Cut to the Chaise Page 3

  “No. But I can tell you that you have nothing to be nervous about.” When he kissed her, she was reassured again that he was right.

  * * *

  On Wednesday afternoon, as Caprice walked into the six-thousand-square-foot stone-and-brick home with ivy covering many of its walls, she considered how much she liked it. Many of the houses she staged were for buyers. She wouldn’t live in one herself. This house, however . . . Sure, it was too much square footage for her and Grant and the animals, but she loved the style. The problem was the house was going to be extremely difficult to declutter. Her assistant, Juan Hildago, was supposed to arrive in a little while. She would depend on his help to create the declutter list.

  Althea and Dustin Bassani had opened the big wooden door and now ushered Caprice through the foyer into the living room. “We found the perfect house in Carmel,” Althea said, her red-blond hair in a straight cut swinging as she walked.

  Her husband Dustin, about six-foot-four and thin as a rail, nodded until his long brown hair tied back with a leather band bounced on his shoulder. “It’s stucco with trellises and a courtyard in the back. It’s about half this size, but we can’t wait to decorate with our favorite colors.”

  Dustin was a forensics accountant well known in his field. CEOs of companies from oil to electronics consulted with him and hired him to go over their books. Since he flew across the country at the whim of CEOs, he could live anywhere—anywhere he and his wife would be happy. They’d decided on the seaside town of Carmel, California.

  “It will be hard to leave this house though.” Althea looked longingly at the turquoise curio cabinet in the foyer. The wall behind it was wallpapered with a teal, and navy pattern. One of their fireplaces was located in the living room and it was the most unusual one Caprice had ever seen, done in flower mosaics in turquoise, mauve, and yellow. The hearth was upended pink bricks.

  The same room had one wall painted turquoise, built-in white bookshelves full of books, and sofas and armchairs in splashes of color that included coral, sky blue, white, and orange. The boucherouite rug from Morocco on the pale oak flooring was beautiful. The same colors danced throughout the house, in the parlors, studies, and bathrooms and were even included in the shower curtains. The sunroom boasted a macramé chair that hung from the ceiling, while the staircase leading upstairs was a pathway to photographs, about twenty of them in various sizes, arranged together like pieces in a puzzle. Most were of family. The one that had taken Caprice’s attention was the handprints of one of their children.

  “It’s always hard to leave a home that you’ve loved,” Caprice sympathized. “But I imagine you’ll be taking a lot of the furniture with you.”

  “We will move our favorites,” Dustin assured her.

  Althea pointed out, “As you decide to declutter, we’ll tell you the ones we aren’t taking and those we can send to the consignment shop.”

  “That’s a great idea. Juan should be here in a little while to help me develop a list. But before he comes, maybe you can start that list with the pieces you’re certain you want to keep.”

  “I love the theme you’ve decided on for the house,” Althea commented. “Bohemian Rhapsody’ is perfect. Dustin and I have always considered ourselves fans of the boho lifestyle. And as far as that list goes”—Althea pulled a folded piece of paper from the pocket of her brightly flowered maxi-skirt—”I already made it. Dustin and I went through room by room last night.”

  There was another reason Althea and Dustin were moving besides Carmel’s beach and artistic lifestyle. “You said one of your children lives in California?”

  “Yes, our daughter. She’s in Sacramento, and our son lives in Arizona. So we’ll be closer to both of them.” Althea motioned to the living room. “Why don’t you have a seat and I’ll pour us some iced tea until your assistant arrives.”

  Caprice smiled. “That would be great since you already have half the work done.”

  “I only wish,” Dustin groaned.

  Soon Althea was back with glasses of iced tea and Caprice began looking over her list. “I do like your pops of color and pieces of turquoise and teal in this house. They are my favorite colors. In fact, when I redecorated the tasting room at a winery, I used teal in the chaise lounges.”

  “Chaise lounges in a tasting room?” Dustin asked. “Which winery?”

  “Rambling Vines. Do you know it?”

  “I’ve been there over the years but not since it was redecorated,” Dustin said.

  “My wedding’s in May, and Grant and I will be holding our wedding reception there.”

  “Are you getting married there?” Althea wanted to know.

  “No. We’ll be married at St. Francis Church.”

  “I’ll bet you’re so excited,” Althea said enthusiastically. “Try not to stress over every detail and really enjoy the day. Dustin and I had a destination wedding before they were even popular. We were married in Hawaii on the beach. It was beautiful.”

  “Grant and I want everything to be meaningful. We’re just fortunate Rambling Vines had a cancellation. We’re putting our wedding together on more short notice than most weddings have these days.”

  “I’m not surprised they had a cancellation.” As soon as he said it, Dustin looked embarrassed. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “Why did you?” Caprice asked.

  “I’ve heard that quite a few weddings over the past six months have had complaints. One of my local clients who had his reception there felt cheated. He didn’t have the food layout he expected, and the flowers weren’t fresh.”

  When Caprice frowned, Dustin warned, “Just stay on top of it. Put someone in charge of making sure everything is exactly the way you want it, especially those flowers.”

  “I don’t think it’s just the winery having problems with receptions,” Althea chimed in. “Michelle and Travis dropped their membership to the Country Squire Golf and Recreation Club.”

  Caprice knew Roz had a membership there and it was expensive. “So all of that put together means the winery isn’t doing well?”

  Dustin shrugged. “Maybe the new image they tried to develop hasn’t gone over as well as the old-fashioned image that old William Dodd, Travis’s father, had built up at the winery over the years. Either that or Travis and Michelle have mishandled organization, wine development, and bookkeeping. Sometimes there’s more than one problem at the root of it.”

  Caprice was already thinking about what she could do for quality control when the doorbell chimed through the house.

  “I’ll get it,” Althea offered. She rubbed her hands together. “I can’t wait to get started.”

  Caprice would have to stop thinking about her wedding reception and begin the task of decluttering the Bassani home. She’d discuss what she learned with Grant and maybe Nikki to find out if they’d heard anything about the rumors. That old adage, Where there is smoke there is fire, was often true.

  * * *

  On Saturday morning, Caprice and Grant waited for Vince, Uncle Dom, and Brett Carstead at a tuxedo rental store. As they sat in chairs in the small reception area, Caprice caught Grant up on what Althea and Dustin Bassani had told her.

  She said, “I phoned Nikki last night to ask her if she’d run into any catering difficulties there, but she said she hadn’t catered a wedding reception or anything else at the winery in about a year. After I told her about all of it, Nikki assured me that she’ll oversee the flower delivery and make sure everything’s perfect. And you know she will. She’s like a general commanding her minions when she’s running a catering event.”

  “No wonder she and Brett get along so well,” Grant joked.

  Caprice playfully nudged his arm. “Brett’s a good guy and you know it.”

  “I do know it. That’s why I asked him to be a groomsman. But you’ve got to admit, being in a relationship with a cop has to be tough.”

  “If anybody can handle it, Nikki can.” Caprice believed that to the botto
m of her heart.

  Even though Caprice knew she only had a few minutes until their groomsmen arrived, she didn’t want to postpone the subject that was important to both of them. “Have you gotten in touch with your brother about being a groomsman? We’ll have to rent him a tuxedo if he wants to be in the wedding party.”

  “I e-mailed him and I’ve left messages for him, but he hasn’t gotten back to me yet.”

  Caprice could see Grant was troubled by that. She knew he and Holden didn’t have a close relationship. She gave a shrug. “Renting a tuxedo isn’t like finding a bridesmaid dress or having fittings. If he wants to join us, all you have to do is get his measurements.”

  “Right. All I have to do,” Grant repeated.

  Since she’d plunged into this discussion, she decided to plunge in further. “Have your parents decided whether or not they’ll stay with my parents while they’re in town?”

  “They haven’t decided yet, either. You’re going to get the feeling that Weatherfords can’t make a decision.”

  Grant’s parents weren’t the affectionate warm people Caprice was used to. When she and Grant visited them for a few days after Christmas, they got along okay. Yet Caprice didn’t feel as if she’d deepened her relationship with them. His brother had been out of town. Grant’s family was the one aspect of the wedding that she was worried about.

  Grant was a perceptive man, and he must have heard the concern in her voice. He took her hand between the two of his. “Whatever happens, whoever comes, whether or not my parents stay with your parents, our wedding’s going to be perfect simply because we’re getting married. If you concentrate on that, everything else will fall into place.”

  “Is that what you’re telling yourself?” she asked with a hint of amusement.

  “I am. If I say it often enough and I get you to believe it too, it will happen.”

  “So I’ve convinced you affirmations are a good thing.”

  “There’s never anything wrong with positive thinking.”

  That wasn’t quite the same thing as the affirmations Caprice tried to do every morning, but she’d take it.

  Glancing out the window, she broke into a smile. “Your best man is on the way in, and Uncle Dom and Brett are right behind him. Now let’s see if we can decide on tuxedos.”

  “We?” Grant asked with a raised brow. “It seems to me I didn’t have any input on bridesmaids’ dresses or your wedding gown.”

  “Do you think all of you can come to a decision on your own?” she teased.

  “I’ll tell you what. You can be the tie breaker.”

  Marriage was all about compromise. She supposed they might as well start now.

  Chapter Three

  Late on Sunday afternoon, Caprice and Grant were sitting on a bench at the dog park appreciating the warm April day when Caprice’s cell phone played.

  “Go ahead,” Grant said, waving to her skirt pocket where she usually kept her phone. “It could be your mom needing you to bring something along to dinner.”

  Yes, it could be. Today was one of the monthly De Luca Sunday dinners when everybody contributed food to the meal. For this dinner, Caprice had made her rotelle casserole because Grant had liked it so much.

  However, when she plucked her phone from her pocket, she saw Michelle Dodd was calling. “It’s Michelle,” she said to Grant, and then answered. “Hello, Michelle.”

  “I’m sorry to call you on a Sunday,” Michelle apologized.

  “No problem. Grant and I are at the dog park. We’ll be heading over to my mom’s for dinner shortly.”

  “Ah, the De Luca family dinners. Vince never invited me to one of those.”

  Michelle’s comment told Caprice once again that Vince hadn’t been serious about Michelle.

  “They’re always boisterous and noisy,” Caprice responded because what else was she supposed to say—I’m sorry my brother never invited you?

  “This is kind of awkward,” Michelle finally said.

  Talking about the De Luca family dinners? Caprice wondered, but she waited.

  “I have to ask if you and Grant can pay the second half of the reception charge now instead of after the wedding. The truth is, the winery usually takes a percentage of the catering cost but with Nikki catering for free, the winery is out that money. I’d like to do a few extras for you and Grant like a flowered arch to make your entrance into the reception hall. I can do that if I have the whole amount.”

  The request seemed unusual to Caprice. On the other hand, she didn’t have a wedding reception every day. “I’ll talk to Grant about it and we’ll get you a check. I’m glad you called because I wanted to tell you that Nikki is going to oversee not only the food but the flower delivery too. It would be great if you could stay in contact with her about it.”

  “Sure, I can do that. Just give me her e-mail address.”

  Caprice rattled it off.

  “I really appreciate this, Caprice. Having that check will enable me to do the best for your wedding reception.”

  After Caprice ended the call, she said to Grant, “That was odd.”

  “What did Michelle want?”

  “She wants the balance of what we owe for the wedding reception.”

  “I thought we didn’t have to pay that until after the reception.”

  Caprice explained why Michelle had asked.

  Grant’s dark brows arched as they usually did when he questioned something. “That doesn’t seem right to me, but I can understand if she’s not getting a cut of the catering. On the other hand, if the reception isn’t everything you paid for, I can always send out a legal warning so they return funds for whatever they didn’t do. We do have a contract with them.”

  “I hope we haven’t made a mistake booking our reception there. I don’t want to be embarrassed in front of your parents.”

  Grant took her hand. “We could have the reception in the backyard of your mom’s house.”

  “Her yard is on more than one level. That would be difficult.”

  “But not impossible. We can always have it in your backyard.”

  “I wanted something special for us.”

  “Our reception will be special no matter where we have it. Stop worrying, honey.”

  “What about your family? What will they think if something goes wrong?”

  Amusement danced in his eyes. “You mean like not having a flowered arch to announce us at the reception?”

  After she punched him in the arm and glared at him, he circled her shoulders and brought her close. “My parents know as well as anybody that life can throw curveballs. So whatever happens happens. Think of it this way. If we have it in a backyard, Patches and Lady could be there.”

  “I forgot to order them bridal wear,” Caprice mumbled.

  Grant laughed. “And I’m sure they’re grateful for that. Come on, let’s head over to your mom’s.”

  “We have to go back to my place to pick up the casserole, and I think I want to change before dinner.”

  “Your denim skirt won’t make a fashion statement?”

  “Nope. I found a dress I think you’ll like. It’s lime green and pink, and perfect for an April day.”

  “I like everything you wear. Maybe after we’re married, we should coordinate. I can try to find a lime-green shirt,” he joked.

  “As if you ever would.” Caprice just rolled her eyes, stood, and called, “Lady and Patches, come. Time to go.”

  As the dogs ran toward them, Grant tapped Caprice on the shoulder. When she gazed at him, he said, “I really do want you to stop worrying. Worry will only spoil your enjoyment of the day.”

  Grant was right. She’d stop worrying right now.

  * * *

  Grant didn’t have much to say as they drove to her parents’ house, the dogs in the kennels in the back of his SUV. Although he’d advised Caprice not to worry, she wondered if he was worrying. Or maybe he was getting fidgety about the wedding. Cold feet? Maybe later she’d ask him. She wanted
him to feel free to tell her his concerns. His just-go-with-the-flow attitude might be on the surface, but what was underneath?

  The usual cars were parked at the side entrance along the curb of her parents’ house. Caprice had so many good memories about her childhood home. Every time she walked inside, one of them came rushing back. She’d played hide-and-seek with Bella in back of the barberry bushes alongside the side porch. She and Nikki had often snuck out onto her parents’ balcony off their bedroom and pretended they were in a Shakespearean play.

  The house was unusual for Pennsylvania because it was a California-style stucco, and had a red barrel tiled roof that always seemed to need repair. Even when her brother Vince was small, he’d asked their parents, “Are you fixing up again?” It seemed the house usually had something to fix. But that’s how her parents had been able to afford it when they were first building a family. They’d kept unique features that were sometimes high maintenance, like the casement windows, the yellow stucco exterior, and of course the roof. When Caprice’s Nana—her dad’s mother—had moved in with them, they’d added on a suite for her. Caprice had special memories about Nana’s suite too. She and Nana had a habit of having tea together every few weeks. Delicious aromas always emanated from either Nana’s suite or her mom’s kitchen.

  Grant carried the casserole in one arm and encircled Caprice’s shoulders with the other as they went up the porch steps. Patches and Lady ran by them past the dark-brown rope-style pillars that supported the porch.

  After Grant opened the screen door, they stepped inside to the foyer. The dogs ran into a long living room that was dark now. A sunroom stretched off that. The library behind the living room had its own little balcony as well as a fireplace that had a mate in the living room.

  The cuckoo clock in the dining room struck four and Caprice heard voices coming from the kitchen. Caprice started to head in that direction but Grant stopped her by snagging her arm. He kissed her hard and then grinned.

  She smiled because sometimes Grant wasn’t so predictable. As she went to the archway in the kitchen, a crowd of people flooded out, all of them saying some form of “Happy wedding shower.”