Miss Julia Renews Her Vows Read Online Free Page B

from the Springer estate and, let’s face it, a private investigator’s income would hardly equal the income from the boy’s inheritance.
    But it was their problem and I determined to leave it to them to figure out. At the moment, I had more pressing matters to deal with.
    “Hazel Marie,” I said, watching as she scooted up in bed and propped herself against the headboard. “We need to think of some way to announce your wedding. In fact, the longer we put it off, the worse it will be, so we need to come up with a plan. Sam has suggested that we have an announcement party, sort of a belated wedding reception, which a lot of people do, especially when they have small family-only weddings, and it’s often done weeks after the honeymoon.”
    As the horror on Hazel Marie’s face registered with me, I stopped and held up my hand. “But I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
    “Me, either ,” she said. “Oh, Miss Julia, I couldn’t face a big party with everybody looking at me and knowing we had to get married. It would be awful.”
    “Oh, I agree. I wouldn’t put you through that for anything. But here’s what I’ve come up with, because one way or another, we’ve got to let people know that you are now Mrs. J. D. Pickens. I mean other than just seeing him come and go, then gradually realizing that he’s moved in for good. And, of course, seeing your condition.”
    She began to cloud up then, so she reached for the Kleenex box on the bedside table to have it near to hand.
    “Now wait, Hazel Marie. I think I’ve come up with a solution. See what you think about it. Why don’t I have a luncheon and invite eight or ten of our closest friends and just announce it there? I mean,” I quickly added as she began shaking her head, “without your being there. Just think about it for a minute. Every one of those women will go home and tell at least a dozen others and before nightfall everybody in town will know that you two are married. The word will get around without us having a big party and putting you right out in front on display.”
    “I don’t know,” she said, wiping her eyes on her sleeve, in spite of having a handful of Kleenex. “They’ll still know that we, well, kind of jumped the gun. I mean, I can’t hide anymore, so they’re all going to know and they’ll despise me for it.”
    “No, they won’t. They might guess but they won’t know, because I’ve thought of that, too. What I’ll do is tell them that you and Mr. Pickens got married in San Francisco when you were there back in the summer, but given the weird goings-on in California, I wasn’t sure that this state has reciprocity and I insisted that you do it again. That would take care of things if anybody gets wind of the ceremony this morning.” I waited a few minutes for her response, but didn’t get one. “What do you think?”
    “I wouldn’t have to be there?”
    “No, it’d be better if you’re not. See, I can make it like it’s a big joke on us. Maybe tell them that we’d thought of having a—oh, I just thought of something! I’ll say you’d planned to have a renewal of vows and a big reception, maybe at Christmas; but you two got ahead of us and turned up expecting twins, so we had to renew your vows at a magistrate’s office. Just to be on the safe side, see? In case there was any question as to the efficacy of a California wedding. How does that sound?”
    Hazel Marie bit her lip, considering what I’d said. “It sounds pretty complicated. I’m not sure it’d work.”
    “Doesn’t matter if it would or not.” I waved my hand at the thought. “All we need to do is give them a reasonable explanation, one they can accept without thinking too hard about it, and it’ll work. Everybody thinks the world of you, Hazel Marie, and those who know you or even know of you will give you the benefit of the doubt—if they’re given a good enough reason. And I intend to give them reason enough to believe whatever I