Page 59 of She Doesn't Have a Clue
Which was when the lights dropped out, everybody screamed, and a sharp crack shattered the floor-to-ceiling window directly behind Kennedy.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
In hindsight, Kate would understand she had brought this on herself. You never jinx a perfect game, her father always said, and she should have known the same would be true for disastrous wedding weekends among a maybe cursed family.
All that insight would come later, because now the room descended into absolute chaos. There was screaming, shoving, and Kate even swore she heard squawking. Heaven help them all if a bird got into the room. The lights flickered on and dropped out again, the generator on its last dying gasps, as someone screamed for order.
“Kennedy!” someone called. “Are you okay?”
“I’m okay!” came Kennedy’s voice, warbly and off-kilter. “I can’t see anything, though. There’s glass everywhere.”
“Get her up here!” said the bridesmaids as a chorus.
“Please, we need to cover the window!” came Abraham’s voice, shrill and frantic. “Quickly, before it floods!”
And in the darkness and confusion, Kate saw a chance to do exactly as Jake had said and embrace the chaos. She could just make out Kennedy’s silhouette against the flashing lightning, Simon trying to find his way through the crowd toward the front where Kennedy belonged.
“Jake, I need you to distract Simon,” Kate said, already heading for the aisle.
“How do you expect me to do that?” Jake asked, exasperated. But he followed after her like a good Blake.
“Make him help you fortify the window,” Kate said. “I need to talk to Kennedy.”
While Jake called loudly for help securing the window, Kate pitched her voice high and said she was bringing Kennedy somewhere safe, hoping nobody would recognize her voice. She took Kennedy by the elbow, the other woman giving a little squeak of surprise as Kate pulled her free of Simon’s grasp.
“Don’t worry, it’s just me, Kate,” Kate said, thinking that maybe her presence might not be as reassuring as she expected. “Let’s get you somewhere dry while they repair the window.”
“Okay, sure,” Kennedy said breathlessly, letting Kate lead her into the hallway. Kate grabbed randomly at passing door handles until she found one that was unlocked, practically shoving Kennedy in just as the lights staggered back to life. “Oh, it was so stuffy in there! I was feeling swoony all over again. Thank you.”
Kennedy was shaken and pale as she plopped into an upholstered chair, looking every inch the worn-out bride ready to be done with her wedding festivities. The room was crowded with old furniture in dusty coverings, and Kate managed to lean against something she hoped hadn’t been alive at one point. The lights in the room were older and dimmer, the glass smudged and the bulbs such a deep yellow they bordered on orange. It lent the room a spooky glow, especially when the lights sparked bright and dropped low again.
“I should just give it up, shouldn’t I?” Kennedy said, sounding as miserable as Kate had ever heard her. “This whole weekend has been a sham.”
“It must be quite a topsy-turvy weekend,” Kate ventured. “Your aunt’s big announcement last night was pretty upsetting. Donating the island and the family trust to the historical society? That must have been a real kick in the teeth when you found out. Last night.”
“What?” Kennedy blinked in surprise before shaking her head. “Oh, I knew about the donation ages ago.”
Wow, was Kennedy going to make it this easy for her? “You knew she was going to donate the island? Did you try to stop her?”
“Just the opposite, actually. I was helping her with the historical society.”
“Really?” Kate said, disappointed. The confession wasn’t going as swimmingly as she’d imagined.
“I mean, I was surprised she announced it this weekend, and I didn’t know anything about her inviting an inspector to finalize the deal, but this has been in the works for months. She’d gotten pretty secretive about the final details once she started working with whoever this inspector is from the society, but that’s how Auntie R always is. She doesn’t like to jinx things.”
“But in your speech you said you wanted the island cared for by people who understood its history, who loved what it represented.”
“Oh, I do,” Kennedy said, nodding enthusiastically. “That’s why I thought the historical society was such a great idea. Who better to care for an old place like this than a bunch of history buffs? I knew the rest of the family wouldn’t feel the same, though. I was hoping maybe my speech would inspire them to see this for the opportunity it was, to let the real experts keep our family legacy alive. I love my cousins, but they’re not exactly fiscally responsible. And no one really understands how much upkeep the Manor requires. It’s constantly flooding, the wood warps, none of the doors close right, and it’s impossible to get reputable contractors out here to the islands. Auntie R has kept up with the place because she considers it our legacy, but the rest of us prefer, you know, civilization.”
Well, that certainly shot Kate’s theory in the foot about Kennedy being angry at Rebecca for giving away the island and the trust. Still, maybe there was a different angle to work here.
“What about your inheritance money? I heard she could—er, can be a bit of a stickler about letting people have their money.”
“Oh, I took my inheritance a few years ago,” Kennedy said.
Yet another new piece of the puzzle to consider. “What for?”
“Simon Says needed a cash infusion to stay alive, so I became a silent partner in the business,” Kennedy said. “I used to visit his offices, you know, with my dad when I was little. It felt like a second home away from home. When I knew Simon needed help running things, I couldn’t turn my back on him. I never really planned on claiming my inheritance, but it was worth it to keep Simon Says going. Even Auntie R could hardly deny the importance of the arts to the local culture.”