Page 51 of Margo and the Faux Good Luck Beau
“This is a big deal.” Pierre hoots.
The room erupts into mayhem. The guys seize any opportunity to celebrate. I’ll have to thank my captain later for that assist. They chant, “Hammer, Hammer, Hammer.”
“I’m going to expose you both for the liars you are,” Celeste hisses and storms from the room but not before kicking the fake cake out of her way.
Margo’s smile falls like the painted plaster cherry on the cake as it rolls onto the floor.
Meg, Delaney, Whit, Harlow, Cara, and a few other women circle Margo, but not like they’re going to point and laugh. More like they’re going to boost her onto their shoulders and perform an enthusiastic cheer complete with pom poms.
With the harbinger of what turns out to be good news gone, we continue to celebrate heartily as only a hockey team can. It isn’t until the last guest leaves that I finally have a moment alone with Margo. Coats on, we walk past the town green that hosts the Christmas Market during the holidays and the big Independence Day Corn event called 4thon 4thin the summer. The truck is parked on the other side.
“I’m sorry,” I say, finding her hand.
“About what? Celeste? I’m the one who should be apologizing. She’s my sister.”
“That’s not how family should treat each other.”
“Do you have siblings?”
“A bunch of hockey brothers. But I apologize for not telling you how old I am.”
“I’m not sorry that I searched you online and found out all your stats.”
Alarm streaks through me. “You looked me up?”
She bashfully lifts one shoulder. “Tried to find any secrets I should know about.”
My blood runs cold and if my breath weren’t stuck in my chest, it would cloud in the air.
But the beautiful smile that blooms on Margo’s lips instantly thaw me as she swings our hands between us. “We actually do make a good team. I think we can pull this off.”
“Pull what off?”
She playfully swats me. “Our fake wedding.”
“Our fake wedding?” I repeat, moving us toward the gazebo on the edge of the park.
“The only problem is on such short notice I have my work cut out for me.”
“I thought your Leprechauns canceled.”
“They did, which I believed was bad luck, but I guess that was good bad luck, since now I’m back here and got to spend your birthday with you.”
“I didn’t even need to make a wish,” I say.
Her eyes flick to mine as if grasping my meaning. My wish already came true.
“So for the St. Patrick’s Day wedding, how can I help?”
“I already gave notice to the church that the wedding is off. My to-do list is long. I still have to cancel all the vendors and probably lose the deposits on everything else.”
“No, keep it. All of it.”
“What? I can’t afford that.” Margo pauses on the sidewalk.
“I can afford it, Margo.”
Her face lights up. “But I can’t ask that of you.”
