The Wedding Truce

Chapter One

Prologue

GRANDMA JUNE

T he tea Ellie had been so delicately sipping came spraying out of her mouth, wetting the surface of the kitchen table and giving me a little sprinkling as well.

I couldn’t help but laugh as I handed my granddaughter a napkin to wipe her face while I used another to clean up the table. A tea shower wasn’t exactly the reaction I thought I’d get to my idea, but I’d been mulling it over in my mind for days. And after telling me who was walking with whom in her wedding ceremony, it was all the motivation I needed to put a voice to my plan.

“Did you just say what I think you said?” Her eyes were wide with bewilderment as she set her teacup down with a clink.

“I did.”

“You want me to pair Jessa with Ethan for the wedding?” Ellie dabbed at her wet chin.

I nodded.

Ellie shook her head adamantly. “I purposely did not put them together. You know those two don’t get along, and I can’t have them fighting the whole time. I want a drama-free, stress-free wedding.”

I wasn’t oblivious to the way my grandson and Jessa were at each other’s throats over the years. But knowing Ethan as I did, there was clearly something more behind the jabs and one-liners he always threw at her.

“I’m sure they’ll behave for your special day.” I wiped some of the stray tea from my arm.

She laughed. “Do you even know Jessa and Ethan?”

I chuckled. “I do, and I think they could be good for each other. I’m worried about Jessa.”

“You are?”

“Of course I am. Whenever I see her lately, she’s got a frown on her face.”

“That’s just Jessa, Gram.”

I shook my head. “It’s more so than usual. Her smiles seem to be few and far between these days.”

She nodded. “I think she’s sad that things are changing. We’ve all found someone to spend our lives with, and she doesn’t have that.”

Over the past few months, as we’d immersed ourselves in the season of planning for Ellie’s wedding, I couldn’t help but be thankful for the love she’d found with Cooper. She had stepped out of her comfort zone and went to work for him. Little did she know it would lead to her happily ever after. It’s what I had wished for her, and to see her so happy overwhelmed me with joy.

I felt the same when I witnessed Ellie’s friends, Penny and Tally, find their true loves and embark on married life. But I’d always had a soft spot in my heart for Jessa, the fourth in Ellie’s circle of friends. Raised by her dad and older brothers, there was way too much testosterone around her if you asked me. Through the years, I’d attempted to be a gentling influence on her, as had my daughter before her passing. But lately, I’d noticed her attitude growing more and more sour, especially after each of her friends’ weddings.

“I hate to say it,” Ellie continued, “but she’s never going to find someone if she doesn’t put herself out there, and I honestly don’t know if she’ll ever let anyone in again.”

“That’s why I think we should try this. I don’t know if it will work, but I feel like maybe God put this thought in my head, and I simply can’t ignore it.”

Ellie let out a sigh. “I’ve often wondered if there could be something more between them if they just got past all their fighting. But I gave up on that delusion a long time ago.”

“Let’s not give up on them so soon,” I said. “Will you at least consider it?”

Her lips twisted to the side as she mulled it over for a minute. “You know what? Yes. I’ll do it. I’m nothing if not a hopeless romantic, and I’d be over the moon if my wedding is the reason Jessa and Ethan got together.”

I chuckled. “That’s my girl.”

“This could end up backfiring on us, you know.” The uncertainty lingered in Ellie’s eyes.

“It could.” I reached over and squeezed her hand. “Or it could end up just as we hope it will.”

Ellie took a final sip of her tea before getting up and taking our cups to the sink. “Now, to surprise them with the good news.” She smirked.

I smiled to myself at her choice of words. Surprise, indeed. That’s what I was hoping for. Because there’s one thing I know for sure. Love can surprise you.