Page 6 of No Vow Broken

“Well, I’m starving. I wonder if we could drag Basia and Gwen away for a quick bite to eat. Basia has been in a bit of a mood today, probably due to all the decorating and detail pressure she’s shouldering on my behalf. I think she could use a little break. Do you think Gwen could be persuaded to leave for a little bit as well?”

“If you, the bride, ask, I’m sure she’ll agree. It’s all about you this week.”

I detested being the center of attention, but I sucked it up and stood. “Well, then, I guess there are afewperks to being the bride. I’ll convince Gwen, and you get Basia. Let’s get some fresh air and some food to clear our heads.”

“If we’re talking food, you don’t have to convince me,” Elvis said, patting his stomach. “You’re speaking my language.”

“Somehow, I already knew that.”

FOUR

Lexi

Luckily, it didn’t take much to convince Basia or Gwen to break for lunch. The inn staff were already preparing for the evening, so if we wanted something, we were going to have to go out for it. We were heading out the door when we ran into my boss, Finn Shaughnessy, who’d just arrived. He looked handsome and relaxed in sunglasses, a white T-shirt, blue jeans, and a dark-blue sports coat.

“Whoa. Where’s the fire?” He held up a hand, stopping us. “Isn’t the party supposed to be inside?”

“Hey, Finn,” I said. “What are you doing here so early? The dinner doesn’t start until seven thirty.”

Basia smacked her forehead. “I totally forgot to tell you I asked Finn to come early. Elvis wasn’t sure when he could get off work, and there were some things we needed a guy to help us with. Finn volunteered, so I took him up on it.”

Finn was Basia’s boss, too, since we worked together at his high-tech cyberintelligence company, X-Corp. But Finn, Basia, and I were more than colleagues; we were bonded for life. The three of us had saved each other’s lives in Papua New Guinea when our plane crash-landed. We’d somehow survived several days in the jungle relying on each other while being chased by thugs. I trusted Finn with my life, and I knew it went both ways.

“That’s really nice of you to come early, Finn,” I said. “Thanks for helping. We’re just heading out for a bite of lunch. Want to join us?”

He considered for a moment, then shrugged. “Sure. I haven’t eaten yet. Why not?”

“We’ll all go in my car,” I said. “There’s a seafood restaurant just a few miles away that’s supposed to have those famous Maryland crab cakes.”

“You’re driving?” Finn asked me. “You have a Miata that fits two.”

“I rented a four-door sedan for the week to haul all the crap we needed for the wedding. Come on, let’s go.”

Without waiting for him to answer, I walked outside and waved to the Secret Service agents as we headed to the outer lot where my rented silver Honda was parked. I unlocked the door with my key fob and Finn maneuvered himself into the front passenger seat, while the other three piled in the back. Basia, who was the smallest, sat in the middle with Elvis and Gwen on either side of her.

After we negotiated our way past the police at the entrance to the inn, we found the cute outdoor restaurant, the Crab Shack, ten minutes away. It had a beachy, red-and-white vibe going on. We ate at a large, white-painted picnic table beneath the Crab Shack sign, enjoying the warmth of the spring day, even though the sky was overcast.

“My God. These are some of the best crab cakes I’ve ever eaten,” I said with my mouth half-full. “Maybe theverybest. They’re so fresh, I can’t believe it.”

“I agree,” Finn said, wiping some sauce from his mouth with a napkin. “Lexi, you’ve introduced me to some of the tastiest food I’ve ever eaten in America. These chips are good, too. The one issue I have is that their so-called hand-squeezed lemonade is actually a lemon drink without carbonation.”

“Only the Irish would ask for lemonade, expect a Sprite, and then complain about getting real fresh-squeezed lemon juice,” Gwen said, rolling her eyes.

“Do I hear snark in that comment?” Finn asked. “I was just about to say something nice about one of America’s greatest culinary contributions, which regrettably has not made its way back across the pond.”

“And that is?” Gwen asked.

“Free refills.” We laughed as he got up from the table to reload his cup from a large pitcher near the cash register.

We chatted a bit more as we finished up our food. As we cleaned up the table, I noticed Basia had eaten only half of her meal. I looked at her worriedly as we threw away the rest of our trash and headed back to the car.

“Are you okay?” I asked her quietly. I was concerned I’d been overworking and stressing her out by dumping most of the wedding responsibilities on her.

“I’m fine,” she said, brushing off my concern. “I’m just not that hungry.”

I hoped that was true. All the wedding planning had to be taking a toll on her. It was taking a toll on me, and I wasn’t doing half as much as she was. I wondered what I could say to make it better, but nothing came to mind.

“Want me to get you some water?” I asked.

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