Whipped Wedding Woes: A Cozy Mystery (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book 8) (2 page)

As we allowed our nails to dry, Luella walked into the salon. She seemed taken aback to find us there.

“Why, hello ladies,” Luella said. “I didn’t realize the wedding party would be here today.” She made it sound like she’d had preferred not to run into us. She looked amazing, decked out in a cream-colored capris with brown roman sandals and a peach colored blouse. A necklace with large emerald green baubles hung from her neck.

“Howie just left,” Stormi said. “He dropped Momma off and then went to mow some lawns.”

Luella placed her designer handbag down on the coffee table. “Yes, he said he would be performing some landscaping today.”

“Did you get off work early today?” Paige asked. Paige didn’t care for Luella. She thought Luella looked down on us being from a small town, plus she didn’t trust her. Paige couldn’t figure out why a woman like Luella would be with Howie. I had to agree, it didn’t make sense.

“No, I took a couple of vacation days…for the wedding and all.”

“That’s great,” Stormi replied. “You can help us set up for the reception tomorrow.”

I saw Luella’s face fall. “Sure, I’ll be there.” Her expression said otherwise. Which was fine by me and I’m positive Paige too. We didn’t want someone around who didn’t want to be there. This was a joyous occasion and Paige and I were determined to make sure everything went according to plan.

By now are toes were dry. As we put our shoes on, Luella jumped into one of the pedicure chairs. Dottie stayed behind to finish her manicure. We told Dottie to meet us up the street at The Frozen Scoop when she was finished. Luella too, but she declined as she thumbed through a Southern Living magazine. She barely gave us a parting nod. Oh well, her loss.

“I don’t get it,” Paige said as we walked back to my shoppe. “How are she and Howie a couple? They couldn’t be more different.”

Stormi shrugged. “I know it’s weird. But she seems good to him. I mean, she’s the one bringing home the bacon with her job. He can’t make much mowing lawns. So at least we’re thankful for that.”

“I don’t trust her,” Paige grumped.

“You just don’t like her prim and proper attitude,” Stormi claimed.

“No I don’t,” Paige agreed. “She could be a bit friendlier, at least with Howie’s family.”

Stormi waved her hand. “I don’t care. As long as she keeps Howie busy and out of everyone’s hair, that’s fine by me.”

“Doesn’t sound like she’s keeping him out of Jeb’s hair from what Dottie said,” Paige replied. “What’s this about him bothering Papaw Jeb?”

“I just recently heard about it from Momma. Howie’s got an idea about detecting ghosts or poltergeists as he calls them and communicating with them.”

“Don’t they already have machines for that?” I asked. “You know, on those ghost hunter shows they have equipment that’s supposed to show….well, something unusual.”

“Oh, but Howie wants to go a step further,” Stormi claimed. “He wants to actually talk to the ghost…make contact so to speak.”

“I have a feeling the ghost might be petrified of Howie,” Paige remarked as we walked into The Frozen Scoop.

“Enough talk about Howie!” Stormi exclaimed. “This is my wedding and I want more focus on me.”

“Alright bridezilla, we’ll only focus on you. No more talk about weird cousins and their partners,” I announced. Unfortunately, the fates had other plans.

Chapter Two

The wedding day arrived and the sun shone vividly in the cloudless sky. A slight breeze blew just enough to keep things cool. I do believe Stormi had a talk with Mother Nature, either that or Mother Nature didn’t want to mess with the bride. Whatever the case, we couldn’t have paid for better weather.

That morning we all headed over to decorate the courtyard and the reception tent. I brought my little doggie Winchester with us so he could run within the courtyard. Stormi wanted him there for the wedding as well and I couldn’t deny her. I just hoped he’d be a good boy. For some reason, whenever Luella came into the ice cream shoppe and Winchester was there, he’d bark incessantly at her. He never did that before with anyone else. I’d have to put him in the back room if I saw her coming. They say dogs know if someone doesn’t like them. I’m sure the feeling was mutual.

We decorated the courtyard first, setting up chairs with a white liner running down the aisle. The nuptials would take place inside the gazebo, which we decorated with red and pink roses. The fragrance from the flowers was intoxicating and helped elevate the mood even more so. We also strung white lights around the roof of the gazebo which we hoped would provide a magical ambience for the wedding that evening. The reception tent tables were decorated with pink tablecloths with vases of red roses. More white lights were strung around the tent roof and a huge Congratulations banner was hung at one end of the tent. Bruce, Howie and Brandon set up the tables and chairs while us ladies hung pink and red streamers from the tent ceiling. After the boys were finished, Howie cornered Bruce in an animated conversation. Luckily, Brandon was able to sneak away, but not without Bruce giving him the stink eye.

“What are they talking about?” I asked Brandon as he walked over to Paige and me.

Brandon shook his head. “Howie wants Bruce to invest in his new invention…some kind of poltergeist detection.”

Paige’s jaw dropped. “What the…”

Brandon raised his hand. “I know, I know…I didn’t think Bruce would go for it either, but…”

Paige did a double take. “If he did, he’s bunking with the dog tonight.”

“You don’t have a dog,” I said trying to stifle my giggle.

“He’ll have to scour the neighborhood and find one then.”

Brandon laughed. “You know Bruce is too smart for that. No way would he ever invest in any of Howie’s ideas.”

Paige straightened one of the tablecloths. “Don’t be so sure about him Brandon. One time he bought some kind of cookware that was supposed to halve my cooking time. He spent $500 on a complete set…I tossed it in the garbage the next week.”

“She didn’t give it time!” Bruce exclaimed as he walked up behind Paige, giving her a start. “I thought it would cut your time preparing dinner in half. I was only thinking of you dear.”

Paige gave him one of those, ain’t buyin it, looks. Bruce grinned. “Well, the sales guy was good. I mean I really thought it was the next generation in cookware.”

“I hope Howie wasn’t as good a sales guy,” Paige said.

Bruce sat down at one of the tables. “No way. Even if you could detect a ghost, what would you do with them?”

“Well I’d have them help with the laundry and cleaning, especially if they set up housekeeping in my abode,” Paige stated then waved her hand. “Enough of this nonsense…we have to get this show on the road. Must commence with hair and makeup.”

Of course Luella didn’t show up to help and we weren’t surprised. I doubt she’d want to mar her manicure and pedicure. I know I shouldn’t be so mean, but there was a feeling I had about her. It’s hard to explain, but is there anyone you have ever met that seems to suck the air right out of the room? Or casts a pall over the surroundings? I got that vibe from Luella. And it wasn’t her snobbish behavior or even the obvious way she looked down on us intellectually. There just seemed to be a dark force encircling her that made me want to stay as far away from her as possible. I’d never talked to Paige about it, and especially Stormi, but after the wedding, I planned to have a little talk with Paige and Brandon regarding my feelings. But today was
the
wedding day. Stormi was waiting for us in a little bungalow on the property where we girls were to have our hair and makeup done. The guys, Brandon, Bruce, Howie, and Greg were in another little bungalow on the other side of the courtyard. While Bruce wasn’t in the wedding, he played the part of the usher.

Us girls, including Dottie and Sammi, laughed and carried on as we had our hair and makeup done. Sammi left early since she was handing out programs and having people sign the guest register.

Before it was time to go, Stormi gave Paige and me gifts. We opened them to find identical necklaces; only the charm on each was different. Mine had a sun and Paige’s had a moon.

“Because you two will always be a part of my world…you are the sun and the moon to me.”

I teared up and I swore Paige did too….although I’m sure she’d deny it. We had a group hug and then Stormi chewed us out for having to go and fix her makeup again.

Before we knew it, it was time for Stormi to walk down the aisle. Her dress was stunning. It was a mermaid wedding dress that accentuated her curves brilliantly. Her hair was clipped up with a diamond hairpin that was given to Dottie from her late mother. A diamond necklace hung around her neck, given to her the previous evening from the groom. She held a huge bouquet of red and pink roses that looked lovely against her creamy white dress. Paige and I wore sleeveless red dresses with bouquets of red and white roses. The dresses came to our knees and could be worn again for fancy dinners or events.

I watched as Dottie and Paige put the finishing touches on my dear friend, making sure every hair was in place and the dress situated just so on her curvy frame. Tears filled my eyes as I thought about us growing up together and experiencing so many things. Like our first time together at an amusement park where Stormi butchered my eardrums with her high pitched screams on the rollercoaster rides. Or the time we went horseback riding at the campground. We’d never mounted a horse before in our lives, and her horse decided to take off down a different trail than ours. We could hear her yelling at the horse as the guide tried to lasso him in. We have had so many laughs and a few tears shared over the years.

And today was another milestone we were facing together. Stormi was there for me at my wedding and later on when the marriage fell apart. I was there for her during the breakups she had with countless boyfriends. We were there for one another during good and bad times, always propping the other up when need be. Now today we would be experiencing another highlight in life together, her wedding day. I couldn’t be happier for her. She deserved a great guy and she was getting that and more with Greg. I think he knew he won the jackpot with Stormi too. Now we just had to make sure we got her out of this bungalow and down the aisle in one piece. I had forgotten how panicky one gets when trying to ramrod the bride, and one like Stormi, down to where the nuptials would take place.

However, Stormi was calm, more so than Paige and I. We were the nervous wrecks, twittering about making sure our dresses and hair looked perfect. But Stormi was serene as she primped in the mirror. We wondered if someone had kidnapped our Stormi and this was a clone. But in hindsight, I think she knew that this was where she was supposed to be and whom she was supposed to be with for the rest of her life. Perhaps when you know with your heart that something is right, that little intuition nudging at your insides, it provides a calm center for the rest of your being. At least that’s what I thought in Stormi’s case.

As we exited the bungalow, we could hear the sweet melody of violins playing in the courtyard. We gathered Stormi’s train and walked the short distance to the courtyard’s entrance. Brandon and Howie were waiting in their white suits with red ties. Even Howie looked good. Paige grabbed his arm and started walking down the aisle. Brandon and I followed. Dottie walked Stormi down the aisle and gave her to Greg, who she kissed sweetly on the cheek before taking her seat in the front row. The reverend Sam Talbot officiated, telling Greg that he should hug his wife everyday, and Stormi should cook him a good meal at least three times a week. That a good marriage included a husband who ensures his wife gets the comfort she needs and the man receives a proper meal at least every other day. It was a joyous occasion and the entire ceremony went off without a hitch. Before I knew it, the bride and groom were walking back down the aisle with Brandon and me following.

We stayed behind for photos while the guests entered the tent for cocktail hour. Once the photographer was finished with us, we joined the festivities inside the tent. One of the local caterers set up a buffet and we stuffed ourselves with fried cod, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, noodles and rolls. A true southern feast. Of course, we had wedding cake for dessert. I also brought a large barrel of fudge ripple ice cream from the shoppe, one of Greg’s favorites, to serve with the cake.

A makeshift dance floor was set up at one end of the tent where a DJ spun the latest tunes. Howie could barely wait for Greg and Stormi to finish their first dance as man and wife before he was cutting a rug old school in front of amazed guests. His dance moves were almost hypnotic in their peculiarity. First, it was the snake, and then he’d move on to the robot, slide a few raise the roof moves in, and then finish with a moonwalk. While Luella danced with him, she didn’t partake of the fancy stirrings originating from her companion. It appeared she ignored his antics as she danced, preferring to look in another direction. Unlike the rest of us who were mesmerized by his range of motion…and not in a good way.

Fortunately, a slow song came on and Howie and Luella retreated from the dance floor so the rest of us could have a chance. Brandon and I along with Paige and Bruce and other guests slow danced to the tune of Eric Clapton’s
You Look Wonderful Tonight
. After the song, we sat down together and let Howie retake the floor. I guess he was the entertainment for the night.

“Lordy that boy can dance,” Dottie exclaimed.

Paige looked skeptical. “I don’t know…reminds of a dry heaving dog.”

Stormi started snorting which got me going as well. I grabbed her arm as we ran away from the dance floor before Howie could catch us laughing. We sat down at a table and tried to compose ourselves.

“You know I kept thinking he looked like something but I couldn’t put my finger on it until (snort) Paige (snort) said that!” Stormi erupted into violent giggles. My stomach hurt and I couldn’t breathe. Finally, we calmed down in time to see Howie walk away from the tent.

“Oh lawdy, I hope he didn’t know we were laughing at him,” Stormi said attempting to calm her sniggers.

When I caught my breath I said, “I don’t think so. He couldn’t see us from the dance floor. He’s probably taking a break. He has to be winded from all spontaneous jerking and twitching.”

We looked at each other and erupted into laughter again. It wasn’t just Howie’s dance moves that had us going. I think it was also a chance to release pent up tension. The start of Stormi’s wedding planning had serious bumps in which a man died. So the few months leading up to the wedding we were all on alert, waiting for the other shoe to drop. When the wedding went beautifully and everyone was having a festive time at the reception, it was a relief. Stormi and Greg deserved to have a happy day and I was glowing on the inside, elated that everything had turned out wonderfully. However, the day wasn’t over and it would have a disastrous end.