Page 22 of First Date: Divorce
“Chocolate for me,” Eric said.
“Okay, then one white cake and one chocolate—”
“Twocakes?They’ll go to waste with—”
“Have you met our kids?Cake never goes to waste,” Grif said.
“—so few people—”
“And with Cully among the few, the kids might not get a chance.”
“Says the man who happened to show up in time for the cake-tasting,” his wife said with an indulgent smile.
“Hey, I had to sit aroundnotsampling while I smelled all these being baked and watched them being frosted.It’s about time I got some.”
Rebecca pointed her fork at K.D.“You do have a point, though, about how few people we’ll have to look like guests.”
“Pauline’s coming.She’s supposed to have introduced us, so it makes sense.”Eric reached across K.D.for a forkful of the chocolate cake she’d left on her plate while eating the frosting around it.
Kendra snapped a photo.
“Pauline helps,” Rebecca said, “but we can’t invite more because of the secrecy Every shot Kendra takes will show the same few supposed guests.All of them us.”
“Will the people at Marriage-Save recognize you?”K.D.asked.
“Not the people who’ll be looking at your photos and video.The professional staff came in from elsewhere,” Ellyn said.“We don’t go up to Bardville regularly and those employees don’t come down here.But locals work there who could recognize us, so be careful about showing them around.”
“I’ve had an idea about making it look like your wedding had more guests,” Kendra said.“If everybody has a different outfit for the top and bottom, I’ll shoot mostly waist-up, then waist down.Everybody changes — be sure to tell Pauline, Eric — and I’ll do the ups and downs again, doubling the guests visually.Add creative angles, only slices of faces, and it’ll be fine.As long as I’m careful with the editing.”
“Great idea, Kendra,” Ellyn said.
“Now that we’re all reenergized by cake, we can get you two outfitted with stuff I brought to indicate other seasons, including a few Christmas things.A fire in the fireplace, too, for winter cozy shots.Then we’ll take pictures in the barn and outside.
With a contented sigh, Ellyn said, “This is working out splendidly.”
*
The fake wedding rested in good hands.
She’d handle the investigative part.
But the divorce depended on herandEric.
K.D.wasn’t blind to needing him to pull this off, even if she would have preferred a scenario that didn’t depend on anyone else.
On their drive back to Bardville she had a petty example of that when she had to ask him to stop at a big box discount store off the highway.
“Want to pick up a few things to supplement my packing for this assignment.”
He said sure, then accompanied her deep enough into the store that she realized he didn’t intend to peel away and do his own thing.
“I’m shopping,” she said.
“Yeah.”
“I prefer to be alone.”
His eyebrows hiked.But he said only, “Okay.Call me when you’re done.”
