Page 13 of Wisteria Winds (Wisteria Island #2)

M orty looked anxiously through Dorothy’s window, watching the sky with concern on his face. Dark clouds were rolling in from the east, and the weather app on his phone showed this giant, ominous mass of green and yellow mixed with red moving toward the island.

“Well, it’s going to rain,” he said mournfully. “A lot by the looks of it.”

Dorothy looked up from the table where she and Cecilia were arranging fabric swatches.

“Of course it is, darling. It’s June in South Carolina. Afternoon thunderstorms are practically mandatory.”

“But what about the gazebo being constructed?” Morty said, fretting. “They’ve only just started, and now they’ll have to stop for days. It’s going to delay everything.”

“Concrete needs time to cure,” Cecilia said. “A day’s pause won’t significantly impact the timeline.”

Morty sighed dramatically and flopped onto Dorothy’s emerald green velvet sofa. “I just don’t handle setbacks well.”

“Yes, we’ve noticed,” Dorothy drawled, looking at Cecilia with amusement.

The three had fallen into an unexpected routine over the past week, meeting daily to plan different aspects of the wedding. What had started as a power struggle had turned into a surprisingly effective collaboration.

“Now, about the table arrangements,” Cecilia continued. “I think we should group the residents by their interests instead of trying to do a traditional seating chart. I think it’s more in keeping with the community spirit of the island.”

“Just brilliant,” Dorothy agreed. “Like, the book club members can sit together because they’re quite boring. The card players can sit together because they’re, well, quite annoying.”

“And the beach walkers - the troublemakers,” Morty added with a grin. “That table’s probably going to be pretty large.”

“And those nude beach people… well, maybe we don’t invite them,” Dorothy said, laughing. Cecilia looked at her with confusion.

A sharp crack of thunder punctuated his words, and he put his hand to his chest. A downpour came so suddenly and intensely that it obscured his view from the window. The rain hammered against the roof.

“My goodness,” Cecilia said. “That is quite dramatic.”

“Yes, weather tends to be theatrical here,” Dorothy said. “Brief but intense performances, usually followed by an encore of sunshine.”

Morty’s phone buzzed with a text.

“It’s Danielle,” he said. “She and Bennett are stranded at the gazebo site. The rain started before they could make it back. So they’ve taken shelter in a construction trailer.”

“How inconvenient,” Cecilia said.

“Perhaps,” Dorothy said with a mischievous glint in her eye. “Or maybe it’s the universe arranging a romantic interlude for our lovebirds. Nothing like being trapped together during a storm.”

“Dorothy!” Morty said, acting as though he was scandalized while he was really delighted. “They’re already engaged.”

“Engagement doesn’t preclude romance, darling. Quite the opposite.”

Cecilia laughed under her breath. “You know, it reminds me of how my husband proposed, actually. We were caught in a downpour in Central Park. Ended up sheltering in Belvedere Castle, soaking wet and laughing like a couple of fools. He proposed right there with no ring and no plan.”

“You and your husband were married when he passed away?” Morty asked.

She laughed. “Oh no. We had been divorced for quite some time. I’ve found that sometimes the biggest romances turn into the biggest mistakes,” Cecilia said, rolling her eyes.

“Although I did get Danielle from that, so I can’t say it was a mistake.

But Harold was not the best husband to me, or any of the other wives he had after me. ”

Morty and Dorothy exchanged glances. In all of their planning sessions, Cecilia had rarely mentioned anything about her late husband, much less shared anything personal.

“Well, was your wedding grand?” Morty asked.

Cecilia shrugged her shoulders. “Not really. We were broke graduate students. Justice of the peace. Dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant with a few close friends. You know, I always told myself that that was why I wanted something so elaborate for Danielle - to give her what I never had. But maybe what I had was perfect in its own way at the time.”

“Well, love doesn’t require grandeur,” Dorothy said. “Though it certainly deserves celebration.”

“When do you have to get back to New York?” Morty asked.

“Honestly, I took a bit of a leave of absence.”

“Oh, Danielle didn’t tell us that,” Morty said.

“She doesn’t know. I didn’t want to worry her, but I decided to take some time off. I’m getting older, you know. I don’t want to miss out on these moments. So I can stay here pretty much as long as I want.”

“Oh, well, that’s wonderful,” Morty said.

“Anyway, this is why we will need to make this island wedding as special as possible. I mean, even if it’s not at The Plaza.

” She straightened her shoulders. “Now, about the music - Clara said she has several musicians in mind. But we’ll need to discuss the amplification of sound, given the outdoor setting. ”

Morty allowed her to change the subject, recognizing the significance of all that she’d shared. Cecilia Wright was showing them glimpses of the woman behind the polished exterior.

The rain continued to pound against the roof, but inside Dorothy’s cottage, they continued their happy little planning committee.

Morty found himself hoping the storm might last just a little longer to give Danielle and Bennett their moment of shelter together, and give the three of them the quiet interlude of the unexpected connections they shared.

* * *

B ennett watched Danielle as she perched on a stack of lumber in the construction trailer and wrung water from her hair. They were both soaked from the sudden downpour, but she was still breathtakingly beautiful, even with tousled curls and flushed cheeks.

“Well, I guess this is cozy,” she said, pointing around the cramped trailer filled with tools and building materials. “It’s not exactly the romantic afternoon I had in mind, but I guess it has a certain rustic charm.”

Bennett laughed and took off his equally soaked jacket. “Well, if by rustic charm you mean the distinct aroma of sawdust and Miguel’s lunch leftovers, then I guess, yeah, it’s pretty charming.”

Rain hammered against the metal roof and created a deafening backdrop to their conversation. Wind occasionally gusted against the small window, driving rain sideways in sheets.

“Do you think the foundation will be okay?” Danielle asked, looking out at the construction site, where tarps flapped wildly over freshly poured concrete.

“I told you, Miguel knows exactly what he’s doing.

Anybody who builds anything in a coastal area knows how to protect things from the weather.

” Bennett moved a blueprint and sat beside her on the lumber pile.

“Besides, I think I heard that rain at the beginning of a project is supposed to be good luck.”

“Is that a real superstition, or did you just make that up?”

“Maybe a little of both,” he said, shrugging. “But I choose to believe it right now.”

Thunder cracked in the distance, making them both jump. Danielle laughed, leaning against him.

“You know, I haven’t been caught in a storm like this since I was a kid at summer camp. I remember one time we had to huddle in the mess hall for hours.”

“Well, that sounds traumatic.”

“Actually, it was kind of magical. The counselors made up games, and someone found a guitar. By the time the storm passed, we’d made a bunch of new friends. You know, it’s funny how being stuck somewhere can create unexpected memories.”

Bennett slipped his arm around her shoulders. “Oh, you mean like being stranded on a small island and falling in love with the local nurse?”

She smiled at him. “Exactly like that.”

Another crack of thunder, followed by a brilliant flash of lightning, illuminated the trailer in stark white light. The rain intensified.

“Well, it looks like we might be here for a little while,” Bennett said. “Any idea how you want to pass the time?”

“We could start planning our honeymoon,” Danielle said. “You still haven’t told me where we’re going.”

“Well, that’s because it’s a surprise.”

“Not even a hint? Just tell me the continent. Or the climate. Or do I need to take my passport?”

Bennett pretended to consider it, but he wasn’t about to tell her anything. “It’s somewhere beautiful, with you. That’s all you need to know.”

She poked him in the ribs. “You’re impossible.”

“Well, you knew that when you agreed to marry me.”

“You know, there is something we should probably discuss, since we have this unexpected private time.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Well, that sounds pretty ominous.”

“Not ominous, but important. Something we probably should have talked about more by now.” She took in a deep breath. “Do you still want children?”

“Yes, of course,” he said. “I’ve always wanted a family. But I wasn’t sure if you still… You know, with your career and on the island…”

“I do,” Danielle said, meeting his eyes.

“I always assumed I’d have children one day, but my career took priority.

And then my ex…” She shook her head. “Let’s just say I stopped planning for it.

With him, anyway. But being here and seeing how much you care about everyone on this island and how you’ve created a community…

I want to build a family with you, Bennett. ”

His heart swelled. He pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to her temple.

“You’re going to be an amazing mother.”

“And you’ll be a wonderful father. Can you imagine raising little ones here on the island, surrounded by a hundred grandparents? I think we might need to get a bigger house, though. The cottage is perfect for me, but a baby?”

“Well, we could build something new or expand your place. Whatever you want.”

Danielle smiled. “We have time to figure that out.”

“Well, not as much as you think,” Bennett said. “I mean, if we’re getting married next month and starting a family soon after…”