The Sunday before Caroline and Lee’s wedding, we attended the town picnic together with the Drakes and the Vasquez families. The picnic was held at the same charming park where Duncan and Autumn had their wedding reception.
Wyatt, Willow and I walked slowly along the merchant’s row. Wyatt carried a picnic basket for me, and Willow was excited to see everything. Candice Jacobs had a booth where she was selling cupcakes and cakepops. Judging by the line of people, she was doing very well.
We stopped to speak to Xander, Wyatt’s brother. He was out with the local firefighters, and the fire truck was on display for the children to see. I snapped a few pictures of Willow as she posed by the fire truck.
We made our way to the pavilion where Thomas had managed to claim a picnic table. “Hey, y’all!” I waved to the family.
The newlyweds were back from their honeymoon, and Autumn greeted me with a big hug. Willow began chattering to Autumn, wanting to know all about the cruise they’d been on.
Wyatt was talking to Duncan, and I helped Nina unpack the chicken and potato salad that she’d made up for the families. While Duncan arranged the paper plates on the table, Wyatt set out plastic utensils. Diego jiggled Isabel on his knee, Autumn was pointing out the flowers to Willow, and Thomas and Julian handed out the drinks to everyone.
While we sat and ate, I saw several people that I knew. Sharon Waterman introduced me to her husband. Caroline and Lee strolled by and were cheerful and excited about their impending wedding. Violet, Matthew Bell, and his daughter Charlie stopped and said hello.
Violet showed us all her brand new amethyst and diamond engagement ring, which had Autumn cheering and leaping to her feet.
While Autumn hugged her friend, I congratulated the couple.
“We need to talk soon, Maggie,” Violet said to me. “I want to hire you as our wedding coordinator.”
“Do you have a date in mind?” I asked the couple.
“Soon,” Matthew said, with a wink to his bride.
“December, maybe,” Violet agreed. “Sixth months is all I want to wait.”
“What sort of wedding were you thinking of?” I smiled at the couple. “Large and splashy or smaller and intimate?”
“Elegant, and intimate,” Violet said. “I figure we can realistically pull that off in six months time.”
I promised to call Violet soon so we could sit down and hash out the details, and as we finished our conversation, Holly and Ivy came over with their own picnic dinner and ended up joining us.
Once Violet, Matthew and Charlie moved on, I subtly watched Julian and Holly. They’d ended up sitting together at the picnic table, and were so casually polite to each other you’d never have reason to guess there was more to their relationship other than being co-workers.
Ivy distracted me from my thoughts when she announced that she was helping to shoot the wedding at the carriage house.
“I had no idea you were apprenticing with a local wedding photographer,” I said. Although I remembered seeing her take candid shots at the rehearsal dinner, I hadn’t put it all together.
“I’m hoping to work my way up to shooting smaller weddings solo within a year, and then after that, to start a photography business of my own,” Ivy said.
“I’d love to see your work sometime,” I said to her. “Do you have a portfolio?”
“I do.” Her whole face lit up. “You’re really interested in seeing it?”
“Of course.” I smiled. “I understand what it’s like to work your way up the ladder. I did that when I first started as a wedding coordinator.”
“I’m good.” Ivy said, sipping her soda. “Trust me.”
“Ivy did the engagement photos for Duncan and me,” Autumn announced from across the picnic table.
“Well, well…I’ve seen them displayed at the mansion. They’re excellent,” I said, pulling out the basket I’d brought. I lifted up a big pan of frosted brownies I’d made. “Who wants dessert?”
“You brought dessert?” Duncan asked.
“Homemade brownies.” I set the pan on the table with a flourish. “It’s an old family recipe.”
Duncan snatched his hand back as soon as the pan hit the table. “Old family recipe, you say?”
“Where exactly did you get the recipe?” Autumn asked suspiciously. “It’s not from Irene’s cookbook, is it?”
I bit my lip to keep from laughing. “No, it’s not. The recipe is from my Grandma Taylor. She won three blue ribbons with this recipe.” I took out a spatula and began to serve.
After the meal, Ivy left to go get some shots of the picnic for the local paper, and baby Isabel decide to wow the crowd by taking her first steps on the park grass.
Once the sun went down, a local band began to play at the nearby gazebo, and I sat in the grass on a blanket cozily next to Wyatt with Willow cuddled in my lap and listened to the music.
When he took my hand it all seemed absolutely wonderful. I rested my head on his shoulder, smiled up at the waxing moon, and thought to myself that my life was damn near perfect.
I had no reason to ever suspect that a few days later, my world would implode.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
June had arrived, and the days were sliding over from spring to summer. In merely a few days Caroline and Lee’s wedding would happen, and I woke early, a couple of hours before Willow, to go over my schedule for their wedding day.
I was comfortable in the cozy dark before the sun came up, wearing a pair of gym shorts, my old purple LSU t-shirt, and with my hair clipped sloppily on top of my head. I had risen to refill my coffee when something banged against the window over the kitchen sink. I jumped in reaction, almost dropping the mug, and hot coffee sloshed over my
