Page 52 of Meet Me at the Fudge Shop

In fact, between making batches of ice cream for the wedding reception, Lily had spent her off hours experimenting with new fudge flavors for Mr. Mercer’s tasting. “I’m not going to let the Kelleys win.”

“Oh, honey. You know I don’t care a fig about that silly feud.”

“Dad cares.”

“Does Dad get riled up when he thinks about the past and the pain his father experienced at his best friend’s perceived betrayal? Yes, of course. But both of us care far more about you.” She cocked her head again. “We just want you to be careful. That boy broke your heart once.”

“I know.” Lily shook her head, forced a smile. “I’ll be okay, Mom. Declan and I, that’s ancient history.”

Her mother nodded. “Have a great wedding. I can’t wait to hear all about how everyone reacts to your wonderful creations.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Lily darted out the door and hopped on her bike—her knee was nearly fully healed now.

Five minutes later, she pulled up outside the fudge shop. What in the?—?

Out front stood two horses hooked up to a short cart with a bench seat.

Dismounting from her bike, she headed inside.

And found Declan—wearing dress slacks and a button-up shirt—pulling one of her ice cream containers from the freezer. He stacked it beside several others already out on the counter.

“Hey. I’m just grabbing everything to load up onto the trailer.”

She pointed to the street. “About that—where did the horses come from? I thought they were all off island.”

“All but a handful, I guess. Remember Asher Quinn, who we met on Thursday? How Dani said he’s watching his relatives’ ranch and horses?”

“Oh. Right. So you asked him if we could borrow a few?”

“Exactly. Thought it might be easier. He said we could use them this morning to transport everything to the inn. He’ll pick them up from us, board them next door at the stables for a few hours, and bring the trailer back after the event’s over.”

Huh. “That’s…good job. I just figured we’d hook up a trailer to our bikes and make several trips.”

“This will be much more efficient.” Declan continued to unload the fudge and ice cream containers. “Did you bring coolers and ice?”

“Coolers?” Oh no. “I hadn’t even thought of coolers for the ice cream.” And she’d told him she had everything handled, that he should just worry about his fudge. Ha. Now, all her treats would melt before the couple’s first dance. “What am I going to do?”

“I think we have a few at my parents’ place. And I can raid the diner’s ice machine.”

The man had an answer for everything, didn’t he? “Are you sure? I’m sorry I didn’t think of that beforehand.”

“No sweat. I’ll be back in no time.” He smiled at her, as if she hadn’t totally dropped the ball.

He returned with coolers and ice, and they loaded the food onto the horse-drawn dray. As he got on and took the reins, she glanced at him.

“It’s like riding a bike,” he said and winked.

And she had nothing as they trotted down Main Street, a sight that drew a ton of attention and photos from tourists already flocking to the island on this gorgeous Saturday morning. The sun hung high in a cloudless, perfect sky, warming the day.

A glorious day for a wedding.

They headed toward Island House Inn, just south of Blueberry Hill Park between the old livery and Little Stone Bible Church. The charming mid-size inn, with its white Victorian trim, steeply angled roof, and double turrets was host to the ceremony and reception, which were being held outside in the trimmed, green grass of the back courtyard.

An hour later, Lily stood behind the white-draped tablecloths in the shade behind the area set up for the wedding. An arbor had been erected for the happy couple, along with white folding chairs for the guests. Bouquets of peonies, hydrangeas, and roses stood on pillars, and the family had started ushering guests into place. A quartet of musicians started playing a new piece of music.

“Everything turned out really nice.” Declan showed up beside her holding a loaded plastic bag and rocking his aviator sunglasses. Paired with his dress clothes, the man was…well, okay. He wasfine, fine.

“I was thinking the same thing.” She eyed the bag. “What do you have there?”

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