Twenty-one
“Oh. Okay.” Mackenzie hesitated. If it wasn’t s’mores he wanted, then what was it?
Liam nodded, flashed a brief smile, and turned.
Mackenzie watched him disappear. She squinted into the darkness, seeing only a few twinkling lights.
A flutter rose in her chest. Something didn’t feel right. She wasn’t sure what, but something was off.
“Mackenzie! Do you want two chocolate bars on yours, or just one?” Eliza called out.
“I thought Joey ate them all?” she yelled back, grinning.
The uneasy feeling dissipated as she turned back around, fading into her memory like a bit of floating ash.
The next morning, Mackenzie got up early to prepare for Saltwater Cove. Granny had insisted on tagging along, even though Mackenzie was perfectly capable of dropping off a cake box.
“I like to return things in person,” Granny said. “Plus, Hank has an apple tree he’s grafting that I wanted to see. Don’t worry. I’ll stay out of the way.”
“You don’t have to explain anything to me, Granny,” Mackenzie said, keeping her eyes forward. They were on a particularly beautiful stretch of road, the farmland spanning either side. A line of bicyclists rode ahead, setting the pace. “I know you’re just coming to look for signs that Idris Elba will be at the ball.”
She giggled and waved a hand. “Oh stop! You’re wicked.”
Poor Granny, always holding out hope for her Hollywood crush. If he were coming, Margie would know, and she would’ve already spilled the beans. They’d been friends for years – almost as soon as Margie had landed on the island.
Mackenzie knew Margie’s story by heart at this point. Granny told everyone how Margie had moved to the island after her divorce and bought her brother’s house for a dollar. How she’d single-handedly turned the barn into a popular wedding venue and charmed Hank, the broody Chief Deputy Sheriff, into marrying her.
Granny liked to finish her retelling with, “Theirs is a real love story.”
Mackenzie had only gotten to know Chief Hank recently, but she liked him immensely. He’d flat out refused to arrest Eliza when all that bank robbery nonsense was going on, and his cool-headed help was always available when she needed it.
She didn’t know Margie as well. She seemed nice, but Mackenzie doubted nice would be enough to escape the curse Russell had left them.
Still. It was best to keep that to herself.
When they pulled up to the barn at Saltwater Cove, Margie was waiting outside. “Hello, hello, hello!”
Her pink dress flowed in the breeze, skirting over a pair of muddy yellow rain boots.
Mackenzie parked the car and got out. “Hi, Margie.”
“Mackenzie! Welcome!” She hugged her, then moved on to Granny. “You didn’t have to bring that old cake box back. It’s not worth the trouble.”
“I’m here for support,” Granny said with a wink.
Mackenzie raised an eyebrow. “You’re here to be nosy.”
Granny stuck out her lip. “I’ve never been nosy in my life.”
“Please excuse my muddy boots,” Margie said, wiping her brow. A pile of dark earth lay at her feet, the flowerbeds dug up and disrupted. “I’m sneaking in a few more flowers before the event. I want to make sure everything is perfect for the Blackfish Ball. I love what you’re doing for Lottie.”
Mackenzie let out a breath. “Thank you. I’m just trying to get everyone through this in one piece.”
Margie waved a hand. “Oh stop. It’s going to be grand. You’ll see!”
“I’m going to find that husband of yours,” Granny said, walking toward the house.
“Be good, Patty!” Margie turned to Mackenzie. “Though I know she never is.”
“No, she really isn’t.” Mackenzie cracked a smile. “It’s beautiful here.”
“Thanks. We try.” Margie started walking. “Patty mentioned you wanted to add some people to the guest list?”
Mackenzie made a face, sucking air through her teeth. “Yes, but I don’t know how it’s going to work. There are almost a hundred more people who want to attend. We’re already at the two-fifty max, but I don’t know how to tell someone no when they offer to make a donation.”
“Well, that’s easy. Don’t tell them no!” Margie said with a laugh. “Take their check and tell them to come on over. Don’t worry about space. Last year we had a wedding with almost four hundred people. We have two hundred and fifty seats for dinner, but we can add more seats under the tent. Or make it standing room only and fit in even more.”
“So we could make some people VIPs?” Mackenzie asked. “And some non-VIPs. Maybe stick my family under the tent.”
“Sure. That will be easy.”
Her chest was stiff from holding a tense breath. She let it out. “I’m always worried about running out of food, too.”
“Don’t be. I can get enough to feed an army. Besides, most people don’t eat for long. They want to dance and mingle and be gazed upon.”
Orange poppies were growing in bunches along the barn. She loved the poppies, their burst of life in the grass. The muscles in Mackenzie’s shoulders softened. “That sounds about right.”
“Let me show you the barn.”
Margie pulled the massive doors open and they walked inside. Strings of bistro lights hung from rafter to rafter, and shining wooden tables stretched the length of the room.
“Normally, I like to keep the dinner seating in here and have music outside. You hired a live band, right?”
“Yes. Dukes and Dahlias. I’m hoping they show up.”
“They’ll show.” She nodded. “We work with them all the time. I’ll set them up just outside under the tent. That way, people can still hear the music when they escape into here for a bite to eat. At night, we turn on these fairy lights to lead the way.”
Fairy lights? “That sounds magical.”
“I was thinking of hanging some banners here,” Margie continued, both hands suspended in the air, “with pictures of Lottie. One could be from where she was captured, one from her little tank at the park, and one picture of the sea pen. What do you think?”
Mackenzie stood with her hands on her hips, squinting at the bare wall. “I think you have better ideas for this thing than I do. I’m just going to let you run with it.”
Margie clapped her hands together. “Wonderful! I was hoping you’d say that. I’ll have the banners made; don’t worry about that. Did you get a chance to look at the caterer list?”
Mackenzie nodded. “Your recommendations seemed perfect.”
“Good. Now, for the photography, we have a dear family friend named Morgan who said she’d love to work the event for free.”
“Oh, wow. That’s perfect!”
“I know some of the famous people insisted on there being no cameras inside, so we’ll set up a red carpet and let her snap away!”
They walked around the property for the next hour, surveying the tents, tables, and finally the cove after which the barn was named.
“We get stunning sunsets here, and the view under the starlight is mesmerizing,” Margie said, standing on the rocky beach. “I know your guests are going to be dressed up, so we’ll put out our portable flooring to make a path to the cove. That way, anyone wearing high heels won’t sink into the beach.”
“You’ve really thought of everything,” Mackenzie said, staring out at the water. It was a deep, calming blue.
“It does get cooler in the evenings,” Margie went on, “so we’ll bring out the electric fire pits. We have lounges and chairs, and I always put out blankets.”
Mackenzie couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “I feel silly for even coming here. You’re clearly the boss of this ball.”
Margie grinned. “I’m just glad you’re happy with it. If you think of anything else, please let me know.” She gasped. “Oh, would you want hot chocolate and cookies to go for the guests as they leave? The cookies would be black and white and shaped like little killer whales. Is that okay?”
Mackenzie snorted a laugh. “That is more than okay, Margie.”
“Good.” She grinned and took a deep breath. “I think this will be the event of the season.”
The photographer was a nice touch. Mackenzie hadn’t even thought of that. Who knew? Maybe some of these pictures would end up in front of Steve, and he’d see the glitz and glamour, and he’d see Cameron at her side…
Not that it was the point, but it would be nice.
Mackenzie smiled. This was the first time she’d allowed herself to feel any excitement about the ball. “I can’t wait to see this come together.”