Chapter Twelve
MORGAN
Driving parallel to the water, we finally approach the charming church nestled in the woods between the road and the lake. Built of stylish white siding and a silver metal roof, its dark accents create a stark contrast, a beautiful blend of small-town charm and sleek modern lines.
Will rolls over the sidewalk, and I tighten my grip on the box.
We park at the front door and begin the daunting task of unloading.
Grunting under the weight, he mutters, “How do I get myself into these things?”
I shift my hands to find a better grip. “Well—you volunteered.”
“Right.”
Maneuvering the box to the front door proves difficult. I’m glad he’s here. This would’ve been impossible for one person. I’m sure he’s noticed.
“Will?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for helping.”
We lock gazes, and after a moment, he relaxes. “Sure.”
We crouch side by side and drag the box through the doorway and to the front of the sanctuary. I stand and stretch out my shoulders. “This is cute.”
“Yeah, when we’re in town on the weekends, we attend Sunday morning worship. I like the music.”
We meander around, admiring the clean lines, the stark white shiplap, and the minimalist decor. I pause by the floor-to-ceiling window stretching along the back wall and take in a breathtaking lake view.
I reach out to touch the glass but drop my hand before making contact. “At first, I wondered why Ava and Hudson decided on a church wedding when there are so many great outdoor spaces, but this is beautiful.”
Will stops next to me, our shoulders almost touching. Two ducks land on the water, sending ripples toward the shore. A smile crosses my lips.
When I turn, Will’s watching me. He lifts a corner of his mouth, and my cheeks warm. I’m not quite sure why.
Squaring my shoulders, I wave him on. “Come on, Jameson. We’ve got an archway to assemble.”
I can play nice with Will. For Ava’s sake, of course.
He crosses his arms and rocks back on his heels. “Did you just last-name me? Only my baseball coach does that.”
I reach into the box and pull out two pieces of the golden contraption. “Sure did. And what does Will stand for? Wilbur?” I raise a brow. “Wilma?”
He smirks, letting his arms fall. “It’s William, if you must know. And what about Morgan? What’s that from? Maybe…the morgue?”
I make a face. “You need to work on your jokes.”
He laughs, kneeling on the box’s other side. “Yeah, not my best work.”
“And, no.” I pick up another bit of archway. “But that’s where you’ll end up if you don’t help me with this.”
His head snaps up, and he releases a low whistle. “Speaking of bad jokes…and death threats.”
I laugh this time. “You’re right. Enough with the subpar humor. Let’s get to work.” I place the two pieces on the floor. “Maybe we lay everything out and see if we can tell where they fit together?”
“Sounds good.”
We spend the next forty-five minutes unloading the box, spreading the golden metal pieces in an arc shape, and then fitting them together.
As we work, we talk about our families—he has two sisters who will arrive with his parents for the wedding tomorrow, and I’m an only child.
Our favorite sports—his is baseball, and mine is volleyball.
Our future plans—he’s headed to OU to study engineering, and I have no idea.
Our church youth groups—mine, big, his, small.
And more. I’ve almost forgotten Leo’s unanswered text in my pocket. Almost.
I try not to, but I find myself watching Will when he’s not looking.
I’m distracted and entertained by the determined tilt to his brow and the satisfied smile that crosses his lips each time he finds a place for one of the shining pieces.
He almost cheers when we stand the archway upright and, with the intricate golden vines woven together, it doesn’t fall over.
He’s cute when he’s focused. Yikes! Where’d that unwanted thought come from?
He catches my grin, then frowns at the metal piece in his hand. “What?”
“You’re enjoying this.”
“Maybe.” He holds up a hand and pinches two fingers together. “A little.”
When he affixes the piece onto the archway and lets out an exaggerated whoop, I can’t help but chuckle. “Only a little?”
“It’s like we’re playing an intense game of high-stakes wedding Tetris. No instructions. No rules. No option to fail.” He lifts both palms. “What’s not to love?”
I shake my head. “Whatever you say.”
The golden archway comes together, but just when I think we’re done, I find an odd piece still nestled in the box. I pick it up and rotate it in my hands.
“Uh, Will?” I say, holding up the mysterious piece. “Any ideas?”
He squints at it. “No. What’d we do wrong?” He takes it from me and walks around the archway. “Maybe here? No, that’s not it.”
We spend several intense minutes trying to figure out where it’s intended to fit. The crease between his brow deepens.
I bite my lips to keep from smiling at his obvious frustration.
“What?” he says again.
“This is driving you crazy.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Uh-huh.” I eye the piece still clutched in his hand. “Well, what do we do?”
“Take the whole thing apart and try again?”
I cross my arms, bunching up my bridesmaid shirt. “Not a chance.”
“Yeah. That would be crazy. And clearly, I’m not that.”
“Clearly.” I stoop to investigate the box one more time.
“Should we…hide it?”
I stand, smooth down my untucked shirt, and sweep my hair over my back. “But what if it collapses during the ceremony?”
He grips the arch, giving it a good shake. “Seems okay to me. Nobody will know.” A mischievous glint brightens his dark eyes when he knows my protests have crumbled. He nods toward a discreet side door. “Stick it in the closet?”
I shake the arch too. “I suppose.”
Will opens the door, and we step inside the tight space. He tosses the spare piece on one of the back shelves and pulls a box of communion packets in front of it. “Perfect.”
“You’re way too happy about this level of corruption.”
He laughs, and we’re both grinning when we return to the sanctuary.
“There you are.” A voice cuts through the silence. A cute girl I vaguely recognize points between Will and me. She narrows her eyes, adjusts the camera strap slung over her pink cousin-of-the-groom T-shirt, and grins. “And what were you two doing in there?”
“Nothing,” we both say at the same time.
She raises a brow.
“Hiding a leftover piece of the archway?” Will lifts his palms.
I gasp. “Will. Secret!”
He lowers his hands and tugs me closer. “Making out?”
My mouth drops open. You’ve got to be kidding me.
The girl laughs, and my cheeks flame.
“Definitely not,” I say through clenched teeth, pushing him away.
“Relax, Morgan. I’m kidding.” He chuckles. “This is my cousin, Emma. Our secrets are safe with her.”
Emma nods to the closet door. “So you really did hide a piece of that archway in there?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. We’ll never tell.”
“You literally just did,” Emma says.
He just shrugs.
She shakes her head and sticks her hand out in my direction. “Hey, I’m Emma.”
“Morgan.” I give her hand a shake. “You’re the romance author.”
“Yeah.” Emma brightens. “Among other things.”
“I told her she should read your book.”
“Ah, thanks. So you’re a reader?” She scoots closer, her camera swinging.
“Yep. And, actually, I already bought it. I’ll start it tonight.”
His head jerks back. “When did you do that?”
“Right after you told me about it. I bought it on my phone while we were ignoring each other on our way here.”
“Ah. Right. Good times.”
“Thanks so much for buying it.” She claps, bouncing on her toes. “Even if it was at the recommendation of someone who spilled an ICEE all over you.”
His eyes go wide. “Seriously. Does everyone know about that?”
“Of course.”
“And I didn’t spill it on her. We ran into each other. Whatever. What are you doing here anyway? Aren’t you supposed to be on a boat somewhere?”
“I decided to hang back and take some photos.” She holds up her sleek black camera. “I haven’t been here in the summertime for years. I forgot how pretty it is. Morgan, how do you like Carlton Landing?”
“Love it. It’s not what I expected.”
“It’s the perfect place to get away and relax. I always used to say the only thing it lacks is some sort of library or bookstore.”
“I can see how it would be relaxing in a different situation. Weddings are a lot of work.”
“Well, what are you guys up to? Besides making out in the closet or hiding something, allegedly.”
Will huffs. “We volunteered to help today, so Ava and Hudson don’t have to worry about it.”
“That was nice. Maybe I’ll help after I get more shots. I’m gathering photos for my Instagram portfolio. See you guys in a while?”
“Sure,” Will says.
She leaves, and he whooshes out a breath, shoulders drooping.
“You know, you don’t have to help. I can take care of stuff if you want to go do something fun.”
He rubs the back of his neck. “No, I’m good. But we both should fit in something fun. Maybe as a reward for finishing the next job.”
“I don’t know. There’s so much to do.”
“Let’s knock out the rest of the wedding favors, then take a short break.”
“Short?”
“Yes, short.”
“Okay. What would we do?”
He puts his palms together and gives me a pleading look. “Stand-up paddleboard?”
“I already told you I don’t know how.”
“That’s the point. I’ll teach you.”
“That doesn’t sound quick.”
“It can be. Especially if we don’t fall in.”
I rock back on my heels. So far, this has been more of a fall-down kind of day. “I don’t know.”
“Okay, how about this, then? We divide the favors evenly. If I finish mine first, we paddleboard. If you finish yours first, you pick the activity.”
“Interesting.” I’m better than he is at assembling the favors. “But if I fall in, I’ll have to change and deal with my wet hair.”
“You think I won’t?” He points at his dark-brown curls.
“You know what you’re doing. You won’t fall in.”
“Okay, fine. If I win, we paddleboard, and you don’t have to stand up if you don’t want to. You can sit on the board.”
“Okay, fine,” I mimic. “But it doesn’t matter because I’m going to win. And the wedding favors have to look good. We can’t just throw them together.”
He puts out a hand. “It’s on.”
We shake, he retrieves the two boxes from the golf cart, and we sit down to begin.
“Don’t you want to know which activity I’ll pick if I win?”
“Nope. Moot point. I’m going to win.”
Sadly, he’s right.