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Work had cranked up like mad. I didn’t know if it was because we were in the summer months or because we were being awarded contracts left and right. We ended up getting Carolinas Healthcare System, so now I was working on a couple of healthcare networks in Atlanta. Life was crazy.
Pearce was insanely busy too. Summertime brought in all sorts of trauma, a lot of it from boating accidents and other things people shied away from in the winter months.
Avery and Susan concluded that our wedding reception would have to take place at the Yacht Club. And I don’t just mean a room there. They were renting out the entire club.
“Are you sure? Won’t that be too expensive?”
They both scoffed at me. “There’s nothing too expensive for my first grandson’s wedding, honey. Remember, the two of you decided against Middleton Manor. That didn’t leave us many options due to space restrictions. We needed huge because the guest list is over eight hundred.”
I gulped, then gasped. WTF! Eight hundred! Surely, I heard wrong.
“Did you just say eight hundred?”
“Uh-huh, sweetie. We did warn you, didn’t we? Or at least I thought we did. Didn’t we warn her, Susan?”
“I assumed Pearce told her.”
I started fanning myself. I didn’t even know eight hundred people. I didn’t think I knew eight hundred people if I started adding them up from birth.
“Who are these people?”
“Don’t you worry yourself about them. They’re just a bunch of local idiots.”
“Avery,” Susan admonished. “They’re not all like that.”
“No, there will be about twenty normal people there, and Lisbeth will be one of them,” she said with a chuckle.
Ohmygod! Ohmygod!
“I’m going to kill him,” I said out loud.
“What’s that, dear?”
“Oh, I just said this is thrilling.”
* * *
My hands clenched together as I waited on Pearce to get in from work. My foot tapped in a rhythmless fashion on the wooden floor, and I twitched all over the place. I’m sure I looked like I was about to have a seizure.
When he walked in the door, he looked at me and automatically smiled and then his brow furrowed.
“What’s that face for?”
“Eight hundred people? Are you out of your mind? What the hell, Pearce Middleton? How am I supposed to even pretend I’m enjoying myself when I won’t know who I’m chatting with?” My eyes darted around like a rat’s looking to scurry at any minute.
His arms caged me as he told me to breathe. Phil also suggested this technique if I ever felt an anxiety attack coming on. It always worked like a charm.
I rubbed my face against his cheek and sighed. “Better?” he wanted to know.
“Yeah, thanks. But I didn’t think the whole town would be invited.”
He just laughed. “Baby, I told you I’d take you to the Elvis Chapel in Vegas.”
“Yeah, and your family would’ve hated me forever.”
“No one could ever hate you.”
“This freaks me out though.”
