Blossom Street Brides (Blossom Street #10)(77)

The bottom line, Lauren realized, was that she hadn’t mentioned she’d married Rooster while in Vegas. Even if she had, it was doubtful anything would have changed.

Friday morning, Lauren arrived right on time. Rooster had their suitcases packed and ready for the trip to Victoria. It was short notice, Lauren realized, but once she explained, she was sure Elisa wouldn’t have a problem.

Elisa was already at the shop, setting out the jewelry displays, when Lauren let herself in and then relocked the door.

“Welcome back,” she greeted warmly.

Elisa expelled a deep sigh. “I can’t tell you how good it is to be back.”

“Is everything settled?” Lauren asked, knowing Katie’s elopement had been difficult for Elisa to accept.

“Pretty much,” Elisa murmured, while working to set out the jewelry cases. “Garry and I did what we could for Katie, but I fear it isn’t near enough.”

“But Katie’s happy,” Lauren said, doing her best to put a good light on the marriage.

“Blissfully so. Even now, I can’t believe Katie would do something like this. I don’t know what’s happened to my daughter, Lauren, I just don’t know.”

“But she’s only following in your footsteps.”

“I know,” Elisa murmured, and briefly closed her eyes. “It gives me a far better understanding of what my parents dealt with when I defied them and married Garry. I can’t believe I was this stubborn when I was her age. I knew Garry, loved him, and believed with all my heart our love would last a lifetime. It’s like seeing myself, but …” She hesitated and bit into her lower lip. “But,” she continued, her voice trembling, “living on a farm miles from any town of substance is not what I’ve envisioned for my daughter.”

“Katie has her own path to follow.”

“I know, I know … Garry has reminded me of that any number of times.” She rested her hands on top of the display case and shook her head as though dispelling an image of Katie living so far away. “You wouldn’t believe the house my daughter is expected to make into a home. I wouldn’t let our dog inside there, let alone my daughter. It’s a shack, a tumbled-down old shack. Lauren, you can’t imagine the condition it was in,” Elisa continued. “From what I was told, a foreman who’d worked for the family for years lived there. A bachelor, it seemed. He must have been. I can’t believe a woman would ever let her home deteriorate to the condition the place is in now.”

“It’s outdated?” In her mind, Lauren pictured a small house with faded linoleum floors and checkered curtains hanging over the window by the kitchen sink. Perhaps there was a braided rug or two.

Elisa waved her arms as if to say that wasn’t the half of it. “The appliances are from the 1950s.”

So she wasn’t off by much, Lauren mused, grinning.

“The wallpaper is ghastly. It’s so old and worn I could hardly make out the pattern, and when I did I could barely believe my eyes. It was flamingos, and that was in the living room.”

Lauren’s smile widened despite her determination to remain sympathetic. “I bet Katie wasn’t upset about it, was she?”

“Oh, no. You’d think Dietrich had moved her into a castle. She’s so excited that she couldn’t dig into cleaning it up fast enough. Her father and I refused to let her paint, which is one of the reasons we stayed as long as we did.”

From what she knew, both families had worked hard to make the small house livable for the young couple.

“We did what we could for her,” Elisa murmured, working as she spoke. “I filled up her cupboards with groceries and …” She hesitated, and it seemed as if she was about to break into tears. After a moment, she released what sounded like a pent-up breath and continued. “The thing is, Katie didn’t really want us there. She didn’t come right out and say it, but trust me, I got the message loud and clear.” Tears might not have made it to her eyes, but her voice was full of emotion.

Lauren waited a heartbeat before she said, “As it happens I have a bit of news myself.”

“Oh?” Elisa turned to face Lauren, her look expectant.

In retrospect, Lauren wondered if she had a premonition, a sense of foreboding. All at once she found herself hesitant to mention her marriage to Rooster.

“I’m married,” she announced.

Elisa extended her chin as if to lean closer … as if she wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly. “You’re what?”

“Married,” Lauren said, with forced cheerfulness. It’d been easier telling her family than it was her friend.

“You and Todd?” she asked, frowning.

Lauren shook her head. “No, it’s over with Todd, you know that.”

“Well, yes, but …” Then, as if the realization hit her, Elisa’s eyes grew as round as Italian meatballs. “Rooster? But you barely know him … You mean to say you actually married … Rooster?”

Lauren nodded.

Elisa laughed it off. “This isn’t funny, Lauren. I’m in no mood for a joke.”

“It’s no joke. He showed up unexpectedly in Vegas and—”

Elisa held up her hand, stopping her. “I thought you said he was in New Zealand.”