Page 84 of The Secret to a Southern Wedding

“Nope. The woman I was with when Aunt Gayle jumped all over me is her daughter. She told her mom, and she broke of the wedding.”

Daryl cursed. “Damn, man, I’m sorry.”

“For what? Isn’t that what you’re here for?” He didn’t try to soften his words with a smile.

Daryl shifted in his chair before speaking. “I came to try and stop my mom from going completely off the rails when she got here. I tried to talk some sense into her on the ride down.”

Cyril looked at his cousin and saw the truth in his eyes. “Why won’t she let this go?”

“It was her only sister,” Daryl explained. “She knows that your dad didn’t do it, but he didn’t stop it either. He didn’t protect her, and she blames him.”

Cyril leaned forward and pressed his fist to the table. “And you don’t think he blames himself? That he doesn’t live with the torture of that every day?”

Daryl held up a hand. “Mom is lashing out. She needs someone to blame.”

“Then blame the guy who did it. Better yet, be angry at my dad back home. She doesn’t have to come all the way down here and try to ruin everything we’ve built. My dad is finally happy. He finally moved on. I finally found something for myself. Now all of that is gone.”

For the first time Daryl looked sincerely remorseful for being there. “Cyril, man, I’m sorry. I couldn’t just let her drive down here by herself and she wouldn’t listen to me when I said she shouldn’t come. I’m here now because you’re my cousin. Despite everything we’re still family. I want to be real with you about what’s going on.”

Cyril let out a breath. No matter how angry the entire situation made him, he understood why Daryl was there. Daryl was an only child. His aunt Gayle had already treated him like her little prince growing up. Her husband died years ago. Even though she had brothers and her son, her sister had been her best friend. There was no way Daryl would let his mom drive to Georgia on her own no matter what he believed. Things could have been a lot worse if Daryl hadn’t come.

“Now that the wedding is off, will she stick around?”

“I hope not, but...” Daryl sighed. “I’d like to think that we could get together and talk things out. Maybe start to get things back to normal.”

“Do you really think your mom is ready for that?”

Daryl opened his mouth, frowned, then closed it and shook his head. He took another sip of the beer. That was Cyril’s answer. He finished his beer and stood. “Thanks for the heads-up. Enjoy your beer.”

“Cyril, for real, I wish things could be different.”

“So do I.” He walked back to the bar. Joshua gave him another you good? look. Cyril gave a nod before patting his friend’s shoulder. He wasn’t ready to go over the conversation and would have time to do that later. After they closed up and he didn’t have to worry about people overhearing.

Daryl sat at the table for another hour. When he left, he threw up a peace sign before walking out the door. Cyril had the surprising urge to go after him. A part of him wanted to ask Daryl to come back and sit at the end of the bar. Catch up with the one person who’d been as close to him as a brother. There were so many other things they could talk about. Whatever happened with the woman he’d been dating and the child they had? Was he still working for the state? When was the last time he went to a basketball game? Instead, he stood behind the bar and stared at the door. He ignored the pain as another part of his life was shut away from him for good.

thirty-three

Imani finished ringing up the bouquet of tulips for the customer in her mom’s store. It was nearly six in the evening, and they were about to close up for the day. The woman had rushed in to get tulips for her best friend who’d recently gotten her dream job and was meeting her for drinks to celebrate. The smile on the woman’s face when she found out they had tulips in the store made Imani’s day. She needed that bit of joy after recent events.

Her mom came from the back office just as Imani waved goodbye to the customer. “Is that the last person here?”

“It is.” Imani leaned her hands against the counter. “I think we’re good to close up for the day.”

Linda walked toward the front door. “Good, because I’m hungry. I hope Preston is making something good tonight.” She stopped in her tracks. Shaking her head, Linda frowned. “Umm, never mind. What I meant to say is do you want to drive over to Augusta and eat at Applebee’s?”

That wasn’t the first time she’d made the mistake in the days since calling off the wedding.

Imani gave her mom a small smile. “The 2 for $20 sounds good,” she replied referring to the restaurant’s signature deal.

Linda nodded and turned back toward the door. It opened before she got there, and a woman walked in. Imani’s stomach twisted when her gaze connected with Cyril’s aunt’s.

“Hey, I was just about to close up, but let me know what you’re looking for and I’ll be happy to help you,” Linda said cheerfully.

Imani quickly came around the counter. “Mom.” Her mom hadn’t met Gayle and treated her like any other customer.

Gayle looked from Imani back to Linda. Her shoulders straightened and she lifted her chin. “I’m not here for flowers.”

The smile on Linda’s face stiffened. Her head cocked to the side and she placed a hand on her hip. “Well, this is a flower shop, so if that’s not what you’re here for then I can’t help you.”

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