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“Oh, man,” I say, sitting down on the couch as Mom hands Dad the coffee. “I’m so sorry. You should have called. We could have come to help.”
“Oh, there was nothing to do about that, Henderson next door heard your father wailing and helped him into his truck before I could even think to call.”
“Oh, Granddad!” Scout presses her hand to her mouth in shock. “I’m so sorry. Now you can’t go sledding with me.”
“It’s okay,” I tell her, not wanting my daughter to make it about herself right now. “I’ll go with you, of course.”
“I just feel terrible about the wedding arbor. Was on my way over to the site right now to build it.”
“I’m sure they understand,” I say. “It’s just a wedding.”
Mom rolls her eyes. “If you are that obtuse when it comes to women, then you’ll never get married.”
“That’s the plan,” I joke. “I don’t need a wife, I already have all the family I could ever need.”
Scout smiles up at me, crawling into my lap and she pats my beard. “But a mommy would be nice. She could make me cookies. Like the lady at the bakery.”
I swallow hard, not liking the idea of my daughter feeling like she was missing something in her life.
Mom must sense the shift in the air. She changes the topic, turning to my father. “So, Dean, ask Brooks.”
“Ask me what?”
“I was wondering if you might be able to do the arbor for me? The wedding is next week and it’s a whole to-do. The entire town is invited, and I don’t want to let the bridezilla down.”
I frown. Is this Noelle’s wedding? I cough uncomfortably, not wanting to ask anything that might draw attention to the fact that I have a hard-on for a practically married woman. “She’s a bridezilla?” I can’t quite picture that cute as pie woman getting crazed over nuptials.
“Oh, not the bride,” Mom corrects. “It’s her best friend that’s a little intense.”
“I see. In that case, of course, I can build it. Just show me what they want.”
“Oh, it’s pretty specific,” Dad jokes, reaching for a stack of papers on the side table. “This woman has her friend’s wedding planned to a T.”
I take the plans from my father and settle into the easy chair. Knowing Noelle’s off-limits can keep my focus on where it belongs. My daughter.
Not on the woman at the bakery who looks like she would know exactly how to frost my cookies.
No.
I don’t need any extra sugar in my life.
As I look at the plans for the arbor though, I can’t help but feel more than a little jealous of the man who is going to be marrying her in a few weeks’ time.Noelle“This is all wrong,” I tell Martin, the city parks director. “The parking lot needs to be reserved entirely for the wedding.”
“You can’t reserve every single parking spot on a mountain, Noelle,” he says, cocking an eye at me like I’m missing something.
“Then where will the guests park?”
“Not sure, but it’s not my problem. You’re the one who wanted an outside wedding on a snow-covered mountain at Christmas.”
“Just the ceremony,” I say, irritated. “The reception will be down at the lodge.”
“You’ll have the parking issue here, no matter how you dice it. It would be easier if the entire thing was just down the mountain at the lodge. That’s what everyone else does.”
“I’m not everyone else,” I say indignantly.
“You mean Sophia isn’t everyone else?” he corrects with a smirk.
“Right,” I stammer. “Sophia isn’t everyone else.” Flustered, I exhale. I keep trying to tell myself this isn’t my wedding — because it isn’t. I’m just the maid of honor. But my BFF is MIA and I’m the one running the show.
And it’s sort of turned into my show, not hers.
Martin runs a hand over his graying hair. “How many guests did you say were coming?”
Cringing I answer, “Three hundred have RSVP’d.”
Martin chuckles. “Sweetheart, you’re gonna need a plan B when it comes to getting those guests up here in the snow in twenty-degree weather.”
I know what he’s saying — it is ambitious. But it would be so beautiful. The place we are standing is the most beautiful location in all of Linesworth. The most romantic too. The vista from here is breathtaking. The photographs would be wedding magazine worthy.
“I’ll figure it out,” I tell Martin. “Thanks for meeting me here to look everything over.”
“Of course, Noelle. I’ll do what I can for you. But you know, if you weren’t everyone’s favorite, I don’t think so many people would be showing up for the big day. Sophia hasn’t lived in Linesworth since she graduated high school. People are only coming for the wedding to support you.”
I swallow. “Sophia is more of a town sweetheart than I could ever be. And her family has always been so good to me, I want this day to feel special for her.”
