Page 35 of Coral Memories

Heather held up the black dress. “This is perfect. Everything I have is too young and too short. I want to make a good impression.”

Her daughter was maturing into a lovely young woman. “Take some heels to match.”

“Thanks,” Heather replied as she selected a pair. “I want you to know that Blake and I have made some important decisions.”

“Already?” Marina sat on the bench at the foot of her bed. “It’s only been a couple of days.”

“I know, but we have so much to do,” Heather replied, joining her. “I’ve turned down my out-of-town job offers, so I’m staying in Summer Beach. That’s obvious now, I guess.”

Marina thought that was a good idea. “Do you know what you want to do here? Of course, you’re welcome to continue workingat the cafe, but I thought you wanted more of a challenge in marketing.”

Heather grinned. “How about helping you run the food truck side of the business? I know you want to expand that, and I have a lot of ideas to appeal to the new communities we go into. Videos, social media, mailing lists. And an entire branding campaign. You’re going to need that, Mom.”

“I could use your help with all of that,” Marina said thoughtfully.

“And the cookbook will be an important part of the campaign.”

“Will you have time for that?”

“I’ll make time,” Heather said. “I’m so excited about all of this. In one of my marketing classes, we had a case study about how a company grew through branding, which made their franchise program one of the most popular.”

They talked a little more while Marina let Heather select jewelry to match the dress. She tucked a necklace and bracelet into a small pouch and gave that to her daughter. “Did you and Blake talk about where you plan to live?”

“I’ll move into his house after the wedding. But we want to buy a home of our own soon.” Heather hugged her. “I still need to study tonight, so I should go back to Ginger’s.”

“Before I forget, did Blake give you his parents’ number?”

“Oh, sure,” Heather replied, taking out her phone. “I’ll send it to you. See you later.”

As Marina watched her go, her heart was full for her daughter’s good fortune. Finding someone to love wasn’t easy, but she and Blake were a good match.

Marina stoodat the kitchen window the next morning, her fingers absently tracing the rim of her coffee mug. She setaside her concerns over Blake’s parents not attending Heather’s party. Blake had also invited them, and she wondered if he was disappointed that they weren’t there for the engagement.

She understood that people were busy, and it was almost an hour’s drive from their home. Perhaps if he’d told them, they would have made the trip for him. Still, they would all have many happy occasions ahead.

Marina picked up her phone and tapped the number Heather had given her for Blake’s parents. The line rang twice before a woman’s voice answered.

“Hello, Arlette? This is Marina, Heather’s mother,” she said, injecting warmth into her voice.

“Oh, yes,” Arlette said, sounding slightly distant.

Nevertheless, Marina continued, “My husband, Jack, and I want to invite you and Ken to our home for dinner. Now that our children are engaged, we’re looking forward to meeting you.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line, long enough for Marina to wonder if the connection had been lost.

“Arlette? Are you still there?”

“Yes, I’m here.” Arlette’s voice sounded oddly strained. “I suppose we should meet in person.”

Marina forged ahead, determined to bridge the unexpected coolness. “We’re planning an engagement party. I would love your input and will be happy to invite guests you want to attend. When would you like?—”

“This week,” Arlette interrupted. “We should meet this week. There’s a cafe in Orange County. The Bluebird. Are you free Thursday evening?”

Taken aback by the abruptness, Marina agreed to the meeting. As she hung up, a knot of unease formed in her stomach. Something didn’t seem right. Or maybe she’d reached Arlette at the wrong time.

The Bluebird Cafewas a quaint spot with pale blue walls and crisp white tablecloths. Marina and Jack arrived early, the bell above the door chiming as they entered. The aroma of freshly baked bread filled the air, but it did little to soothe Marina’s growing apprehension.

“Relax,” Jack said. “Maybe she was having a bad day.”

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