Chapter 39

thirty-nine

JACKSON FAMILY SIBLING CHAT

ROSELYN

It’s terrible luck to see the bride in her dress before the wedding!

VIOLET

Cake tasting and wedding dress shopping?

GAbrIELLE

Are we scheduling a new appointment for bridesmaid dresses? What about Lucy? She needs a flower girl dress!

LUKE

This is getting creepy at this point.

I’d ask y’all to stop, but we all know how effective that would be.

DEAN

Is now a good time to put in food requests? Or music? I know a guy.

SAM

I’m serious about the honeymoon suite. We book up fast.

ROSELYN

I just can’t believe you saw Ella in a dress.

How could you do this?

LUKE

Ella didn’t buy a dress. We aren’t actually getting married.

VIOLET

Was she pretty?

GABY

Oooh yes. Answer that question.

LUKE

I’m not answering this.

GABY

PLEASE. I’m begging.

ROSELYN

Same. I need to know.

ANNIE

I’ll chime in. I think all interested parties would like to know how Ella looked in a wedding dress.

LUKE

I’m changing my phone number.

[photo attachment]

GABY

YOU TOOK A PICTURE OF HER?????

VIOLET

ROSELYN

Oh my gosh.

I will disown you as my brother if you didn’t tell her she looks beautiful.

DEAN

That’s a little upgrade from our wedding.

SAM

Shots fired!

LUKE

She married me first.

DEAN

Only because she couldn’t find me.

VIOLET

GABY

I wonder if she’d be okay with a cape. It’s the thing for winter weddings these days.

LUKE

Can we please stop planning my fake wedding?

PLEASE.

SAM

We can. But you know Mom won’t.

DEAN

I bet the phone tree is ringing right now.

ANNIE

Can confirm.

LUKE

Can we talk about something serious right now, please?

VIOLET

What do you mean by serious?

LUKE

You know what we were talking about the other day?

VIOLET

Yes…

LUKE

VIOLET

GABY

Wait wait wait. What are we talking about here?

LUKE

Ella’s bucket list.

VIOLET

Nothing.

SAM

Why do I feel like this is not nothing?

GABY

She showed you the list??

LUKE

Most of it. I think she took things off.

GABY

LUKE

That’s what I thought.

DEAN

Are there multiple side conversations happening right now? Or just one?

SAM

I’m not sure.

ROSELYN

Two. I think.

ANNIE

But they both have to do with Ella.

LUKE

How does anyone in this family keep secrets?

DEAN

Bribes.

SAM

It’s true.

LUKE

Ella is only here until the wedding next weekend. I need your help. And then everything is sort of up in the air.

DEAN

[Doc Brown gif that says ‘ready’]

VIOLET

What do you need?

LUKE

This stays between us.

I’m serious.

GABY

Done.

VIOLET

You got it.

ROSELYN

This seems serious.

LUKE

Rosie.

ROSELYN

Mums the word.

ANNIE

SAM

No problem.

DEAN

Sure.

LUKE

[photo attachment]

If I had more time, I could probably do all this myself. But I’m running against a clock.

DEAN

She’s never done any of this?

LUKE

Think carefully about what you say next.

DEAN

It’s sad. It makes me sad she didn’t get any of this.

SAM

You could knock some of this out at Magic Under the Moon night at the farm.

Technically, at least three of these.

GABY

Oh that’s true!

VIOLET

She could come to movie night.

LUKE

I may know of a few more.

ROSELYN

Is there another list?

LUKE

Not exactly.

ANNIE

I don’t understand.

LUKE

Can you just… trust me?

DEAN

Is this you finally making your move?

GABY

Don’t scare him. But also, yes.

VIOLET

It’s not often that you get everyday magic, is it?

LUKE

It’s not magic at all. It’s me. Wanting to give Ella what she deserves.

VIOLET

And that’s a special magic.