Page 14 of Sunsets at the Beach House

“Willie just told me in a text.”

Kat nodded. “I probably will then. If it’s a night that he’s not on duty.” She snorted. “Can you believe they’re getting married?”

Margo lifted her cup and took a sip, using the action to gather her thoughts. “I can. And I have to say I understand it.”

Kat’s brows went up. “Really? I thought you were going to say something about how foolish it was or how they couldn’t possibly know they were in love or something like that.”

“I might have just a few minutes ago, but Willie made a point that’s got me seeing her side of things. At our age, time isn’t the luxury it was when we were young.” Margo shrugged. “If they want to be together, why shouldn’t they be? The longer they wait, the less time they have.”

Kat nodded slowly. “I guess that’s true.”

It was. And now Margo couldn’t stop thinking about it, either.

Willie tucked her phone away. “Margo’s coming and she’s bringing a date. I guess I need to officially invite the crew upstairs, although I’m sure they all know now.”

Trina looked up from her salon binder. “We could still send invites if you want, Mimi.”

“Nah.” Willie shook her head. “Seems silly when we’re inviting such a small number of people.”

Roxie was in the other chair, feet up. “I’m getting to work on the wedding stuff in earnest tomorrow, Ma. Once we have an officiant and I know the restaurant can handle the catering, we’ll be in good shape. I’m going to ask Jules if she’ll play the wedding march for you, too. If not, we’ll just use a speaker attached to Trina’s phone. Everything else is just fluff.”

“What about my flowers? It doesn’t need to be a big bouquet, but I’d like to carry something,” Willie said.

“You’ll have flowers. Any kind you want in particular?” Roxie asked.

“No lilies. Those are for funerals. How about lavender roses? To go with my hair.” Willie patted her curls and smiled.

Roxie nodded. “I’ll see what I can find. I bet they won’t be cheap.”

“That’s all right. Miguel will need a flower for his shirt. And maybe get some nice centerpieces made up for the tables, too. I suppose I should ask Miguel if they have any extra tables. We might need to get some. And chairs. And –”

“Ma.”

Willie looked at her daughter.

Roxie smiled. “Don’t stress. We can handle this. I can handle it. It’s not much different than throwing a big cookout. Just a few more details is all.”

Willie nodded. “I promise I won’t turn into a bridezilla.”

Roxie laughed. “I know you won’t. Anything you want, you just let me know and I’ll take care of it, okay?”

“Okay,” Willie said.

Trina nodded. “And I’ll take care of your hair and makeup that day, if you want.”

“Of course I want,” Willie said. “I need to look my best. Especially since there will be pictures.” She looked at Roxie again. “We need a photographer.”

“I know. I have that on my list. I swear, I’ll get it all taken care of.”

Willie exhaled. She was getting a little stressed out and that was not like her. “Maybe I need a little gin and tonic to take the edge off. This whole wedding is starting to feel like a very big undertaking.”

“It’s not,” Trina said as she got up. “I’ll fix you a drink. Then you’ve just got to relax and let Ma do her thing.”

“But the timing is terrible,” Willie said. “I admit that much. We should be concentrating on the salon.”

“We are,” Trina said from the kitchen. “And it’s all under control. Don’t forget, we’ve got Ethan helping us there, too.”

“I know.” Willie was glad about that. He was such a help. Just knowing he wouldn’t let anything slip through the cracks was enough to bring her blood pressure down a few points.

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