“Excuse me? Are you trying to insult me?”
“No! I’m just trying to say that I like to see a woman who isn’t afraid to eat. One of the last women I tried to date practically starved herself to stay lean but was in a perpetually grumpy mood. We made it to date three when I decided there was no future in someone who couldn’t enjoy food.”
“Oh, that makes sense. I think you have to be able to enjoy a lot of the same things. I mean, it’s nice to learn new things from a partner, but it’s also good to have things that you enjoy doing together. Of course, I never really thought about eating as something to have in common.”
He laughed, blushing. “Yeah, I guess that doesn’t make me very romantic.”
Finishing her burger, she leaned back and patted her belly. “I’m stuffed. But in a good mood, so I guess that puts me one up on the woman you tried to date.”
“Oh, Lynn, you’ve got it in spades over her.” As soon as those words slipped out, he wondered where they came from. What is it about her that makes me spout shit that I never thought about saying?
Seeming to ignore what he said, she simply asked, “So, tomorrow? What’s the plan?”
Appreciating that she was ready to get back to business, he pushed his plate away and took another sip of beer. “We can stop by the venue after leaving here and drop off paperwork. Tomorrow, I’ll pick you up and we’ll drive back to Gatlinburg. To keep us from having to go back and forth and back and forth, Nancy and Mrs. Hightower suggested that we head to the casino resort tomorrow afternoon. You’ll have a chance to look over Errol’s finances and we’ll be right at the casino in case you need anything there. Nancy said Mrs. Hightower is springing for a couple of rooms. There’s no reason why we can’t have a nice dinner and enjoy our evening. Might as well enjoy the resort.”
She held his gaze and her lips curved slightly into a beautiful smile. “It sounds like you’ve got it all planned out.”
Pushing his seat back, he stood and reached his hand toward her. The act was natural, and he watched as her gaze dropped to his hand for a few seconds before she linked fingers with him. Ignoring the feel in his chest at her light touch, he drew her upward and they walked along the sidewalk toward their car.
This time, they stopped in a few of the shops and he smiled, watching Lynn ooh and aah over some of the handcrafted items. After she moved toward the back of one of the stores, he snatched the small, hand-carved wooden bear she’d been admiring and quickly paid. Shoving the package into his cargo pocket, he innocently waited by the door for her.
At one of the distilleries, they joined in the tasting and he laughed at the faces she made as she tried a variety of moonshine flavors. Declaring the Apple Pie moonshine to be the best, she then gasped as she swallowed the Lightning Flash moonshine. Coughing, her face turned red as she sucked in air. Laughing, he grabbed a napkin for her to dab her watering eyes as she sputtered indignantly.
Buying some of the Apple Pie variety, he linked fingers with her. “Come on, lightweight.”
She pretended to glare, but her grin spread over her face. She shoulder bumped him as they continued along the crowded sidewalk. Once back at the car, they placed their packages into the back before sliding into the seat.
It did not take long for them to drive back to Cupid’s Chapel. Parking outside, they looked toward each other. “Ready?” he asked.
Breathing deeply, she nodded. “As ready as I can be.” Glancing down at the envelope lying on the seat between them, she asked, “Think it’s all good enough?”
“Whatever Rita gave us, it was fine to get the wedding license. I have a feeling that what we got from the clerk is all that Junelle needs. So, I’d say we’re good.”
“Okay… I guess it’s time to go see Junelle again!”
Walking back inside, he caught the eager expression of Junelle’s face as she reached for the envelope and examined the paperwork.
Her tall hair bobbed up and down as she exclaimed, “Oh, this is perfect. I love it when couples are all organized and ready. Okay, we have you on the books for tomorrow at noon. Get here a little early so that you can get your flowers and have a few photographs taken before the ceremony. Then we’ll go into the chapel and get you two lovebirds married.”
Looking down at Lynn, he caught her smile and battled the urge to lean over and kiss her. As she turned and smiled up at him, her gaze dropped from his eyes to his mouth and he wondered if she might be battling the same desire.
That night, Lynn chatted on the phone with Nancy. “So, I think we have it all set for tomorrow. I know I’ll start looking at the records tomorrow evening, but please, let your client know not to expect immediate results. Nolan said we can have a nice evening at the casino resort, and I’ll bring the records home with me the next day. It can easily take a week for me to delve through everything.”
“I’ve let her know and she understands. She’s just grateful that we can do this.”
“Okay, well, I guess that’s it.”
Before Lynn ended the call, Nancy quickly asked, “Are you okay with this?”
“Okay with what?”
“Come on, Lynn, this is me. Your best friend, remember? I knew I wanted you to do this for me and had no idea who I might get to help until Nolan was practically plopped in front of me. But I also know how much you cared for him at one time—”
“Jesus, Nancy. That was high school. Ten years ago.
