Fool Me Once (29 page)

The relief on Jeff's face was just short of comical. Not so Martindale's.

“What's it going to be, Martindale?”

“Get these dogs off me, Bannerman. I can sue you for this. I
will
sue you for this! They're shredding my suit. My three-thousand-dollar suit. All right, all right, if Mr. Cracker doesn't want the dog, you can keep him. Now, will you get these…rats off me!”

Olivia clapped her hands, and said, “Good boy, Cecil. C'mere, I have treats.”

The little dogs formed two neat lines and waited for their treats. “Say thank you, gentlemen.” Olivia laughed. As one, the pack barked. She looked down to see the red spot on Cecil's tail. She scooped him up and whispered in his ear. “You get two treats because you bit that obnoxious guy's ass. Now scoot!” Cecil threw back his head and howled before sprinting off to the great room, where he showed he was staking out his position as top dog with two treats. In the blink of an eye, Alice snatched one of the two treats and raced off to her own bed, her tail moving at the speed of light. The pack knew Alice was the queen of 509 Eagle Drive, so no disputes arose.

Everly Cracker scrawled his name on the release form Jeff had withdrawn from his briefcase. Ambrose Martindale glowered for the benefit of the cameras. He tried to gather his dignity about him but failed miserably.

Dee Dee Pepper motioned Martindale toward the kitchen, while Jeff and Olivia talked to the reporters and the news crews outside on the lawn.

Dee Dee withdrew the minirecorder from her pocket. She pressed the
ON
button. Ambrose's voice ricocheted around the kitchen.

“You even think about screwing with my friends, and I'll send this tape to the Bar Association. Are we clear on that, Mr. Martindale?” said Dee Dee.

Martindale huffed and puffed. “That's blackmail!”

“Call it whatever you want, Mr. Martindale. I prefer to call it insurance. It's a shame about your suit. What the heck, just bill Mrs. Manning's estate. Isn't that how you guys get suits like that in the first place? Bye,” Dee Dee singsonged. “Gotta run. We're doing a special edition, and I have a deadline.”

Dee Dee's Doc Martens thumped on the floor as she hurried to the front door. “I'll come by later with a copy of the paper,” she told Olivia. “We're doing a special afternoon edition, and Cecil is going to get the whole front page. I'll try to get his picture above the fold. Invite me to supper so you can tell me about that guy you're going to fix me up with.”

“You got it!” Olivia shouted as she and Jeff walked closer to the road, where they shook hands with all of Cecil's supporters. They stood there a long time, holding hands, until Eagle Drive emptied out. “We did it, Jeff! Cecil is all ours. Hey, I gotta call my dad to tell him the good news!”

Jeff grinned from ear to ear as he trailed his fiancée into the house. Cecil was waiting for him at the door. He dropped to his knees and picked up the little dog. He didn't look at the tail—he knew it was Cecil. He didn't know how, he just did. “We got you, buddy, and let me tell you, you were worth the fight.” Cecil did his best to stretch his tiny body lengthwise so he could cuddle into Jeff's neck. His little head sought for a soft spot, where he laid it. Jeff felt a lump settle in his throat.

Such devotion, such true love.

L
ucy the Saint Bernard and her two-month-old pup that Olivia had been photographing for the past two hours pranced alongside their owner, who was smiling benevolently as she led her dogs to her van.

Lucy had been a chore to photograph, as she did her best to make sure her new pup was in all the shots. Olivia had finally obliged, making the decision to give Lucy the December slot on next year's calendar. She frowned when she looked up to see Lucy trotting across the yard, a silver package between her teeth. She looked up at Olivia before she dropped it at her feet. Olivia blinked, half-expecting the huge dog to say, “Here's a wedding present.” Of course she didn't, but she did bark, then waited for the obligatory “good girl” before she trotted back to the van.

Olivia's first wedding present.

Delivered by a Saint Bernard.

She picked it up but decided to wait for Jeff to open it.

Five more days!

Five more days until she became Mrs. Olivia Bannerman.

Olivia's heart kicked up a beat as she walked back into the house for a soda pop. She carried it out to the deck and sat down.

It was a glorious September day, as glorious as her mood. Her world was so right side up, it was downright scary.

Olivia settled herself more comfortably in the deck chair. She looked around her little domain. The grass wasn't quite as pretty as it had been before so many dogs began romping and digging, but it would come back. Then again, they hadn't had much rain, either, these last few months, and autumn and winter were just around the corner. She shivered in the afternoon sunshine, her eyes on the colorful pots of flowers, whose leaves were starting to turn yellow. Before long there would be a frost, and that would be the end of the bright blooms. Some of the leaves were already starting to change color.

The phone rang. A smile stretched across her face. Jeff. He always called at this time of day. The smile stayed in her voice when she said hello.

“Do you still love me? said Jeff. “Five days to go!”

“No, I decided the meter reader is the man for me! Sorry. Five days! How many minutes and hours? Just tell me that, Jeff Bannerman!”

The soft laughter on the other end of the phone sent shivers up Olivia's spine. “I can't make it out this evening, Olivia. In fact, my desk here is so full, I probably won't make it out tomorrow, either. Tell me again why I took this short-term job.”

“You wanted to help out a friend. That's what you said, Jeff. You had law firms lining up to sign you on after we settled Cecil's case. You turned them all down to help your friend establish his fledgling firm. Was it a mistake, Jeff? If it was, you can correct it. You have a job with Adrian's Treasures.”

“Yes, I know. Was it a mistake? No, Olivia, it wasn't a mistake. Drew would have done it for me. In fact, he agreed to help me out when I open up a small office in Winchester—a project which, by the way, is looking better and better. I think I'm a small-town boy at heart. I want to get things squared away so I don't have to come back here after our honeymoon. Not to mention, all of this is pro bono. We almost have things taken care of. I begrudge the time I have to spend away from you and the dogs.”

Olivia laughed. How was it possible to be so happy? “Jeff, Dee Dee Pepper called earlier this morning, and she said she's looking forward to following in our footsteps. I took that to mean her relationship is becoming serious.”

“It is. Serious, I mean. I think we were a good influence on those two! Do you miss me? Do the dogs miss me?”

“Yes and yes. Oh, I almost forgot. We got a wedding present today. It was paw-delivered by a Saint Bernard named Lucy. I'll wait till you get here to open it. I was so excited—our first wedding present!”

“A Saint Bernard, huh? Gee, I can't wait. I gotta go, honey. I'll call you tonight.”

Olivia leaned her head back on the deck chair to let the afternoon sun wash over her. The dogs meandered around the deck before they, too, found patches of sun not covered by the awning and stretched out. Why not? Dinner was still an hour away.

Olivia felt like singing but contented herself with humming the strains of “Here Comes the Bride” under her breath. It was all so very perfect. What did she ever do to gain such happiness? Especially with a mother like hers. Having her dad as both mother and father was the answer.

The last few months had been traumatic, but in the end, with her father's help, she'd managed to put all those events behind her. It was amazing, she thought, how things came together after Jill's brutal announcement that day in May. So much so that she and Jeff really were going to honeymoon on her father's boat. Dennis had clinched the deal by saying, “No radios, no televisions, and no telephones.” Jeff had clapped her father on the back and said, “Sign us up!” And that had been the end of that.

Jill had called over the weekend to ask if she knew what the long-range weather forecast would be for the wedding, so she and Gwen would know what to wear. That call had been so far over the top that Olivia had laughed for an hour. She didn't know who was happier, Jill and Gwen or she and Jeff.

So out of all the ugliness, out of all the tragedy, much good had surfaced. Truth, hard as it was to bear sometimes, had healing powers. She, Gwen, Jill, and her father were the living proof.

Once in a while she had a twinge when she thought about the tricks she'd employed to keep Cecil out of Everly Cracker's clutches—who had been arrested twice since that fateful morning. Once for disturbing the peace and once for drunk driving. Dee Dee told her he was leaving with his cronies to go back to, as Dee Dee put it, whatever rock he'd crawled out from under. Cecil was safe and happy. In this case the end really had justified the means. Martindale, also according to Dee Dee, who had stayed on top of all developments the last few months, had taken a media licking and was cruising the Mediterranean.

Olivia yawned and stretched luxuriously. One by one, the dogs did the same thing.
Dinnertime
, she thought, looking down at her watch. From here on out, she had three whole weeks to do nothing but smile and be happy. Lucy the Saint Bernard had been her last client. Her day planner for the next three weeks held nothing but blank pages.

Life was so good.

Actually, life was wonderful.

The small house on Eagle Drive was filled to overflowing. Down the long hall away from the hubbub, in her bedroom, Olivia was getting dressed for the wedding ceremony, which was to take place in the great room. Dee, Gwen, and Jill were helping, their faces wreathed in smiles.

A tentative knock sounded. “Come in,” Olivia called. Then, seeing who it was, she said, “Oh, Mrs. Bannerman! You look so pretty!”

The little lady who was Jeff's mother laughed. “Not half as pretty as you look. I wanted to give you something. It's not much, just a little handmade hankie that my grandmother gave to my mother, who gave it to me. You know, something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” Her voice was shy and sweet as she handed over the small lace square. Olivia folded it neatly and inserted it in the sleeve of her wedding gown. “By the way, did I thank you for taking Jeff off our hands! The family was about to give up on him and accept the fact that he was going to be a bachelor forever.”

Olivia hugged her. She whispered in the woman's ear. “I love your son very much. I will do everything in my power to make him happy. Thank you for having such a wonderful son.”

Mrs. Bannerman smiled. “I'll leave you to finish dressing. I'll be the one crying in the front row.”

When the door closed behind Mrs. Bannerman, Jill turned to Gwen, her eyes moist. “See? That's what we missed. Thank you, Olivia, for allowing us to share these moments with you. We both owe you so much. We'll never be able to thank you enough. We know we turned your life upside down, and for that we're sorry. We're living for the first time in forty years. Really living. It might not be perfect, but it's as good as it can get for now, and for that we will always be indebted to you.”

Dee Dee, alert to every nuance of Olivia's expression, saw the tears that were about to overflow and stepped in. “I want you ladies to help dress
me
when I get married, too,” she said, laughing. “Like Ollie, I don't have a mom. I can use all the help I can get.”

“Really?” Gwen and Jill said in unison.

“Really,” Dee Dee said and hugged both women.

Jill bit down on her lower lip. “And now for the veil! The veil makes it official. I love it that you chose such a simple gown—high neck, heavy satin, small train. It does you justice. The fresh flowers on the crown of the veil make it all just perfect.”

“I love lilies of the valley,” Gwen said in a choked voice. “I can smell them from here. You make a lovely bride, Olivia. May you always be as happy as you are right now.”

“The music is starting. I have to run. Come on, ladies, let's go,” Olivia cried.

“Ladies do not gallop!” Jill said. “We go first. We'll send your dad back, Olivia. Are you okay?”

“I am more than okay.” Olivia smiled tremulously as she moved forward to wait for her father in the doorway.

How handsome he looks
, she thought when Dennis appeared. Her second thought was how sad he looked. “Dad…” she said as he drew near.

“Ollie, you look so beautiful. My own little angel.” His voice was so husky, Olivia knew he was going to tear up just as she was about to do.

Olivia's voice was just as husky when she said, “You look pretty darn handsome yourself. Don't you dare make me cry now, you hear?”

Dennis cleared his throat. “Okay. Listen, Ollie. I'm not
giving
you away. I want you to know that. What I'm doing is, I'm…I'm
sharing
you with Jeff. I know giving the bride away is a wedding term, but I take it seriously. Just so we know.”

Olivia's smile was of the megawatt variety. “I know, Dad. Listen, did you…?”

“It's all taken care of, Ollie. We have to go now. There's a young man waiting for you who, the last time I looked, was about to collapse in sheer fright. What do you say we put him out of his misery?”

“I say let's do it!”

Thirty minutes later the minister concluded, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

And Jeff did, until her toes tingled, to the delight of everyone in attendance, even the dogs, who wore white satin collars in honor of the occasion.

Flower petals flew in all directions as the dogs scampered about trying to catch them. Pictures followed. Then it was time to leave for the reception in town.

Jeffrey and Olivia Bannerman stood in a small receiving line as the guests trooped out to the waiting cars. The newly married couple was the last to leave.

“Are you as happy as I am, Olivia?”

“Happier,” Olivia responded.

“You can't be happier than I am,” Jeff grumbled.

“Okay, how about
as
happy.”

“Sounds good. Come on, honey, we have to get to the hall to greet our guests. Besides, I'm starved. I hope we're having something good for our wedding supper.”

“I hope so, too. I can't remember what I ordered for us. Does it matter?”

“Nope. Not one little bit,” Jeff said, kissing her on the lips, a kiss that said life was going to be wonderful for the two of them.

It was eleven o'clock when the deejay picked up his microphone to announce the last dance of the evening. “The bride and groom will now take the floor!” The guests formed a circle around the dance floor as the couple danced cheek to cheek to Whitney Houston singing, “I will always love you.”

Then it was time to throw the bridal bouquet. Dee Dee caught it by jumping up in the air and clutching it with both hands. She gave a thumbs-up to Olivia, who laughed and laughed.

They were at the door when a gaggle of people approached them. Olivia turned to see Mary Louise Rafferty with her twin sons. Behind them were Gwen's son, Timothy, and his children. Both Mary Louise and Timothy looked as if they wanted to say something. Olivia brought her finger to her lips. “Shhh. Everyone deserves a second chance. This is your chance to be a real family. Don't blow it now.”

“How'd you get so smart, Mrs. Bannerman?” Jeff asked, as they headed for the limo.

Olivia threw back her head and laughed. “By hanging around with you and my dad. By the way, he said he didn't
give
me to you. He's only
sharing
me with you.”

Jeff held Olivia's train up as she slid into the limo. “He scared the living daylights out of me when he said the same thing to me. He wagged his finger under my nose to make his point.”

“He didn't!”

“He did!”

“What now, Mrs. Bannerman?”

“A kiss would be nice.”

Jeff obliged.