Wedding Bell Blues by Ellie Ferguson Read Free Book Online Page B

happened? Did you two have a fight?"
    "No!"
    Her sobs escalated into a full-blown wail any
self-respecting banshee would have envied. Then she choked it off as
huge tears began rolling down her cheeks. The sight of them made me
forget, at least for the moment, my own problems. No one treated my
little sister badly without having to answer to me. And, if she wasn't
overreacting, Brett Boudreaux would soon learn that lesson the hard way.
    "Easy, Tink. Take it easy," I soothed, nodding to Mama as she
set a
cup of tea on the table in front of Maryanne and softly urged her to
drink. "I know you're upset, but you need to tell us what happened."
    She wrapped her hands around the fragile china cup and stared
into
it. When she looked up, her eyes were red and swollen. But she wasn't
crying any longer. In fact, a flash of anger crossed her expression and
I relaxed a bit. Good. If she was mad, she was beginning to think and
get past the shock. Hopefully, she'd be able to tell us what happened
and we could make some sense of it.
    "Jessie's right, Maryanne," Dad said, his voice soft and
reassuring even as he pulled Mom close.
    "I-I can't."
    "Sure, you can," I said. "Let's take it one step at a time.
You were supposed to go to Mass with Brett and his family. Did you?"
    "Y-yes." She sniffled and ran the back of her right hand under
her
nose, reminding me of how she used to do just that when she was little
and someone had hurt her feelings.
    "Did something happen then?"
    "N-no." Another sniffle. "Everything was perfect."
    "So something happened after Mass." I looked at our parents,
silently wishing one of them would take over. But no. For once in her
life, our mother was satisfied to sit silently by as someone else tried
to figure out what had happened to upset her youngest daughter. "Can
you tell me what?"
    "W-we went to brunch with his parents. Then we went back to
his place. We were going to go over plans for Thursday night."
    "Okay." So far, so good. Or at least it seemed that way. "Then
what?"
    That did it. Maryanne threw her head down on her arms where
they
rested on the table and began to sob hysterically. Mama, Daddy and I
looked at one another helplessly for a moment before Mom motioned for
Dad and me to leave the kitchen. It was her turn to try to figure out
what had happened, and I was more than glad to let her. So, doing what
any wise woman would in that situation, I nodded and fled the kitchen,
my father on my heels.
    Just in time for the phone to ring.
    And, unlike Colton, I know how to use Caller ID and did so,
shaking my head to see Brett's number in the readout.
    "Brett," I said, seeing how Dad stiffened before moving to my
side.
    "Jessica, please tell me Maryanne's there." Brett sounded
frantic. What in the world was going on?
    "What's going on, Brett? And, let me tell you right now, it
had
better be good." I drew a dup breath, willing myself to be calm.
"Maryanne's in the kitchen crying her eyes out, babbling something
about they're not going to be a wedding."
    "I don't know what's going on." I could almost hear him
grinding his
teeth in frustration. "Honest to god, Jessie, I don't. We were talking
about Thursday night when her cell phone rang. She answered it and the
next thing I know, she's running out of the house, calling me every
name in the book."
    I closed my eyes and thought - hard. None of this made any
sense.
But then why should it? The world fell down the rabbit hole the moment
I entered Manny's, and I had yet to find my way out.
    "Do you know who called her?"
    "No. She wouldn't say. She wouldn't do anything except get in
her
car and drive off. I've tried calling her, but she won't answer her
phone." He sounded so worried, I was tempted to believe he was as
clueless as he claimed.
    "Okay. Talk to my father. I'll see what I can find out."
    I passed the receiver to Dad and hurried back to the kitchen.
As I
entered, Mom looked up, her mouth pulled into a thin line of
frustration. Seeing her look of question, I