Page 45 of No Rings Attached
His grin quickly dropped into a frown. “Are you okay?”
I hated and loved that Drew noticed I’d been stuck on the stairs. Somehow, though, his presence and his concern for my welfare gave my legs the nudge they needed to start working again. His presence alone allowed my brain to change focus and dial my anxiety down to a manageable level.
“Yeah, I’m okay. I just needed a second.” The panic wasn’t entirely gone, but I didn’t feel so alone, and that was all because of Drew.
Without another mishap, I made my way down the rest of the stairs and took the hand he held out to me. He grabbed my suitcase with his other hand and shot me an approving smile before placing it by the front door. The simple gesture gave me hope and I began to feel confident that we could make this work.
He smiled again. “I’m going to apologize for anything Glamma and her friends say or do. I learned long ago that no one can control their actions, and the more you fight it, the harder they dig in their heels.”
I squeezed his hand to show him I wasn’t afraid. Then we stepped into the front parlor that led into the formal dining room, and I immediately regretted that false bravado.
My gaze darted around the room, unsure where to focus first.
“The candles are a nice touch, don’t you think?” A tall woman with short salt and pepper hair I’d never met before asked.
Drew cleared his throat before answering. “The scent is … interesting.”
The woman shrugged. “I had a bunch of them in stock. They didn’t sell as well as I thought they would.”
I stupidly drew in a deep breath and choked. How had I missed the cloying floral fragrance?
“I told you it was too much, Gladys.” A woman in a colorful caftan with a full face of makeup muttered as she draped pieces of gauzy fabric over light fixtures.
Gladys shot right back. “Watch out, Marigold. You’re going to start a fire if those scarves get too close to the bulb.”
Marigold put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at Gladys.
Glamma swept into the room from the door leading into the kitchen with Martha following closely behind. “Hello, darlings! While dinner is warming, maybe we should try a few things out. Then we can see how you two interact together during a meal.”
Martha smiled, giving off sweet grandmother vibes. “I know we might seem like we’re a little too much, but we mean well.”
“Speak for yourself,” Glamma responded with a high, light laugh. “I love being too much. If people can’t handle it, they don’t deserve to be in my orbit.”
With that simple statement, Glamma became my new idol.
Martha rolled her eyes, telling me without words that the pair of them had been friends for ages. “Ellie, let me introduce you to our co-conspirators. Gladys is lighting the um, candles.” A pinched expression crossed her face. “Dear God, Gladys. How did you end up ordering two hundred of those? They smell terrible. You need to stop lighting them or you’re going to make everyone sick.”
I silently cheered as Gladys stopped mid-light and blew out a few while insisting that sometimes she had fat fingers and she hit the zero an extra time without meaning to.
“And this is Marigold, or Goldie to us. Her family owns The River House. It’s similar to Kingsley Jewelry with the charm of exposed brick walls and wooden beams. I wish you’d be seeing it for the first time for any other reason than for the event we shall not name.” Martha’s pained expression likely mirrored my own.
Ugh, this was going to be a long two weeks if only mentioning the venue my sister wanted to use made me feel like this.
“I’m sorry, sweetie.” Goldie’s tone communicated her regret. “If we’d known who was calling, we would’ve told her there were no openings for the next five years, at least.”
“It’s not your fault,” I assured her. “I should’ve expected that to happen when I didn’t look for a place right away.” And then make me feel bad about ‘not supporting’ Celia.
“Ellie, you are not your family’s event planner.” Glamma caught my gaze and locked in. “The girls know everything, and you can trust them to be discreet. You and Drewwillbe ready to face the townandyour family once we’re done, and no one will be the wiser about how you got together.”
“Hey, I thought we did a great job yesterday,” Drew protested.
“Holding her hand and kissing her in Matt’s was a good start, but we need everyone to believe in the magic of your love.” Glamma spoke in such a way I truly believed they could help us.
Goldie made a shooing motion and directed us to sit on the loveseat.
Drew winked at me and tugged me over. He plopped onto the couch, patted the cushion beside him, and draped his arm across the back. I sat next to him, leaving a few inches between us. Already, his nearness was jumbling my thoughts.
“What’re you, brother and sister?” Gladys grumbled.
