Hearts of Grey Read online

  “And while I could take a whole semester off, I would have to spend the next two semesters trying to play catch-up. I really rather not do that if it’s all right with all of you. So may I make a suggestion? Let’s do this within the next two weeks or so. I can miss a week or so, but—” Katie cut her off.

  “Well, you heard her, and she’s right. She shouldn’t have to miss school to get married. So my question to all of you is this, can we pull this off in the next two weeks, yes or no?” she asked.

  “Well, we did a pretty good job with the unveiling of the gold, and we only had four days or so for that, so I reckon if we were to put our minds to it. Yeah, we could pull it off,” Grady said in a very positive tone.

  “Well, if you ask me, there’s only one thing that I can see that would stop us, and that would be you, ladies,” Rick told them.

  “Wait a second. Why would we stop it from happening?” Katie asked.

  “Simple,” he told them. “Us menfolk can wear our best suits, but you ladies need to have a wedding gown. You just have to,” Rick told them.

  And everyone knew that he was right. The ladies had to have wedding dresses, and not something that they could buy off of the shelf at the local boutique either.

  “Okay, so if we girls can get dresses made in time, then we can do this, right?” Melissa asked.

  “I don’t see any reason why we couldn’t, but I don’t think you’ll be able to get a dress made that fast, and you need two of them,” Rick told her.

  Melissa looked at Katie and smiled. Katie stared back at her with a questionable stare.

  “You’re on. We’ll get the dresses. You guys do the rest. Deal?” Melissa asked.

  “Wait a doggone second. The rest of what?” Mike asked.

  “Okay, that was a little lost in translation, but what I meant was you guys start getting everything moving. Katie and I will be busy for about two, maybe three, days. Okay?” Melissa answered.

  “Excuse me, but what are we going to be doing for two to three days?” Katie asked.

  “We’re going to go see a magician. You’ll just have to trust me, okay? I promise you that not only will we have our dresses, but they’ll be very glamorous as well,” Melissa explained.

  “Okay then, it’s settled. You ladies will work on your dresses while the three of us menfolk will start putting things together. This should be a piece of cake,” Grady said as he pulled his pipe from his pocket.

  “Grady, do you have any idea of what putting on a wedding will consist of, let alone a double wedding?” Rick asked.

  “Sure! A big cake, a bunch of flowers, and a lot of alcohol,” he answered.

  “Daddy, what makes you think our guests will have to have alcohol?” Katie asked.

  “Your guests? Hell, that’s for us. I figure by the time this is all said and done, we’ll be needing it. A lot of it, I might add,” he answered.

  “Very funny, Daddy. I would think that after this morning, you would never look at another drink again, let alone drink one,” Katie told him.

  “You’re right. I’ll never drink another drink that contains alcohol ever again. But six or seven of them, that I might do,” he said with a smile.

  “Yeah, very funny,” Katie said as she looked over at Mike who was trying not to laugh. “And what do you find so funny?” she asked.

  “Nothing. But I was thinking the same thing. One drink, nope. But a half dozen or more, sure,” he answered.

  “Great the two of you can stick together,” she replied.

  “Sounds like a plan. Rick, you care to join us. We’re going to go get blind stinking drunk?” Grady asked.

  “Not me. Alcohol makes me sick. Never cared for the taste of it,” he answered.

  “Who does? That’s why you drink more than one of them. After the first few, your taste buds pass out, then it’s all downhill from there,” Grady told him.

  “Downhill? That doesn’t sound all too promising,” Melissa said as she looked at the three men. “What do you get when you get to the bottom?” she asked.

  “Well, Melissa, I thought that with you being in college and all, you would know the answer to that question,” Grady told her.

  “Sorry, I’m studying American history, not American mentality. Besides, I don’t drink, never have,” she answered.

  “Oh, you will sooner or later. If only to give it a try,” he answered.

  “Well, we’ll see. But you never answered my question. What do you get at the bottom of the hill?” she asked again.

  Grady just stared at her. “When you get to the bottom, you get a refill, and then you can go again,” he answered.

  “A refill? Is that all you get?” she asked.

  “What were you expectin’, a medal?” Grady asked.

  “No, not really, just something more than a blooming refill. Anyways, it doesn’t much matter. I don’t drink,” Melissa told him.

  “Famous last words for someone who hasn’t even tried a drink yet. We’ll remember that when you get drunk the first time. And you’re throwing up out behind the outhouse,” Grady told her.

  “They don’t even have outhouses anymore!” Melissa added.

  “Outhouse. In house behind the house. It doesn’t really matter. Throwing up is still throwing up. And then when you’re done throwing up, you’ll go get another drink. Trust me,” Grady told her.

  “All right, you two, enough of this throw-up talk. You’re making me sick to my stomach,” Katie told them.

  “Want another drink?” Grady said with a hint of laughter to his voice.

  “Daddy, enough is enough already. We have two weddings to plan. And we don’t have all that much time to do it,” Katie told them.

  “Funny that’s what you’ll say right before you throw up,” Grady told her.

  “What is?” Katie asked.

  “Enough is enough, then you throw up, and suddenly, you feel better. Then you’ll have another drink,” he answered.

  “Daddy, stop it! We really need to talk about wedding stuff. So no more fooling around. Okay?” she asked.

  “Okay. Gee whiz, a guy can’t even joke around anymore. You need to loosen up your corset a tad or two,” Grady told her.

  “No, I don’t. I’m not even wearing a cor—Wait a second. Why am I explaining to you what I am and am not wearing underneath my dress?” she asked.

  “Well, maybe your dad isn’t interested in what you’re wearing, but you’ve certainly have my blood pressure going,” Mike told her.

  “You! I’ll deal with later, but right now, let’s start making the arrangements shall we?” she said as she turned to look at Melissa. “You can jump in and help me anytime you’re ready.”

  “Oh yeah, I’m sorry, Katie. But I just had this vision of me throwing up. It wasn’t a pretty sight,” she answered.

  “God, not you too?” Katie asked.

  “Well, your dad sounded like a voice of experience. It made me think, is all,” Melissa answered.

  “Experienced? I’ll have you know that I can outdrink and outvomit everyone here at this table,” Grady told her.

  “Stop it, just stop it, okay? What kind of cake shall we have?” Katie asked as she tried to change the subject.

  “I know. We can serve rum cake. That will fill them up and get them drunk,” Rick suggested.

  “That does it! I give up. What’s the use? Daddy, pour me a drink,” she asked.

  “Now you’re talking,” Grady replied.

  “I’m just kidding. Like I really need a drink. I’m already surrounded by a bunch of immature clowns. Why would I add alcohol to the fire? We really need to get working on this stuff. And while it may not be important to any of you, it is to me. And I would have thought that you, Melissa, would have taken a more serious approach. I mean, hell, it’s only our wedding. It has to be done right,” Katie told all of them.

  “Katie, you’re right, and it is important to me too. So what do you all say? Do we cut the comedy crap and focus on the important s
tuff?” Melissa asked.

  “Okay, fine, bunch of party poopers anyways,” Grady answered.

  “Now wait a second, Daddy. We’re not a bunch of party poopers, and you know it. But Mom’s greatest dream was for me to get married to a wonderful man and live happily ever after. And you know that. You’ve told me that story a thousand times, so please help me do this. Okay?” Katie damn near begged.

  “All right, no more jokes. And, yes, I do recall telling you that, but it was more like a million times, okay?” Grady asked.

  “Good. Now about the cake. Can we make it on our own, or will we have to buy it?” she asked.

  “Well, we could make our own, but add that to the never-ending list that we’ll have to do as well, and the answer is obvious,” Mike added.

  “True. Okay, so what can we do ourselves and what can’t we do?” she asked.

  “Can I make a simple suggestion here?” Grady asked.

  “Sure. We’d all like to hear your thoughts,” Mike answered.

  “Well, since this is my treat, why don’t you just figure out what you all want and hire someone else to do it. That will give you two ladies the time that you’ll need to get your dresses made and all four of you the time to do what should be the most important part of your weddings,” he told them.

  “The most important part? And which part is that?” Melissa asked.

  “You’re kidding. Please tell me that at least one of you four knows what the most important of a wedding is,” Grady asked.

  None of them knew the answer.

  “I can’t believe what I’m not hearing from any of you. A marriage is the bringing together two people in holy matrimony where before God and your witnesses you repeat to each other your vows, where you express your undying love for each other. So your vows need to be special, written just for you by you. It’s what makes your wedding special, unique, and different from the rest,” Grady explained.

  “Daddy, what a splendid idea. What do you guys think? We can write our own vows,” Katie asked.

  “That would be super, and it would be all ours,” Melissa answered.

  “Hey, wait a second. Writing our own vows is a super idea just like Melissa said, but we have a very unique opportunity here. We have two couples. That’s four people with four different ideas on what it should say. So why don’t you girls get together while Mike and I do the same? Then we’ll combine the two, and each one of us will have a different part to say,” Rick suggested.

  “You lost me, sweetheart,” Melissa said.

  “Okay, let’s, for the sake of argument, say Katie will start it off. She would say her line, then Mike would say his, and then Melissa would do hers, then it would be my turn. Then it would start all over again. And if we did it right, it would flow like a beautiful song. What do you all think?” Rick asked.

  “I like the idea, and it might be a bit tricky to get it right, but the finished product would be our own thoughts. Yes, I like it, a lot,” Katie answered.

  “I think it’s a brilliant idea. Rick dear, you surprise me sometimes. You really do,” Melissa told him.

  “Where in the world did you get that idea? It’s different I’ll give you that, but to make it work, it might be a lot harder than you all think, but if you’re all willing to give it a shot, then count me in,” Mike answered.

  “See, that was easy. Now all you have to do is to select just the right words, arrange them into just the right order, and memorize them. Piece of cake,” Grady told them.

  “Gee, thanks for the encouragement there, Daddy dear,” Katie said as she threw him a not too pleasant smile.

  “Trust me, it will all fall together if you listen to your hearts ’cause that’s where your love is,” he replied. “But I do have one other question for ya. Have you given any thought as to where you’re going to live once you’re married?”

  “Well to be honest, I haven’t even given it a thought,” Rick answered.

  “And what about the rest of you? You haven’t either, have you?” Grady asked.

  They all confessed that they had not thought about it at all.

  “Well, Katie and Mike don’t have a problem. This house is as much Katie’s as it is mine, but you two need some help,” he told them.

  “Yeah, but I’ll be back at school, so it wouldn’t be an urgent problem, but after school would be another story,” Melissa answered.

  “Yeah, it would be a problem indeed,” Rick answered.

  “Well, help is on the way,” Grady told them.

  “And what does that mean?” Melissa asked.

  “Just what I said. It seems that according to Mr. James of the Treasury Department, we’ll be getting a sizeable check in a few weeks,—compensation for finding the treasure, you see. And since Melissa was in on the discovery, she’ll get a part of it,” he explained.

  “Wait a second. I thought that we weren’t in this for the money. I thought that it was all about righting a wrong like you said,” Mike replied.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought too,” Melissa added.

  “It was for Katie and I. But why would you refuse your part?” he asked.

  “Because it isn’t right, that’s why,” Melissa answered.

  “Yeah, I have to agree with my sister. It just wouldn’t be right, Grady,” Mike told him.

  “Are you both sure that you don’t want the money? I mean it could be a very reasonable sum. And a newly married couple could always use some spare cash,” he told them.

  “Damn right, I’m sure. I mean no disrespect, but I agreed to do this to help you and Katie right a wrong done to her great-grandfather and never was there any hopes of getting rich off of this,” Mike told him.

  “Yeah, and how could we live with ourselves if we went back on what we told everyone? I know that I couldn’t,” Melissa told him.

  “You might want to take a few days to think this over,” Grady told them.

  “I don’t need a few days. The answer is no, I don’t want the money,” Mike answered.

  “And neither do I. I would rather live off the streets then go against something that I believe in,” Melissa said in a very firm voice.

  “Okay, I figured that’s what your answers would be,” Grady told them. “And that’s what I told him when he told me about the money,” Grady added.

  “Wait a second. You refused the money?” Melissa asked.

  “No, I can’t do that. You’ll each get a letter. Just write refused on it and it’s done. So did you change your mind?” he asked Melissa.

  “What makes you think that I changed my mind?” she asked.

  “Just in the way that you asked if I had refused the money,” Grady answered.

  “Well, I haven’t. I just thought that you did it without asking us first. That wouldn’t have been right,” she told him.

  “Well, even if I could have refused the money for you, I think you know me better than that. I would never do anything like that without asking you,” Grady told her.

  “Grady, I know that you would never do anything like that, and if my tone suggested otherwise, I do apologize,” she replied.

  “That’s good to hear,” Grady told her.

  “Well, now that that is done, may I be allowed to throw in my two cents’?” Katie asked.

  “Sure, what are you thinking, love?” Mike asked her.

  “I really think that you should take the money. And before you all start yelling at me, let me explain why. If you refuse the money, where would it go? Right back into Uncle Sam’s pocket, right? But if you took the money, then you could donate it to whatever charity you decided to donate it to. It would be a donation under your name, and maybe, just maybe, some good could come out of all this,” she told them. “But that’s just my thoughts on the matter,” she explained to them.

  “God, I never thought of that. We could really put that money to work where it just might make a difference,” Melissa replied.

  “Katie sweetheart, that’s a very noble idea if I ever h
eard one. I like it. I really do. I say yes. We should do just that,” Mike answered. “What do you think, Grady?”

  “Well, it is a very good idea. And the money would be put to some good use. I do believe that it may be the very best idea that we’ve heard today. Nice job, Katie, very nice indeed,” Grady told his daughter as he reached across the table and squeezed her hand.

  “Fine then, it’s agreed that we’ll accept the money and donate it to a charity of our choice. All of those in favor of this idea, please raise your hands,” Melissa asked.

  Every hand was up in the air.

  “Great! Let’s do it,” Michael suggested.

  “Anyone have an idea as to what charity we’ll donate it to?” Melissa asked. “Because if you don’t, I do, but I can’t tell you yet. I want it to be a surprise,” she added.

  “A surprise for whom?” Rick asked.

  “You’ll see. But when I do tell ya, I think you’ll all agree with me,” she told them.

  “Well, here’s what else we can do. Katie and I can accept ours as well and add it to the pot. How would that be?” Grady suggested.

  “That’s a very generous offer, Grady. If that’s what you want to do, then by all means we’ll accept it,” Melissa told him.

  “Good. Then first thing tomorrow, I’ll tell Mr. James just what we’ve decided here today,” Grady told them.

  “Hey, I do have a question that’s not about money,” Katie said to all of them, but she was staring at her dad.

  “Go ahead, dear, ask away,” Grady told her.

  “What’s this rumor that was going around yesterday about Matterson House becoming a national park or something like that?” she asked.

  “Where did you hear that? It was supposed to be a surprise,” he answered.

  “I just heard a few people talking about it. So it’s true?” she asked.

  “Well, yes and no. Yes, they did offer to make all of this a national historical site as well as a national park, but they haven’t said whether or not they’ll agree to my terms,” he replied.

  “But we can still live here, right? I mean, it may be an old worn-down house, but I kind of like it here,” Katie answered.

  “Relax, Katie. The only thing that would change would be the complete restoration of this house, back to what it once was,” he told her.