At six o’clock that evening, four more guests—including one bridesmaid and one groomsman—had managed to make it into town despite the power still being out. While everyone tried to hold out hopes for improvements tomorrow, optimism was wearing thin. Bruce hoped for everyone’s sake that tonight’s party would brighten the mood.
He walked downstairs with Carly to an inn lobby that had been totally transformed. “Wow, Daddy!” she gasped.
Bruce had to say he was impressed. How many people could pull off the party atmosphere in a power outage like this? A fire was roaring in the lobby’s enormous fireplace, and someone had cleared the local outfitters of every camping lantern it had in stock so that they shone in a rainbow of colors around the room. The whole space had a happy glow about it. The greens he remembered from Kelly’s shop were hung around the room with ribbons and strips of plaid flannel.
He didn’t know much about how to throw parties, but this place felt more like a party than he’d ever thought possible in a snowstorm. Far smaller than how the event had initially been planned, true, but remarkably cheerful. Happy in spite of it all, which seemed like a particularly potent kind of happiness.
Just outside the inn’s front steps, Bruce could see a small army of valley residents manning a collection of grills. Whatever it was they were cooking up, it smelled delicious. On the far side of the room, a battalion of slow cookers simmered hooked up to a power strip whose cord ran out through a window to a running generator outside. He and Carly were among the first downstairs, and Bruce’s stomach growled enough from the hard work of the day to make him consider ducking outside to see if he could sneak something right now.
“Daddy, look!” Carly pulled his hand toward where a table had been set up next to the fireplace. “S’mores, just like you said!”
Sure enough, a dessert table of sorts had been laid out with a cobbled-together collection of s’mores ingredients. Not just the usual chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers, but surprising things like cherries, nuts, gingersnaps, caramel sauce—and even a few things he couldn’t quite identify.
Carly, of course, was ready to try them all. “Can I have one?”
“How about we try dinner first tonight?”
“Aw, why?” She pouted, but only until she spied Lulu coming in from the inn kitchen and the girls raced off to giggle about something together. He didn’t have to think twice about letting her run off with her new friend. He knew she’d be safe—that everyone would keep an eye out for her. In his short time here, the town had become a comfortably closed circle, a connected place. As if he’d been living the last two years under glass, and someone was starting to lift the lid. Did every guest snowbound here in the valley feel like that, or was it just him?
He caught sight of Kelly smiling to someone over a wooden bucket filled with greens and red flowers as she placed it on the buffet table. He knew piling everyone into a smaller space helped to keep the temperature comfortable, but it also created an atmosphere he could describe only as “defiant warmth.”
It really did feel like the whole valley had pulled together to make this event happen. The inn managed to feel filled with people, even though he knew it was with more “workers” than “guests.” The storm had blurred the lines between the two in a surprising and enjoyable way.
Well, mostly enjoyable. Darren was taking the alternative wedding plans a lot better than Tina was. The bride-to-be was still upstairs getting dressed, but Darren had escaped to Bruce’s room multiple times in order to decompress and blow off steam from the huge job of keeping Tina happy. “Haven’t seen this side of her before,” Darren had said nervously as he joined Bruce in the lobby. “Do all wives get like this?”
Sandy had, but not at the wedding. Of course, theirs had gone off without a hitch. Tina and Darren were launching their marriage with a monumental challenge, that was for sure. Bruce clamped a supportive hand on his friend’s shoulder. “The way I see it, a lot of marriage is seeing the other person at their worst and loving them anyway. Sandy made for a calm bride, but she was a handful when she was pregnant. You didn’t think we went on all those daylong hikes that winter because I liked your company, did you?”
“Ha,” Darren said, not laughing.
“Hang in there. You’ll be fine and this will be a funny story. Next year, that is.”
Darren looked around the room. “I don’t know what Tina will do if the power’s not back on by tomorrow. Or more guests don’t show up.”
“Maybe you don’t know what to do, but I’m thinking they’ll come up with something.” Bruce nodded to the setup of chili and corn bread that would join grilled chicken and burgers—and, of course, s’mores—as the rehearsal dinner. As a guy, Bruce found this highly appealing. He could understand, however, that Tina might not share his opinion.
“And then there’s her,” Darren went on as Rob helped Samantha Douglas into a chair at one corner of the room. “The only thing worse than not getting your perfect wedding is having someone writing about how it all went wrong.”
“She wouldn’t do that,” Bruce replied. “Would she?”
“Tina whined that her Matrimony Valley wedding will never be anything more to Southeastern Nuptials Magazine than the place that trapped their reporter and made her limp.”
“That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?”
“I thought it might be fun for Tina to go ahead with the interview. So we did, and I tried to be nice,” Darren offered. “Tina was a little short in the nice department.” The groom-to-be sighed. “She’s really disappointed, you know? About all the people who called us to say they can’t get here. I offered to put it off, but she’s always wanted a Valentine’s weekend wedding. I was worried for a while that she’d get it in her head to put it off a whole year and try again next February.”
Bruce laughed. “I’m with you. That’s too long an engagement for any couple.” Once he’d decided to marry Sandy, they’d arranged things as fast as possible. He was usually a quick and decisive thinker, which is what made this long slow climb out of grief so excruciating. “You’re ready, man. And so is she. Think of it this way—if you can make it through this, you can make it through anything. Just throw a huge Valentine’s first anniversary party next year.” He handed Darren his flashlight. “As for now, why don’t you go get your bride and bring her downstairs so we can get this party started.”
As Darren ascended the stairs, Kelly walked up to Bruce with a stunned look on her face.
“What’s wrong now?” he asked.
“Funny enough, it’s something right.” She pushed a stray hair off her forehead.
“That’s welcome news. What went right?”
“I just got a compliment from Samantha Douglas.”
Bruce looked over at the woman with her bandaged foot carefully placed on an ottoman pillow. “A compliment? From Samantha?”
Kelly grinned. “I know. She said she thought we were handling the situation well. Really well, to be exact.”
Samantha had never struck Bruce as the kind of person to be handing out compliments in a good situation, much less this. “Are we sure she didn’t hit her head when she fell?”
Kelly laughed. Bruce felt a glow of satisfaction at making the beleaguered florist smile and laugh. It had been a long day for everyone. “I don’t know if it’s the pain medication or what, but she’s been so much nicer since she got hurt. Is that a terrible thing to think?” She stared again at the woman, who was actually smiling as Rob plumped a pillow under her foot. Kelly turned to look at Bruce at the same moment he put the facts together himself. “Could it be...?”
Bruce scratched his chin. “I’m not much of a judge of that sort of thing, but I’d say your hardware store owner is...what’d they call it in Bambi? ‘Twitterpated’?”
Kelly burst out laughing at that, hand flying to cover her mouth when a few people turned to look. Bruce quickly found something to fiddle with on the table while Kelly pivoted to face the wall. She shot Bruce a sideways glance filled with amusement. “He is, isn’t he?”
“You didn’t see it yesterday?” he teased. It was fun to one-up her on something so clearly in her territory and not his.
“Well, yes, but...” She sneaked another look at the pair under the guise of adjusting one of the wall sconces. Then she smirked at Bruce. “‘Twitterpated’? I haven’t heard that word in years.”
Bruce stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Anyone with a five-year-old daughter going to an elk wedding watches a fair amount of Bambi—minus the scary fire scene, of course. Remind me to thank whoever invented the fast-forward button.”
Kelly shook her head as she managed another discreet peek at the pair across the room. “Will you look at that?”
At that moment Samantha reached out and touched Rob’s hand tenderly. Despite both of their advanced years, they looked as smitten as teenagers. “Who knew your secret weapon was the hardware guy?” he teased.
“Just because Rob strikes her fancy doesn’t mean she’ll give us a good write-up.”
Kelly excelled in finding new things to worry about. “I’d say it certainly can’t hurt.”
Hailey rang a large brass bell from the bottom of the inn staircase. “Ladies and gentlemen, your bride- and groom-to-be!” With the announcement, the small crowd burst into applause as Darren and Tina came down the stairs and Matrimony Valley’s first-ever electricity-free rehearsal dinner kicked into gear.
Just after his second bowl of very good chili, Bruce felt someone tugging on his sleeve. “Mr. Marvin makes chili as good as he makes ice cream, don’t you think?” Lulu remarked.
“Is this his recipe?” Bruce asked. “Then I’d have to say I agree.”
“I like you.” Lulu leaned up against him. “You’re fun. And you help Mom have fun. She’d kind of forgot how, if you ask me.”
Bruce almost did a double take at the girl’s blatant pronouncement. He’d certainly never use the word fun to describe himself. “You’re pretty fun yourself,” he replied, not quite sure what else to say. His nerves sprang to alert as he considered where this odd conversation might be heading—again.
“And Carly. I like her lots. We get along just like sisters, don’cha think?” Lulu crossed her hands over her chest as if that were a harmless observation instead of the relational bomb-drop it was.
He tried to give her a serious parental look. They’d already had this conversation once, and he wasn’t in a hurry to repeat it. “Friends are always nice to have.”
“Sure,” Lulu said, “friends are nice.” She gave the word all the loaded emphasis of someone four times her age.
His double take was less subtle than he would have liked. “You’re eight, right?” Eight going on thirty, more like.
She shrugged. “I know what you said, but I see how Mom looks at you. She spent more time on your boutonniere than she did on his.” She pointed to Darren. “And he’s the groom.”
Bruce gave her the “you’re making that up” look that usually worked on Carly’s tall tales.
“It’s true,” she defended. “And not just Mom. You should see how fast Miss Hailey said yes when I asked her to sit us all together at the afterward party.” Wait, now Kelly and Lulu would be at the wedding reception? When had that happened? Perhaps when half the invited guests became in danger of not showing up, he reminded himself.
“The wedding party sits at a head table. And it’s the bride who decides who gets to sit where,” he argued, feeling like things were spiraling out of his control. Yvonne the baker’s insinuations were bad enough, but now they were joined by Hailey the innkeeper?
“I know that,” Lulu replied. “That’s why I asked Miss Hailey when Miss Tina was right there.”
Tina was in on this? Was this a wedding of grown-ups or sixth-grade recess? “I’m sure Carly will be happy to sit next to you at the reception,” he said as matter-of-factly as his shock would allow.
She grinned. “That, too.”
“But I will be at the head table like the best man ought to be and not sitting with your mother.” He pulled her to the nearest couch and had her sit down. “Lulu, this has to stop right now. The valentines were bad enough, but it’s starting to get out of hand. I know what you think you see, but your mom and I are not getting together. Not now, and not likely ever. And that doesn’t mean you and Carly can’t be friends, but it does mean you have to stop what you’re doing here.”
Her lower lip quivered, and he felt bad about having to word it so harshly. Only he didn’t know how else to squelch this childish effort at “match ’em up” before somebody got hurt.
Against his better judgment, he gave her a hug. “You’re a sweet girl, Lulu, and I like you. I’m really glad you and Carly are friends, and I promise we’ll come back and visit sometime. But that’s all. So go find your mom and enjoy the party, okay?” He regretted putting such a sag in Lulu’s shoulders as she crossed the room, but there seemed to be no helping it.
* * *
Carly came up to Kelly at the s’mores table with a wide smile. The two girls had been inseparable at the event tonight, and it made Kelly’s heart glad to see the friendship becoming so strong. It would be hard when the time came for Carly and Bruce to return to Kinston, but she chose to focus on the present moment. After all, the rehearsal dinner had managed to come off far better than she’d hoped. Maybe she could stand to worry a little less about how everything could go wrong.
“I’m having fun.” A telltale smear of chocolate graced the little girl’s smile.
“Had a s’more, did you?” Kelly teased, wiping Carly’s cheek with a napkin.
“Three.” Bruce would have a hard time pulling his daughter down off that sugar high, to be sure. “Daddy said you made Mr. Darren and Miss Tina happy.”
Kelly smiled. “Well, I’m very glad to hear that.”
“You make Daddy happy, too.”
Kelly hoped the rush of warmth she felt in her cheeks didn’t show. “That’s a nice thing to say, Carly.”
“He likes you. Lulu said so, too. We both think that’s nice. Do you think it’s nice?”
Kelly leaned down to the little girl’s height. “Carly, I thought we talked about this already. Your daddy and I are friends, just like you and Lulu are friends.” She didn’t like how the words had the sour taste of untruth. She did feel a strong pull of attraction to Bruce. Still, now was hardly the time to explain the complexities of adult relationships to a five-year-old. “How about we just concentrate on the wedding right now, sweetie?”
“But I like you. And Lulu. I told Daddy last night I wanted to move here and go to school with Lulu and grow up to run Mr. Marvin’s ice-cream shop.”
Kelly looked around the room for Bruce, but couldn’t find him. “You are always welcome to visit the valley anytime you want. Lulu will always want to play with you while you’re here.”
“Lulu said the same thing,” Carly went on. “She said she’d love to be my big sister.”
“Honey, you and Lulu need to stop this. Go find your father and he’ll tell you the same thing. This isn’t something that can...”
At that moment, the lights flickered on, bringing a cry of relief from everyone in the room. Thank You, Lord. Kelly sent a prayer of gratitude heavenward as she leaned back against the wall. “Aren’t you glad the lights came back on, Carly?”
She looked down to find Carly gone, back to her father for what she hoped was the final explanation why her ideas about matchmaking were way off course.
“I’ve never been so grateful to see electric lights in my life!” Hailey exclaimed. “It was going to get frosty in here without power tonight.”
“The lights are on,” Tina said, hugging Darren. “That must mean the storm is over. Our guests can arrive. We can get married!”
Kelly leaned back against the wall. We just might make it. Everyone was hugging each other—guest and valley resident alike—and a chaotic happy celebration filled the room. Thank You, Lord, she repeated. I’m beyond grateful.
As soon as the commotion died down, Kelly walked over to where Bruce was plugging the power strip that used to run from the generator outside into a wall outlet inside. “Did you see where they went?”
“Who?” he said as he straightened.
“The girls. I had a conversation with Carly about them matching us up again, and I told her to go find you.”
Bruce stood up. “I just had the same talk with Lulu and told her to go find you.” He ran a hand down his face. “She didn’t take it too well. Lulu’s not with you?”
“No. Carly’s not with you?”
“No.”
The alarm in Bruce’s voice hit her like ice water. She spun around and they both scanned the room again. “They’re not here.” She grabbed Bruce’s hand as he looked around with the same growing fear that gripped her throat. “Bruce, they’re not here.”