Page 132 of Happily Never After

“Don’t bother.” Mindy pointed over Claire’s shoulder. “He just pulled in.”

“Good.” Claire laid a hand over her heart.

Maybe the universe had punished them enough for one day with the bomb threat. Maybe from now on it would be smooth sailing. Unless ESA had something to do with their misfortunes. There was no proof, of course. But why wouldn’t they try to retaliate after Claire had thwarted an abduction attempt? And what better way to retaliate than destroy the biggest proposal of her career? For all she knew, this could have all been anotherelaborate training exercise like the ones orchestrated by the East Coast ESA.

The a cappella group launched into their third and final song. A small crowd had gathered around the base of the truck. Onlookers smiled and filmed the spectacle.

She tapped Mindy on the shoulder. “Can I have the car keys? I would really love to sit in the air conditioning for a couple minutes while I touch base with the Getty and the ranch.”

Mindy handed them over, and Claire traipsed to the parking lot. Remembering Sawyer’s self-defense instructions, she pulled her hair out of its ponytail and scanned the parking lot. Getting abducted or stabbed again on the day of Brad’s proposal wasnotgoing to happen. Thankfully the parking lot was devoid of creeps, and there was no vehicle sabotage to be found.

She sank into the back seat and called her contacts.

By the time Mindy, Heather, Nicole, and Sawyer had hustled back to the car, Claire had confirmed final details with the remaining stops. The Getty had been apprised of their expected arrival time, the helicopter company was on standby to airlift the letters onto the hill, and the ranch was ready with two white horses.

“Everything go all right?” Claire asked. She emptied the Gatorade bottle and tossed it into her purse to recycle later.

“Perfect. The bucket truck didn’t get stuck. I know you were worried about that,” Mindy teased. “They’re getting in the limo now. I asked him to wait for five minutes so we could get there first and check on everything.”

“You’re a goddess.” Claire made a note on her time sheet.

Mindy pulled out of the parking lot and began the slow trek to the Getty. It was a tight squeeze with all five of them. Heather had heroically opted for the middle seat between Claire and Sawyer.

“I would take a left here and go through Brentwood instead.” Heather pointed at the approaching red light. “They’re bound to get stuck in some traffic on the freeway.”

Mindy obliged and followed Heather’s directions. To their great relief, Heather navigated them around the traffic snarl. They arrived at the Getty less than twenty-five minutes later, which Heather declared was a new Saturday record.

“Just the gardens and the ranch separate us from the start of Brad and Karen’s happily ever after,” Claire said to the girls as the four of them climbed out of the car. Now that the great transportation crisis had passed, the warm glow that came with proposals had crept back in.

“The gardens were a great choice,” Heather said as they walked through the arrival plaza and past a large fountain. People were crawling all over the place, but the staff had assured Claire that the gardens would be closed.

After spotting the manager, they were escorted through a door to the gardens. Mindy and Heather stayed at the entrance, hidden from view, so they could cue everyone outside. Sawyer crept around the perimeter, peaking beneath benches and sweeping the area. A bored-looking teenager in a Candy’s Creamery shirt stood a short distance away on the patio, a cooler dangling from his hand.

Claire barely had time to admire the bougainvillea arbor and zigzagging pathway before she found Luke. The sun was creeping lower in the sky, elongating the shadows. But there was still easily three hours to sunset. There was time, even if Brad dillydallied like he had at the pier.

Jeff, her private-security-guy-turned-concert-violinist, tuned his violin across the azalea maze. He paused to wave.

A breathtaking view of the city was visible beyond the gardens. Even the smog seemed to be cooperating. Proposal magic at its best.

She slunk down the path and stood next to Luke.

“All good?” She asked.

“Yeah.” He pulled back from the camera to look at her. “And you? Dragging two people eight miles can’t have been easy.”

Claire shrugged. “I’ll let you know tomorrow when my body is sure to be irrevocably broken.”

Luke smiled and turned back to his camera. His hand snaked out and pinched her butt. She swatted him and moved back toward the entrance.

A trio appeared suddenly on the patio. Mindy flashed a square of red construction paper. Nicole ducked her head behind her camera and crept through the zigzagging pathway.

“That’s the sign!” Claire announced as the bored teenager handed over two perfect ice cream cones.

Luke pressed his eye to the viewfinder. Jeff dragged his bow across the strings, sending sweet music sprawling across the gardens. Karen laughed at something Brad said. They ate their ice cream cones in a leisurely manner. Karen, an amateur horticulturist, pointed excitedly at the flowers.

Claire glanced at her watch. They were still on time, but all their cushion time had been used in the transportation snafu. How long did it take Brad to eat a damn ice cream cone?

Finally, the couple reached the azalea maze. Karen turned to Brad. He extended his hand, and she took it just as the violinist transitioned into a cover of a country song—soon to be their first dance at the wedding.

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