Page 95 of That Time I Kissed The Groomsman Grump
“It’s okay.” Nat swings her eyes over to me. “We’d do anything for you, Kasey.”
Yeah. Sure we would.Like put all our feelings on hold until after your wedding.
“On that note—” I back away slowly toward the door to the suite. “I guess my work here is done.” I look at Natalie one last time. “See you on the sand.”
ChapterThirty-Nine
NATALIE
As the door to the suite shuts, the scene is already rolling in my head. A vision of Brady waiting at the altar, his broad shoulders filling out a black tuxedo. Or maybe he’d choose a white dinner jacket just to be different. Either way, the man is gorgeous. Yes. I said it. After getting an eyeful of Brady Graham in his tux, I’ll be lucky to think of anything or anyone else.
Ever.
As for me, in this particular fantasy, I’m at the double doors of the church on Church Street in a long, creamy gown with a lacy train. Between us is a long, narrow aisle with a blush-pink runner that hopefully won’t make me trip. I grip my dad’s arm as he walks me down the aisle, whispering, “It’s okay. I’ve got you, sweetheart.”
Everyone I love is in this one room, on both sides of the aisle, filling the pews. The entire town of Abieville. My home. Where I belong. As a string quartet plays our song, “God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On—”
“Can I get my vows now, please?” Kasey asks, blinking at me.
“Huh?” I shake my head, yanking myself out of the dream. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“The vows.” Kasey tips her head.
“Oh, right, the vows! I stuck them in my beach bag and kept the bag with me all week just to be sure Beau wouldn’t have access. I brought that stupid bag everywhere.” I laugh, moving over to the couch where I piled all my things this morning before getting dressed. Digging around inside the bag, I come up with a lip gloss, sunblock, a hairbrush, extra headbands. The box of Sharpies from two nights ago. My phone charger. Brady’s sweatshirt. A wave of his scent washes over me, making my head spin. But the vows aren’t in here.
Where are the vows?
I glance at Kasey. “You saw me pull the rental agreement out of this same bag last night, right? You were there when I signed, scanned, sent.”
“Yes,” she says. Her jaw is tense. I tip the bag upside down and shake, like something might miraculously fall out from the bottom. And that’s when I remember.Oh no. My stomach sinks as I think back to the other night at the clinic. Brady said my beach bag got knocked over and everything tumbled out.
Kasey wrinkles her nose. “What’s wrong?”
“I’ll be right back.”
“Why? Where are you going?” Her face goes white as a sheet under her makeup. I can’t let her down. She picked me to be her maid of honor. She trusted me with her vows. I was her first choice for this, and I won’t fail her now.
“Everything is going to be fine,” I tell her, already striding toward the door. I grab the knob and turn to meet her gaze one more time. “Trust me. I’ve got this.” I grin at her with more confidence than I feel. “Do NOT worry!”
Lifting the hem of my dress, I kick off my heels just outside the suite and take off down the hall. Hopefully I can catch Brady and send him over to the clinic. Then he can grab the vows for me and get back here before the ceremony. We’ve still got plenty of time. Except Brady’s not in the hall. Or on the stairs. When I reach the lobby, the place is empty except for Hudson. The tile is cold on my bare feet.Fantastic.
I approach Hudson at the front desk. “You’re not working at the pub today?”
“Nah. I do check-in and check-out duty on weekends. But I’ll be coordinating food service later at the wedding.”
“Ah. Good.” I glance out the window. The front of the inn is deserted too. “Did Brady Graham just come through here?”
“Yeah. Ford and Three grabbed him. They had cans of shaving cream and string. I think they were headed to the Slaters’ house to decorate the getaway truck.”
“In their tuxedos?”
Hudson shrugs.
“Fine. When you see Brady again, will you tell him I’m missing some pink stationery? They’re Kasey’s vows. I think they fell out of my bag the other night, and maybe he knows where they are.” Hudson wrinkles his nose, and I change tactics. “You know what? It’s a long story.”
Hudson bobs his head. “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s great!” I force a smile. Outside in the parking lot, the gravel digs into my bare feet, but I can’t waste time going back up to the bridal suite to get my shoes. As far as Kasey knows, I’ve got this situation under control. And I don’t want to worry her.
