at her, and she had to smile. His body was mostly cream, but then he had gray floppy ears, gray around both eyes, and a gray nose that stood out against the creamy face. There was a blaze of gray on his forehead too and along one side of his flank. He was adorable.

  “He’s friendly,” Michelle said. “I know how you love animals. Go ahead and give him a pet.”

  He was wagging his tail now and coming toward her. Caprice let him smell her hand and then he rubbed his head against it. She scratched behind his ears and he seemed to love that. From her guesstimation, he might be two or three.

  “What are you going to do with him?” Caprice asked.

  “First, I’m going to call around to all the neighbors to see if anyone lost him. He looks like a mix of a couple of things.”

  Caprice nodded.

  “After the neighbors, I’ll call veterinarians to see if anybody notified their offices that they lost him. I’m going to make another bed for him on the screened-in porch up at the house tonight. But we can’t keep him because I don’t have time to take care of him. And Travis . . . Travis wouldn’t care about a dog.”

  In Caprice’s estimation, if Travis wouldn’t care about a dog, what kind of man was he?

  The dog rolled over for Caprice and she rubbed his belly. He put all four paws up in the air and she had to laugh. Who wouldn’t love a dog like this?

  She knew Michelle was busy. They should probably leave. Caprice had planned lunch at her place for her sisters and Roz. From Roz’s pensive expression, Caprice had a feeling her friend was going to have questions about Michelle . . . and Vince’s relationship with her.

  Just how much should Caprice tell her?

  Chapter Two

  Caprice had prepared lunch for the women early this morning. She knew they’d all want to talk after the winery tour. They always had the best discussions over food. At her house, she fed Lady—her golden cocker spaniel, Sophia—her long-haired calico, and Mirabelle—her white Persian. After eating their lunch, hopefully none of them would be interested in the food on the table.

  As the women took seats around the table in her bright kitchen with its vintage buttercup-yellow appliances, Caprice first produced a basket of croissants. Then she pulled the chicken salad she’d made with its slivered almonds, dried cranberries, and celery, out of the refrigerator, setting that next to the croissants. In addition to the chicken salad, she’d prepared a tomato, fresh mozzarella, and oregano salad.

  “This looks good.” Nikki pulled her chair in. “Perfect for an April day.”

  “I’ll surprise you with dessert after we’ve eaten the salads,” Caprice revealed with a smile as Lady sat beside her chair.

  “Uh-oh,” Bella said. “I have a feeling the dessert isn’t low-carb.”

  Caprice gave a little shrug and joined them at the table. She was ten to fifteen pounds overweight but her vintage clothes, like the turquoise-and-fuchsia crocheted-lace gauzy blouse with turquoise bell-bottom slacks that she wore today, often hid the fact. She’d long ago accepted the fact that she’d never be a size four or six.

  Bella took one of the croissants and began filling it with chicken salad as did everyone. “I’ll have your wedding gown ready for a fitting soon.”

  Nikki set her chicken-filled croissant on her lime-green plate and reached for the tomato salad. “I want to be there for the fitting. I can’t wait to see your gown.”

  “I’d like to be there too,” Roz said quietly.

  Bella picked up her sandwich. “All right. But just the two of you. I want everyone else to be surprised. This is my first wedding creation.”

  When Caprice couldn’t find the gown she’d liked in stores or online because she’d wanted a vintage style, Bella had shown her a design and assured Caprice she’d make it for her wedding. It was based on a photo of their Nana’s wedding gown. But she was sure Bella would add embellishments of her own. Caprice hadn’t seen it yet and she couldn’t wait to try it on.

  “Did you find shoes?” Nikki asked.

  After Caprice took a few swallows of iced tea, she nodded. “I found them at Secrets of the Past. I’ll show you after lunch. They’re white, of course, with a pointy toe and kitten heels. They have a few crystal embellishments.”

  Bella poked a tomato and a piece of mozzarella with her fork. “They sound perfect. Not only will you be trying on your wedding gown, but I’ll have the veil there that Mom and Nana bought you. There’s a surprise with that too.”

  Caprice put her hand over her heart. “I don’t know if I can handle any more surprises.”

  “This is a good one,” Bella assured her, with a wide smile, her black curls bobbing.

  Caprice glanced at Roz who wasn’t adding much to the conversation. That was unusual for her outspoken friend.

  Nikki took a bite of her croissant and gave a thumbs-up sign to Caprice. After she’d swallowed her first taste, she put the croissant back on her plate and wiped her fingers. “Have you and Grant finalized your plans for the addition to your house?”

  Caprice nodded. “We have.”

  Bella waved her hand at her. “Explain. Tell us your vision. I can’t read blueprints worth a darn.”

  Everyone laughed.
r />   Caprice loved her house and hated to think about leaving it when Grant suggested they find someplace new. However, he must have realized how she felt because at Christmas he’d gifted her with two sets of plans that added an addition for his office onto her house. She could choose whichever one she felt worked for them. His ability to compromise was one of the traits she liked best about him.

  “We could have turned the garage into an office and then added a detached garage in the back. But we decided against that.”

  “You wanted to keep the integrity of the front of the house and its curb appeal,” Nikki guessed.

  “Exactly. So we’re building the addition behind the garage. Instead of the porch the way it is now, the contractor will construct an all-seasons room across the back. That way Lady and Patches can go out the kitchen door into the sunroom and then out to the backyard from there. Mirabelle and Sophia will have access to the room too. I’ll probably find a cat condo for there so they can enjoy more sun.”

  Lady stood and cocked her head as if she was listening. Her ears flopped as she came over to Caprice and sat by her chair.

  “Do you think Lady will be bothered by Patches living here too?” Bella asked, not as familiar with animals as Caprice was, though she had adopted a stray yellow tabby to everyone’s surprise and considered Sunnybud one of the family.

  “They spend so much time together now, I don’t think it will be an adjustment,” Caprice responded. “On the other hand, Sophia and Mirabelle simply tolerate Patches when he comes over, so there could be a few squabbles.”

  Mirabelle, sprawled on the dining room table since all the chairs in the kitchen were taken, meowed.

  Nikki laughed. “I think she’s confirming that life could get interesting.”

  As if she’d also heard her name mentioned in the conversation, Sophia walked across the kitchen like a queen. With a beautiful white ruff and more than fluffy tail, she’d been Caprice’s first rescue shortly after she’d moved into her Cape Cod. Crossing to Lady, Sophia pawed at her nose just because she could. Lady didn’t react. She was used to Sophia’s shenanigans. As if pointing out that the floor wasn’t a suitable place for lounging, Sophia jumped up to the counter and leapt up to the top of the refrigerator. After settling, she looked down at them with half-closed golden eyes.

  Caprice’s pets were family, and her friends and relatives knew that. As if to emphasize that point, Bella said, “It’s no surprise that you and Grant would think about the animals when you’re building an addition. How will clients get into his office?”

  Bella was the youngest of the four De Luca children and never hesitated to speak her mind. She had a point which Caprice hoped she and Grant had addressed. “We’re going to pave a walkway from the driveway around the side of the house to the office. Grant will still be working from his office downtown with Vince, so he won’t be seeing that many clients here. But he will be able to work from home. His office will also be his man-cave.”

  “So his office will have a door off the sunroom?” Bella asked.

  “Yes, and then an outside entrance too.” Caprice took another serving of the tomato salad.

  Nikki reached over to take the serving dish from her sister. “It sounds as though you have the bases covered.”

  “We hope so. The only point still for debate is whether we’re going to put a powder room in his office.”

  “Cha-ching,” Bella said, indicating that would cost more money.

  “I know.” Caprice frowned. “But instead of a prolonged honeymoon, we’ve decided to just go to Williamsburg for a few days and put that money into the addition too.”

  As they all finished their lunch, conversation revolved around the winery and tasting room, and exactly how it would look for the wedding reception. Again Caprice noticed how quiet Roz was. Standing, she crossed to the refrigerator to produce the dessert.

  When she showed the cake pan to all of them, they oohed and aahed. She set it on the table. “It’s a white cake with a mascarpone and whipped cream topping. The sliced strawberries on top not only decorate it, but give it an added flavor. What do you think?”

  “Let’s taste it and I’ll tell you,” Bella said.

  After Caprice cut squares for them all, Nikki was the one who took the first bite. She closed her eyes and savored it. “Heavenly. And I have an idea.”

  “Uh-oh,” Caprice and Bella said at the same time.

  “If you give me the recipe, I’ll make this for your rehearsal dinner. It would be perfect. What do you think?”

  “I think everyone would enjoy it,” Bella affirmed.

  Nikki dived into her piece with another forkful. “That’s settled then.”

  Caprice brewed a pot of coffee to go with second pieces, smaller of course.

  As the coffee and cake were finished, Nikki said, “I’d like to stay here longer but I can’t. I have to prep for a party tonight.”

  Bella nodded. “And I have to pick up Benny at the sitter’s and work on christening outfits. I have two orders that have to be done by the end of the week.”

  Although Bella worked part-time for Roz at her dress shop, All About You, she also ran a costume and christening-set business from her website. Her youngest child Benny was sixteen months old now.

  After hugs and thank-yous all around, Bella and Nikki left. Roz lingered and didn’t seem in a hurry to leave. Still, she said, “I’d better get home too and let Dylan out. Vince jokingly said he’d take him along to the office today. He’s never done that before, and I don’t know how it would have worked out. I thought it was better if Dylan just stayed home until I got back.”

  In the fall, Roz and her brother had moved in together. They still seemed to be feeling their way and deciding whether or not they wanted to join their lives.

  “Are you okay?” Caprice asked. “You were quiet during lunch.”

  “I didn’t think knowing that Vince dated Michelle would bother me, but I guess it does.”

  “What bothers you?” Caprice wanted to know.

  “It isn’t so much the fact that they dated. It’s the idea that Vince didn’t tell me. After all, he knew your wedding reception was at Rambling Vines. He’ll probably run into Michelle at the rehearsal dinner and the day of the wedding.”

  “The reason could merely be that men and women view past relationships differently. You know it took a while for Grant to share with me about his marriage to Naomi.”

  “But that was different. They’d lost a child. That’s what made them go in different directions. Those kinds of wounds are deep. And as soon as you two became serious, you started sharing more.”

  “He did begin sharing, but as you said, he had deep wounds. Vince dated Michelle but that was mostly on the surface. My guess is he figured—why bring it up now?”

  “Now that I know, I have questions,” Roz admitted.

  “Then you need to ask Vince. I’m positive he’ll reassure you it was long over.”

  But Roz didn’t look so certain of that.

  * * *

  A few hours later, Grant brought Patches along when he came for dinner. Patches, Lady’s brother, was cream-colored with brown ears and brown patches around his eyes and nose as well as on his flanks. Quickly, Caprice told Grant about the winery tour and Roz’s reaction to the news about Michelle.

  “Do you think she’s overreacting?” Grant asked as he took a tossed salad from the refrigerator and put it on the table.

  Every time she looked at Grant and realized all over again she would be marrying this tall, black-haired, and handsome man, she became a bit breathless. She managed to say, “Michelle is an old girlfriend.”

  The buzzer went off on the stove and Caprice went to the oven to pull out the casserole. She’d made something easy tonight—rotelle with ground beef, pepperoni, and three cheeses.

  “It all comes down to a matter of trust, doesn’t it?”

  There had been a time when Caprice had had trouble trusting Grant as he found closure to his p
revious marriage with his ex-wife. The annulment they’d received from the Catholic Church hadn’t meant his first marriage hadn’t existed. It meant the elements hadn’t been there to make it a sacrament. Naomi had been pregnant when they’d gotten married and they’d married at a justice of the peace. In addition to that, Naomi hadn’t been Catholic. They’d had grounds for the annulment, and because she and Grant wanted to get married in the church, they’d applied and received it.

  Caprice gazed into Grant’s gray eyes now. “It is a matter of trust. We both know that. I’m just hoping Roz talks to Vince about it instead of letting her suspicions smolder. I don’t think she cares about Michelle so much. She just wishes Vince had told her about Michelle as soon as he knew my wedding reception would be at the winery.”

  “Fair point,” Grant agreed, crossing to Caprice and wrapping his arms around her. “Everything’s falling into place for our wedding and reception.”

  “And I checked with Aunt Marie again.” She hadn’t seen her aunt who lived in New Mexico for a few years.

  “Is she still willing to stay here after the wedding with Sophia, Mirabelle, and Lady?”

  “She is. She says she’s looking forward to it. Is your neighbor still okay with keeping Patches for a few days?”

  “Simon says he’ll enjoy the company. I also wanted to tell you I made reservations today at a bed and breakfast in Williamsburg. I think you’re going to like it.”

  “Can you tell me about it or is it a surprise?”

  “I can tell you that our room has a huge four-poster bed with a canopy.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

  She and Grant had made the decision to wait until their wedding night to have sex. Sure, they were attracted to each other, and most of the time their kisses could easily explode into much more. But they’d decided the anticipation would prolong the excitement and give them even more to look forward to.

  “Are you nervous about our wedding night?” Grant asked.

  “If I say I am, will you be disappointed?” she asked with some trepidation.