Page 41 of Easton Island: A Wedding to Remember

Morgan scrolled through her cell phone and found a picture she’d taken of her pup modeling his wedding attire, looking slightly annoyed with the tall hat, tuxedo top jacket and matching black bowtie.

“He looks grumpy.” Mrs. Arnsby chuckled.

“It’s the hat. It’s too tall.” Morgan told her she was working on scrunching it down so it wasn’t as tippy.

“The colors are neutral. You can’t go wrong with black and white.” The cook rummaged around in the first bin before setting it aside. “This middle bin might have what we’re looking for.”

She sifted through the contents, digging through stacks of fabric—velvet, silk, wool, linen and lace. “We need it to be, as you said, on the fancy-schmancy end.”

Morgan ran a light hand over a shimmering black fabric. “This one is nice. How hard would it be to make a ring pouch out of this?”

Mrs. Arnsby bit her lower lip, critically studying the material. “This would look nice as part of his tuxedo ensemble.” She setthe fabric aside and assembled some additional supplies before carrying them to her sewing machine tucked away in the corner. “We’ll have this put together in a jiffy.”

Morgan quietly watched her get to work, the cook’s fingers flying as she snipped, sewed, trimmed and tucked.

“I have a smidgen of tweaking to do. While I’m doing that, why don’t you pick out a button? You’ll find a bunch in the bottom bin.”

Morgan flipped the lid, revealing oodles of buttons in all different sizes, shapes and colors. She let out a low whistle. “I’ve never seen so many buttons in my life.”

“I collect them from flea markets and yard sales. No two are the same.”

She dug through the first bin. Morgan set a couple of contenders aside and started on the next bin, where she found a few more.

She opened the third and final drawer. A crystal button, sparkling under the kitchen light, caught her eye. “I think I found it.” She held the button up. “Will this work?”

“Absolutely.”

Morgan handed it to her. “Thank you for helping me. The ring holder will be so much nicer than a store bought one.”

“Because it was made with love,” Mrs. Arnsby said.

Morgan ruffled her pup’s ears. “Who knows? We might need it again.”

The cook abruptly stopped sewing. “Did Wyatt…are you?”

“No.” Morgan laughed out loud. “I wasn’t hinting a proposal is in the works. I was only commenting I want to keep it in the event there are nuptials down the road.”

“Maybe even for Quinn and Brett.”

“Speaking of Quinn, did I tell you she adopted a dog?”

“From the local animal shelter?”

“Yes. Her name is Can-dee, although I think Quinn might end up changing it. She’s Chester’s twin.”

The cook shot her a quick side glance. “Chester has a twin?”

“Actually, we found Chester around the same time the other dog was taken to the shelter. Quinn and I think they may be siblings.” Morgan told her they planned to introduce them during the overnight housewarming party.

“When she’s ready for company, tell Quinn to bring her by. She could probably use some plumping up.” Mrs. Arnsby finished sewing the crystal in place. The last step was threading a thick piece of black yarn through the ring bag, securing it. “I think we’re ready to give it a test run.”

Morgan called Chester, who had wandered off to explore. While she held her pup, Mrs. Arnsby placed the ring holder around his neck. She leaned back to admire her handiwork. “I think this will work.”

Morgan gave it a light tug, a “Chester tester” to see how he would react. He didn’t even flinch. “I think he’s going to be okay with it.”

Working together, the women packed up the sewing and craft supplies, and Morgan helped return them to the closet. Chester, still wearing his ring pouch, sat patiently waiting by the door.

“You’re such a good boy.” Morgan fed him a handful of his favorite treats. “Tell Mrs. Arnsby thank you.”

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