The Gingerbread Bakery (Dream Harbor, #5)(31)

‘I’m not even sure I want to get married!’ Kira insisted.

Iris ran a hand over her belly. ‘I don’t think it’s necessary. If you two are happy together, that’s all that matters.’

‘Right,’ Kira said with a nod and then she gave a little shrug. ‘Maybe one day I’ll say yes and see what he does then.’

Annie shook her head with a laugh. ‘Poor Bennett.’

Kira waved a hand, careful not to mess up her nails. ‘Oh please, that man is fine.’

‘Well, married or not, he’d go to the ends of the Earth for you,’ Jeanie said.

Kira smiled. ‘Yeah, I know. He’s a keeper.’

‘Okay, I want to hear more about this wedding,’ Iris said. ‘Obviously, I know all about the food. Archer’s been talking about it for months. But what else have you guys planned? Everyone's dying to see the barn all done up, Kira! It already looked amazing at the rehearsal dinner.’

‘I know! I can’t wait to see it tomorrow!’ Jeanie jumped in.

Kira smiled, but Annie could see the nerves on her face. She knew how hard her friend had worked over the past six months to get this plan up and running. Ever since she and Bennett had found a stash of secret treasure on the farm, they’d put all their effort into transforming the barn into an event space. And now the wedding of the season was her first real event. Annie knew how important it was to her to pull it off.

But she would. Annie didn’t doubt it.

‘It’s going to look gorgeous,’ she said. ‘The barn is so much bigger than I originally thought, and Kira did an amazing job overseeing the remodel. We have all white linens, white candles, white lights. It’s a winter wonderland with pops of red flowers… What were those flowers you picked, Jeanie?’

‘White anemones and red peonies. And then Daisy is going to add pine boughs to the tables as well.’

‘Right,’ Annie said. ‘The vision is completely on point.’

Kira smiled at her in thanks. ‘Yeah, it’s going to be perfect.’

Iris leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. ‘That sounds beautiful.’

‘And the dress,’ Hazel added. ‘How did the last fitting go?’

‘It went really well. My mom was able to come, and we only cried a little.’

‘You sure about that?’

‘Okay, we cried a lot, but it was everything I’d dreamed of!’

Jeanie handed her phone to Iris so she could see pictures of the dress. Annie had been with her when she found it, a gorgeous frothy confection that made her look like a winter princess with a fitted top and a deep V in the front. Lace vines and flowers ran down the bodice and onto the skirt, as well as down the long sleeves. Logan was going to absolutely lose his mind.

‘Damn, Jeanie, you’re going to look amazing in this,’ Iris said, and Annie agreed.

‘She does.’ Annie could already feel herself getting choked up. Hazel reached over and gave her hand a squeeze.

‘You can't start crying yet.’

Annie shook her head. ‘I've been crying for weeks.’

‘Are you bringing a date?’ Francine, the woman currently working on her toes asked, bringing everyone’s attention back to Annie. ‘Because my nephew—’

‘I'm going to stop you right there, Fran. I'm not looking for a date.’

Four heads turned to stare at Annie as Jeanie, Hazel, Kira and Iris looked at her in disbelief.

‘What?’

‘You're going to show up to an event without a date and Mac will also be without a date,’ Jeanie pointed out.

‘I don't see why that’s relevant.’ Annie refused to engage in this line of questioning or to think about Mac charging across the parking lot to get to her. Or how it would feel to see him in the sexy suit she was sure he’d be wearing.

Jeanie gave a little shrug like she wasn't going to push the matter, but then she went ahead and pushed it. ‘I'm just saying it’s rare that you're both unattached at these things. Seems like it might be a good opportunity…’

‘A good opportunity for what, Jean Marie?’

Jeanie wrinkled her nose at the use of her full name. ‘I don't know. A good opportunity to bury the hatchet.’

‘There is no hatchet. We don't need to bury anything, and we certainly don’t need to be near each other any more than is strictly necessary. Like I promised you, I've been on my best behavior, but that’s all I can promise.’

‘Okay, okay.’ Jeanie put up her hands with her newly painted nails in surrender. ‘I appreciate it.’

Jeanie let it drop, and the girls turned their attention back to more pressing matters, like was it really bad luck to see the bride before the wedding because Jeanie had no intention of sleeping away from her groom tonight.

‘I don’t think it matters,’ Iris weighed in, and Kira agreed.

‘As long as he doesn’t see you in your dress,’ Hazel added.

‘Says the woman who shopped for her dress with her groom,’ Jeanie said with a laugh.

Hazel shrugged. ‘He helped pick it out, but he didn’t see me in it until we were on the beach together. It’s nice to have it be a surprise, don’t you think?’