Chapter Twenty --

 

Kenny and I retreated to the library to watch old classic comedies. Stifling a few yawns an hour later, I took a deep breath and decided I finally had to call it a day.

“That’s it for me,” I decided.

“So early?”

“Early? Are you kidding? I have to be up in a few hours!” I groaned, eliciting a laugh from him.

“It has been a long day, hasn’t it? Come on. I’ll walk you upstairs, gorgeous.”

I left Kenny at the door to the third floor after a kiss that made my head swim. Climbing the stairs, I found Jenny, Mozzie, and Huck on the sofa in our shared sitting room.

“Where’s January?”

“Your mother wanted the dog to sleep in her room tonight,” Jen announced, glancing at me before turning her attention back to Jon Stewart and The Daily Show. “I think she’s nervous.”

“I can’t blame her for feeling that way. It’s been a tough week.”

“At least the guests will be clearing out tomorrow morning, Miz Scarlet. We’ve got to get all ready for that wedding.”

“Yes, we do. Better get some rest, kiddo.”

I woke up at half past six, feeling refreshed. No incident in the middle of the night pushed my nerves to the breaking point. No blood-curdling scream set my heart pounding. No thug tried to penetrate the sanctuary of the Four Acorns Inn. The birds were chirping in the garden below, greeting the morning sun joyously. How could it not be a great day?

Once we sent the baseball gang off to Boston just after ten, the Googins girls and Jenny joined me for a meeting in the dining room. We went over every facet of the Pinault-Magnusdotter wedding, from the room accommodations to the receptions on Friday and Saturday night, as well as the Sunday brunch.

There was still a part of me that dreaded the return of the Kradic and Zarelli tag team. That lingering fear wasn’t something I needed as I prepared to host the first of possibly several Four Acorns Inn weddings. Monday came and went without incident; I confess I thought it was just a fluke. Tuesday rolled around and I steeled myself for unpleasant surprises, but there were none. Wednesday was the same, save for the phone call from Edna, announcing that she was staying in Boston for a couple of weeks. She had gotten a temporary job working for the general manager of the Red Sox while his regular housekeeper was recovering from surgery on her shoulder. By Thursday morning, Kenny was convinced the bad boys had given up their antics in favor of some other pastime.

“I’ll stay one more night, love, and then I’ve got to vacate my room for the wedding guests, but I’m fairly confident we’re now on solid ground. No one is likely to pull the rug out from under you.”

“But how can you be sure?” I wondered. I admit I liked having him around. “With my luck, they’ll show up in the middle of the ceremony and ruin everything!”

“Have a little faith, Miz Scarlet.”

“How can I? I still don’t understand why they did it or who was paying them,” I reminded him. “And Max never said a word about what he found out the other night, when he followed Bobby.”

“Is that what’s eating you?”

“Well, yes.”

“If I tell you that Max has a handle on things, will you trust us to watch out for you?”

“But how can you....”

“You don’t trust me to know my job?” Kenny’s eyebrows shot up as his expression darkened. “You think I can’t take care of my clients?”

“I...I didn’t say that,” I offered, suddenly feeling like I was in the hot seat. Kenny clearly had confidence in his ability to handle this crisis. Why didn’t I?

“Perhaps you’d like to take over?” he glared at me.

“Ah, no,” I quickly backpedaled. “I’m...uh, sure you’ll do everything right, Captain Peacock.”

“You’re just saying that because you feel guilty that you don’t trust me.” That glower didn’t fade, a sure warning that we were in for stormy weather. I hated the fact that he knew me so well.

“It’s not you I don’t trust, Kenny,” I responded hastily. “Honestly. I was a teacher for how many years? These guys were in my class. I never turned my back on them. They were always doing things they shouldn’t do.”

“Either you trust me or you don’t. Which is it, Scarlet?”

“Oh, cripes!”

“I mean it!” The arms folded across his chest, defiant and determined. I couldn’t believe he was backing me into this corner.

“Fine,” I groaned, rolling my eyes. Two can be dramatic, fella. “I trust you to have my back. The wedding will be a great success.”

“That’s more like it.”

You think you can keep those twits from wreaking havoc with the wedding. I’m not going to hold my breath on that, Captain Peacock.

“Excuse me, but are we done fighting now? If we are, I’d like to kiss and make up.” I offered Kenny my lips, but he barely brushed them with that luscious pair of his own. “You call that a kiss?”

“You call that a vote of confidence?”

“But....”

“You’ll get your kiss when the bride and groom hit the road, not a moment sooner. And then, when the families ride off into the sunset to live happily ever after, you’ll owe me a big, fat apology.”

“Will I?”

“Yes, you will. And I’ll expect payment in full at that time.”

“You’ll what?” My mouth dropped open in disbelief.

“You heard me. I want a gracious apology that leaves no room for doubt that I am a man of my word, a man who has spent his life keeping people safe.”

“You get us through the wedding successfully and I’ll do better than that. I’ll climb to the top of White Oak Hill and I’ll sing your praises at the top of my lungs.”

“You’re on.”

“Good.”

“Fine.”

“Is this where you try to get the last word?” I asked, holding back a smile.

“It might be. It depends.”

“On what?”

“On whether I get it.”

“If it matters that much to you, it’s yours.”

“And yet, you keep talking,” he pointed out.

“Do I?”

“You do. Let me know when you’re done.”

“Sure.” I gave him a little shrug. “I guess I’m done now.”

“Good, Miz Scarlet.”

“Good is right.”

“Most people would have stopped by now,” he informed me.

“Yes, but I’m not most people, am I?”

“No, you’re not. You’re Bur Wilson’s little sister and you’re programmed to be a pain in the....”

“You know,” I said softly, stepping up and wrapping an arm around his waist, “you could just shut up and kiss me. That would probably shut me up.”

“I don’t like the ‘probably’ part. I’d prefer something more definite.”

“Like a commitment to drop it?” I traced his lower lip with my right index finger.

“A commitment is only as good as the committer. Actions speak louder than words, and in your case, I’d recommend shutting up, Scarlet, before you get yourself into more hot water.”

“Hmm....”

Jenny coughed discreetly from the doorway and then waited for us to acknowledge her. “Sorry to bother you, but we really should get moving on that shopping trip. Don’t you have to make the wedding cake this afternoon?”

“Yes, you should, Scarlet.” Kenny gave me a little push toward the teenager, his hand on the small of my back. “Run along and try not to get into trouble.”

It took us the better part of two hours to gather all the ingredients for the meals we’d planned for the Pinault-Magnusdotter weekend, and another forty minutes to unload the groceries and put them away. After a quick lunch, I got started on making the chocolate cake while Jenny festooned the foyer and grand staircase with tulle. My mother busied herself creating a wedding play list for the CD player with a selection of classic favorites in the living room. I found myself humming along to Ava Maria as I dusted my pans with flour.

Once the cakes were mixed and baking in the oven, I decided to insure the reception went smoothly by making an extra set of cake layers. They’d be in the freezer, on the off chance catastrophe struck. And if, for any reason, Captain Peacock came through for me, I’d turn those luscious layers into the best apology gift anyone ever had.

Lacey volunteered to pick up the boxed Geneva chocolates and foil-wrapped hearts from Munson’s on her way home from her exercise class at the senior center. She was going to fold napkins and put together goodie baskets for the guest rooms after lunch.

Even Bur got into the act, promising to bring home a selection of wines, including some Prosecco Superiore for the wedding reception toast.

Just after three, a white van bearing the logo of Aardvark Party Rentals turned into the driveway and pulled up to the front porch. I happened to be making the beds in the Red Oak Room at the time and caught sight of it. By the time I hurried downstairs and threw open the front door, I found myself facing two rough-looking men, dressed in white jumpsuits and black caps, wheeling an assortment of electrical equipment down a ramp and up to the steps.

“Good afternoon, ma’am. We’re ready to set up your music system.” Max gave me a wink as he glanced up at me through black-framed eyeglasses. A furry caterpillar of a moustache sat under his nose and I half-expected it to wiggle. “What room do you want this stuff in?”

“We’re on the clock, lady, so unless you want to pay us overtime, I suggest you show us the way,” Kenny announced loudly, poking his head out from behind an amplifier. The unexpected sight of his gorgeous hair hidden beneath a scruffy wig made me gasp. Grinning, he gave me a gentle bump as he passed me. “Better close your mouth, Scarlet. You’re letting the flies in.”

“Right this way, gentlemen,” I instructed them, trying to recover my equilibrium. “And please mind the floors.”

I led them down the hallway to the living room. The moment we were inside, Max deposited the wheels of his handcart on the carpet and quickly closed the door to the hallway.

“Pull all the drapes, Scarlet, but leave the front door open. We’ll take care of the rest. Just go about your business.”

“But....”

“Have you really forgotten that deal we have?” a rather stern Kenny demanded.

“Deal?” My brain tried to filter the word, but I was still distracted by the sight of two grown men playing dress up in my living room. I forced myself to concentrate. “No, I haven’t.”

“See that you don’t,” he warned me. Those gorgeous eyes were obscured by a pair of thick, tortoise shell-framed glasses. Even more shocking was the twenty pounds or so he seemed to have put on since I last saw him at breakfast.

“What have you done to yourself?” I demanded. It must be padding, I decided, but just to be certain, I reached out to check. I gave him a light poke.

“Hey, watch it, lady! That’s kind of personal, don’t you think?”

“Why don’t you two save the flirting for later? We’ve got work to do,” Max reminded us.

“Okay,” I shrugged. “I just hope you guys know what you’re doing, because if you don’t, you might just have to hire out as workmen and those jumpsuits don’t do much for you.”

“Everybody’s a critic,” Max remarked sardonically. “Personally, I think I look quite dashing.”

“Has Larry seen you in this get-up?” I inquired, knowing that the homicide investigator had a good sense of humor. She was likely to split a gut at the sight of her significant other posing as an Aardvark Party Rentals employee.

“As a matter of fact, she hasn’t. But I may give her a thrill when this case wraps up.”

“Oh, please allow me to capture the moment with my camera!”

I left them to their charade and headed back upstairs to finish preparing the rooms for the wedding guests. By the time I stopped just after five, we were almost set for tomorrow. Once Jenny and I vacated our third floor suite and Kenny vacated the Red Oak Room, it would just be a matter of changing the linens and towels.

Shark Boy stopped off after work to see if we needed any help. By this time, Kenny and Max, still in their jumpsuits, were in the back garden, setting up folding chairs. Bur had filled a couple of large blue-glazed pots with lobelia, pansies, and snapdragons, positioning them on either side of an undecorated white wicker arch. The mangled blueberry bushes were now obscured by a strategically positioned tent that would serve to house the small bar and hors d’oeuvres table. I felt my optimism slowly rising. We might just be able to make the Pinault-Magnusdotter wedding memorable.

By six, the four men had everything in place for the first night of the festivities. The security team departed in their borrowed Aardvark Party Rental van. About twenty minutes later, a much thinner Kenny returned to the inn in his SUV.

“Hello, Mr. Worman,” I greeted him at the front door. “Welcome back to the Four Acorns Inn.”

“Where nutty is the norm?” he asked with a sly grin. I contorted my normally attractive face with a goofy smile and crossed my eyes. “Didn’t your mother ever warn you, Miz Scarlet? Do you really want to go through life looking like that? Ugh! It’s enough to give me the heebie-jeebies!”

Kenny insisted that we keep the drapes closed in the living room and went from window to window in the dining room, pulling the shades. Laurel was rather surprised.

“Is there something we should know, Kenneth?”

“No, ma’am, there is not. I’d just rather not expose the residents of the Four Acorns Inn tonight. Let folks get their peep show somewhere else.”

Lacey had a date with her silver-haired heartthrob. Wearing a chic blouse and skirt, her hair fluffed up, she waited for him in the living room, peeking out the window every minute or two while the rest of the gang assembled for cocktails. She went on alert as a silver-colored Dodge Ram truck pulled into the driveway. “He’s here. How do I look?”

“Gorgeous,” my mother told her.

“You look lovely,” I nodded.

“You’re a knockout,” Bur agreed. “Go get him, tiger!”

“I think I will,” she beamed enthusiastically. “He’s definitely a keeper. Toodles, people!”

Bur, Laurel and Kenny sat on one side of the dining table. I joined Jenny and her boyfriend on the other. We settled down to a meal of linguini with white clam sauce and a tossed salad, passing Parmesan cheese and crusty rolls around the table as we chatted.

“I’m so excited about tomorrow,” Jenny exclaimed. “It’s my first time behind the scenes at a wedding. What’s the bride like?”

“Well, she was quite pleasant on the phone,” I acknowledged.

“Sure, but what does she look like?”

“I have absolutely no idea,” I admitted.

“I’ll bet she’s going to wear something amazing,” the teen gushed. “Do you think she’ll have a long veil or a short one?”

“We don’t even know that she’s wearing white,” my mother pointed out, “let alone a gown.”

“Oh, that’s too bad.”

“She and the groom didn’t seem to indicate this was a very formal wedding.” I poured myself another glass of ice water.

“I guess that’s okay, since this is only our first wedding. If it goes well, we might just be able to work our way up to something really dazzling.” There was a wistful note in Jenny’s voice.

“Wouldn’t that be nice?” Laurel sighed.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out they were hooked on the idea of inn weddings. I can see it all now. To welcome guests to the Four Acorns Wedding Annex, we’ll commission a fancy sign featuring a squirrel in a lace gown, holding a bouquet of oak leaves, and another in a tux. Below would be the words “where nutty is the norm”.