Page 5 of A Dead End Wedding

That stung a little, but okay.

“Hello, Ruby,” Eleanor said. “Coffee?”

“No, that’s the last thing I need.” Aunt Ruby put her giant purse down on my counter and rummaged around. “Thismorning, when I got to the office, this was in the center of my desk. Nobody knows how it got there, but you know those Fae.”

I did, sometimes to my chagrin, know the Fae. At least the ones who lived near us. They were beautiful and capricious; twisty and deadly. They were known not to be able to tell a lie, but I’d found they seldom told the truth.

They should come with warning labels:Engage at your own risk.

“Here it is!” She brandished a large envelope. “What do you think of this?”

I tentatively took the envelope, hoping it didn’t explode. It was just an envelope, though. Heavy, cream-colored linen paper, embossed with a giant V in the corner.

“Well, open it,” Aunt Ruby said, all but dancing with impatience.

I opened it and drew out the single sheet of heavy paper. The embossed V was at the bottom of the page. Above it, it read:

To Ruby of the Callahans, Mayor of Dead End, and all its Citizens therein, please Be Advised that the town charter Bargain with the Fae expires on June 16thof this year.

You may, at the decision of the Bearer of this Declaration, be permitted to renew the charter for another five hundred years.

Be Warned: Succeed or you will be Expelled from this Territory

Viviette, Autumn Queen, Seelie Court

“June sixteenth? As in June sixteenth, mywedding day?”

“I’m not sure that’s the critical point here, but yes,” Aunt Ruby said, looking flustered.

“What do you know about this town charter? Was it in the super-secret mayor files you inherited, like the magic words to open a portal to the Fae lands?”

Aunt Ruby shook her head. “No. And I called Jed, but he has no idea. Said it was before his time, since he was only born three hundred and sixty-odd years ago.”

Viviette was the Fae queen who’d imprisoned Jack’s grandad in a statue for three centuries, so when she used words like “Be Warned,” we knew not to take it—or her—lightly.

“But who’s the bearer of the paper? I mean, if you don’t know who delivered it, how do we know who the bearer is?” Eleanor asked. “I can’t believe this is happening now. Ijustgot done moving Bill’s things into my house.”

The chimes over the door rang, and Jack walked into my shop, looking confused and a little angry. “Tess? Why is a Fae prince with his full complement of guards in your parking lot?”

“I’m guessing he’s the bearer,” I told him, trudging over to the door to look out.

There was a time when I would have rushed to see such an extraordinary sight. Now, I only wondered how much trouble was coming.

Sure enough, twenty-one Fae sat on their horses—because, of course, they did—in my parking lot.

“Here we go again,” I said, and then I handed Jack the envelope, opened my door, and stepped outside.

3

Tess

Wednesday: Wedding minus 10 days

One thing you can say for the Fae: they know how to put on a show.

Anybody else would have emailed a renewal contract. Instead, we get delicate script on fancy stationery and a twenty-one-horse parade.

Jack put an arm around my waist, stopping me. “Hang on. Let’s deal with the glamour first.”

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