Page 131 of Cooking Up My Comeback

“Ellen wanted to practice her flower girl walk,” Lucas explains. “Scout wanted to help. The basket disagreed with their collaboration.”

“I was being very careful,” Ellen protests. “ButScout got excited and jumped and the handle wasn’t strong enough for jumping dogs.”

“The handle wasn’t designed for jumping dogs,” Lucas points out gently.

“Well, it should have been.”

“I can fix this,” I tell Lucas. “Do you know where Hazel keeps ribbon?” I ask Michelle.

“Aubrey, the wedding planner who partners with Hazel to run the Hensley house as a wedding venue part time, keeps crafting supplies in the upstairs hall closet for wedding emergencies,” Michelle says.

Ten minutes later, I’ve MacGyvered the basket back together with ribbon and wire from a flower arrangement, while Ellen supervises with the intensity of a tiny project manager and Scout provides moral support by lying on my feet.

“There,” I announce, testing the handle. “Emergency engineering at its finest.”

“Will it hold up for the ceremony?” Lucas asks, running a hand through his dark wavy hair.

“It’ll hold up for anything short of another Scout attack.”

“I wasn’t attacking,” Ellen says seriously. “I was being enthusiastic.”

“Enthusiastic,” Lucas agrees. “That’s exactly what you were being.”

Just then, Aubrey Wheaton appearsin the doorway with the slightly frazzled but determinedly cheerful expression of someone managing multiple weddings in peak season. Her red hair is pulled back in a perfect ballerina bun, and her crisp white shirt and black pencil skirt somehow remain wrinkle-free despite the morning’s chaos. “Everything okay up here? I heard crashing and thought we might have a venue emergency, but don’t worry, I have seventeen different backup plans!”

“Crisis averted,” Lucas says. “Amber saved the day with superior basket engineering.”

Jace follows behind Aubrey, still in his soccer warm-up gear since he’d driven straight from practice in Maple Creek, his expression suggesting he’d rather be anywhere else. “Did someone say emergency? Because I’m pretty sure that’s not on today’s schedule.”

“Your niece decided to test the structural integrity of flower baskets,” Aubrey explains brightly, and I notice the way her professional smile becomes more genuine when she turns to face Jace’s grumpy scowl.

The front door opens and Brett walks in, looking unfairly handsome in his dark gray suit. His tie hangs loose around his neck, and his hair is slightly messed up like he’s been running his hands through it.

“Everything okay? I heard shouting about flower emergencies and canine consumption.”

“Crisis averted,” Aubrey says with bright efficiency, though she steals a glance at Jace. “Amber saved the day with superior basket engineering.”

Brett’s gaze finds mine, and there’s warmth in his expression that makes my stomach flutter. But then he catches himself and shifts his gaze away quickly.

See? Weird.

“You clean up nice, Walker,” I say, testing the waters.

“Thanks. You look...” He pauses, his gaze traveling over my aqua maid of honor dress, then seems to catch himself again. “Nice. You look nice.”

Nice. Six months ago, Brett told me I looked beautiful while I was covered in construction dust. Now I’m wearing actual makeup and a dress that cost more than my monthly grocery budget, and I get ‘nice.’

Definitely weird.

“Brett,” Ellen announces, “I need you to test my flower throwing technique.”

“Test it how?”

“Throw petals and tell me if I’m doing it right.”

“Ellen,” Lucas starts, “maybe we should save the petals for the actual ceremony?—”

But Ellen’s already grabbed a handful from the repaired basket and launched them at Brett with the enthusiasm of someone lobbing grenades. Rose petals explode across his chest, and he instinctively steps backward to avoid the floral assault.