The day had been cloudy with sprinkles of rain falling throughout. Amelia stood in her kitchen, wearing a pink dress that made her look like she stepped out of a 1950s vintage magazine. She wore pink pumps that Meg had picked out that were the same color as The Pink Cupcake and matched the little gloves her daughter insisted she wear and the pillbox hat.
“Mom, you look amazing. I want to get married in a dress just like that,” Meg said.
“Well, anything you want, honey, and we’ll do it,” Amelia said.
“I just saw Dan pull up. The judge is with him and so is Detective Hobbs, if you can believe it.” Lila smiled as she sauntered into the house.
“Oh, Lila. I would have been so lost without you. I can’t believe you pulled this off in no time, and here I was, spinning my wheels like a crazy person.” She walked over to her friend and slipped her arm around her waist. Although Amelia had asked Meg to be her maid of honor, she insisted that Lila be in the bridal party.
“That’s what the bridesmaids are for.” She squeezed Amelia back. “Now, I’m going to direct that handsome fiancé where to stand. Your son has got some beautiful music playing. When you hear the ‘Here Comes the Bride’ theme, just come on out.”
“I hope it doesn’t rain,” Meg chirped.
“Are you kidding? Rain is a sign of good luck and a happy marriage,” Lila said, winking at Amelia before she went outside.
“Is that true, Mom?”
“That’s what they say,” Amelia replied as she stood back from the patio door of her home and saw the small gathering of people she cared about in her small backyard. This was better than The Old Barn or any other venue she could have picked. She loved her dress and thought she, Meg, and Lila looked wonderful all in pink.
Under a canopy, she saw Rusty from The Twisted Spoke restaurant, watching Lila as she walked back and forth like a bulldog staring at a piece of ham. If there was a pair that should get together for good, it was those two. He had trays of pulled pork, miniburgers, sweet potato fries, coleslaw, and potato salad. And next to him were the pink and white cupcakes that Beatrice and Karl had made special for the event. They were also seated outside, waiting for things to get started.
Adam was under a canopy with his computer and iPod or whatever it was that he’d programmed all the music into. They collected everyone’s favorite songs and promised to play them all well into the night if necessary. Christine had requested at least a dozen songs she wanted to dance to and was there with her husband and four boys, who were doing their best to sit still and behave.
Amelia was surprised at how calm and relaxed she was. She smoothed out the front of her dress and thought about how it was just a short while ago that she’d moved into this house, afraid, lonely, and hurt because she had been dumped by the man she thought she loved. Looking back, John had a lot of issues that she only saw after meeting Dan and catching a glimpse of what true happiness could be.
Amelia heard her cue.
“Mom! Are you ready?” Meg asked, followed by Lila, who hurried inside to give Amelia’s dress one last fluff and pat.
“I’m ready,” Amelia said, and before she knew it, she was outside.
Lila and her daughter walked down the little grass aisle between the sets of chairs, and Adam was at her side.
“You look real pretty, Mom.”
“Thanks, honey.”
“I thought for sure you’d be crying,” Adam said.
“I haven’t felt like crying at all. I guess I’m just more in control this time,” Amelia said.
“If you say so.”
He offered her his arm, and they walked together to the edge of the lawn. Amelia looked up and saw Dan wearing the most handsome black suit with a bright-pink tie. He barely smirked and looked more handsome than ever because Amelia saw tears in his eyes. She couldn’t help it. She started to cry too. It was the only way she could express how happy she was.
As she watched Adam shake Dan’s hand, her heart pounded with pride. Dan took her hand and held it tightly. He wasn’t shaking or nervous, and when he looked down at her, he winked.
“You look beautiful,” he whispered.
“So do you,” Amelia replied.
“What are you crying about?” he asked, blinking his own bright-blue eyes.
“Because I love you so much. Why are you crying?”
“Same,” he replied.
And the judge began. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate Amelia and Dan…”
As you wait for book 11 in the Pink Cupcake Mysteries, read Harper’s other series, Secret Agent Granny.
In book 1, Granny’s Got a Gun, Barbara Gold, a retired CIA agent, is bored out of her skull in Cheerville, a small town in New England—until a man is poisoned during a book club meeting for seniors. Everyone thinks Lucien had a heart attack, but from his symptoms, Barbara knows someone has slipped poisoned into his cake or drink. Even though she is no longer under cover, Barbara feels as if she’s only playing the part of a sweet grandmother, but this may just be her most useful cover yet.
The clock ticks as she investigates who in the Cheerville Active Readers’ Society would want Lucien dead. It’s only a matter of time before his death is declared murder and the police start hounding everyone.
Suddenly Barbara’s CIA training is useful again, and Cheerville is starting to seem not so dull after all…
Read an excerpt at the end of this book.
Catch up on all the books in the Pink Cupcake series here.
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