Chapter Twenty-Two

"So where are we having this little shindig of a wedding?" Meg asked Saturday morning as she, Beverly, Patricia, Grace and Cadence sat at the baked goods booth. Vince, Vincent and Old Man Foster had gone to speak with owners of empty lot outside of town about the possibility of creating a veterans memorial and museum.

"The park," Grace replied. "Vince knows how much I love that place, and if I'm being honest, I fell in love with him in that park so it just seems right."

Meg batted her lashes. "Are you going to stand on the bridge to say your vows?"

Grace nodded. "That's positively Hollywood material," Patricia beamed.

"Where is that horrid cousin of yours, Patricia?" Beverly asked with annoyance.

Patricia crossed her long legs. "She's at the inn making herself beautiful."

Beverly snorted. "Is dynamite involved? That could cause a horrid mess in that charming little inn."

Grace laughed as she slid a customers cookies into his bag and handed it to him. Since it was now the weekend, and the last day of the festival, the crowds had certainly increased.

"I was actually surprised when she didn't attempt anything at dinner last night," Grace admitted. Friday had passed by shockingly smooth. No one made any smart remarks and no one had tried to come between her and Vince.. Honestly, it made her nervous and had the words 'calm before the storm' flashing in her mind.

"Mommy, can we go ride rides before the parade starts?" Cadence asked.

Grace glanced around at the crowd of people flipping through the cookbooks and picking out sweets. "Gremlin, mommy is busy right now."

"Please, mommy..." Cadence pleaded.

Grace glanced at her watch. It was ten in the morning which meant there was an hour before the parade would start. Grace hoped Vince would be back by then. She wanted to see him experience his first small town parade.

"I can man the booth," Beverly offered.

Grace frowned. "Are you sure?"

"The woman seems pretty sure," Meg assured her. "I would help but I have to help Ben get ready for the parade. He's riding in a float with his bluegrass band."

"Bluegrass?" Beverly inquired with a frown.

"Yes," Meg proudly boasted in her usual bouncy way. "He plays the lead banjo."

"How..lovely," Beverly mused dryly.

"My thoughts exactly," Patricia agreed. She and the prim and proper lady shared a look of horror. "We did not just agree on something, did we?"

Beverly sniffed. "I should hope not," she denied with a quick shake of her head which caused her pearl earrings to glitter in the morning sunlight. "How horrid," she added quietly.

"C'mon, mommy!" Cadence exclaimed, bouncing up and down and tugging her hand. Grace laughed, her daughter's enthusiasm was infectious. She motioned to Patricia. "Can you keep an eye on Ester?" she asked.

Patricia nodded and breezed her way across the tent to Ester who was busy knitting. "Of course I can. Ester and I will be running this town. Won't we, Ester?"

Ester glanced over her shoulder at Patricia and raised one thinning gray brow. "Do I know you."

Grace just shook her head and let Cadence lead her away. Grace loved watching her daughter play and have fun. While Grace was not with Vince for the money, it was a welcome relief to no longer have to worry about where her daughter's next pair of shoes were going to come from and to have more time to spend with the girl.

Grace had never had the money to let Cadence have this much fun at the festival but Vince had insisted the girl was going to do whatever she wanted this year. Grace knew that Vince had already spent a small fortune on tickets, games and cheap toys. She also knew that Vince must have made a generous donation to the carnival because now, when they saw her and Cadence coming, they simply called them guests of honor and would now allow them to buy tickets for the rides they wanted.

"Ride it with me, mommy!" Cadence exclaimed, pointing toward a ride called 'The Rocketball'. Grace's stomach dropped at the sight of that iron monstrosity but Cadence was jumping up and down with excitement.

It appeared that 'The Rocketball's' sole purpose, the only reason it existed, was to spin you around as quickly as it could in one direction and then, in a whiplash inducing turn of events, begin to spin you backward.

"Are you sure that's the one you want to ride?" Grace asked, hoping her daughter would change her mind.

But Cadence was like a bulldog with a bone as she ran to the ticket taker. "Me and mommy wants to ride. We're guests of honor."

Grace covered her face with her hand while the ticket taker laughed, bowed low and opened the gate. "You're in luck, honorary guests. This ride is just ending and you'll be the first passengers aboard the next one."

Cadence beamed while Grace moaned. "Lucky us," she mumbled.

Grace and Cadence waited their turn and were led onto the ride and seated in one of the metal carts. The lap bar was secured tightly over their legs and Grace swallowed hard. The ride attendant grinned. "Keep your arms inside the ride, ladies, and have a nice ride!"

Cadence was bouncing up and down with excitement. Grace was trembling herself but it wasn't from excitement... she never had cared much for carnival rides.

Just as the ride jerked to a start, Grace caught sight of Vince coming through the crowd. She raised her hand to wave at him but knew he hadn't noticed her before the ride began its path of doom and destruction. Grace held on tight, willed her breakfast to stay where she had placed it that morning and the ride picked up speed.

Then out of the corner of her eye, Grace saw a flash of pink. She whirled her head around her grip on the metal bar tightened when she saw Brittany standing with Vince. Vince's hands were moving animatedly and Brittany threw her head back and laughed before laying her hand on Vince's arm.

Grace wanted off this ride! The redneck country girl inside of her was roaring to life at the sight of another woman touching her man. Suddenly the ride stopped and Grace thought she was going to be freed but she had forgotten about its sudden backward transition and her neck snapped as it kicked up an even faster speed than it had used while going forward.

When the ride finally stopped for good, the attendant unhooked their restraints and Grace helped Cadence from her seat, though Grace was probably in more need of help than her daughter. Her legs were shaking, her stomach was rolling and her head was still spinning as if the ride had never stopped. She even forgot momentarily about Vince and Brittany until Cadence called out, "Vince!"

The young girl ran ahead of Grace who was trying desperately to walk in a straight line toward Vince but ended up stumbling sideways and had to backtrack. "Thank God you're here," Vince sighed as she finally reached him and he pulled her into his arms, holding her tight.

Grace gently shoved him away before covering her mouth with her hand. "You don't look so good, Gail," Brittany mused with a loud pop of her gum.

"My name's Grace," Grace mumbled as bile rose in the back of her throat and she realized she was going to be sick.

"Whatever." Brittany rolled her eyes. "Grace, you look like hell."

Grace was faintly aware of Vince asking her what was wrong just before her stomach gave one final roll and her breakfast came spilling back out of her and all over Brittany's rather expensive looking bright pink heels.

"Oh my God!" Brittany screeched in horror.

Grace covered her mouth with her hand as her eyes widened. "I'm so sorry," she squeaked.

Vince wrapped his arm around Grace's shoulders. "Let's get you to the inn so you can rest," he urged, concern filling his features. "I think you're worse at those carnival rides than I am," he attempted to tease gently.

"What about me?" Brittany demanded.

Cadence giggled. "Your shoes are dirty."

Vince nodded. "Very dirty," he agreed. "You really should do something about that."

Despite the fact that her stomach still felt like death, Grace couldn't help but smile at the look of rage on Brittany's face and the sound of her angry screeching as she turned and stomped away.

"I was hoping you'd run her off," Vince admitted as he guided Grace and Cadence down the crowded streets of town. "Though I didn't think you'd choose such a messy method."

"Very funny," Grace groaned. She leaned into Vince's embrace as he kissed her hair. "What did she want anyway?"

"In my pants," Vince growled out with irritation. "I'm sensing a fourth restraining order in our future."

"Fourth?" Grace demanded and then she covered her stomach and swallowed hard. "Fourth?" she asked more quietly.

"Yes, fourth. That woman has been a thorn in my side for many years. I'm still contemplating putting a bullet in my loyal secretary for bringing her here."

Grace shook her head. "No, if you're going to kill anyone, start with Platypus Barbie. You're a businessman so you should understand all about starting at the source."

Vince laughed before smiling down at her. "I really want to kiss you right now but...."

Grace groaned. "My breath stinks?"

Vince smiled, a teasing light in his green eyes. "That and you have something on your lip."

Grace squeaked with horror and covered her mouth with her hand. So much for making herself seem like competition for Brittany. She would guarantee that Brittany had never walked around with vomit on her face... A smiled formed on Grace's face.

But at least now the woman had to walk around with it on her shoes.

***

Vince settled Grace down into his mother and father's bed at the inn and insisted that she take a nap. He realized that she had truly been very sick when she snuggled beneath the covers and agreed.

Vince walked Cadence back down to the festival and he stopped at Grace's booth to check on his mother, father, Patricia and Ester.

"Hello boss," Patricia chirped cheerfully.

"Patricia," Vince replied, raising his brow.

"I saw Brittany just a short while ago," Patricia informed him, her lips twitching with suppressed amusement.

"Is that so?" Vince glanced around and wondered if he needed to take cover beneath one of the many bales of hay around.

"Oh yes," Patricia smiled. "She seemed quite upset and kept repeating, 'I need bleach' and 'burn these shoes'."

Vince couldn't help but chuckle. "Is that so? Did she say anything else?"

"Other than, 'I'm going to kill that redneck hick of a woman for stealing my man and ruining my shoes'?" Patricia inquired.

Vince stiffened. "She threatened to kill Grace?" he demanded as he watched Cadence playing with Widget and wondered if he should find the sheriff.

"Yes, but I believe it was the vomit talking, boss."

"Is Grace ill?" Beverly asked after giving a man change for his twenty. Vince could hardly believe that his mother, Beverly Griffin, had lowered herself to the position of cashier. It would seem that Grace, Cadence and this town had had just as good of an impact on her as they had him.

"Apparently the love of my life handles the carnival rides worse than I do," Vince replied with a chuckle when he remembered just how green Grace's face had been before she'd lost her stomach all over Brittany's eight hundred dollar shoes.

"How did things go with the war memorial?" Patricia asked as she sniffed at a brownie.

"It went well and I believe it's going to happen," Vince replied. "Why on earth are you sniffing that brownie? I can assure you that Grace didn't poison them."

Patricia studied the brownie as if it were some complicated mathematical equation. "Just attempting to decide if it's worth the calories."

"That would be a one hundred percent resounding yes, my dear," Vincent spoke up as he shoved the last of one into his mouth. "They are very much worth it."

"Not worth the tailoring bill we're going to have to pay in order to have his suits fitting him again," Beverly countered with a shake of her head. Vincent just let out a contended sigh and settled down into his lawn chair to allow his sugar coma to begin.

Vince had never seen his stern father as relaxed and at ease as he had been the last few days. It would seem that Clifton agreed with him as well--or maybe it was just the chocolate.

Ester looked up from her knitting and cleared her throat. "George, where's Anna? Is she coming to the parade?"

Vince winced inwardly, thankful that Grace had not been here to hear her grandmother's slip up. He had found out over the last few weeks that Anna was Grace's mother. The woman was a prostitute and drug addict who had run out on her daughter and never looked back.

"Anna can't make it, Ester," Vince replied with a placating smile. "But Grace will be coming if she feels up to it. Won't that be nice?"

Ester appeared confused for a moment before shrugging her frail shoulders and going back to her knitting. "Yes, I suppose that would be nice," she stated. "It would be nice to see Anna again too. That girl hasn't called her father and I since graduation. Her father was just saying the other day that he's going to tan her hide the next time he sees her."

"I'm sure he will," Vince agreed and Ester gave him a big smile while everyone else shared looks full of varying degrees of sympathy and pity.

A shrill ringing voice interrupted the peaceful morning. "Oh, Vincey!"

Vince counted to three and took a deep breath before turning to face Brittany. Patricia clicked her tongue. "Dear cousin, I'm glad to see your feet are sporting slightly fewer accessories than they were the last time you stormed by here."

Brittany's pale skin flushed as she tossed her long red waves of hair over her shoulder. "Well there was no harm done, I suppose." She turned her attention to Vince and smiled up at him.

Vince wanted to be angry that she was following him around. He wanted to tell her to get lost and never find her way back. Yet all he could think in that moment as her collagen filled lips spread across her face was quack quack.

"Take a walk with me, Vincey?" she offered. "You can show me around this charming little town."

"He can show you to the nearest bridge and assist you in jumping off of it," Beverly muttered causing Patricia to let out a snort of laughter.

"Actually, Brittany," Vince countered, fighting the urge to laugh at the pout Brittany sent in Patricia's direction. "I would rather go and check on my fiancée. I only came back here to drop off Cadence."

Brittany rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, Gretchen."

"Grace," Vince ground out, using his years of training to force a polite smile.

"Of course. Grace. She really is quite charming, Vincey, but I am sure that I could show you a much better time." Brittany wiggled her considerable assets in her tight red mini-dress, pressing her medically enhanced breasts against his arm.

Vince paled and leapt back. "On that note, I'm leaving," he stated. He turned to his family and Patricia. "Cadence, mommy and I will hopefully be at the parade but just in case we're not, you stay with Beverly, Vincent or Patricia, okay?"

She nodded as she snatched a rice crispy treat from the table and grinned ear to ear. "Okay Vince!"

Vince started down the road and his fists clenched when he heard Brittany's short strides and high heels clicking behind him. "C'mon, Vincey..." she whined.

Vince rounded on her. "Leave. Me. Alone. Brittany." he warned. For years he'd been putting up with this woman. She was tireless in her pursuit of him and Vince's good breeding and deeply ingrained manners toward woman were quickly wearing very thin.

"You don't really mean that," Brittany replied breathlessly, her fingers caressing his arm.

Vince jerked his arm away and glanced across the road to see Grant watching them from beside the courthouse. He cursed under his breath at his bad luck and when Brittany opened her mouth to speak, he silenced her with his best Vincent Griffin stare.

"You will leave me alone, now. I am in love with Grace, I am marrying Grace and I have never had any interest in you and never will. Find someone else to stalk, Brittany, and get on with your life."

Vince turned on his heel and strode away, leaving her standing there, her lips moving like a fish out of water--or perhaps a duck.

Despite his anger, Vince found himself chuckling as he entered the inn and took the steps two at a time. He used the key to unlock the door to his parent's room and opened the door only to find that Grace hadn't done as he'd asked.

Instead of resting, it appeared she had washed her hair and was currently busy tidying up the tiny kitchenette. "That's not what I had in mind when I said take a nap," Vince scolded as he entered the room and closed the door behind him.

Grace smiled guiltily. "I can't relax when I'm nauseous. I have to stay up and keep moving or it gets worse. I'm actually feeling quite a bit better now and the parade will be starting soon."

"You still look a little green," Vince noted. "Do you normally get that sick on rides?"

"When I was a kid yes," Grace admitted, chewing her lip. "I hadn't ridden in a long time. Meg or Ben would always ride with Grace while I worked one booth or another. I never had time to ride with her until this year."

Grace let out a sigh, which turned into a groan as she covered her face with her hands. "What's wrong?" Vince asked, his concern growing as he thought maybe she was getting sick again.

Grace peeked through her fingers at him. "Did I honestly throw up on her?"

A slow smile spread across Vince's face as he closed the distance between them and moved her hands so he could kiss her flushed cheek. "Do you want the brutal honesty or should I sugar coat it?"

"Sugar coat it," she finally mumbled.

Vince shrugged. "It was only her shoes."