Page 47 of Easton Island: A Wedding to Remember

“Whenever you’re ready to go again, let us know,” his wife said. “Although we’ll be putting her up for the winter, so you might have to wait until spring.”

“I’m glad we went while we still had a chance.” Wyatt thanked them again. He grasped Morgan’s hand as they made their way to the parking lot. “This had to be one of the best date nights ever.”

“If notthebest.” Morgan squeezed his arm. “You sure know how to spoil a girl.”

“That’s the plan, for the rest of your life, if you’ll let me.”

Chapter 19

Although it had been a late date night with Wyatt, Morgan woke early the next morning. The official countdown had begun. The promising-to-be-epic Elizabeth Easton and Gerard Ainsworth wedding was a mere seven days away.

She poured a cup of coffee and tracked down the Easton Harbor Beacon’s online news, making sure there was no mention of the gallery’s protestors or Edward Ryze. “Thank you, Prissy.”

Morgan checked the extended forecast, thrilled to discover their beautiful fall weather would continue into the following weekend.

It was as if God had given them a reprieve from the early signs of winter. Nothing but blue skies and moderate weather temps were heading their way.

Breakfast was peanut butter toast and a container of mixed berry yogurt. Because it was Ronni’s day off, Morgan dressed for work and headed to Locke Pointe.

She arrived to find the dining room packed and breakfast in full swing.

Jumping in to give Tina a hand, she hustled back and forth, filling empty coffee cups and chatting with guests, reminding them bikes were available to borrow and suggesting a few stops at local landmarks.

The morning meal ended, and Morgan pitched into clean up.

“I heard you mention the weather,” Tina said. “I’m guessing the outdoor wedding plans are still on?”

“If the forecast holds, it will be ideal for the bluff side ceremony and reception.”

Chester, who had accompanied Morgan to Locke Pointe, walked along the edge of the counter, diligently searching for scraps. His persistence was rewarded when he found a bite of egg and quickly gobbled it up.

After finishing, she tracked down the housekeepers to find out if there were any issues. Because it was the weekend, all guests were “stay overs,” meaning they were staying another night.

With everything running smoothly, Morgan made a beeline for the office. She took a quick look at the books and the bank accounts, checking inventory and replying to potential guests who had specific questions.

She roused Chester, who was napping at her feet. “Hey, sleepyhead, let’s go for a walk.”

She and her pup made their rounds, starting at the carriage house and working their way down to the lake. Morgan heard someone call her name. She turned to find Greg hurrying to catch up. “Hey, Morgan. I thought that was you.”

“Good morning, Greg. Chester and I thought we would take a walk to stretch our legs.”

He patted the pup’s head. “Did you run into the man?”

“What man?”

“The one who was walking around the property with his camera.”

Morgan’s heart skipped a beat. “Who was he?”

“A reporter from Bay News. He wanted to know if I worked here.” Greg gave her a brief description of the guy. “He alsoasked me if I knew Elizabeth Easton and if you were related to her.”

“What did you tell him?”

His eyes grew round as saucers. “I-I told him you were related,” he stammered. “I wasn’t supposed to?”

“No. I mean, you didn’t do anything wrong. It would be easy for him to figure out who I was. Did he say why he was here?”

“Something about Easton Harbor Art Gallery. He said someone was going to write a story about it.”

---