"Sign them and you'll have a dry place to keep the dogs rather than forcing them run in the rain," Janelle’s smug voice carried up the stairs.
"Yeah, yeah." Clyde moaned in despair as Olivia carried him down the stairs and opened the bakery door. She tucked him easily under his arm and ignored his protests. "See you later, sis!"
Outside, she glanced at the sky in speculation. Although it was only drizzling, the clouds looked as though they were merely taking a break. It was a good ten-minute jog to Clyde's owner’s house, and Olivia wasn't really one to jog.
"Olivia!”
Whipping her head around, she saw Andrew walking briskly toward her. Smiling, she took a moment to drink him in.
Andrew Patterson was one of the handsomest men she'd ever met. A newcomer in Lexingburg, he'd moved from Connecticut to head the IT department at the hospital in Lowell, a neighboring city. He was a few years older than Olivia. His shaggy dark hair was perfect for running her fingers through, his dark, smoldering eyes sometimes took her breath away, and his impish smile melted her heart. Although she had been hesitant at every step in their relationship, he had never seemed to doubt her for an instant.
"My, isn't this a surprise?" she said flirtatiously as she put Clyde down and embraced Andrew. "You can't go more than few hours without me?"
Rather than playing along, he just frowned and drew something out of his coat pocket. "Olivia, what is this?"
Confused, she glanced down at the brochure in his hand.
He was upset. That was rare.
"That's the brochure for the wedding venue. Isn't it gorgeous?"
"Gorgeous? Olivia, it's four hours away. Why do we need to travel so far to get married?"
Olivia immediately felt defensive as she tried to explain her reasoning. "Lacy just purchased some shares on the land. That gives her clients first choice when picking a date. I know it's a bit of a drive, but people travel all over the country to get married there. It's got a gorgeous view of the river, several ballrooms for entertaining, and rooms for the guests to stay in, not to mention that we're getting a great deal. I thought that you'd love it?" In an attempt to soothe him, she reached up and pressed her hand to his chest.
Normally, when she did that, he'd take her hand and kiss her fingers, but this time, he just shook his head.
"Why are you moving so fast to plan this wedding? I told you that I'd give you all the time you wanted during the engagement. I know how you are about change."
He wasn't wrong. Normally, Olivia hated change, and for a while, the thought of getting married had made her break out in hives. It didn't help that the whole town was watching her and making bets on whether she'd go through with it. Until Andrew had come along, Olivia had been notorious for breaking up with her boyfriends before their one-year anniversary, but the wedding-planning process—especially since she'd hired Lacy—had gone smoothly.
Lacy had pointed out the obvious. The sooner they had the wedding, the sooner it would be over.
"This is just how Lacy gets things done. I don't have any doubts about marrying you, Andrew. I just want to do it as soon as possible. Don't you feel the same?"
He ignored her question. "We need to sit down and talk tonight, Olivia. We had a budget set up for a longer engagement. We can't afford to get married this quickly."
Puzzled, she cocked her head. Was he suggesting that they couldn't afford the wedding she'd spent so much time meticulously planning?
Silence fell between them, and he finally sighed. "Why don't I give you and Clyde a ride back? The weather doesn't look like it's going to hold much longer."
"Don't you have to go to work?"
"I have time, Olivia. We have time."
The implication was clear, but she didn't acknowledge it. Instead, she bent and gathered Clyde back into her arms, and they headed to Andrew's car. The drive back was silent as Olivia tried to collect her thoughts. Everyone was pushing her to get married, and now that she'd embraced the traditions of wedding planning, she couldn't seem to make anyone happy. Her own mother wasn't speaking to her, her sister didn't seem to care, and now even Andrew was upset with her.
Andrew was never upset. Even when she'd investigated Yvette's murder—after he'd told her not to—he didn't get angry. When Samantha had nearly run her over, he still hadn’t yelled at her. But now, when she was throwing herself headfirst into wedding planning, he wanted to argue about things?
How backward was that?
And it didn't escape her notice that when she'd asked if he wanted to marry her, he'd ignored the question.
She knew that Andrew loved her.
It wasn't possible that he was getting cold feet—was it?
3
That evening, as she took a handful of dogs for the final walk of the day, Olivia met up with her best friend, Jackie Jones. Sometimes she had overnight dogs or dogs that she needed to walk late at night, but lately, the people of Lexingburg were staying close to home. The constant rain made it difficult to plan day trips.
Jackie was the owner of Shelfie, the bookshop next to Happy Endings. She, Olivia, and Janelle had grown up with each other, and often Jackie acted as the buffer between the two sisters. With her flaming-red hair and quick temper, she'd caused more than her fair share of gossip in the small town, but she never seemed to care what anyone thought of her.
"Have you checked out the new Rose Palmer mystery?" Jackie asked casually as they left Olivia's neighborhood and headed toward the dog park.
Olivia gave her friend a sour look. "I told you that I'd given up those books." After getting involved in Yvette's murder and accusing the wrong person of killing her, Olivia had sworn off her beloved mystery series. Rose Palmer was the closest thing Olivia had to a role model, but she'd quickly realized that solving mysteries just wasn't for her.
"I see that you're still being ridiculous. You can still read the books even if you aren't gallivanting around town attempting to solve murders. You've been reading them for years!"
Shrugging, Olivia studiously avoided her friend's gaze. "And now that I've experienced the real thing, the books just don't do it for me anymore."
"You're lying," Jackie retorted as she dutifully stopped to let Lily, the dachshund, sniff a crack in the sidewalk. The whole dog crew halted and waited with wagging tails. Today Olivia had her own dog, a large, shaggy, brown mutt named Goodwin, Snowball—the male Rottweiler often dressed in tiara and tutus—and Gigi, a beautiful golden retriever. Fender hadn't seemed all that interested in getting out of his bed to join the troop, so she'd left him at home.
Wanting to change the subject, Olivia carefully broached the topic that had been on her mind all day. "Andrew is angry with me."
"Andrew is never angry at you," Jackie said, rolling her eyes. Lily finished investigating the sidewalk and pulled impatiently at her leash. "I'm not actually sure he's capable of being angry."
"Yesterday, I would have agreed, but this morning, he told me that he wasn't happy with our wedding plans. I guess I've been pushing things too quickly—and over-extended our budget. He wants to push the wedding date further back."
Jackie shrugged. "So tweak a few things. It's not like you actually care about the wedding details."
"It's not just that. I was trying to make the point that I wanted to get married as quickly as possible, and I asked him if he still wanted to marry me. Jackie, he didn't answer the question."
Pushing up her glasses, her friend cocked her head. "Maybe he didn't hear you."
"I could see the hesitation in his eyes." Taking a deep breath, Olivia gripped the leashes tightly. "He deliberately avoided answering it. It never occurred to me that Andrew would get cold feet or change his mind."
"Andrew loves you. I'm sure you're just misreading the situation."
Despite Jackie's reassuring words, Olivia could hear the grain of doubt. The knot of anxiety in her stomach tightened, and she swallowed hard. In their entire yearlong relationship, Andrew had taken the reins. He'd stubborn
ly persisted until she’d agreed to go out with him, he’d patiently ignored her when she’d tried to break up with him over trivial matters, and he didn't give up when she actively avoided his wedding proposal. Before Andrew, she’d had terrible luck with relationships. Olivia’s commitment issues had prevented her from putting much effort into any of her boyfriends, but now that she'd said yes to Andrew, she was actively and excitedly participating. She had never in her life put so much effort into anything as she was putting into planning this wedding. She felt almost like a changed woman.
The fact that Andrew was angry with her was scary, but the thought that he might be second-guessing his decision to marry her was—terrifying. Now that she'd agreed to spend the rest of her life with him, she couldn't imagine her life without him.
God help her, but she did love the man.
"How is the feud going with your mother?" Jackie asked out of the blue.
"It's not a feud!" Olivia said sharply. Sighing, she grimaced. "She's currently not speaking to me. Apparently, my decision to have the wedding four hours away instead of in the town square was enough to break her. It's been a week, and I haven't heard a peep out of the woman."
Her friend let out a bark of laughter. "Your mother, the most kind-hearted and patient woman in the whole wide world, is angry enough with you to stop speaking to you? Just how important is this venue?"
"It's not just the venue! It's everything! She hates every choice I've made, and I hate every suggestion that she makes. She wants to throw rice after the reception, but I pointed out that rice is bad for the birds."
"No," Jackie said firmly. "That's not enough for your mother to stop speaking to you. She'd be more than happy find some other alternative that wouldn't harm the birds."
"Okay, maybe that was just the last argument. First, she wants me to wear her wedding dress—but she got divorced, so that wouldn't bode well for me. Then she wanted me to wear a giant, poufy dress, and that's definitely not happening. She's insisting that I invite family members that I've never even met, and then she told me that she hated my wedding planner. She doesn't like the cake I picked out, she doesn't like the gifts that I registered for, and she thinks it's ridiculous that I don't want a live band. I don't remember her being so nitpicky about Janelle's wedding!"
Goodwin barked as though he agreed, but it set off the other dogs as well. It took a full minute before Olivia could get them to hush.
When she was finally able to turn back to her friend, Jackie was watching her wryly. "It doesn't surprise me that you're butting heads with your mother, but I do find it strange that you've taken charge with this whole wedding thing. When we talked about our fairytale weddings as kids, you told me that if you ever got married, you'd elope and use the money to go on a fabulous honeymoon without your new husband. Why the change of heart?"
"I didn't realize how much I'd enjoy it," Olivia said cautiously. The truth was that her excitement for wedding planning surprised her as well. She didn't love the tulle or the lace, but she was surprisingly into choosing colors and picking flowers and creating a playlist. She wanted everything to be perfect for Andrew.
"Consider what your mother is going through. Your sister got married in college with barely any money. This is your mother's last chance to see a daughter fulfill her dreams for a lavish wedding."
"According to Andrew, I am having a lavish wedding."
They rounded the corner and headed back to the neighborhood. Technically, the dogs only needed a fifteen-minute walk, but sometimes Olivia got carried away. She enjoyed being outside, and during the rainy season, the moments when she could enjoy the outdoors were few and far between.
"You're really worried about this, aren't you?"
Olivia tried to smile. "I'll talk to Andrew tonight, and we'll figure things out. I'm sure something else must be on his mind for him to be so angry with me. It's probably nothing. Maybe work is stressing him out."
"Exactly." Jackie beamed at her. "Now, what are you getting him for his wedding present?"
Olivia whipped her head around. "Excuse me?"
"His wedding present? That thing that you exchange the night before or morning of the wedding?"
"Oh, my God," Olivia said in a panic. "I haven't even thought about that. Lacy never mentioned a wedding present! No wonder Andrew is changing his mind. I'm going to make a horrible bride!" Was she hyperventilating? Why was it so hard to breathe? What would Andrew do if he found out that she didn't have a wedding present for him?
Jackie reached over and pinched her hard.
"Ouch! What is wrong with you?”
"You're freaking out! Stop it! You've got time to think about a gift, so don't panic."
Rubbing the sore spot on her arm, Olivia glared at her friend. "Fine, but did you have to pinch me so hard?"
"No," Jackie said with a mild smile. "But it was effective."
Olivia opened her mouth to argue the point, but the generic ringtone of her phone interrupted her retort. Pulling it out, she frowned.
"Who is it?" Jackie asked.
"I don't know. I don't recognize the number." Accepting the phone call, she held it up to her ear. "Olivia Rickard speaking."
"Ms. Rickard? This is Allen from Allen's Tailors. I wanted to know what the holdup was on your dress. We were supposed to receive it last week, but we never got it. I hate to bother you about it, but we need to get started on the alterations if you want it to be ready by next month."
"My dress isn't there?" Olivia asked, bewildered. "Thank you for letting me know. I'll call the dress shop right now and see what's going on."
Hanging up, she scrolled through her phone until she found the number for Lace and Pearls.
Goodwin chose that moment to lunge to one side after an elusive smell, pulling Olivia off balance. When she almost dropped her phone, Jackie reached out and took the leashes from her. "Are you okay?"
"I don't know," she said grimly, got a good grip on the phone, and held it back to her ear. "Hang on."
A perky young voice answered.
Olivia took a deep breath. "Hello, yes. This is Olivia Rickard. Can I speak to Debra? She's my dress consultant."
A few minutes later, a more mature voice came on the other end. "Hello, Ms. Rickard! Are you ready to look at bridesmaids’ dresses?"
"Allen's Tailors just called me. He said that he never received my dress. Is there some reason that you guys didn't deliver it to him?"
Olivia listened to some clicking of computer keys. "I'm sorry, Ms. Rickard, but it looks like the dress was shipped. I'll see if I can contact the carrier. I don't want you to stress about this, okay? We'll figure it out."
There was a click as Debra hung up, and Olivia stared at the phone. "Don't stress," she told herself aloud. "Don't stress."
"They lose your dress?" Jackie asked sympathetically. "I'm sure it will turn up, and if it doesn't, at least a new wedding date will give extra time to reorder it."
"That's not the point," Olivia cried out. "They lost my wedding dress!"
"Deep breaths," her friend advised as they turned into the neighborhood. "It's going to be okay. Deep breaths."
Breathing deeply, Olivia tried to believe that Jackie’s words were true. In a span of just a few hours, the perfect wedding was turning into a perfect nightmare.
They dropped off the dogs, and Olivia returned home with Goodwin. Since she'd said yes to his proposal, Andrew had moved in with her. Olivia had lived with previous boyfriends and had felt like their shared space was more of a battle, but it wasn't that way with Andrew. He knew that she could a little messy, and she knew that he was neat. She made an effort to keep her clothes off the floor, and he didn't lose his temper if she slipped up, and he didn’t follow behind her, picking things up. He was quiet when he got up early in the morning for work, and she was quiet when she came in after he'd already gone to bed.
And the ring on her finger did nothing to dampen the chemistry between them. In fact, it made their intimate moments that much h
otter.
Even though she knew that he was just at work, the argument still weighed on her and made the house seemed emptier than usual. After feeding the dogs, she tried to relax with some music, but she mostly ended up pacing and staring at her phone in hopes that he'd send her a text message.
Goodwin and Fender followed her anxious steps, and finally Olivia agreed with them—she’d had enough. Throwing on her sweatshirt, she leashed the two dogs and headed back out again.
The sun was setting earlier and earlier; although it was already dark out, people were still driving and walking around as they got off work and went out to dinner. Jackie and Janelle would both be busy, so Olivia didn't bother heading to Main Street. Instead, she opted to walk along the businesses on the south side of town. When the skies opened up again, and the rain poured down, she wrapped her arms around herself and dashed under the nearest awning. Turning around, she looked at the familiar decal on the window.
As You Wish Weddings.
She'd been to Lacy's office more times over the last month than she'd like to admit. The woman normally closed early on Mondays, so it surprised Olivia to see that all the lights were still on inside. Part of her knew that Andrew would probably be pissed if she talked to Lacy about their problems, but she knew of no one better for this kind of conversation. After all, it was Lacy's job to ensure that the bride and groom were happy, and it didn't look like the rain was going to stop anytime soon. She might as well go in and dry off.
Opening the door, she quietly encouraged Goodwin and Fender to enter. Lacy had turned up her nose the first time that Olivia had brought the dogs in, but she had quickly seemed to realize that the new bride came with dogs. No negotiations.
She walked into the middle of the large, open space and stopped, engaging in a slow mental tour of the tables and glass shelves that lined the walls. Drawn by the artfully beautiful arrangements, she began to walk a circuit around the room, just far enough from the tables that a sudden lunge on Goodwin’s part would not lead to disaster.
Till Death Do Us Bark (Happy Tails Dog Walking Mysteries Book 2) Page 2
