Page 49 of The Wedding

Since she trusted her too much for her own good, Jamie went along with it. What she never expected was waking up the next morning to Beatrice holding a silver serving tray with a cream-colored card on it.

“Good morning,” she nearly sang. Jamie was taken aback, her hair matted on top of her head and her armpits in her face and smelling like body odor death.I am a picture of femininity.That’s what she told herself when she took the card.

“What’s this?”

“Don’t know. Was told to deliver it to you at this time.”

Jamie sat up, pushing hair and sleep out of her eyes as she unfolded the card. The words were written in Etta’s careful, cursive handwriting, although Jamie had no idea if they were her original words or somethingshe copied from somewhere. Knowing her, it was probably a translation of an Italian poem.

Sweet daffodils bloom in the garden.

Suppose you should go tend to them?

Your next clue awaits there.

All right, that was not a poem.

“What in the world?”

Beatrice shrugged, although her smile did not disappear. “Like I said…”

“Yeah… well, think I should have breakfast first before I go rooting in the garden?”

“I have it all ready.”

“Did Etta tell you to?”

“Indeed she did.”

What is going on?Jamie pushed back the covers and got up, walking past Beatrice and opening a bureau drawer. She put on a simple green dress and a pair of flats suitable for going downstairs for her breakfast of waffles and berries and then headed out to the garden where the only batch of daffodils bloomed.

The sun rose violently in the east. Streams of sunlight blinded Jamie as she stepped out, yawning, avoiding the messy kitten that always caused problems in the kitchen – Beatrice was taking him out for a morning walk, his rhinestone-studded leash adorable.Does she own that kitten now?She had offered it to Beatrice, to keep in her house out back, but she still dawdled on whether or not to become a cat mother.More likely Harris can’t be bothered.Wherever he was.

Jamie bent down to find another cream-colored card in the bed of daffodils. She picked it up, fingers flipping it open and eyes searching Etta’s handwriting.

In the back of the car is your next clue.

Pack lightly, my flower.

Tonight we spend the night in the city.

The driver knows where to go.

Beatrice shrugged again when Jamie asked her what was going on. The kitten meowed in earnest as it found a bug to pounce on.

So Etta wants me to go downtown already…Jamie wasn’t going to go until that afternoon. Maybe do some light shopping before stopping by the penthouse and getting ready for their date. She was under the impression her girlfriend would pick her up there around dinnertime.So much for that?

“Do you think I should dress nice?” she asked Beatrice. “Or is this okay?” Jamie gestured to her jeans and sweater.

“I honestly don’t know. I’m living vicariously through you at this point.”

Jamie decided to take her chances with jeans and a sweater. Knowing Etta, she would drag her down there for no reason, and what would she be dressed up for? Besides, the dress she wanted to wear was already at the penthouse. As long as she got enough time to go…

She was ready in twenty minutes. After petting Barbarossa goodbye, Jamie grabbed a rain jacket “just in case” and headed out the door. She wasn’t surprised to find the Town Car and her driver already waiting for her.

Sit back and relax on your first ride today.The driver will take you to your reservation.You’ll be meeting an old friend, so keep your eyes peeled.

Sometimes it took almost an hour to get into the city. Other times it only took half an hour. Today it was a healthy forty-five minutes, in part because it was late morning, but also because it was Saturday. Jamie asked the driver multiple times where they were going, but he informed her that Etta made it very clear that it was to be a surprise. Jamie slumped in her seat and sent Etta a text message.“What is going on? What are you up to?”