Page 44 of Stuck With the Billionaire Grump

I take a deep breath and climb out of the car. Immediately, a gust of salty air blows through my hair. I know that there’s asuite of rooms set aside for the men and women, respectively, to get ready for the ceremony together, but I leave my suit in the car for now. I can grab it later when Elijah arrives. I hadn’t planned on joining the guys beforehand, content to doll myself up alone at the cottage, but it’s too late to turn back now.

Plus, as weird as it sounds, I almost feel like I’m being guided onward by some unseen force.

Inside the manor, I’m stunned by the vast, high-ceiling halls and tasteful decor. It’s probably the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen, which would break my mother’s heart, considering she takes such great pride in the interior decor of her Malibu mansion.

I follow the flow of traffic down an arched hallway with an intricately carved ceiling.

Although there is a steady buzz of chatter and a cacophony of clattering objects echoing from all directions, one voice manages to break through the noise and capture my attention.

“No, no! Roy! For Pete’s sake, I adore you, but we can’t have the gardenias in here. The scent is too strong; they’ll completely overpower the hydrangeas!”

“But, Mrs. Whitten—”

“Don’t you go blaming the best florist in Cape Cod for your silly judgment! The gardenias need to be in theballroom.Go on!”

Normally, that voice would send me running, but instead I find myself smiling and moving toward it with purpose.

“Liam, are you done with those lights?” A pause. A mumbled response I can’t pick up on. “What do you mean you can’t reach? You’re six-two! And anyway, don’t you know what a ladder is? Come on, now!”

My smile grows.

“Brittany, dear, can you please bring the baskets of favors into the east wing for now? No, that’s south, Britt—yes, there you go!”

I turn the corner and find myself in a colossal conservatory crafted entirely from glass and steel. There are plants everywhere, pouring forth from the marble-floored edges of the cavernous space as if nature is trying to take over. Vines crawl up elegant columns that hold the glittering ceiling aloft, gleaming like emeralds in the brightening sunlight. I smell lilacs and pine and, perhaps to Lucy’s dismay, a hint of gardenia in the air.

A squad of burly men are setting up rows upon rows of chairs for the guests. The space is brimming with activity as the townspeople get to work preparing for what is apparently going to be the wedding of the century.

And Lucy is in the middle of it all, standing on top of a metal folding chair and directing the flow of people like a conductor before her symphony.

“Joshie! What are you doing in here? …What do you mean you’re looking for Mabel? She’s in the kitchen with Gigi!”

I make my way down the aisle, unnoticed by the busy staff.

“Miss Maisie! Oh, thank goodness you’re here! Yes, Mr. Linworth is waiting for you back in his office.”

To my surprise, I realize that Lucy is talking to the silver-haired woman. The mystical lady smiles up at Lucy where she lords over the organized chaos in neon running shorts and a baggy Red Sox tee. The woman salutes Lucy with a playful wink. Then, just like in the parking lot, her gaze turns to me as if she already knew I was there.

Lucy must see something in the woman’s wise gaze, because she twists around toward the aisle.

I pause a couple yards away from her, surprised by how startled she looks to see me. She glances down at her rumpled clothes, her cheeks turning vaguely pink, and then looks back up at me. It’s not like I look much better in my sweatpants and plain cotton tee. When I left the cottage, I hadn’t planned on running into another human until I changed into my suit.

“Hi,” I say.

“Hi,” she echoes.

I think about last night. I think about what happened twelve years ago. I think about everything and nothing all at once.

“What are you doing here?” she asks.

“I, um, was wondering if I could be any help.”

Before she can answer, a muscular guy I recognize from behind the bar at the Siren & Sword calls out to Lucy from the perimeter of the room.

“Lucy! We’ve got a problem!”

With a heavy sigh, Lucy whips her head toward him. “Whatnow, Liam?”

“I don’t know why you gave this task to me. I don’t know anything about technology. I think I’m completely messing this up.”

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