Page 31 of The Trouble with Runaway Brides

For the rest of the night, we finish the six-pack of beer and watch the Kingsmen win. Then Easton goes home while I toss and turn all night with the thought that, for the first time in so long, Kenzie and I are back in the town where it all began for us.

I arrive at Glacier Point at eight o’clock to talk to Jeanette, so she can tell me who we usually work with for some of the items on my list.

She’s reading over my itinerary for Kenzie. “Do you want a job? Lance, I love this.” She hands it back to me.

“I just don’t want to miss anything.”

“It looks great. I’m sorry I can’t help you.” She cringes.

I stand from the chair on the other side of her desk. “It’s okay. My parents still think they need to discipline me, but it’s fine. I can work from out here for a bit and do this wedding.”

She laughs. “Multitasker.”

“That’s the idea.”

She rises from her chair. “I know the bride wants the ceremony outside, but that’s probably not going to happen. The weather rarely cooperates this time of the year. So, I’ll show you the second-best option for her.”

“Great.”

Jeanette exits her office first and I follow, hoping my dad doesn’t see us. Although he’d come at me, not Jeanette. She walks me into the event room, which has an almost identical view as the balcony does. There’s already an archway in front of the windows.

“We have an afternoon wedding today, so it’s set up, which will be nice for her to see.”

I step inside and walk down the aisle of chairs. “It’s a beautiful view.”

“I know. I’m hoping she’ll feel the same way.”

One of her assistants comes to the door and calls her name, seeming a little frantic.

“Excuse me, Lance. If you need me, you know where to find me.”

“Thanks for everything.” I wave and stare at the lake. It hasn’t been cold enough to freeze over, but I can see that parts of it are starting to freeze. I inspect the arch, thinking to myself that we could decorate the room with traditional Filipino flowers instead of roses and wildflowers.

I expect that Kenzie wants everything bright and happy.

“Excuse—”

I turn around and find Kenzie in the doorway, staring at me with her mouth open.

Eleven

Kenzie

It feels as though someone is playing a cruel game with me. I arrive in the venue room and there Lance stands under the archway—just like I imagined seeing him do one day.

He turns and looks at me because of the noise that came out of me when I found him.

“Come on, one foot in front of the other.” Blake grabs my elbow and guides me down the row between the chairs, already waiting for people to fill them.

Lance clears his throat and steps out from under the archway. “So, you’re here.”

“Yeah. And so far, no one has tried to kill me. How much do you think the bounty is on my head?”

Blake laughs because the man hates tension and conflict.

“I’d say a hundred dollars. It’s the taxidermy that will really cost them when they want to mount your head.”

Blake laughs again, harder this time. “Oh, that’s a good one.”

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