Page 173 of Banter & Blushes

“I’ve never seen you cry,” I said, touched.Not even when Dad died.

“I must be getting sentimental in my old age.” She called the pups to the back door, and I raced to the front.

“Hey!” Molly greeted me. “I brought reinforcements!”

Brenna grinned and flicked her long blond hair behind her shoulders. “I wanted to rush over before all the girls arrived. They’re bringing in a mini bachelorette party for you.”

Oh my.That was unexpected.

I hugged them both and gestured for them to sit on the couch. I sat across from them in an armchair, the only other piece of furniture that wasn’t cluttered with sewing supplies or being used to block my work area from the Westies.

“You look like a deer in headlights!” Molly chided. “Not to worry, everyone gets the jitters.”

“It’s the people,” Brenna told her. “Wynnie’s an introvert.”

“I’m right here, Bren,” I said, maybe a little too sharply. I gave a nervous chuckle to try to soften the comment. “Sorry. That came out harsh.”

Brenna waved me off. “No worries. Let’s get these details finalized. Oh! And I brought favors.” She reached into her tote bag. “This one’s for you. What do you think?”

I unwrapped the bundle of tissue paper she handed me. It was a circular salt-dough ornament. I brushed my fingers over the tiny starfish glued to the sand on the bottom third of it. Textured white paint outlined the sand above and blended with an ocean blue. The top crescent was painted royal blue and punched with a hole for hanging twine.Arwyn & Zakiwas calligraphed over the paint.

“It’s beautiful,” I breathed. “How did you have time?”

“I got to work as soon as Zaki called Brendan. Tasha and Penny came by to help shape and bake them, and I did the calligraphy on the flight here.”

“Wow. Thank you.” I wrapped it back up in the paper. “But don’t you have a wedding this weekend at the barn?”

Brenna was a wedding planner and owned a barn venue in Palmer City. Her weekends were booked a year in advance.

“Sure, but my assistants can handle it. It wouldn’t feel right if I skipped your wedding to work.”

“But—you’ve already RSVP’d for the Montreal wedding,” I protested.

“Wynnie,” she said firmly. “This is what friends do. We all want to be here. Forbothweddings.”

“I—thank you.”

We spent the next twenty minutes with Molly going over the plans for Sunday morning. When the kitchen clock struck noon, I turned to it and caught movement in the windows.

Brenna beat me to the back door and pulled it open. They were all here—Shanna, who was like a big sister to me; Penny and Tasha, sisters to each other and my closest friends from back home; plus three of the Edge Wags—the pro sports nickname for wives and girlfriends—Kami, Taylor, and Lauren. All were armed with tote bags, except for Tasha, who wore her two-month-old daughter Nanette on her chest and carried a covered cupcake pan.

“Monty asked if he could volunteer at camp, so I’ve got the baby,” Tasha explained.

I rolled my eyes. “Of course he did. And no one’s complaining,” I assured her. “She’s the sweetest!”

“Bless his heart,” Kami cooed in her Southern accent. “That Monty is something else. The rest of the guys took all the kids for a nature walk on the trails. That flight was long, and it’ll do ’em good to get their wiggles out before Meggie and Flynn’s rehearsal and the bonfire tonight.”

“I made the girls new bows!” Taylor handed me two pale blue gift bags. A former all-star cheerleader, she had a booming cheer bow side business in addition to counseling current and retired pro athletes full-time. “They can wear them Sunday if you want to save their tiaras for the Montreal ceremony.”

“Thank you,” I said, touched. “Knowing them, they might wear both.”

“If anyone can pull that off, it’s Isla and Amelie,” she agreed with a chuckle.

She joined the other women in the kitchen, and all I could do was watch and smile in wonder as all eight women took over the cottage. Caterers from theresort arrived with tri-level stands for sweet and savory bites. Every spare chair and stool was procured, and by the time my mom returned with Laffy and Vennie, the porch was set up for a proper tea party.

“Now for the finishing touch!” Kami announced. She wrapped a feather boa around my neck and perched a fancy wide-brimmed hat on my head. “And I brought you some lavender honey from my family’s bee farm.”

“Wow.” I sniffed. “This is so nice of you all. You didn’t have to?—”

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