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CAITEY
Jenna parted the drapes, pushing her hair from her eyes. “What was allthatabout, girlfriend? Did I detect some high-level flirting with one Marcus Stirling, Intelligence Specialist, Navy SEAL dude, and best friend of my groom?”
Caitey flipped her hair over one shoulder and batted her eyelashes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Right now, I’m pulling out my lists, and we’re figuring out your wedding!”
She reached for the binder where she had been keeping all her wedding notes and sat down in one of the high-back chairs.
“I do have a lot of questions—and worries,” Jenna said. “I’ve been trying to hide it, but good grief, I hope my guestscan drive up here okay this afternoon. They’re probably plowing the road as we speak.”
Caitey braced herself and chewed on her lip. “I have fresh intel on that.”
“You sound like Marcus,” Jenna accused playfully. “I think he’s rubbing off on you.”
Caitey saluted, laughing at the reference to the Navy SEAL, but moments later, her cousin’s eyes filled with fresh tears. “My dream wedding is ruined,” she said, her voice quivering.
Caitey grabbed her hand. “No, it’s not. We have everything we need to make it beautiful. So first, here’s the sad news.”
Jenna immediately forgot about herself. “Have you heard from your parents yet? Did they make their flights?”
“Yes, I got a flurry of text messages this morning from my mother. They got in from San Francisco last night and stayed at a hotel because it was so late. This morning, they picked up their rental car. And . . . were stopped at the bottom of the mountain.”
“What?! The blizzard was that bad?”
“Yeah, Mom said that the sheriff and deputies are blocking the roads heading up the mountain because it’s so icy. And . . . there was a bad accident, so the entire area is filled with emergency vehicles. They had to turn around and ended up getting a hotel room in Santa Barbara.”
“That’s terrible!” Jenna exclaimed in a faint voice. Then she jerked her chin up. “What about my wedding cake? Thebouquet and boutonnieres? They’re supposed to be delivered soon.”
“Have you looked at your phone for messages?”
Jenna started. “I’ve been so distracted by the snow . . . and my head whirling about how and where to do the ceremony.”
“Where’s your phone now?”
Jenna patted her pockets and looked up in a daze. “I have no idea. I must have left it in my bedroom. Let me run and get it.”
She jumped up and bounded upstairs, returning in sixty seconds while scrolling wildly through texts and phone calls.
Sinking into her chair again, Jenna blinked back the tears filling her eyes. “The bakery can’t deliver. Authorities turned her away. The flower shop as well. And I had an eye-catching and gorgeous bridal bouquet picked out.”
Caitey reached out to embrace her cousin, and they held on to each other for a long moment while Caitey tried to figure out how to fix the big mess this day had turned into.
“Guess it’s no use crying over spilled milk,” Jenna said, her voice shaking. “The wedding isn’t going to happen.”
“I hate to say this,” Caitey said softly. “The closed roads mean your other guests and friends won’t be able to attend either.”
“You’re right! And I wanted to show off my stunning dress!” she added with a wan smile, even though her lips were quivering. The next instant, Jenna’s phone rang. She swiped the screen. “Yes,” she said solemnly to the person on the other end. “Yes, I understand.Please don’t worry yourself. There’s nothing to be done. It’s just a bad luck day but thank you for calling.”
She let the phone clatter to the table’s surface. “Well, that’s that,” she said in a low, tortured voice. She lifted her eyes to gaze at Caitey, her eyes filling with emotion. “The minister marrying us lives farther up the mountain. And he’s stuck in his driveway.” Her phone buzzed again, and Jenna scanned the message. “Good grief, can this day get any worse? The string trio can’t make it, but I should have figured that out already.”
“We’ll play the ‘Wedding March’ on the stereo,” Caitey told her. “Or Queen! Barry Manilow! The Beach Boys!” she added, trying to elicit a mile from her cousin. “Whatever you want, honey. I think it’s obvious that both the ceremony and the wedding dinner will be inside—the ceremony in the drawing room and the dinner right here in this elegant dining room. Gus is on duty and ready to do anything we need. He’s truly a dear, isn’t he?”
“He is,” Jenna agreed in a quiet voice. “Okay, I guess all of that will work, but I’ll have to muse on a good Queen track for a while,” she added with a trembling smile.
Caitey pressed her hand against hers. “This morning has been a big blow, butI promiseI will give you the most beautiful and romantic wedding, and you will be filled with joy at marrying the man you adore.”
A single tear finally spilled from Jenna’s eyes. “But if the minister can’t get here, there is no wedding.”
Caitey pressed Jenna’s hand with hers, leaning in close towhisper, “Hey, if all else fails we can have Marcus go online and see what it takes to be an officiator for your wedding. Maybe there’s an instant certificate he can print out. It means pulling double duty, best man and officiator, but at least you can actually get married, and it’ll be legal. And I’ll be the wedding planner and D.J. and . . .”
