Page 74 of Moonshine and Magnolias
There was no one in the room for them but each other. Even Pearl’s mom had stopped moving. Longing pull at Wendy’s gut and she had to look away.
“We can really have the wedding in the ballroom?” Pearl’s mom asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Wendy answered. “We sure can.”
Fifteen minutes later, Jennifer and Pearl prepared to pledge themselves to each other dressed in matching white robes, sharing their love in front of family and friends. As far as weddings went, this one turned out very nice and simple. Wendy snuck off to the kitchen, where Anthon was whipping up another dessert and assured her he had it under control. When she returned to the ballroom, she kept ahold of Rob’s hand, not noticing how tightly she squeezed it until the brides kissed at the end of the ceremony and she released her vice-grip on him. He shook it out with a sigh of relief.
“Oh, ouch. Sorry.” She kissed his knuckles. “All better. Or it will be, once we see the cake.’
Her body remained strung up like she was pitching a tie game with the bases loaded until Eulalee rolled out the pastel multi-tiered dessert. It wasn’t the magnificent display of patchwork textures and purple flowers, but Anthon had done a good job of replicating the spirit of the cake, if not the actual design.
The brides didn’t notice a thing.
Finally, Jennifer and Pearl changed into actual clothes and ran down the Fountenoy Hall steps under a spray of birdseed and drove off together. The remaining guests slowly drifted to their cars and down the tree-covered drive. As soon as the last car hit the dirt, the crew hired to clean up spread throughout the first floor, armed with trash cans and brooms.
Wendy watched them disburse and shook her head. “I’m afraid to go into the kitchen, but I can’t just leave it.”
Rob tossed off his sport coat and unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt.
“What are you doing?” Wendy asked.
He rolled up the material, exposing his sinewy forearms. “Let’s go clean.”
She examined his white shirt and her own simple pale green sundress. “Not in these clothes.”
“Not a problem.” He grinned at her. “Take them off.”
She laughed, surprised at how easy it was with him. Being with him wasn’t a chore. He was really, truly hers. “I’m very glad you decided not to go somewhere else with your reservation.”
He leaned forward and gave her a light, teasing kiss that barely brushed her lips. “Me, too. Even if we haven’t yet found everything we need about Louis.”
That must be his client’s ancestor. It was the first time he let the information slip. Since he had talked about confidentiality before, she didn’t comment on it. “Let’s go check out the kitchen.”
Wendy entered the room. Jordan was already there, rinsing out a sponge. Wendy walked around the island, inspecting the black and white checkered walls and the tiled floor.
Her muscles melted in relief. “I had visions of frosting dangling from the ceiling and falling on the head of anyone who walked underneath, Anthon. The kitchen looks amazing.”
“Thank you,” Anthon said. “Your aunt is well-versed in food removal. She could teach a class. Everything else is done.”
“That’s great. I don’t know how we would have survived this without you.”
“Good night, then.” He gave a quick nod, and left through the back door.
Jordan collapsed against the island. “We did it.”
“Hell yeah, we did.” Wendy reached over to give her a high five then extended her hand to Rob. “Thank you for your help today. Both of you. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been here.”
He caught her hand and kissed her fingers. Then her palm. Then the inside of her wrist.
She locked her gaze on his desire-filled eyes. Untamed lust rippled through her. Too bad her friend was there. She’d push Rob to a chair, hike up her skirt, and see where it took them.
“For God’s sake,” Jordan said. “Get a room.”
“I’d like to,” Rob muttered.
Brandi’s voice carried into the kitchen by way of the pass-through window, followed my Sebastien’s muffled response. He entered the kitchen first, holding Brandi by the wrist. Her lips stuck out in a pout and she glared at him. The moment of intimacy was shed as quickly as Pearl’s pollen-covered dress.
Brandi stopped and wrenched her hand out of Sebastien’s grasp. She crossed her arms over her chest, her jaw tight and posture stiffer than a general in the saddle.
