Love Starts with Elle(34)

Elle steered the speeding boat across the water. Rio giggled. Tracey-Love gripped the sides of Heath’s shirt tighter. He had some work to do with her in the confidence arena.

A strange sensation swirled in his middle. Carefree. He settled back, squinting in the sunlight reflecting off the water, thinking of Ava without pain, musing over his book, liking the idea of creating memories with Tracey-Love. And discovering Elle.





ELEVEN

May tenth. Black Saturday. It should’ve been white and pink with beautiful lilies and stringed music.

And Elle wearing a white gown.

“We’re going shopping.” Julianne stopped by mid-morning, tugged away Elle’s covers. “Then the entire family is meeting at Sara Beth’s for a barbecue. Let’s go.”

“A family barbecue? Are we roasting my failure? Come on, Julianne, I can’t stand the pity looks.” After a great week of prayer with Miss Anna, and the carefree day of boating with Heath, Elle woke under a cloud.

“Get up, Elle. Celebrate today. Live it. Don’t let disappointment win.”

“Bye, Jules.” Elle had already planned her day. Sleep for a while on her right side, then turn over and sleep on her left. Tomorrow, she’d get out there and start living.

“Elle, get up.”

Shoot fire, Julianne had brought the big gun: Sara Beth.

Elle peeked over the edge of her quilt. “Hey, SB.”

“In the shower, little sister. Mary Jo and Candace are waiting.”

“I suppose there’s no chance of y’all just turning and leaving, closing the door behind you?”

SB and Jules stared at her with their arms crossed, lips pressed into lines of disgust.

“I guess not.” Elle shoved off the covers and headed for the shower. Afterward, she came out dressed completely in black— black bra, black panties, black jeans, black top, and if she could find them, her black flip-flops.

Sara Beth rolled her eyes, sighing. “Lovely, Elle.”

Julianne laughed. “Come on, Black Bart, let’s go.”

By nine o’clock that night, Elle had had enough of enduring the day and yearned for the quiet solitude of her studio. She wanted to fall asleep and wake up with everything Jeremiah behind her.

Her sisters had done a wonderful job of keeping her distracted and laughing. She’d love them forever for it.

At Sara Beth’s house, Daddy and SB’s husband, Parker, barbecued up some tangy ribs. The aroma made Elle’s mouth water, but her stomach posted a No Trespassing sign.

The family was overly cheery, avoiding all talk of love, relationships, weddings, and Jeremiah. Even Elle, for that matter. No one ventured, “What’s next?” Or “Do you have any plans.” And she was sort of ready to answer those questions.

Mama passed by once in a while as Elle sat in the deck chair and squeezed her arm. “You’re being so brave.”

Is there any other option?

Elle suffered more from feeling unanchored than abandoned.

When Parker organized a backyard volleyball game under the lights, beyond the bright-blue eye of the pool, Elle slipped out and drove home with her windows down, the warm velvety night clearing the heat from her mind.

She allowed herself one Jeremiah thought. Are you thinking of me?

In the almost-plan, the photographer would be packing up as the Beaufort Inn reception died down. She’d have danced in Jeremiah’s thick arms as the new and only Mrs. Jeremiah Franklin.

The thought made Elle shiver.

Pulling up to the cottage, she parked inside the garage with a quick glance across the yard before hitting the stairs. The porch was lit and she heard the faint hint of music. Strolling across the grass, Elle stooped at the porch door and peeked through the screen. “Having a party?”

Heath leaned around the back of the iron rocker. “Hey, Elle.”

She open the door and stepped inside, motioning to her old boom box, folding into the rickety Adirondack chair. “Where’d you find that old thing?”

“Over in the corner, hiding under a thick layer of dust.”

Elle laughed as she slid closer to Heath, aligning her chair with his. “I’ll bet. I’m surprised it even works.” Through the trees and Spanish moss, she saw the moondrops floating along the water’s surface. “Sometimes I still picture you jumping in the pluff mud and—”

“Come on now, give a guy a break.” He kicked the air around her leg, then stretching for his new cooler, producing a cold Pepsi. “Twelve packs were on sale at Wal-Mart.”

“Can’t beat that, now.” The cold can felt good in her warm hand.

“I took Tracey-Love to the beach.” She heard his smile. “It’s incredible to watch her discover the world. I was so busy before—”

“Today was my wedding day,” Elle confessed without much consideration or preamble. All day long she’d waited for someone in the family to ask her about it, let her talk for a few minutes, but no one had dared.

“Has it been a good day or bad?”

“Family day, trying to distract me. Sisters took me shopping.

Then we had a barbecue.”

“Dd-daddy?” A sweet voice pressed through the kitchen door.

Heath lifted up from his chair. “TL, what are you doing awake?”