Whipped Wedding Woes: A Cozy Mystery (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book 8) Read Free Page A

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