“No musicals?”
She smiled. “Not my forte. If you’d let me get away with singing when I showed up at Boone’s bachelor party in that cake, you’d know that. My problem is, I love to sing. I just can’t carry a tune. I had big hopes for that night. A captive audience. Drunk, too, so more likely to be appreciative.”
Ethan laughed. “Think of it this way, I saved you from embarrassing yourself.”
“Hardly,” she said, laughing with him. “It was way too late for that.” She sobered and glanced over at him. The tension in his shoulders seemed to have eased. “You staying for dinner? Cora Jane says you’re invited.”
“Only if we can go to my place for dessert,” he said.
“Sounds like a deal to me,” she said, leaning in to his side. “Panic attack over with?”
“I was not having a panic attack,” he protested. “In case you haven’t heard, until you came along, my life was all orderly and predictable. Now not so much. Just trying to get those doggone ducks back in their rows.”
There was no mistaking the frustration in his voice. She managed, though, to hide a smile. “Are they lined up now?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Not really,” he said, a smile now playing on his lips. “But I’m suddenly starting not to care.”
* * *
It was just past noon on Wednesday when Samantha got a call from Gabi.
“Anything on your agenda for today at four?” her sister asked.
“No. I’ve been helping out at Castle’s this morning, but I’ll be free by then. What’s up?”
“Could you go home, put on something pretty and meet Wade and me at the courthouse?”
Understanding dawned immediately, followed quickly by dismay. “You’re getting married? Today? Does Grandmother know? Oh, my gosh, she’s going to have a fit, Gabi. She wants you to have a dream wedding just the way Emily did.”
“No, she wants me to marry Wade. I don’t think the fancy details matters to her, any more than they do to us.”
“But you can’t get married when Emily and Boone aren’t even in town,” Samantha protested. “They’ll never forgive you.”
“I already have their blessing. They’re going to throw a reception for us when they come back. Nothing pacifies our sister like offering her the chance to throw a big party. And it’ll guarantee she stays on the coast for a couple of extra weeks, which will make Grandmother ecstatic. It’s one of those win-wins everybody loves.”
“But it’s so fast,” Samantha found herself protesting. “What about Dad? Are you at least inviting him?”
“He hasn’t even left town yet. He’s holed up in some hotel on the ocean with Sophia. I think he’ll be thrilled with any ceremony that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. He’s my next call. First I had to be sure I had my maid of honor.”
“You’ve got her,” Samantha assured her.
“You can bring Ethan,” Gabi told her. “I’m telling Dad he can invite Sophia, and of course, Jerry will be there with Grandmother. Louise, her husband and all Wade’s nieces and nephews will be there, along with Meg and Sally. Tommy Cahill is Wade’s best man. I think that’s as much for Meg’s benefit as Wade’s. They hit it off at that bachelorette party we threw for Emily. That’s it for the guest list. Then we’re having a barbecue in the backyard. Jerry’s cooking. Louise is finding some kind of cake at the bakery and dressing it up with wedding bells or something appropriate.”
“I don’t believe this,” Samantha murmured. “What can I do?”
“If you can get home by three, you can keep me from falling apart. Otherwise, just get to the courthouse on time.”
“I’ll be at the house,” Samantha promised. “You want a bouquet? I can pick something up, just a single flower with some ribbons if that’s all you want, but you should carry something. It’s a shame most of the flowers at Grandmother’s are past their prime.”
“Fine, fine. Whatever,” Gabi said, clearly uninterested. “I’ll leave that to you. Now I have calls to make. You’re in charge of getting Ethan there.”
“Got it,” Samantha said. “Sweetie, I am so happy for you and Wade. I hope today is everything you want it to be.”
“As long as he and Daniella are there, it will be,” Gabi said with conviction.
“I’m buying a bunch of disposable cameras, too,” Samantha told her. “You need pictures, and nobody prints out the ones they take with their cell phones.”
“Thanks. I don’t intend to forget a second of this, but pictures would be nice.”
As soon as she’d hung up from speaking to Gabi, Samantha called Ethan.
“Hold on to your hat,” she told him. “We have an impromptu wedding today at four.”
He laughed. “It’s not ours, is it?”
“Nope, not even I am that spontaneous. It’s Gabi and Wade. I guess they caught wedding fever or something. Can you meet us at the courthouse?”
“I’ll make it happen,” he promised.
“And don’t worry,” she told him. “I’m not getting any ideas.”
“Then you may be the only one who isn’t,” he murmured, then hung up.
She didn’t have time to ponder what on earth he meant by that, because Cora Jane came bustling across Castle’s just then, a huge smile on her face. “You heard?”
“I heard,” Samantha confirmed. “You’re not upset that they’re doing this in such a rush?”
“They’re getting married. How they do it hardly matters.”
Samantha gave her grandmother a fierce hug. “That’s the spirit.”
Cora Jane winked at her. “Two down, one to go.”
“Do not get started on me,” she warned her. “Or on Ethan.”
“Oh, come on. The man’s sitting on the edge. One quick shove and he’ll tumble straight into your arms.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Samantha said, though she desperately wanted to believe her grandmother was right. “Just make sure you’re not the one doing the shoving.”
* * *
Louise’s children were running around the judge’s chambers creating even more chaos in an already unruly situation. Ethan was tempted to snag them, but since no one else seemed to be fazed,
