Like He Never Left

chapter 18

"Yes, sir. I'm looking at your calendar, and all meetings have been postponed. Mr. and Mrs. Halloway have already been notified of the call to take place on Wednesday of next week, as well as Mr. Dabrowski and Ms. Velez."

"Thank you, Kelsey."

"Was that all?"

"Yes, ma'am."

We say our goodbyes and end the call. 

A few more minutes and country songs later and my suitcase is stuffed to the brim.  

I need coffee.

Johnny follows me out of my room and into the kitchen so I can make myself some. He hates being by himself, and if someone's home they need to be in his sight at all times. Which is why he's coming with us on the trip. The bed and breakfast in the town over from Oak Bend that I booked for the two weeks also runs a kennel and was willing to compensate for Johnny's care as well as ours. 

After learning that the OG Johnny had puppies, resulting in Jake, I had wondered if there was any chance that he was my Johnny's sire, but I had ruled the possibility out quickly when I remembered that Johnny wasn't a stud dog, at least officially, and I had gotten my Johnny on a completely different side of Georgia. 

I hear the front door open, and Brooke's fruity perfume wafts over to where I'm standing in the kitchen. 

"Hey, babe," she greets. 

"How was your day?" I ask over my shoulder, putting the coffee filter in. Call me old school, but I don't like the newer coffee machines. I'll stick with my Mr. Coffee.

Brooke had spent the day with her sister browsing dress stores. She wasn't actively looking for anything yet. She'd had her wedding planned since she was 10, she'd told me one morning a few years ago, and she knew all of the exact details she wanted from her dress down to the table cloths she wanted for the reception. I hadn't expected anything less, and I certainly wasn't going to get in her way. 

Whereas with Josie, we were in such a rush that we hardly planned anything. She wore her grandmother's wedding dress, though she had made some alterations to it and added or reduced parts of it, and had simply taken SueEllen, June, Carrie Ann, and her cousin to buy sundresses as the bridesmaid's gowns; her treat for agreeing to be part of the wedding. Tommy, Wes, and Bobby were my best men, of course, and wore a nice shirt with black pants, and their ties matched the bridesmaid's dresses. I think we had gotten more dressed up for prom than we did for our actual wedding, but just because it wasn't planned as thoroughly as I know this one is going to be doesn't mean it was any less beautiful or elegant in its own way. 

"Great, actually." She walks over and pecks me on the cheek. I lean my back against the counter in front of the coffee pot and rest my hands on her waist. "Car and I went to a couple of dress stores and then went to the coffee shop to look online window-shop for other things. I've got more of an idea of exactly what I want to wear and how I want the bridesmaids to look. Also, I have a random question for you," she says casually.

I chuckle at her words and nod. "Shoot."

"Gold or silver?"

"For what?"

"Just answer the question," she laughs.