Page 131 of Jack
But maybe his heart was here . . . or . . .
Harper certainly wasn’t staying, so there was that.
Except, what if . . .
Maybe they should play the game again, this time at the reception, maybe where he could pull her into someplace private . . .
“After the wedding, Oaken and Boo will take pictures at the church, then more at the house before the reception starts. That was the memo that Boo’s wedding planner gave me.”
“Who?”
“A woman named Megan. She’s from out of town but came highly recommended.”
“What’s for dinner?” Stein asked.
“I don’t know. Mom brought in a caterer, a recommendation from Megan.”
Yeah,he’d get Harper away from the reception and tell her . . .what?He looked out the window, trying out words in his mind. He didn’t want this to end? He was in love with her?
Yeah,that was raw and terrifying. Maybe his dad was right about the running.
The historical church sat on the edge of a park in the middle of town, miraculously spared from the tornado six years ago. A simple limestone building with a tall steeple and a bell at the apex. The stone stairs that led up to double wooden doors were now flanked with tall cedar trees decorated with white ribbon and tulle.
A blue carpet, laid for traction, led up the stairs to the front door.
His father pulled into the lot, parked. “We’re supposed to use the side entrance, sneak in.” He grinned at them, a joy in his eyes that Jack felt down to his bones.
They got out, and Conrad put a hand on Jack’s shoulder, pulling him away. “Hey. I need to show you something.”
The wind shivered through him as Conrad handed him his phone. “This came through on my feed. It’s aPopMuseblog about the wedding. They’ve been posting little blurbs every day, some insider point of view.”
He might know who that insider was. “Yeah, that’s Harper. She got permission from Boo to cover it.”
“That explains it.” Conrad nodded. “Didn’t know you had it in you, bro.”
Had what?Jack looked at the blog. His breath caught. “What?”
“Not sure what she was going for there, but I’d give you five out of five stars.”
Jack’s entire body turned cold as he read, the words like a punch to his sternum.
And he just wanted to run.
* * *
“Just stop thinking. Breathe. Enjoy.” Harper stood in the bridal suite, a room in the back of the Duck Lake Heritage Church, holding Boo’s hands, meeting her eyes, saying the words to herself just as much as to the bride.
They’d found Penelope. Safe and alive.
The lit candles in the hearth filled the room with the scent of lilies, competing with the array of blue-and-white rose bouquets delivered by the florist earlier. The flowers sat on a vintage coffee table surrounded by pale-pink Victorian parlor sofas.
Beyond the double doors, the hum of guests filling the sanctuary lifted and filtered into the former choir room. The room had been redone for exactly the purpose of these final moments. Ornate full-length mirrors, one of them a three-way surrounding a dais. Plush white velvet straight chairs sat against makeup vanities with soft lighting and table mirrors, and along the wall, there were hanging stands for long dresses. More flickering candles in the windows and soft piano hymns playing turned the morning into a fairy tale.
Or maybe that might just be Harper’s wild imagination having a go.See, everything is going to be fine. Perfect.
Magical.
So what that Jack had been acting weird—veryweird—last night. Maybe he was as relieved as she was.