Page 52 of Wedding Cake Carnage
“Actually”—I look to Meg for help, but she shakes her head as if she wants nothing to do with this bridal blunder—“I think the gazebo outside of the Evergreen Manor will be much more to your liking. And I have already procured Mom’s new beau to officiate at the change of venue. Not to mention the fact I’ve put in an order with Felicity down at The Enchanted Flower Shop to have the gazebo covered in peonies.”
Lainey sucks in a breath as if I just shot her.
“Should I have gone with roses?”
Lainey charges at me, and I brace for whatever she might bring. But she doesn’t deck me, or gouge my eyes out, or yank fistfuls of hair from my scalp. She hugs me as if I had just come back from the dead.
“You did it. You did the impossible.”
“What?” I pull back, just to make sure she’s still talking to me.
“Yes. It’s what I really had my heart set on, but I vacillated, and as soon as the wheels got turning, I figured it was too late. But when I fantasize about saying my vows, I always envision Forest and me under a flower covered gazebo, and then I kick myself for being such a stickler on having it at the church.”
I lift a shoulder her way. “Have pastor, will travel!”
The four of us break out into a warm laugh and then we break out into a dance as well. We sway to the rhythm of our love, of who we are, of who we’re about to become. Best of all, we bathe in the depths of our love for one another.
Once the fitting ends, I hand my dress back to Scarlet Sage and head into the hall to say goodnight to my mother. But, instead of finding Miranda Lemon, I bump into another mother whom I did not expect to see.
“Carlotta. What are you doing here?”
Her hair is curled in soft waves, freshly dyed caramel brown, the exact shade of my own mane with nary a gray tendril in sight. Her face looks freshly scrubbed, and she’s dressed to impress with a fitted black dress.
“Welcome to my new digs.” She waves a hand through the air. “Becca got tired of me cramping her style, and Miranda was kind enough to offer me a room in exchange for light housekeeping duties.”
A dull moan evicts from me. “You need to pay her something for rent.”
She bats me away. “Oh hush, I will.”
The roar of an all too familiar tiger growls from behind, and I turn to find little Lea in all her hairy glory holding Beasty by the tail. Before I can make my way over, a couple of disembodied spirits swoop in—Greer and Winslow—and they both look decidedly angry.
“What have you done to us?” Winslow cries out in what sounds like agony.
“Whatever do you mean?” I cringe as I glance back at Lea who seems to be barking out commands to Beasty, and the enormous creature seems more than happy to comply.
Greer grunts. “You know what we mean, Lottie. I told Winslow everything. Lea is running us ragged, bossing us around—shake this, howl at that. At the rate we’re going, we’ll extinguish ourselves just trying to keep pace.”
“She’s impossible,” Winslow’s voice echoes.
“She’s far more than we can handle, Lottie. And now that you’ve put her in charge”—Greer looks to Winslow as if building up her nerve to say what comes next—“we’re not sure if we can stay.”
“What? No! You can’t leave.” I scurry forward as if hiding behind Greer in fear Lea will hear me. “Okay, listen. She helped me with—”
“With that boyfriend of yours,” Lea finishes for me.
Here she is, front and center, a sour puss on her face so scary it could peel the paint off the wall, and if that curdling in the corner is any indication, it’s already happening.
Winslow steps forward. “What exactly were the terms of your agreement?”
“I asked Lea to help bring Everett back safe and—”
Lea holds up a hand. “And if I did, she said she would put me in charge of haunting the B&B. I did and here we are. Now, why are the two of you slacking?” Her voice hikes to unnatural octaves.
Carlotta scoffs. “Wait a cotton pickin’ bratty minute.” Carlotta squints over at Lea. “Lottie and Noah figured out where the house was, they broke down the door, they hauled the man to safety. Exactly what role did you play in the matter?”
“Well, she…” I start in on her defense, then falter. “I mean, Beasty told us Everett was in the house.”
“Beasty?” Carlotta cocks her head to the side. “It doesn’t sound like little Lea was needed at all.”