A Turn in the Road - Debbie Macomber [14]
The security alarm beeped, indicating that someone had entered the house. “Is that you, Mom?” Annie called down from the second-story hallway.
“Annie? What are you doing here?”
Annie had her own apartment near the University of Washington campus. “I came to borrow your silver belt. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Of course not.”
“Are you and Dad finished with dinner already?” she asked as she walked down the stairs.
“Yes, it didn’t take long.” Bethanne hung her jacket in the hall closet and smiled over at Annie. “You look fabulous.”
“You think so?” Confirmation from her mother meant everything.
“What time is Vance picking you up for dinner?” her mother asked, glancing at her watch.
“Eight-thirty. Our reservation isn’t until nine.”
“That’s a little late for dinner, isn’t it?”
Annie nodded. “Vance said that was the earliest he could get us a table. Every tourist visiting Seattle wants to eat at the Space Needle. Vance must have pulled a few strings to even get a reservation.”
Her mother considered the comment. “I didn’t realize Vance knew anyone with strings to pull.”
“Mom,” she protested. “Vance had classes with Matt, remember? And Matt buses tables at the Space Needle. Matt must’ve put in a word for Vance.”
“He must have.” Her mother walked into the living room, where she kept her knitting.
“How’re Courtney’s wedding gloves coming along?”
“So far so good.” Bethanne settled into her favorite chair. She had the pattern on a clipboard, held there by a magnet that marked her row. Her mother picked up her glasses, perching them on the end of her nose, and her knitting, which only had a few rows completed.
This was a far more complicated project than anything Annie would ever undertake. “I want you to knit something for my wedding, too, you know.”
“I wouldn’t dream of doing anything else—when the time comes. If you want, you can take a look at the dress and veil I wore when I married your father. It’s yours should you choose to wear it.”
“Oh. Mom, could I really wear your wedding dress?”
“We’re about the same size, so I don’t see why not.”
Her parents’ wedding picture used to hang on the stairway wall. Annie had seen it practically every day of her life until after their divorce. She didn’t know where the photograph was anymore. The last time she’d noticed it, the glass had been cracked. She assumed her mother had broken it the morning her father announced he was in love with the lovely Tiffany.
Annie couldn’t quite remember what the wedding dress looked like. What she did recall was the joy on her mother’s face. She’d been such a young woman—younger than Annie—and a beautiful bride. Her father had been young, too, and so handsome. Annie had loved that photograph.
“It would make me happy if you decided to wear my wedding dress when you do get married.” Then, as if her mother wanted to change the subject, she said, “Oh, and thank you.”
“For what?”
“For not mentioning to your father that Grandma Hamlin and I are taking this road trip.”
Annie felt uneasy about the whole plan. The thought of her mother and grandmother traveling unescorted across the entire country, from Washington to Florida, sent chills down her spine. “I still don’t think this is a good idea.”
“Nonsense.” Her mother leaned forward and, using a yellow pen, marked off the row she’d just finished.
“You told Dad, didn’t you?” Annie asked. She hadn’t said anything about it because she was sure her mother would.
“Actually, no.”
“Mom!” Annie couldn’t believe her mother would keep this a secret. “Dad has a right to know what you’re doing.”
Bethanne glanced up from her knitting. “And why is that?”
“Because…because he might