Page 45 of Heart Strings
“That surrounding yourself with dicks makes you question your creative vision and sucks the joy out of it. Screw that. I always believed you’d make it big one day if people just heard you. Therealyou. And it’s been true. Don’t let them convince you that you’re suddenly not good enough.”
A cautious smile lifts the corner of my mouth.
Lo leans back to admire her work on the Peugeot’s decorated bumper. “Okay, I’m gonna park this closer to the garden.”
I step back to give her some room. She turns over the engine, but there’s only a whirring sound.
Black smoke billows from under the bonnet. Shite. I motion for Lo to pop it and take a peek at the engine to confirm that this thing isn’t going anywhere without a tow truck.
Lo waves a hand through the cloud and coughs. “What happened?”
“Looks like the starter is banjaxed.”
“Do you think we can push it somewhere scenic and then roll it back when they’re done with the photos?”
Fine morning mist shrouds the surrounding grassy hills. “It would be fine one direction, a pain in the arse in the other.”
We call every mechanic in a half-hour radius, but most are closed for the weekend. Every one of them says that car isn’t getting back on the road tonight.
“It’s fine,” I tell Lo. “We can decorate my car for photos. Cover it in fondant and make it look like a cake on wheels for all I care.”
“Would that seem weird? Someone else’s random car?” she asks. “It’s too bad they only have the one vehicle.”
“No, they don’t.”
“Lark wouldn’t want to drag her Cinderella dress from a Lambretta. It would get filthy.”
“I’m talking about theothervehicle.”
Mischief flashes across her face. “Not the hearse!”
“ ‘Just married’ rhymes with ‘just buried,’ after all.”
Lo shakes her head. “Lark might prefer her dress getting ruined.”
“Hey, weddings aren’t only for the bride. You’ve gotta think of what the groom wants as well.”
“Well, Callum got his own cake. And it wasn’t red velvet and armadillo shaped.”
Despite dating a Texan, I will never understand Texas. “Armadillo? For Callum? What, is he not allowed to have any of the big cake?”
“It’s aSteel Magnoliasreference. Lark has made me watch that movie like five times.” Cielo bats away my confusion.“Anyway, he can have plenty. Ugly groom’s cakes are a tradition in the States, in addition to the giant ganache monstrosity. It’s just something for the groom that the bride can’t veto.”
Wedding rules are lost on me. In the past, I’d only paid attention to the receptions afterward, but I want to be present for Callum and Lark. Cielo is much better at the role of maid of honor than I am at playing best man. “What did he choose?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“So,” I reason, “the groom’s cake isn’t because a ganache monstrosity isn’t enough. It’s so the man can see his taste or interests reflected somewhere at his own party?”
Lo nods. “Basically. Everything else is all about the bride.”
“Then we’ve gotta do it. Decorate the hearse, I mean. Callum deserves to have some of his personality in this day. Equality, babe.”
Hand on her hip, Cielo gives me a look. “Not your babe. And Lark might be so mad that I’ll need a lift in a hearse when she’s done with me.”
“If she hates it, we’ll pop the Peugeot in neutral and push it out of the garage for their getaway photos,” I say. “How will we nick his keys, though?”
“I keep a spare to their place. Callum hangs the hearse keys in their kitchen.”
