Diana nodded her head excitedly, “Oh, yes. Please. I’d love to. Are you going to decorate your house for the wedding, too?”

“No, we’re having the reception at one of the inns in town,” said Gussie.

“But you have to hang a big white bow on your door!” Diana said. “Everyone does that when they get married. Especially when you have a new house. People from out of town will want to drive by to see it!”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Gussie said. “You’re right; not many people know where the house is. I like that idea. Let’s call Abigail at Floral Fantasies right now and see if she can do a wonderfully large bow for us!”

And off they went.

Maggie repacked her own suitcase; her possible dresses for the wedding were still hanging in her van. Gussie gave her directions to the B and B she’d reserved for “close friends and family,” and Maggie decided to check in after she’d made sure Gussie had all her personal things unpacked and accessible this afternoon. Everything might not be arranged exactly where she’d put them eventually, but at least they’d be in the master bedroom. And then everyone could leave her to have some peace.

She deserved some before the wedding.

Maggie was already planning what she might do after she’d checked into the B and B. A little peace for herself might not be bad.

Jim and Andy and two other friends arrived with two pickup trucks at 11:30.

Maggie looked at them dubiously. “You’re going to put everything in those trucks? Furniture and boxes and everything?”

“Not to worry,” said Jim. “We’re only going a couple of miles. And we plan on making a couple of trips. We’ll start with the boxes.”

Gussie took a final look around the building that had been her home and business for twenty years, blew it a kiss good-bye, and headed for her van. “Let’s get out of here, ladies. I don’t want to watch what’s going to happen now. We’ll deal with the results at the other end.”

They parked down the street from her new house so the trucks could get close to the door. “Note well,” said Gussie, “the advantages to handicapped-accessible homes. Wide doors and ramps make moving a lot easier.”

Gussie’d already called a friend who worked at a Winslow deli and who’d promised, as a special favor, that she’d deliver trays of assorted sandwiches, chips, cookies, sodas, and coffee.

The women had time to arrange lunch on the kitchen counter and each eat at least half a sandwich before the men arrived with the first truck to be unloaded.

After that there was little time for anything but organized chaos. Gussie directed the inside operation, telling anyone carrying a carton or piece of furniture what room it went into, and where exactly in that room it should be placed. Jim was in charge of getting the trucks loaded at the old house, and unloaded at the new one, trying to achieve some sort of order, so the pieces of a bed and its mattress arrived in somewhat the same time-frame.

The system worked remarkably well.

Maggie unpacked Gussie’s clothes and hung them in her half of the room-wide walk- (or roll-) in closet and filled her drawers while Diana checked all the arriving cartons and made sure they’d been put in the right rooms.

Cartons holding fine china, silver, and extra kitchen accessories went in the extra bedroom, to be sorted later. Boxes of books and seasonal accessories went to the garage. At one point Gussie zoomed down to where Diana was stacking those cartons and directed, “Lights! Hold out any cartons of Christmas lights! I may use them in the shop when I decorate the windows!”

“Will do,” answered Diana calmly. She seemed unflappable.

“She’s amazing,” said Gussie as she stopped to see how Maggie was doing in the master bedroom. “She fits right in, and seems to anticipate what needs to be done.”

“You’re right,” Maggie answered. “I’m almost finished in here. I did leave a little space in the closet for Jim, too.”

Gussie touched her arm. “Love you. I couldn’t have gotten through all this without your help. And tomorrow we finish the store!”

“I think I’ll take off at about four-thirty today, if that’s okay. I’ll go check in at the B and B and unpack my things. And you need to rest. The closer we get to the wedding, the crazier this week will get.”

“You go ahead. We have lots of food left from lunch, so I have plenty for dinner, and Jim had the same idea. He’s going to take a plate of sandwiches and plans to collapse at his place. He wants to finish packing his clothes and a few other things tonight so he can move them here tomorrow.”

“He’s not going to move in officially until the day of the wedding, though, right?”

“No. And since his house hasn’t been sold, he’s leaving a lot of his furniture there for now. He has a lot more than I did; he has a bigger house. But most of his things are Victorian, and we’ll probably sell them, because they don’t fit with this house. We’re not worrying about that right now.”

By four-thirty everything was in the house. It wasn’t in perfect order, but Gussie had moved. And was ready for a long nap. The trucks left; Diana left; Jim left; and then Maggie gave Gussie a big hug.

“Your first night in your new home. Three nights to go! If you need me, call.”

“I think I’ll collapse, thank you. Everything looks beautiful. I’m sorry Jim isn’t staying here tonight. But he’ll be here soon enough.”

“And forever.”

They smiled at each other.

Maggie headed toward the B and B, a couple of miles north of town. As she drove she saw windows boarded up on two homes. Funny, she thought. I hadn’t noticed those this morning.

And in the center of town plywood boards covered the windows of a gift shop.

The Six Gables Inn, a brown-painted bed and breakfast, was just outside of town. It had an elegant but weathered look, sheltered by tall pines, and located far enough off the main road to have the illusion of country.

Maggie draped her garment bag over her arm and picked up her suitcase. No other cars were parked outside. She must be the only guest tonight. Fine. Quiet sounded good after a long day of toting and carrying.

And trust Gussie to ensure there was a ramp as an alternative to the staircase leading up to the wide porch. Tonight she didn’t feel like hoisting her suitcase up stairs.

The inside of Six Gables was elegantly late-colonial. Maggie realized she was truly exhausted when she didn’t even care how authentic some of the décor was. She rang the brass Indian elephant bell on the desk.

Mrs. Decker, the owner, appeared almost at once from the door on the left of the entrance hall. “Good afternoon, and welcome to Six Gables. You must be Ms. Summer.”

“Yes, I am.”

Mrs. Decker smiled at her, with a glint of amusement in her eyes. What did she find so funny? Maggie reached up to pat her hair. Part of it had come undone, and she knew her sweatshirt was smudged with dust. But considering she’d been packing and moving boxes and unpacking all day, she didn’t think she looked that strange. “Would you like me to sign in?”

“You can take care of that later. I believe you are who you say you are. I’m glad to see you. Ms. White specified that you were to have the yellow room; it has a king-sized bed. Number one, the first door on your right, at the head of the stairs. Go right up. Here’s your key. It opens both the front door and the door to your room. If you have any questions, my room is number nine on the intercom.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Decker.”

Maggie took the key and started toward the staircase. “Oh, and Mrs. Decker? What time is breakfast?”

“Seven-thirty, dear, unless you specify another time.”

She headed up the flight of stairs to the second floor. That was one disadvantage to bed-and-breakfasts. She’d never yet stayed in one where there was an elevator.

She put her key in the door to number one and threw open the door.