Page 31 of I'll Be There
Grace’s phone buzzed before they could get inside. She held the door open with her hip and answered it.
Liza went in. Stood on the steps at the entrance of the ice arena. The ice had been removed for the summer months, leaving just the bare cement floor. With the lights on, chasing away the shadows, maybe yes, she could see Grace’s vision. Pine trees edging the far wall, white lights draping the rafters, and more lights adorning the back of the platform. It might even be magical, once they brought the tables in, covered them with burlap tablecloths, paper doily place mats, and linen napkins, and wrapped the chairs with tulle, added the bouquets for each—
The table bouquets.
She put the box down. “Grace! Did we order more—oh, sorry.”
Grace had come around the corner, juggling the boxes. “Pastor Dan—he needs to talk to you.” She held out her cell phone.
Liza took it. “Hey, Pastor.”
Good looking, married to their first female fire chief, Pastor Dan had helmed the Deep Haven Community Church for the past decade. She remembered when he first came to town, had watched him nearly perish in a church fire.
“I just wanted to remind you that you should bring your wedding license with you. And any special scripture you’d like me to focus on as I prepare my remarks.”
Silence, but her mind drew a blank. “Our wedding license?”
“Yes,” he said slowly. “The one that makes you officially married in the state’s eyes?”
She pressed her hand to her forehead. “Um, where was I supposed to get this?”
“The courthouse. Although often that’s the groom’s job.”
“I probably said I’d get it since he lives in Montana...”Oh no.
Silence.
“What time are we meeting? I’m sorry—”
“Three o’clock sound okay? We have a memorial service this evening, and I need an hour or so to prepare.”
Oh. “I told the guys to meet me at the ice arena to decorate. Then, I thought we’d head over to the church, do some decorating there—”
“Liza, you can’t decorate until after the Sunday service tomorrow. But you’ll have plenty of time—the wedding isn’t until Monday, right?”
“Right.” She knew that. “Rehearsal dinner tomorrow night.”
More silence on his end, then, “Do you need some prayer, Liza?”
She gave a tinny laugh, trying not to let her voice quiver. “Probably. I’ll be okay. Three o’clock. See you then.”With a marriage license!
But as she hung up, a tiny, frenetic gasp escaped her lips. “Oh...oh...”
“Liza, are you okay?” Grace was unwinding the twinkly lights, placing them on the floor below the beams they would wrap, coiling other strands where the trees would go.
Liza sank down on the steps before her knees could outright buckle. “I...we can’t get married.”
“What?” Grace dropped the lights and strode over. “What’s going on?” She knelt before Liza, took her hands.“Listen, it’s going to be fine—this is going to be a beautiful reception, and even if it wasn’t, you have the most amazing groom—”
“I forgot to get a marriage license.” She fought a strange, prickly hysteria trying to bubble through her words.
Grace’s eyes widened. “Oh. Ohmy.”
“I don’t know why I didn’t remember this, but...of course I must have told Conner I’d get it, right? Because how could he do that from Montana?”
Grace eased her phone from Liza’s grip. “Just breathe. I have an idea.” She stood up, already dialing.
Liza lowered her face into her hands, shaking her head.
