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“I thought that was just a rumor.”
I shake my head. “And that’s just what got out about him. I’m sure the truth is far, far worse.”
“Yikes. I feel like we should warn the bride.”
“I’m sure she did her due diligence.” But as I say the words, I can see her gears turning. “Do not interfere with another wedding, Delia.”
“I won’t, I won’t,” she says with a roll of her eyes. Then, she teases, “I promise. No more helping people.”
“Helpme. That’s why I pay you. We need to find the bride and groom for their candids.”
“I’ll find the bride—
“So you can warn her? No, thank you. I’ll find the bride. You find the groom. Text me when you find him.”
“Will do,” she says, before taking off down the hall.
I head in the opposite direction. If I were the bride, where the hell would I be? Not this place. Walking the property from pole barn to pole barn, it’s not a bad venue, if I’m honest with myself.
My first wedding had been a simple affair. Just thirty guests and a friend who got ordained to do the ceremony on a pier, followed by cocktails and tapas. A nice wedding for two kids who were just starting out in life. How could I have known it would end so disastrously?
Glancing around Harmony Hill at sunset, I kind of get why so many people like it. Rural, yes, but also homey. Comfortable. On the biggest day of your life, you should be comfortable. My cousin’s wedding had been in the city at one of the largest cathedrals, and no one was at ease. The formal dinner at a pricey restaurant that followed was also dreadfully miserable because of the snobby servers and required properness. Totally not their style. Perhaps I judged Harmony Hill too harshly.
Sneaking a moment to snap some shots of the gorgeous sunset, I hear a rustling in the bushes. Something big and black. Oh great. Just what I need. A bear. Maybe I can scare it with the flash. I hold the button, clicking the flash several times and as I do, the black thing comes out of the bushes.
It’s the maid of honor, wearing the groom’s black suit coat, as he backs her against a shed while they kiss. Neither of them notice my flash or me at all. Too busy getting busy.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit. I can’t…shit. Ug, the groom and the maid of honor? Really?
I can’t not tell the bride. If I were her, I’d want to know. More than that, I want to scream at the groom. But I can’t make a scene and humiliate the bride like that.
I let out an exaggerated, “Ahem!”
They’re too self-involved to notice.
So, I do the only thing I can do. I snap a few more depressing pictures of them and set out to find the bride. After what Mark did to me, I cannot just sit back and watch this bullshit happen to someone else. No one deserves to be cheated on, particularly the night before their wedding.
Delia sends a text of her location and she’s found the bride. When I track her down, I don’t want to tell her a damn thing. She looks so innocent and in love. I know this will crush her.
“Can I have a word with you, privately?” I ask, almost in a whisper.
Delia frowns at me over her shoulder.
“Sure.”
We part for the powder room, and I lock the door. I am not sure how to begin. “I have some bad news.”
“What? There’s film in your camera, right?” she teases.
Everyone makes the same joke. Jeez. “Um, well, now that you bring it up, yes. And that sort of helps explain everything. Missy, Arthur and the maid of honor—
“Laura?” she asks, smiling. “She’s been my best friend since we were kids. Are they planning some kind of surprise?”
“Oh, you could say that,” I tell her stiffly. “They…well, I just caught them. Making out.”
She laughs. “Did my mom put you up to this? She tried to tell me the same thing this morning. She said they—“
“This isn’t a joke.” I pull out my camera and show her the pictures. “I thought a bear was coming out of the woods, but it was them. Don’t know what else happened in there, but I thought you’d want to know.”
