“Um, sure. I have a couple of things to go over with you, too.” But she didn’t want to have the conversation in front of Andrew. “How about I meet you at your place in a couple of minutes?”
“That would be good.” Mabel’s gaze moved back to Andrew. The smile returned to her face. “I hope you enjoy your time in San Francisco.” And then Mabel walked away. She was quite agile for someone of her age.
Clara turned back to Andrew. This was a legitimate excuse for her to make a hasty exit. “I really should go take care of this problem.”
“Go ahead and do what you need to. I’ll just have a look around while I wait.”
“Wait? For me?” When he nodded, Clara added, “But I might be a while. And then I have a deadline I have to meet.” She couldn't put off finding Tula the perfect dress.
Disappointment reflected in his eyes. “I understand. I’ll let you go then. But we aren’t done. I’ll be in touch soon.”
She shook her head. “It’s not a good idea. We said everything we needed to a long time ago. I really do have to go. Take care of yourself.” She turned and rushed to catch up with Mabel as she crossed the parking lot.
What in the world had just happened back there?
Clara’s stomach quivered with nerves as she clutched her purse strap. When she glanced down at her hands, she noticed they had a slight tremble. How was it possible that after all this time, he could still get to her?
Not that she still loved him. No way. Once bitten, twice shy, and all of that jazz. Besides, she didn’t have time for a relationship—with anyone. Her business was on the verge of taking off. All she had to do was stay focused.
Once she caught up with Mabel, the older woman insisted on making them some coffee to go with the snickerdoodles she’d baked that morning. Clara had quickly learned that Mabel liked to be busy whether it was baking or going to her bridge club. She was always on the go. In fact, Clara had a hard time catching up with Mabel when she first got the idea to use the chapel for weddings. Once Mabel heard what she had in mind, Mabel was happy to help both with renting out the chapel and officiating the ceremonies.
Clara gave her coffee a stir. “The wedding plans are coming together.” She said it more confidently than she felt at the moment. “It’s the most beautiful backdrop for a wedding.”
“I always thought so.” Mabel held out the plate of cookies for Clara to take one. “My Tom and I were married there.”
“It must have been a beautiful wedding.”
“Oh, it was. My father married us on a sunny Saturday morning. Wait right here.” Mabel rushed off.
While Clara waited for her friend to return, she munched on a cookie that was baked to perfection. She eyed up the plate of cookies. Her sweet tooth urged her to take another one, but the snugness of her waistband had her hesitating.
“Go ahead. Have another one,” Mabel said as though reading her thoughts. “Otherwise I’ll have to eat them all by myself. I don’t get many visitors these days.”
Clara took another cookie. She’d just have to cut back on her dinner. Sometimes—no, most of the time—that was easier said than done, but she’d worry about it later.
Mabel sat down again with a picture frame pressed to her chest. “I wanted to show this to you.” She handed over the photo. “This is Tom and I on our wedding day.”
As Mabel continued to tell Clara about her wedding day, Clara stared at a much younger Mabel. Her hair had been dark and long. The smile on her face said that she’d just married her true love. And the sparkle in her eyes said that she had been excited about their future. Her groom had been tall and handsome, wearing a military uniform.
“You made a beautiful couple.”
Mabel beamed. “We complemented each other in many ways. I miss him so much.”
Clara had once thought she and Andrew would have a similar romance story. But in the end, she hadn’t been able to compete with his career. It took up all of his time and left her home alone most evenings. It never would have worked out.
“Did I tell you that my father helped my grandfather build the chapel?” Mabel’s voice interrupted Clara’s trip down memory lane.
“No, I don’t think you did. That’s very special.”
“My grandfather and then my father married a lot of couples there. Eventually my husband took over. Oh, wait.” Mabel rushed off again and quickly returned with a thick brown leather-bound book. “This book has the names of hundreds of couples that were married in the chapel—some were famous.”
Mabel handed it to her. Clara opened it and began flipping through the gold-leaf pages. There was name after name, year after year.
“It was built how long ago?”
“More than a hundred years ago. And it makes having to part with it that much harder.”
Clara swallowed hard. “Has there been an offer?”