Read Online Cancel the Wedding by Carolyn T. Dingman - Free Book Online

dying.”
    I finished my drink, careful to put the empty glass on a coaster. “That’s awful. Although I suppose there’s a lot to be said for living a long life and—”
    â€œWell, you know to be named a fourth, James Tillman Calhoun the fourth , he had to be born while James Tillman Calhoun the first was still alive.”
    Logan piped up. “Who makes up these rules?”
    But Mrs. Chatham was patently ignoring questions she deemed unworthy of an answer. She was on a personal mission to impart some tiny bit of proper naming pedigree to us poor ignorant souls.
    She waved her hand in the general direction of the front door and the town square beyond it. “You probably met Jimmy at the coffee shop.”
    Oh my gosh, I actually knew someone in her story. “We did meet Jimmy. He doesn’t seem like a fourth .” I had a very clear mental image of Thurston Howell the third in my mind when I heard “the fourth” and Jimmy—that skinny, bearded man with an easy smile and an arm full of tattoos who was laughing at me in the coffee shop—did not seem like he belonged in an ascot with Lovey on his arm.
    Mrs. Chatham said, “No? Well, looks can fool you. Jimmy owns half that block. Maybe the whole block.” She laughed at her own joke.
    She wished us luck on our search for the Rutledge family line and then glanced over her shoulder at the gentleman at the bar who was surrounded by a pack of men in suits. There was clearly something about him she found distasteful. She leaned in to us and said pointedly, “Names are important. Name and family are the only things a person can’t buy.”
    I wasn’t sure what she meant by that but then again I wasn’t sure of much about this place. It was a town of contradictions. The lake was hiding a town, the bearded slacker behind the coffee counter was James Snooty Something the fourth and owned a huge chunk of the town, and we outsiders may be the long-lost Huntley Rutledges. Whatever that meant.
    We said our good-nights to her and she made us promise we would call on her if we needed anything. I didn’t tell her about scattering the ashes or that most of what we were looking for was probably under a whole lot of water.
    Logan and I packed up our things to head up to the room. I checked the time to make sure it wasn’t too late and then I called Leo. I hadn’t been able to get hold of him all day.
    As soon as he answered I knew I’d woken him up. I practically whispered, “Hey, it’s me. I’m sorry. You’re asleep. I’ll call you in the morning.”
    I could hear Leo rubbing his face. “No, it’s fine. How’s it going?”
    â€œGood, sort of. Maybe weird is a better answer. It turns out the town of Huntley is underneath the lake. They drowned the town so it’s not even here anymore.”
    â€œHmm. That is weird.” He sounded unimpressed. “When are you sprinkling the ashes?” I heard him yawn. He probably wanted an exact time and date that he could put into his schedule and then check off once the chore was finished. The thought irritated me.
    â€œI’m not sure, but I’ll let you know. Go back to sleep; we can talk tomorrow.” I was absentmindedly following Logan up the stairs.
    â€œOkay, ’night.”
    I disconnected the call and found myself staring at the phone. I’m not sure why. We got into the room and I threw my phone into my open suitcase.
    Logan watched my beloved cell phone fly precariously through the air and when it landed she gave me a knowing look. “Are you and Leo fighting?”
    â€œNo, we don’t fight.”
    â€œMaybe you should start.”
    I ignored that. How could picking a fight help matters? She and I got ready for bed and then climbed into the tall four-poster queens. I sighed and kicked my foot out so that it wasn’t being trapped by the sheet.
    â€œWhat?” Logan asked