Page 65 of Kiss the Bride

“You have no electricity.” The man who’d insisted on staying in the background all week now overruled every objection in a flat, matter-of-fact tone. “There are only two choices: move to the Captain’s Cottage, or cancel the ceremony.” He singled out Daniel. “It’s your choice.”

The groom’s features twisted into a stricken expression. His gaze darted to Ryan and then to her. The starch went out of his posture. “If those are my only two choices …”

She held her breath while Curtis nodded.

“Then I choose the Captain’s Cottage.”

“You heard the man, people.” Curtis clapped his hands together. “Let’s get moving. We’re on the clock here.”

As if he’d fired a starting pistol in a race, the group dispersed, each person heading in a different direction.

Ryan’s voice rose above the sounds of the rain and the sudden clatter of feet. “Wait. Let’s talk about this.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” came Curtis’s curt response. “The decision’s been made.”

She watched Ryan’s mouth work wordlessly. Pain lanced her chest. Her eyes welled. She wanted to go to him, sling her arms around him, comfort him. But she couldn’t. They’d agreed to keep their relationship under wraps until after Brianna and Daniel’s wedding. I’m sorry, she mouthed.

Ryan either didn’t hear her or he chose to reject her sympathy. A muscle in his jaw twitched. His expression collapsed. “You know I’ll lose everything unless the wedding takes place here. And it’ll all be your fault.” His shoulders rounded as if they carried the weight of the world. “Congratulations. I guess you won our bet after all.”

With that, he spun on one heel, shouldered his way past Curtis, and marched to the vestibule. He didn’t stop when he hit the door but stalked out into the pouring rain. Moments later, his truck tore out of the parking lot.

She stared after him. She’d been in Ryan’s shoes. She knew exactly how he felt. In New York, every time another actress had landed a part she’d auditioned for, she’d been crushed. When Brianna and Daniel had announced their decision to wed at Harbor View, for a moment she’d thought her whole world had collapsed. Ryan needed time to come to grips with what’d just happened. She’d give it to him. Her heart broke for him, but there was nothing she could do or say at this point to help. He’d have to deal with this disappointment on his own. For now, she had a wedding to save and not a minute to spare. She wrenched her gaze from the main entrance.

“Stop,” she called. “Everybody, just stop!”

Curtis growled a warning. “Evelyn, we don’t have time for this.”

“We don’t have time to move this wedding to the Captain’s Cottage, either,” she replied in her best, all-business tone. Mentally crossing her fingers, she focused on Daniel. “Curtis overlooked one option. We can still give you and Brianna the wedding of your dreams here tonight. What do you say?”

“Harbor View has always been our first choice.” The groom snapped to attention. “If you say you can do it, I’d say, ‘Ma’am, yes, ma’am.’”

With the groom’s support in her pocket, she scanned the room. Halfway to the kitchen, Janet Hubbard had halted. Evelyn singled her out. “Chef, that gas stove, does it still work?”

“Yes.” Understanding glinted in the chef’s intelligent eyes. “We can cook on it whether we have power or not.”

Her heart in her throat, she pressed. “How much time will you lose transporting everything you need to the Cottage?”

“Honestly?” The chef swept her toque from her head. “It’ll take an hour, maybe more, to load everything back into the van. Unloading on the other end will eat up another hour.” The tall, angular woman followed Evelyn’s lead. “I’d say we’d be running about three hours behind by the time we plated the meal.”

“Thank you, Chef.” Relieved, she breathed deeply.

Her relief short-circuited when Curtis intervened. “What if you serve everything buffet-style? Eliminate some of the dishes?”

The chef shrugged. “That would save some time. We might be able to make it.”

Evelyn blinked. Okay, a buffet wasn’t ideal. Nor was it Daniel and Briana’s first choice. But she’d let that one slide for now. She carried on, determined to show Curtis why his plan wouldn’t work. Moving on to the next item on her list, she turned to Mildred Morrey. “Will you be able to transport the floral arrangements to the Cottage and recreate all this?” She waved a hand toward the room that looked exactly like Brianna and Daniel wanted.

One of the centerpieces in her hands, Mildred let a rare irritation creep into her voice. “We’ve been working on this room since ten this morning. We’ll never get everything to the Cottage and set up in time. Some pieces, like the bower, were assembled on-site and can’t be moved at all.”

“They’ll make do without the arch,” Curtis said as if the hours Mildred’s staff had spent on it were of no consequence. “I’m sure there are flowers left over from another wedding or two there at the Cottage.”

“Why don’t we just fill the room with roses while we’re at it?” Mildred shot back. Grumbling to herself, the florist shook her head.

Bev from Eat, Drink and Be Married caught wind of what was going on and chimed in. She gestured toward the tables and chairs. “It’ll take all night to break down these place settings and move them to the Cottage. If we had another day, maybe …”

Jenny added, “The Green Room isn’t set up for a wedding. At least, not this wedding.”

“Look, it won’t be perfect,” Curtis admitted, “but you’ll make do.”

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