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“Okay, I really do need to get back to work,” she said. “Thanks for the books, Charli.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you on Saturday.”
She gave me one last smile before heading to the front desk to check out the books. I slumped against the shelves and tried to get my heartbeat back to a more normal range.
Why did she always do this to me?
* * *
In honor of the wedding swans, I wore a dress that had birds flying all over it on Saturday. If I got busted as a wedding crasher, I wanted to at least look like I might be a guest.
I snuck through the lobby, pretending I knew exactly where I was going. I’d come a little early so I could camp out and see the setup.
The tent was back up and the activity was chaotic, but everything seemed under control.
I saw the swans that were sequestered in the garden with a little fence and what looked like a swan wrangler. What an interesting job that must be.
I sat on the back porch and wished I did have a drink.
“Hey,” a voice said behind me and I looked up to lock eyes with Alivia, sexy as hell in one of her black suits with her hair pulled back. She had a tablet in one hand and a phone in the other.
“Hey, how’s it going?”
“I’m so sorry I can’t talk, but it’s going. The swans are here, but the horse and carriage with the couple is running late, so the reception is running off schedule, and I really want to sit down, but I can’t, sorry.” She dashed gracefully down the steps before I could even say anything to her.
I didn’t want to distract her from her work, so I just sat and watched.
Guests started arriving, and the swans were definitely the first draw, and the swan wrangler was having a hard time keeping people from trying to pet them. What a disaster.
Before too many people arrived, I made my break for the bar, walking like I was part of the whole thing. Fortunately, the brides had done one thing right and had an open bar.
I got one of the signature wedding drinks for me and a beer for Alivia before scurrying back toward the porch and sitting down with my stolen drinks with no one the wiser.
This was pretty fun. I almost wished I’d invited Linley or Natalie. Next time.
For now, I sat and sipped and enjoyed the view.
* * *
An hour later, no one had been bitten by the swans, but there had been several close calls, and I’d had to actually look away a few times.
The brides arrived much later, and I could hear them arguing softly as Alivia tried to calm them down before they did their grand entrance.
Alivia gave me a save me! look as she went by with both of them. One bride had a black dress, which was absolutely stunning. The other was in a white jumpsuit that was all lace.
It was clear from everything that they’d pulled out all the stops for this wedding. Alivia escorted them down to the tent and the DJ did their entrance to music. She walked back up the lawn and up the stairs to me.
“If you want to see the horse and carriage, go right now,” she said before she went back down.
I absolutely did want to see that, so I walked back through the inn and out to the front where there was indeed a horse and carriage. Black horses with a white carriage dripping with fairy lights and looked like it was made for a princess.
The horses had bags on their faces and were munching happily while the carriage driver stood next to them in the parking lot.
I took a few pictures and went back to watch the chaos of the reception.
Alivia was waiting for me on the porch, the beer I’d gotten for her in her hand.
“Sorry if it’s warm. I got it a while ago,” I said.
