“All right, I’m going,” I said, laying the spatula down and following my mother and Lucy up the stairs and into the master bedroom. I could hardly believe that Alec and I were actually going to be married today. In some ways, it seemed like we had waited for forever, but in other ways, it seemed like our relationship had progressed so fast. I had never been so comfortable with somebody so quickly in all my life. Not even with Thaddeus. Thaddeus had been so perfect he had made me nervous for the first month or so that we had dated. But with Alec, once I got past the idea that he might pin a murder on me, we had settled right into a comfortable relationship.
Mama stopped and looked around the bedroom. “Allie,” she whispered. “Is this where you found the dead body?”
I turned and glanced at her. “No, it was in the bathroom.”
She shook her head and clucked. “I can’t imagine living in a house where a dead body was found.”
I shrugged and looked at myself in the mirror over my dressing table. “I’ve seen a couple of dead bodies over the last year or so. They don’t bother me as much as they used to. And besides that, we turned that bathroom into a walk-in closet and put a new bathroom on the other side of the bedroom. If Elizabeth Grant wants to stir around in my clothes closet, she’s more than welcome to do it.”
“Allie, you shouldn’t speak that way of the dead,” Mama whispered as if Elizabeth might hear us.
“Yeah, Allie, don’t speak that way of the dead,” Lucy chimed in.
I looked over my shoulder at Lucy and shook my head. “It’s all right. I promise. I’ve been staying here for the past two weeks, and I haven’t seen or heard a thing.” I sat down at the dressing table and got to work on my makeup.
“Mom, why aren’t you dressed?” Jennifer said, coming to stand in the doorway.
“I was working on the cake,” I said. “Where’s Alec?”
“He’s down the hall getting dressed. He asked me to check on you to make sure that you were dressed. Now I have to go back there and tell him that you’re not.”
I turned and gave her the eye. “You tell him that I am in the process of making myself beautiful. Beauty takes time.”
She snorted and headed back down the hallway.
My mother and Lucy stepped inside the bedroom and closed the door. “We can’t have Alec seeing the bride before the wedding,” Mama said. “It’s bad luck.”
There was a knock at the door, and it opened, and Sarah poked her head around the corner. “How is everything going in here?”
“Great,” I said as I continued with my makeup. “How much time until the wedding?”
“Forty-five minutes,” Sarah said.
I gasped. “Are you serious? Forty-five minutes? Where’s the caterer? Is the food here?” I jumped to my feet. “Oh my gosh, what are we going to do if they don’t show up? What will we feed our guests?”
“I gave them a call ten minutes ago, and they promised they would be here in twenty minutes. They said they’ll get things prepped in the kitchen without making a sound and then have the food on the tables in less than thirty minutes after the wedding is over. I’m going to go back downstairs and see if Shelby or Jake need any help.” Sarah left the room, closing the door behind herself.
I sat back down. One thing that we hadn’t planned on was what to do with the guests during the time between when the wedding ended and when the caterers would put the food on the tables. The day had turned out warmer than it had been lately, but the yard was soaked with all the rain we had been getting, and they couldn’t go out there. “I suppose we can have the guests go into the living room while they set up.”
“Nonsense,” Lucy said and came to stand beside me. “Why go to the trouble? They know that you’re doing both the wedding and the reception in the same room, and they aren’t going to be bothered by it. Besides that, there aren’t that many guests, and everybody is a close friend of yours or Alec’s, so they’re not going to be disturbed.”
I sighed and nodded. “Of course. I knew that.” But I was worried about things. Alec’s mother still hadn’t arrived yet, and some of his friends from when he worked at the police department over in Bangor were going to be here. I wanted to make a good impression.
“Just calm down,” Lucy said.
I nodded. “I can hardly believe it,” I said as I applied eyeliner. “I’m going to be married.”
“It’s about time,” Jennifer said, having returned from reporting to Alec that I wasn't dressed yet.
I gasped and turned to look at her. “About time? You’re the one who wasn’t sure about Alec. You were the one who gave me a hard time when we went out on our first date.”
She shrugged. “Alec’s okay. And if he makes you happy, then I’m not going to complain.”
I shook my head and turned back to the mirror. She still missed her father, and it had been hard for her to see Alec with me. Jennifer was my high-strung child, and I had been so excited when she accepted our relationship.
“Is everything set up downstairs?” I asked. Thank goodness for the ladies in my life because they had gone to work the minute they arrived in town and helped me put everything together. Lucy and Jennifer had been here since we had decided to get married, and they had been working like little chipmunks putting away nuts for the winter.
“Aunt Shelby is taking care of things downstairs. Everything is ready,” Jennifer assured me. They all came to stand around me, and Jennifer ran her hands through my hair, fluffing it up and giving it some volume. I was a natural redhead, but I still had had the color touched up and got a trim. I had decided on leaving my hair down. It was exactly the way I wanted my wedding pictures to look.
There was a knock at the door, and then Sarah opened it and slipped inside. “Mr. Winters is here,” she said almost breathlessly.
I looked at her in the mirror without turning around. “Is he? Good. I’m glad he could make it.” Mr. Winters was mine and Lucy’s go-to when we needed information about someone.
“Yes, but,” she said, hesitating. “He brought something for you.”
I looked at her, and her eyes were big. “What do you mean he brought something for me?”
“Yes.” She exhaled. “Balloon animals.”
I gasped and turned to look at her. “What are you talking about? He brought balloon animals?”
She shook her head. “Not exactly. He brought a helium tank and a bunch of balloons. He’s in the process of making a dachshund as we speak.”
I gasped again. That was happening a lot today. “You go down there, and you tell that man that I am not having balloon animals at my wedding.” Alec had laughed hysterically when I told him that Mr. Winters had suggested he would make them for our wedding several months ago. I wasn’t laughing.
She shook her head. “I don’t want to break his heart. He’s a sweet old man. I can’t do that.”
I turned and looked at Lucy. “Lucy, you tell him no balloon animals!”
Lucy shook her head. “I can’t do that to Mr. Winters. He’s too sweet.”
I groaned and got to my feet. “Okay then, I’ll do it myself.”
“You can’t go down there in your bathrobe. People will see you.” Lucy said.
“Of course people are going to see me, I’m going to tell Mr. Winters that he can’t make balloon animals for my wedding.”
“Oh, Allie, just get ready for your wedding. What are a few little balloon animals?” Mama said. “I’ll go down and see what he’s up to.”
I nodded, trying to get ahold of myself. “Okay. But no balloon animals!”
I sat back down, my heart pounding in my chest. How could I face Alec if there were balloon animals at my wedding? He would laugh, and that would make me laugh. And then his mother and his friends from the police station would think I was a nutcase.
“He’s very good at making them,” Sarah said.
I eyed her through the mirror. “I don’t want any balloon animals on my wedding.” I had made up my mind, and I expe
cted my wishes to be honored. It was my wedding, after all.
Mr. Winters had at one time worked for the circus, and apparently, he was good at making balloon animals. But that still didn’t mean that I wanted them at my wedding.
Chapter Three
We had divided the white wooden chairs into two sections, creating an aisle, and I looked at Alec as Thad walked me down the center of it. We had invited a total of forty guests, and with the ballroom being as large as it was, it was no problem being able to seat them all. As I glanced around the room, I realized that it looked like nearly everybody had come. There was no time to wait for RSVPs, so I had no idea if they would show up or not. Alec and his best man, John Jones, a friend from the police department, stood at the front of the room, waiting for me. Jennifer was my maid of honor, and she walked ahead of me.
We had decided to keep the wedding party small because otherwise, it would have been overwhelming for the space, and also because it was a spur of the moment thing and I hated to put a financial burden on the women in my life. I glanced over at Mama sitting on the front row of chairs along with Sarah, my sister Shelby, and my brother Jake. Seeing them made me tear up as I walked down the aisle. I had to look away, so I didn’t completely fall apart. Alec’s mother and brother sat on the groom’s side, their eyes on me. I smiled at them.
Alec’s friends from the police station were sitting in the seats behind his mother and brother. I looked at Alec, and this time the tears did come. He smiled at me through his own tears.
Mr. Winters sat on the bride’s side and waved at me. I smiled and nodded. The closer I got to Alec, the faster my heart beat. And then I was standing beside him, trying to calm my nerves by breathing in deeply. He took my hand, and I smiled at him. I turned to face him, and then I caught sight of the balloon animals behind him. Some of them were filled with helium, as they bobbed on their strings near the pile of earthbound balloon animals on the mantle. Why hadn’t they stopped him? I looked at Alec and smiled again, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off the balloon animals.
“You look beautiful,” he whispered.
I smiled at him. “Thank you. You look handsome.” A red giraffe strained against the string holding it down. I blinked.
I had chosen a lavender tea-length dress for the occasion. I’d already had the big white ball gown when I got married the first time, and so I decided on a pretty, simple dress. Alec wore a light gray suit with a lavender tie.
My eyes went back to the balloon animals, and Alec looked at me, questioning with his eyes. I smiled. The officiant was from the Baptist church, and he began the ceremony. I tried to pay attention to what he was saying, but the balloon animals threw me off. There must have been at least thirty of them piled up and another dozen floating around them. How had he made so many of them in such a short time?
“What’s going on?” he mouthed.
I smiled and shook my head, but trying to keep my eyes off those balloons was nearly impossible. How could he not have seen them when he came to stand here?
Finally, Alec very slowly looked over his shoulder to see what I was looking at and when he turned back his eyes were wide, and then he did it. It started as a low chuckle that only me and the pastor could hear. But he glanced back over his shoulder again, and that low chuckle turned to laughter. It didn’t take long for the guests on the groom’s side to begin to laugh along with him.
I shook my head and gave him a warning look, but it was too late. I fell into a fit of giggles that progressed to laughter. The pastor looked at us, confused, but continued with the service. Jennifer and the best man joined in with us, and it didn’t take long until nearly everyone in the room was laughing. I was certain that almost no one knew what it was that had started Alec laughing, but once he started, he couldn’t stop.
“Do you, Alec Blanchard, take Allie McSwain at as your bride?” The pastor asked hesitantly.
By this time Alec was laughing so hard that he couldn’t answer, he just nodded. His face turned red from his laughter, and I wiped at the tears that were coming from my eyes with a tissue Jennifer had handed me.
“Well, usually it’s a verbal agreement,” the pastor said very seriously.
Alec nodded again and squeaked out, “I do.”
The pastor looked at me wide-eyed. I nodded. “I take him as my husband, too.”
He nodded. “Well, alright then. As long as you both agree.”
I stepped in close to Alec, and he looked into my eyes, and for a moment he stopped laughing. I leaned in, and he kissed me. There was applause that went up throughout the room, and we both stepped back and laughed again.
“I thought you weren’t going to have balloon animals at your wedding?” he teased.
I shook my head. “Apparently I didn’t know what I was talking about.”
He laughed again, and we turned toward our guests as the pastor introduced us as husband and wife.
***
Jennifer asked me if I wanted her to go and tell Mr. Winters to stop, but I decided that there was no use in that. The balloons made him happy, and apparently, they made Alec happy. That in turn made all of our guests happy. I may have been too harsh when I said there wouldn’t be any balloon animals at my wedding, because they were a hit. Everyone wanted one. After the wedding was over, Mr. Winters got busy making more of them while the caterers set up the food buffet-style on three tables we had pushed together.
I went to the kitchen to see what the caterers were working on. “How are things going in here?” I asked as they worked to get the food ready to be served.
Richard Thomas from the Sandy Harbor Catering company popped something into his mouth and nodded. “Sorry, I didn’t get to eat breakfast earlier. We’re just about ready though.” He took a sip from a cup he held, then set it on the counter. “I’ll take this out to the table.” He picked up a bowl of shrimp that was set over a bowl of ice and headed out to the ballroom with it.
“Allie, we can set the cake on a table for you if you’d like us to,” Jodi Miller, one of the other catering assistants said.
“Could you?” I asked, feeling relieved. “I was dreading trying to move it. I put dowels in it to keep it steady, so it should be fine, but I always hate moving wedding cakes.”
She nodded. “No problem. We’ll get that set up for you.”
She and Lisa Wilson got on either side of the cake, and Richard returned to the kitchen to help them. They lifted the cake, intending to put it on the small cart they had brought along. And then my worst nightmare occurred. Richard suddenly let go of his side of the cake, and it tilted. I caught my breath as he quickly recovered and managed to keep the cake from falling to the floor. “Oh. Oh, I’m sorry,” he said, turning to me. His face went pale as he looked at me. “I think I lost my balance.”
I breathed out as they got the cake safely onto the cart.
“It’s okay,” I said breathlessly. I held my breath as Richard pushed the cart out of the kitchen, his head down.
Jodi smiled, looking embarrassed. “Sorry, Allie.”
I nodded. “It’s okay. Everything is okay.” My heart was pounding in my chest, and I said it as much to reassure myself as them.
I settled myself down, and the caterers went back to work. We had opted for a seafood feast complete with clam chowder, lobster, crabs, and an assortment of sides and bread that were traditional Maine dishes. Thank goodness the caterers were staying to make sure that everyone was served because it was a lot of food. They were also going to clean up when we were done.
I hovered near the kitchen doorway as they worked, trying not to be too big of a pest, but I was probably failing at it.
“Allie, that was the sweetest wedding,” Lucy said and hugged me. “And your dress is so pretty.”
“Thank you, Lucy. I feel bad that you weren’t a bridesmaid.” I had told her that I would love for her to be a bridesmaid, but that it was up to her. Alec could have found another groomsman to make it an even wedding party, but I didn’t want
her to feel bad about saying no if she didn’t want to.
“Oh, please,” she said, waving the idea away. “I would have to go buy a dress, and I haven’t worn a dress in ages. Jennifer was the star of the wedding party, as she should be. I’m just so happy that you and Alec are married now. I know I’m your best friend. I’m not insecure about not being in the wedding party.”
I smiled gratefully and teared up. “You know you’re my best friend.”
“Congratulations Allie, how long do you think it’ll last?” Lucy’s husband Ed asked me.
I hit him on the arm. “Ed, it’s going to last forever.”
He nodded. “I’m starving. I can’t wait to dig into all that seafood.”
I chuckled as he walked away to look at Mr. Winters’ balloon animals.
“That’s Ed for you,” Lucy said. “I’m so happy for you.” Tears sprang to her eyes, and I hugged her again.
“Thank you, Lucy. I’m so glad that you’re here to enjoy this day with me. And I’m so glad that you did so much for me in preparing for it. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“I never would have thought we could put a wedding together in two weeks, but we did it. Maybe we should go into business putting weddings together in two weeks? It could be a thing, you know.”
I nodded. “I’m sure it could be. But I don’t think I want to do something like this again for a very long while. I’m exhausted.”
She nodded. “Me too.”
“Allie, you look so pretty in your dress,” Sarah said and hugged me. “This was the nicest wedding.”
“Thank you, Sarah,” I said and hugged her back. “I’m so glad you and Thad got to be here. I don’t think we could have gone through with it if you two hadn’t been able to get away.” Sarah had her own wedding coming up in August, and I knew that she had been working on it for months. It was going to be a large affair with the white ball gown and a couple hundred guests.
Wedding Bell Blunders: A Freshly Baked Cozy Mystery Page 2