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“Do you have any candy, Auntie Bea?” Ryder darts around us all and straight to the table where the women are sitting. He addresses the woman who had been closest to Burt. She’s got gray hair that falls to a pair of wide shoulders.
“Well, shoogs, I most likely do.” She tugs a giant bag from the ground at her feet onto the table and palms through it with her large hands, pulling out a wilted flower pen, a handkerchief, a bottle of Butt Paste that looks like it’s been around for a while, and a pack of earplugs before finally locating a zippered bag of gummy bears. “Is it all right if he has some?” she asks Jordan.
“Sure,” Jordan gives a thin smile. His eyes look tired today. “He’s already had a couple donuts but what’s a little more sugar?”
“There you go, my sweet.” Bea hands him the candy and he skips back to Jordan. “Now, who are you lovely newcomers? I didn’t hear your introductions because Greta here was gabbing my ear off.”
It was definitely Bea herself doing the talking, but nobody corrects her.
“Aunt Bea, these are my friends Frederick and Chloe, the couple that’s getting married next weekend. Guys, this is Aunt Bea. She and Uncle Burt are Stephanie and April’s parents. They’ve also got my oldest cousin Jeff, who lives out of state. He’s married with four kiddos.”
“Pleasure,” Frederick says as he takes her hand and covers both of their hands with his other.
Bea lifts her brows and giggles. “Well, ain’t you a charmer. Don’t you think, Greta? Oh, y’all, this is Greta Graber, my best friend since grade school.”
Greta’s much more petite than Bea, and if we’re going off appearances alone, I can sense she’s more demure, more refined, with her nice trousers and pressed blouse, compared to Bea’s thick jeans and cotton-blend shirt. Greta’s hair is more silver than gray, and the cut is smooth and trendy. She nods our way. “Nice to meet you.”
I step forward, my stomach in knots. “So nice to meet you both as well.”
“What purty accents, don’t ya think, Bea?” Burt bounces back behind the “booth” and takes a seat. “Now, what can we do ya for? Do ya need a tune-up on your vehicle?” He tilts his head, narrows his eyes, strokes his chin that’s peppered with gray and black stubble. “You look like a Jeep man yourself. Do y’all even have Jeeps wherever you’re from?”
Frederick laughs. “I’ve just got a rental at the moment, but at home we have all the vehicles. And”—he leans in as if intimating a great secret—“we even drive on the right proper side of the road.”
His shoulders loosen as he slips a hand into mine. I nearly sigh at the contact—it’s the first we’ve had since we left the winery yesterday.
“I thought you’se people in England all drove on the left.” Burt scratches behind his ear.
“They’re from Kentonia, Uncle Burt, not England,” Lucy says.
Frederick squeezes my hand, an assurance—it’s okay. We can trust these people. I turn to him, surprised. But his eyes remain on the others.
Maybe he won’t care if I decide to tell Lucy. Maybe Marilee too. Heck, all of the ladies I’ve come to know and—quickly—love here in Hallmark Beach. It’s my secret, after all. And Frederick’s on my side.
Then again, that would mean that all of his efforts last night might be wasted. Well, I suppose not. Stephanie still thinks we are an item, which will throw her off the ridiculous—and very true—notion that it’s Topher’s wedding I’m planning.
“Ms. Greta, Chloe and Fred here have a favor to ask of you.” Lucy folds her hands together under her chin in a pleading motion. I shoot her a look of thanks, and she winks back at me. “I’ve gotta get back to the Robin’s booth, but just know that I vouch completely for them.”
Without waiting for a response, Lucy flits off down the street. I’ll have to tell her the truth later, though I’m not sure when. She said she’ll be working the festival all weekend, opening to close. The woman never rests.
Greta drums her fingers on the table. “What can I do for you two?”
I glance at Frederick and he finally looks back at me. Nods for me to go on. “We’ve heard wonderful things about your home as a potential wedding venue—”
“I’ve never held weddings there. Only a few corporate events.”
“Right. Well, we’re kind of in a bind right now. The wedding is supposed to be next weekend, but we don’t have a venue yet.”
“Oh, my.” Bea’s hand flutters against her chest and she begins stuffing things back into her purse.
Greta narrows her eyes at us a bit. “Why didn’t you secure something before this?”
“Um, well …” I don’t like it when people look at me so suspiciously. It’s not something I’m used to.
“It’s last minute because I couldn’t go another day without making this woman my wife.” Frederick lifts my hand, kisses it. All my nerves explode, and his gaze melts into me. Times like this, it’s so easy to forget this is all fake.
They make me wonder … what if?
Bea sighs and jabs Burt in the side. “Ain’t that sweet, Burt?”
