AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Good grief, Mom,” was Jasmine’s response. “Why are you yelling?”
“Oh, I didn’t know if you could hear me.”
“Me and most of Willowbrook can, I’m sure,” Jasmine said, laughing a bit. “Okay, is Maren there? Maren?”
“I’m here.”
“So, here’s the story,” Jasmine said, “and it’s not good. They haven’t lifted the travel ban yet and aren’t expected to today, since apparently—ugh—more snow is coming. The Harbor View has declined to host the wedding, which I totally understand—they have their license and insurance things or whatever to think of—but,” she said, emphasizing thebut, “Liam had an idea and I don’t think it’s nuts. Well, not completely, but it hinges upon you, Maren.”
“Me?” Maren asked, laying her fingers against her chest. What did she have to do with Liam and Jasmine’s wedding? Or the weather? “I’m listening.”
“Liam just talked to Nathan Bennett,” Jasmine said, referring to Willowbrook’s police chief, “and Nathan said he would have no problem with the wedding happening, but advised he’d feel better if he and his deputies assisted with transporting people. We talked to Carl Dawson, who lives on Jasper Lane, and he has agreed to step in to officiate since the minister won’t be able to make it down from Springville. Carl said his grandson was stuck there with him and could bring him on the snowmobile. I’m not worried about flowers or the cake or even the meal, but...” she paused, leaving that thought hanging.
Maren raised her brows, still wondering what this had to do with her.
“But I was wondering,” Jasmine continued, her voice turning plaintive, “how you would feel, Maren, about hosting the wedding at the Inn?”
All eyes turned to Maren, some with excitement.
While a thousand thoughts instantly ran around inside Maren’s head, Mrs. Adamczyk chastised her daughter. “Boy, talk about putting her on the spot,” she called out loudly toward the phone on the table. “Jasmine, you’re on speaker. This should have been asked in private. I’m all for not having to leave the house to see this wedding happen, but that’s a big ask—on short notice, and without giving her—”
“Mom,” Jasmine interrupted, “you’re the one who put it on speaker, and Maren knows she can absolutely refuse. It is a big ask, I get it. A lot of pressure. But I will say, Maren, that of the original fifty guests, it looks like only thirty would be able to make it, and that includes you guys there at the Inn. So it’s just twenty more people coming. Maren, I don’t expect any heroics. We just need a place to sayI doand celebrate with family andfriends. Maybe later, in the summer if we want, we can have a larger reception. Honestly, Maren, you can throw out some bowls of peanuts and potato chips and it would be fine. And you can, obviously, say no, you simply can’t do it.”
Maren was, admittedly, shocked, her brain whirling with what this could mean, everything it would entail. Of course, her initial inclination was not to deny her friend. And so she didn’t. “Yes, of course, you can have the wedding here,” she said. The hesitancy in her voice was provoked purely by wondering how she could and would make it wonderful and special for Jasmine and Liam. She happened to glance over at Hal.
He shrugged. “If anyone can pull it off,” he said, “you can. Don’t overthink it.”
“Absolutely,” agreed Jasmine.
Alec spoke up, drawing her gaze to him.
He surprised her by agreeing with Hal. And offering, “You’ve got plenty of help here to make it happen, to do justice to your Morning Glory Inn.”
Emily clapped her hands together at her chest. “Of course, we’ll all help. This is going to be so much fun.”
A small breath of a laugh erupted from Maren. “All right, let’s do this.”
“Oh, thank you so much! I love you—all of you,” Jasmine gushed. “I trust whatever you manage to do will be perfect.”
“But you better leave us to it, honey,” suggested her mother. “You take care of everything you need to, to get yourself here, and we’ll take care of everything here.”
“Guess that answers what we’ll be doing all day,” Mr. Adamczyk added, grinning a bit.
There was a little more discussion with the bride before they hung up.
“I can see your gears churning,” Hal said to Maren. “But breakfast first, before you get on with it. The guys and I canhandle everything outside, get it in shape to receive cars and people.”
“We need to make a list,” Maren suggested to Jasmine’s mother. Admittedly, she felt only a little panicked.
“I say we skip any kind of sit down dinner,” Jean replied. “That’s too much.”
“You might be right. There’s plenty of food and plenty of options but the logistics of seating thirty people would be tricky.”
“Then it’ll be a cocktail party wedding,” Emily suggested cheerily. “We got this, ladies.”
The Morning Glory Inn buzzed all the rest of the morning and early afternoon, with the unexpected energy prompted by the change of venue and the guests’ eagerness to help. While Rachel advised she would be useless in the kitchen, she offered to transform the parlor and dining room into an impromptu reception area.
“Have at it,” Maren happily allowed. “Inside the buffet drawers and the built-in’s cupboards, there are plenty of linens and dishes, and old décor and fancy serving pieces. Help yourself.”
