Page 30 of A Winter's Wedding

“Never?” Leo asked with batting eyes. “I’ve liked it very much. Especially the part last night.”

“Don’t be vulgar,” she said with a wink, and the apples of her cheeks warmed. On the table next to her coffee mug, her phone buzzed, and the screen lit up. “It’s my mom.” America stood from the seat at the counter and walked to an empty booth near the windows where pink and red paper hearts left over from Valentine’s Day still hung.

Her mom and dad crammed beside each other vying for camera space. “America. I tried to call you last night, but it wouldn’t go through. Where are you?”

“We got snowed in yesterday, in Buffalo. Service has been spotty.”

“Buffalo? What on earth are you doing there?” her mom said.

There was far more explaining America needed to do than she had the bandwidth for at the moment. “Our flights got canceled out of Vegas and the airline couldn’t rebook us until Friday. So, we decided to drive.”

“Was it a nice surprise? Seeing Leo?” Mom said with a shoulder shimmy.

“You knew?” America turned back towards Leo who gave a finger wave. “Of course, you knew. You probably helped set up the whole thing.”

“Guilty,” her dad said with a mischievous grin. “Cam did most of the work, but I helped too. I’m pretty romantic when I want to be.”

“He is,” her mom said and rubbed noses with her dad.

“I appreciate it, I do,” America said though she felt like she was still trying to convince herself that the trip hadn’t been an exercise in self-discovery and learning to operate outside a plan. “It was definitely an unexpected weekend.” America felt it was safe enough to admit as much. “How was the cruise?”

“It was very nice,mon,” her dad said with some kind of fake Jamaican accent. “There we were, all tan, and relaxed, ready to come home and see our beautiful daughter and that handsome husband-to-be of yours, but when we disembarked, we discovered that our flight was canceled.”

“Wait a second, you’re not back home yet either?” America asked. “There’s a lot to do, and I can only ask Carol to help so much. I don’t want her to think I’m taking advantage of her in any way. What are we going to do?”

“Don’t fret, dear. Everything will happen when it’s supposed to happen.”

“Your mother’s right,” her dad chimed in from off the screen somewhere. “Take a deep breath for me.”

America took an exaggerated breath and blew it out.

“One thing at a time. When will you be back to the Cove?” her mom asked.

“By tonight,” America said. “And what about you?”

“Your father was able to book us a flight to Pittsburgh, that’s as close as we could get since that winter storm has shut down half the country. I guess we’re driving the rest of the way, just like you.”

“We still have all day Friday to sort everything out. So, stop worrying and enjoy this little pre-wedding adventure with your soon-to-be-husband,” Dad said, and guilt panged America’s core. “I hope you’re being safe.”

“Dad!” America wanted to climb into a hole and die at her father having to tell her and Leo to be safe.

“He’s talking about driving safely,” Mom said with a little giggle and America realized she had jumped to the wrong conclusion. Mom whispered into the camera, “But you are being the other safe too, right?”

“MOM!” America covered her face with her free hand. “Are we really doing the whole birds-and-bees thing right now?” She wanted to get off this phone call as soon as possible.

Vivian shrugged with a grin the size of Pennsylvania across her face. “We’re only a couple hours behind you but let me know if anything changes.”

“Will do.” America ended the call.

Returning to the counter from the most embarrassing conversation she could recall ever having, America tossed her phone to the surface. “I don’t know how I’m gonna tell them the truth about all this. If we lie, how will my parents ever trust us again? It just doesn’t seem right, but I don’t know what else to do. All the guests are expecting a perfect wedding like we’re the king and queen of the Cove or something.”

Leo chuckled but sucked it in when he realized she wasn’t being hyperbolic. “I don’t think they see us like that. And how do you know what their expectation is? Did you ask them?”

“They strung up a banner across Main congratulating us!”

“True, they did do that, but I thought it was a sweet gesture,” Leo said and looked down at his phone screen. “They just want us to be happy is all.”

“Exactly like I said. Their hopes and dreams are riding on our perfect wedding ceremony.” America shoved a bite of jelly donut in her mouth. “What do you keep looking at?” she said, though her words were muffled by delicious pastry.

---