Chapter 2 - A Warning in Turquoise
Three hours earlier, Evelyn Brooks had stood in the bridal suite doorway holding a small garment bag and wondering whether she should knock again.
She wore a turquoise dress, matching jacket, comfortable turquoise shoes, and earrings Marcus had given her on her seventieth birthday. The silver-green jacket inside the bag was an extra layer for later. It had belonged to her sister June, who had died the previous winter. Evelyn had promised herself she would carry a piece of June into her son's wedding.
Vanessa opened the door with a phone in her hand. "You can't come in yet."
"I only wanted to say you look beautiful."
"You can say it downstairs."
Evelyn smiled carefully. "Of course. I brought the jacket I mentioned. June loved this pattern."
Vanessa's eyes dropped to the bag. "That old jacket again?"
"It means a lot to me."
"Today needs to mean a lot to me, too."
Evelyn started to answer, then stopped. A folded sheet of paper lay on a table behind the bride, beside the seating chart. At the top, in bold print, were the words FINAL PAYMENT NOTICE. The amount below made her stomach tighten.
Vanessa noticed where she was looking and stepped into the doorway. "That's private."
"I wasn't reading it."
"Then stop acting like you know what's going on."
Evelyn could have told Marcus about the call she'd received two nights earlier. She could have repeated what Vanessa had asked her to keep secret. Instead she said, "I hope today gives you both a good start."
"It will, if everybody stays in their lane."
The door closed. Evelyn stood in the quiet hall, one hand around the garment bag's thin handle. She wanted to believe the harshness came from nerves, not character. The hope felt increasingly expensive.
May you like
Then her phone buzzed. The screen displayed a message from Vanessa: DO NOT TELL MARCUS ABOUT THE MONEY. NOT TODAY.
Evelyn read it twice and slipped the phone into her purse. She had already promised silence. She had no idea what keeping that promise would cost.
