Page 116 of Head Room

“It’s up in the pass, not here.Yeah, it’ll be chillier the next couple days and there might be rain, but it’ll be past before the wedding events.”

I groaned.

“Now what?”she demanded without sympathy.

“Wedding events — plural.The one thing we had to do, according to this wedding article was have all the events in one spot, and we failed completely.”

“Like you’d follow wedding articles.You couldn’t be confined to one venue, that’s all.You and Tom need variety.And your mom and Tamantha made sure you’ll have it.”

“Tamantha’s worried about frazzle’s effect on the bride and groom.She told me so.”

“And what did you say to her?”

I told her, though possibly with less conviction than I’d displayed with Tamantha.

“That made sense.Now, listen to yourself.”

I groaned.“Have I mentioned the wedding cake’s being made by a woman I’ve suspected wants to poison me?Multiple times.”

The sound she made was scoffing.Definitely scoffing.No mistaking it.“You know darn right well she won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?She’s never forgiven me for what happened with her daughter the year she was Rodeo Queen.”

“True—”

“Great.That’s the way to make me feel better.”

“She hasn’t forgiven you and probably never will.On the other hand, she’s not a maniac and she wouldn’t poison the wedding cake that so many other people will eat.Bad for business.Besides, her cakes are delicious.”

My mouth watered at the reminder.“Her brownies, too, that’s why we added the chocolate tiers— Wait a minute, are you saying her cakes being so delicious makes it worth the risk that she’d poison the wedding cake?Because I’m not banking the lives of all my nearest and dearest on her not being a maniac.”

She waved dismissively as she started away from me.“I thought you were too calm.Now, you’re indulging all the horrors at once.Besides, it’s Tom’s cake, too, and she’d never do that to him.”

“I amnotliking thatbesides.You didnotmake me feel better,” I called after her.

She laughed.

She might have paid for that, but my phone rang and Tom’s name popped up on the screen.

****

“Did you knowthere’s ablizzardstarting?”I asked without saying hello.

“You mean the snow in the pass?”

“Snow and hail inJune.For our wedding.”

“Over before our wedding.And it’s up in the pass.”

“That’s a route to Sherman—”

“We have any guests or family coming over the pass?”

I resented his common sense down to my bones.“Jean-Marie might want to come that way,” I said of his sister.

“Only if she’s taken leave of her senses or the earth swallowed a considerable amount of road.”

I wanted to dispute that, but couldn’t.Jean-Marie wasn’t going to lose her good sense under any circumstance.