Page 106 of Mountain Grump
I can count on him to protect me against the feral herd behind us.
“What’s the question?”
He wraps his fingers around my wrist, sliding his grip down until our fingers are entwined again. “You okay with drive-thru burritos for our wedding lunch? We can eat them in the air.”
His words enter my mind slowly.
But as they register, my lips pull up into a smile. “Honestly? That sounds perfect.”
An elaborate plated dinner was my childhood fantasy. But burritos, in a plane, over the mountains, as we flee my family after a hasty Vegas wedding… not a bad second choice.
The blue door opens. And Dolly Parton steps out.
My eyes widen.
“You Matty and Ethan?” Her voice gets less confident as she looks between us.
And as I look at her, I realize I’m a doorknob and she’s a Dolly Parton look-alike.
Though with the way today is going, getting married by a superstar would hardly be the biggest surprise.
Then, like Ethan’s lunch question, Dolly’s sinks in.
Did she just ask for us by name?
Ethan and I look at each other, then back at Dolly.
I lift the hand not holding Ethan’s and wave. “I’m Matty.”
Dolly sighs. “Oh, a straight wedding. Okay.”
She couldn’t sound more disappointed. And I have to fight not to laugh.
“Wait.” Aunt Gunnie steps up right behind us. “I thought their wedding was scheduled for tomorrow.”
For once, Aunt Gunnie has something useful to point out. Because yes, the fake wedding I lied about wasscheduledfor tomorrow. At a nonexistent wedding chapel.
“Nope.” Dolly pops thep. “Today’s the day. And right on time.”
Uncle Jack.
“Jack,” Ethan huffs as I think about the same man.
We glance at each other again, and I’m glad he came to the same conclusion.
It would be easy for Ethan to pin this on me. Accuse me of setting it all up. For who-knows-what reason. But people have gotten angry at me over less.
The more Uncle Jack weaves his web, the more I wish I’d known him better.
I can’t imagine the emotions someone must go through when they choose to pass the way Uncle Jack did.
I can’t imagine approaching my death willingly and not being terrified.
But this…
I look around at the colorful interior of the small chapel as we follow Dolly inside.
This plan… This scheme that Uncle Jack put together…
