Not Quite Over You
Page 65

“After Bethany and Cade’s party,” she said aloud, to make it more real. “I’ll confront him after the party.”
“Good for you. And if I’m wrong and he’s awful, I’ll ask Ronan and his brothers to beat the crap out of him.”
Silver managed a smile. “Thank you. You’re a very good friend and I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
* * *
PREPARATION FOR THE I Do BBQ party required all hands on deck. Silver arrived just after seven in the morning to find Renee was already working. The caterer would arrive at eleven to start setting up and Silver’s trailers would be in place by noon. Keeping busy was the best antidote to a broken heart, she told herself. She was grateful to have a day full of something other than missing Drew.
Hay bales and all the decorations had arrived the previous day. While a small army of hired staff set up tables and chairs, both inside and out, Silver went to work blowing up balloons. She found the work oddly relaxing, which was both good and bad. While she enjoyed her mind finally quieting down, she hadn’t slept in three days, so the downside of relaxing might be her keeling over in a dead sleep.
The florist showed up at nine. There were brightly colored arrangements in glass cowboy boot vases for the tables and sunflower kissing balls hanging down. Tall sprays of flowers flanked the entrances.
By eleven, Natalie, Carol, Wynn and Silver were setting up the lawn games.
“You sure about this?” Wynn asked as Natalie prepared to spray-paint a Twister board onto the lawn.
“It’s going to be great,” Natalie promised.
“I just can’t see the royal crowd playing Twister,” Wynn muttered.
There were His and Her beanbag toss games, horseshoes and croquet. As they worked, Silver found herself able to go minutes at a time and not think about Drew. It helped that none of her friends said anything, although the occasional arm squeeze or meaningful look told her they knew what had happened.
When the games were in place, they went inside. The tables were nearly finished. Burlap table runners offset white tablecloths. Mason jars acted as water glasses. The promised taco bar was being set up and the grill for the s’mores had already been placed outside.
A little before one, Pallas called them to join her. Silver and her friends stood in front of Weddings Out of the Box as a long line of black SUVs pulled up.
Wynn grabbed Silver’s hand. “Crap, she didn’t tell us what to do. Do we curtsy? Just shake hands? I’ve never met royalty before.”
“Renee swears a simple handshake is plenty.”
“Okay. If you’re sure.” Wynn touched her stomach. “Why am I nervous? This is ridiculous.”
Silver leaned close. “Because we all grew up reading about kings and queens and handsome princes.”
“Yeah, look how that turned out.”
The doors on the first SUV opened and three impressive-looking bodyguards stepped out. They were tall and muscled, wearing dark suits and sunglasses.
“Oh my.” Wynn leaned close. “I could use me some of that.”
“They’re on duty.”
“I can wait.”
One of bodyguards moved to the second SUV. Before he could open the door, Bethany stepped out of the third vehicle.
“I know, I know,” she called with a laugh. “There’s way too much pomp, right? Parents. I mean I love them but sheesh. Did they have to be royal?”
The passenger door to the second SUV opened and a tall, regal man stepped out. He, too, was dressed in a suit, but no one was going to mistake him for a bodyguard. Even without a crown, he managed to look kingly. A pretty woman in her late forties got out on the other side. Silver immediately saw the resemblance with her daughter.
The next few minutes were a blur of introductions. Silver shook hands with Bethany’s parents. They were charming and friendly and seemed to know a bit about everyone. Bethany’s younger brothers went off to inspect the games. Pallas and Renee ushered the entire royal party inside. The king and his entourage went into the groom’s room while Queen Liana, Bethany and all Bethany’s friends headed for the bride’s room.
Once they were in the plush space, Liana kicked off her shoes and laughed. “Okay, tell me there’s champagne because we have got to get this party started.”
Silver had already placed champagne and nonalcoholic sparkling cider on ice. She popped open the bottles and poured the bubbly liquid into glasses. Queen Liana smiled at all of them.
“All right. It’s a test and I think I’m going to do great.” She had the friends line up, then started at the left. “Pallas, Renee, Natalie, Wynn, Carol and Silver.” She bit her bottom lip. “Is that right?”
“It’s perfect, Mom.”
“Excellent.” The queen looked at her daughter. “Bethany, I love you so much and I want you to have a good time today.” She turned back to her daughter’s friends. “You’re stuck calling her father King Malik, I’m sorry to say, but for today, I am simply Liana.”
She set down her glass. “I heard about the cute outfits you have planned.”
Pallas opened the large closet doors where the T-shirts and jean skirts were hanging. Cowboy boots sat below each outfit. Silver had wondered why Pallas had asked her to drop off her party outfit earlier in the week. When she saw the cute display she realized it was just one more fun touch to make the day memorable.
Liana and Pallas exchanged a glance. Pallas grinned. “So, Bethany, I hope this is okay. You’re wearing the white T-shirt that says Bride and the white skirt with the fringe. The rest of us are in red Bride’s Posse T-shirts and denim skirts. When I mentioned that to your mom, she wanted in on the action.”
Bethany started to smile. “Mom, this is so like you. What did you do?”
Pallas reached for a pink T-shirt that said Mother of the Bride and a black denim skirt.
“I have the cutest boots to go with it,” Liana said, sounding like a teenager. “I know you girls are too young to understand, but I’m getting really close to fifty and this may be my last chance to look hot, so I’m going for it.” She grinned. “The skirt is just short enough to drive your father wild. I can’t wait.”
Bethany winced. “Um, Mom, no one wants to know about that, okay?”
“Perhaps, but he does know how to bring it.”
Bethany sank onto one of the chairs and sighed. “Welcome to my world.”
Silver found herself fighting unexpected tears. Not just because she missed Drew desperately but because the love between Bethany and her mom was so tangible. Family, when it worked, was the greatest gift, she thought wistfully.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
TWO HOURS WITH hair and makeup people working their magic, plenty of champagne and good friends went a long way to restoring Silver’s mood. She knew that Drew was somewhere in the building, no doubt hanging out with Cade and waiting for the party to begin. While she wasn’t looking forward to seeing him, she knew he wouldn’t do or say anything today. He would never embarrass his cousin. Silver figured with a bit of planning on her part, she could easily stay out of his way. As for his parents, well, she barely knew his father and she doubted Irene wanted to spend any time with her, so it was all good.
Liana and Bethany walked out arm in arm, the Bride’s Posse friends behind. There were already at least a hundred people around with more arriving. Music played and the bars were open. She made a conscious effort not to see Drew anywhere. Perhaps an impossible task, but one she was committed to.