The Wedding Promise Read online

  Jennifer stared at her with wide blue eyes. Liza didn’t know what to say.

  She had been touched by Jennifer’s romantic story and hearing that her aunt had known the young couple. That part had hooked her, for sure. It wouldn’t be good for her business reputation, either, if she just dashed this girl’s hopes to bits and seemed unfeeling and abrupt.

  “Yes, I will definitely consider it. But I’m not promising anything,” she hurriedly added when she saw the sun come out again in Jennifer’s lovely face. “I have to warn you, I think the answer will still be that I’d love to do it, but the circumstances here aren’t ideal.”

  “But you’ll think about it?” Jennifer replied quickly. “I mean, you really will think it through?”

  Liza sighed, then nodded. “Yes, I will. I promise.”

  “Great.” Jennifer practically bounced in place on the old sofa. “As I mentioned, we aren’t planning on a large party at all, only thirty to, say, fifty guests at most.” She gazed at Liza quickly to check her reaction. Liza was about to explain that it was premature for any details like that, but Jennifer rushed on and Liza couldn’t get a word in edgewise.

  “. . . and we would like the ceremony here, too. Maybe out in the garden in back. I remember there was a beautiful garden, with all these roses and all kinds of flowers in the summertime.”

  “I’m not really sure what’s left of the garden. My aunt wasn’t able to do any outdoor work as she got older.”

  That was another item on her to-do list. Liza loved to garden and had begun working around the property as the warm weather set in. But the large beds of perennials, in the back especially, needed serious attention—a new garden design and a truckload of new plants.

  “The gardens need some work,” Liza said briefly.

  “Oh, we won’t worry about that. We’ll bring in flowers. That’s what florists are for,” Jennifer cut in again. “And don’t worry about a lot of fancy food either. Honestly, the food thing is so overdone at all the weddings I go to lately.”

  Liza had to agree with that. There was usually a lavish cocktail hour with hundreds of appetizers. Just when you thought you couldn’t eat another bite, the guests were led into another room for a long dinner with several courses followed by an elaborate array of desserts.

  “We want something different. Something fun but simple. Maybe just champagne and hors d’oeuvres.”

  “That sounds simple and elegant, too,” Liza had to agree. She liked parties like that. Maybe with live music, a trio of some kind in the corner. Flowers, of course. Yes, she could see it.

  Jennifer looked pleased at her reply, and Liza caught herself before saying anything more.

  Whoa, what was going on here? She was letting this girl get her carried away, like a riptide. Getting her all involved in these wedding plans when tomorrow Liza knew she would have to tell Jennifer in a diplomatic but final way that she could not have her wedding here.

  This conversation was only getting the girl’s hopes up. That wasn’t right. “What I meant to say is, it sounds like a simple, very tasteful wedding. The type of party you could have anywhere,” she added quickly.

  “I’m glad you think it sounds easy. All the more reason to have it here, right?” Jennifer grabbed her big bag and stood up. “It was so great to meet you, Liza. Thank you so much for taking time to talk with me.”

  Jennifer leaned over and grabbed Liza in a quick, warm hug.

  She felt almost embarrassed by Jennifer’s effusive gratitude. Especially since she knew what her answer would be.

  “I enjoyed meeting you, too, very much,” Liza replied sincerely. There was something about Jennifer that was truly refreshing. She was earnest and straightforward but not in a pushy, overly assertive way. She was also so sweet.

  Jennifer smiled and briefly squeezed Liza’s hand. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Or maybe you should call me?” she asked brightly.

  “I’ll call you,” Liza said, wondering what she’d gotten herself into. Jennifer quickly scrawled her phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to Liza. She stared down at the number. She was really just postponing the inevitable, wasn’t she?

  But maybe it was best to give this girl the bad news over the phone. When she didn’t have to look right into those big blue eyes and see that brilliant smile unravel.

  “The morning is probably the best time to reach me,” Jennifer said. “But please, take your time. Think this through. Maybe you should jot down a few notes—just so we can talk when we get together again. The guest list will be very small, and the ceremony on the premises, remember?”

  Liza nodded. She did remember everything Jennifer had told her, but she wondered now if this girl had heard a word she’d said.

  “I will call you tomorrow. I promise.”

  Joe Lindstadt appeared in the foyer, a metal bucket full of rags in one hand and a power drill in the other.

  “How’s it going, Joe?” Liza asked.

  “Okay, I guess,” Joe answered in his typical laconic tone. “I’m almost done with the new trap.”

  “Sounds good,” Liza replied as he walked out to his truck again.

  “I can see you’re busy here. I’d better go. So long.” Jennifer departed with a little wave and Liza waved back, watching her head down the porch steps.

  “Bye, Jennifer. Have a good day,” Liza added, though she normally didn’t use that trite postscript.

  What she really wanted to say was, “Have a good life, dear.”

  She felt a sudden rush of protective feelings for the girl. Maybe because Jennifer was so buoyant and hopeful and so much in love.

  Liza suddenly wished she could have Jennifer’s wedding at the inn and could make the girl’s dream come true. But it didn’t seem possible, however small and simple the party. It was just out of the question.

  Wasn’t it?

  Chapter Two

  “Is the bride gone?” Liza heard Claire’s voice and turned from the front door to find the housekeeper standing a few steps behind her in the foyer.

  “Yes, she is.” Liza shut the door with a snap.

  “How did you leave it?”

  “What do you mean?” Liza asked, though she knew perfectly well what Claire was asking. “We can’t have a wedding here, Claire. You of all people should know that. I’m not saying never. Someday in the future, when the place is in better shape—and I have some vague idea of what I’m doing—it might even be fun.”

  “Oh, I see. But I thought I heard her say she was going to speak to you tomorrow. What would that be about?” Claire asked curiously.

  Liza felt a little embarrassed. Obviously, Claire had overheard more than she’d let on. “Well, I tried to tell her we couldn’t do the wedding. But she just wouldn’t take no for an answer. She made me promise that I’d think it over. So now I have to call her tomorrow and tell her the same thing I said today and hope that it sinks in.”

  Claire stared at her a moment. “Persistent, was she?”

  “Was she ever.” Liza rolled her eyes. “The guest list would be small, they didn’t need a fancy meal, they would get married in the garden . . . and the garden doesn’t even need to have flowers.”

  “Sounds as if Jennifer has a real vision,” Claire remarked.

  “She does, a very clear one. But putting together a wedding is never that simple. There are a zillion details. And I’m not even a party planner.”

  “That’s all true. But it’s nice to be around a bride, don’t you think? She just radiates hope and love. All love comes from God above, of course, and a bride seems to bring a little bit of heaven wherever she goes, like a messenger of love,” Claire reflected.

  “Jennifer does seem to have a certain . . . glow,” Liza had to agree. “But it will take divine intervention to pull off a wedding here. I mean, what about the condition of this building? Has anyone thought of that?”

  Liza stared at Claire but she didn’t answer. In fact, she seemed to be looking somewhere over Liza’s shoulde
r. Liza turned, expecting to see Joe’s puzzled expression. Instead, she saw Daniel walking in.

  “I’ve given that question a great deal of thought, and I’d say this building was coming along remarkably well. You must have found a darned good carpenter, ma’am. The guy must be a genius.”

  Liza looked up at him, his handsome face set in a serious expression, his eyes quietly laughing at her.

  I found a good one, all right, she wanted to reply. Instead she decided to ask his opinion.

  “You’re just in time to help us out here, Daniel. What do you think—isn’t it too soon for me to have a wedding?”

  Daniel stared at her a moment. “I’m not sure. It all depends on who’s getting married. Are congratulations in order, Liza? I had no idea.”

  He was teasing her, as usual. Though it was often hard to tell.

  “Of course not.” She waved her hand at him. “What are you doing here anyway? I didn’t expect you until tomorrow.”

  “Now, there’s a warm welcome. Has your future husband seen this bossy side? He might get cold feet.”

  “He loves me. Unequivocally. Cold feet and all,” she replied, not missing a beat. “But what do you think, really? A young woman stopped in this morning. Her name is Jennifer Bennet. A lovely girl, fresh out of college. She insists that she wants to have her wedding here. Her heart is set on it. She wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

  “She was very persistent . . . in a sweet way,” Claire added.

  Daniel glanced at Claire, then turned back to Liza. “Okay, let’s start from the beginning. I feel a little lost,” he admitted. “A girl named Jennifer is getting married?”

  “Yes, she wants to be married here. The ceremony, the reception, the works . . . ”

  While Liza told the story from start to finish, Claire poured Daniel a cup of coffee. He sipped, listening until she was done.

  “So what do you think?” Liza asked finally. “I can’t put on a wedding here. Can I?”

  “Well, it sounds to me like it could be great . . . or it could be a total disaster,” he said finally.

  “Thanks a lot. That’s no help,” Liza said honestly. “I already know that.”

  Claire laughed and shook her head. “I’m going to finish upstairs. You two talk it out. Let me know if you come to any new conclusions.”

  “Well, there are pluses and minuses,” Daniel went on. “I did some work at the yacht club in Newburyport last year, and from what I heard there, the wedding business can be very profitable. Especially when you consider there aren’t too many spots in the area as scenic as the inn.”

  “That’s probably all true,” Liza allowed. “I’m not saying I’ll never do a wedding—just not this one. Not this soon. Jennifer wants to have it in a month or two. Even if I could make all the arrangements by then, what about the building? I know it’s coming along,” she added quickly, “and I know I have an excellent man on the job. But we’re just not working that fast, are we?”

  “It won’t look much different a few weeks from now. But if the couple getting married isn’t worried about it, why should you be?”

  “Oh, maybe because I can imagine the wedding guests telling all their friends the food was good but the place was a wreck.”

  Daniel shrugged. “I think that, as the owner, you see the inn differently. Most people don’t notice as much as you think they do. They notice if they’re having fun and enjoying the band. They’re not thinking too much about the crown molding in the foyer.”

  That was something a man would say. But he had a point. Still, she wasn’t convinced. “Maybe . . . but I’d notice it.”

  He smiled at her, a certain smile that made her heart jump. “I know you would, Liza. Because this place is special to you, and you put your heart and soul into rescuing it. But there is a point when a person needs to look past the peeling wallpaper of life and focus on the party.”

  He was right. Maybe she was looking at this from the wrong perspective. Seeing the lemon pits instead of the lemonade . . . or something like that?

  “I’m sorry. I’m not helping you figure this out at all, am I?” he asked.

  “No, you are. Go on,” she encouraged him.

  “I don’t know that I have more to say on the subject. I’m not exactly an expert on weddings.”

  Daniel had told her he’d never been married, only engaged. It had not worked out, though he’d never told her why.

  They were both quiet a moment, but not in an uncomfortable way. That was another thing she liked about being with him. They didn’t have to talk all the time. Daniel wasn’t afraid of silence and neither was she. She felt comfortable and calm around him and happy at the same time.

  “Listen, there is one more thing that occurred to me,” he said suddenly. He glanced at her, then looked away. “Never mind. Forget I said that.”

  “No, go on. What did you want to say?”

  Daniel still hesitated, then met her gaze again. “I don’t want to make you feel bad, Liza. That’s not why I’m saying this. But you told me that this girl, Jennifer, knew your aunt?”

  “Yes, she did. A little.” Liza explained how the friendship began, then added, “Elizabeth told her she had a feeling the romance would last and they would be married someday. Jennifer even asked if they could get married at the inn. Of course, my aunt was delighted.”

  Daniel smiled. Liza could tell he was recalling his own memories of Elizabeth, whom he’d also known well. “I can see that. She had a real romantic soul.”

  “Yes, she did.”

  “Well, I was just thinking that if Elizabeth were still here, she wouldn’t think twice about this girl’s request. She’d be excited about helping them and throwing a party.”

  “She did love a party,” Liza had to agree.

  “No matter what the place looked like,” he added. “If the whole inn fell down during the reception, Elizabeth would have turned up the music and acted as if that was part of the festivities. Like a fireworks display or something.”

  His exaggeration made Liza smile, but she also knew that what he said was true.

  “That’s exactly the way she was.” She meant to sound bright but couldn’t keep the melancholy from her voice.

  He reached over and covered her hand with his own. “I’m sorry. . . . I didn’t mean to make you sad. I should have kept that thought to myself. That was stupid.”

  “No, it wasn’t. I’m glad you reminded me.” Liza sighed. Jennifer was right. She did have some thinking to do about this question.

  Daniel finished his coffee in a big gulp, then headed outside to work on the gutters. Liza cleared the table and tried to remember what she planned to be doing this morning, before the tree roots and Jennifer Bennet had thrown her entirely off course.

  She returned to her desk. It was tucked away in a corner of the sitting room and usually hidden behind a painted screen. Right now, she felt the need to see the ocean view framed in the sitting room windows, so she pushed the screen aside.

  She sifted through her bills and correspondence, then pulled out an old register. She had started to put a list of past guests and their addresses on the computer and now continued that task. The list would help her send out a new round of postcards, announcing the inn’s new ownership and reopening.

  She worked carefully and efficiently, but all the while Aunt Elizabeth hovered in her thoughts.

  Elizabeth had been a spontaneous soul. She was the type who used the good china and sterling every day, who wore her best hat while digging in the garden if she felt like it.

  If Elizabeth had met Jennifer on her doorstep this morning, she would have been thrilled that these two lovebirds wanted to be wed at the inn. She would have just jumped right in and made a party, and worried later if the leak in the downstairs powder room ceiling was repaired.

  Or not worried at all, Liza reflected.

  Part of the reason she had decided to take over the inn had been to carry on Elizabeth’s way, her spirit and tradition of m
aking the inn a unique place in the world, a restful, healing haven. Liza knew that if Jennifer had come here, explaining to her aunt how her heart was set on this place, Elizabeth never would have refused her.

  Still, Liza had her qualms. Even if she overlooked the disrepair of the building, who was she to take on a project as big and important as someone’s wedding day?

  Maybe Daniel was right and there was good money in it, but Liza couldn’t just jump in for the profit and hope for the best. That wouldn’t be fair to the bride and groom or their families.

  No, it wasn’t the right thing to do, she decided finally. She would have to call Jennifer Bennet tomorrow and give her the news, and hope she would understand.

  Claire passed by and stopped at the desk. “I’m just going out to the market. I left you a sandwich in the fridge for lunch. I had mine earlier. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

  “Thanks, Claire. I’ll take a break in a little while.” Liza sat back and stretched.

  Claire peered down at her. “Any more thoughts about the wedding?”

  “I have thought it over, and some part of me would love to say yes. But it’s not for me. Not right now. I’m going to tell her tomorrow that I’m sorry but we can’t do it.”

  Claire gazed at Liza with understanding. “As long as you feel you gave it some thought. That’s all you promised her. By the way, I found that old register book you were looking for. I was putting away some blankets in the cedar chest, and I saw it up in the attic, just sitting there.”

  Claire placed the long, heavy ledger on Liza’s desk. Liza rested her hand on the dusty cover. “Thanks, Claire. I’m almost finished with the last one. This will come in handy.”

  “I’m sure it will. You get back to work. I won’t be very long.” Claire left the sitting room, and Liza soon heard the front door snap shut.

  Liza sat back and opened up the ledger, reading the handwritten names and addresses of past guests and their comments. You could tell that some of these entries had been written with real ink, from a fountain pen; the book was that old. Liza marveled at the sight. People had such nice penmanship in those days, she thought. Then again, they had lots of practice, writing letters and lists. No one had a computer or e-mail.