Forcing his eyes away from her trim legs and the curve of her breasts, he pulled into the parking lot. He heard her sigh, but it sounded more like a hiss, and he jerked his head to the side to see her wide eyes as she glanced around. “You ready?”
With a quick nod, she replied, “Yeah, let’s get this done. The sooner we can get the financial data, the sooner we can put this place behind us.”
As much as her words should have made him happy, there was a strange prick near his heart as she dismissed this place so quickly. Climbing from his truck, he walked around and assisted her down. His gaze shot to the small purse in her hands, but before he had a chance to question her further, she assured, “Yeah, I’ve got what I need. My thumb drive is in here along with lipstick. Believe me, Nolan, I’m ready.” Linking fingers with hers, they walked back into the wedding chapel.
Junelle’s eyes were just as bright as yesterday, and her hair was teased to an impossible height. Today, she was wearing a light blue, Sunday-best dress, ready to stand in as their witness. “Oh, the lovebirds are here!” She immediately jumped into her efficient wedding day persona, looking over Lynn’s dress and excitedly showing her the fresh bouquet with its stems dipped in water. “And, for you, the handsome groom…” She stepped around the counter and moved directly to him, pinning a boutonniere onto his lapel with practiced ease. He glanced down, unsure if he was more afraid of the long pin in her hand or the talon-like fingernails so close to his face. Breathing easier as she stepped back, he glanced up to see Lynn grinning at him.
“I have your marriage certificate right here, ready to be signed as soon as the ceremony is over, and since you agreed to spend your honeymoon night at the Casino Resort, there will be slices of a complimentary wedding cake and a bottle of champagne waiting for you there.”
Lynn's hands shook slightly, making the flowers jiggle as she murmured her appreciation. He wasn’t sure if her show of nerves was real or pretend.
Junelle continued to beam widely and pronounced, “I’m so glad you got here a few minutes early. The Justice of the Peace is already here, and Mr. Hightower will stand in as the other witness.”
He tried to hide his surprise, but Lynn audibly gasped. “Oh, but I thought he’d be at lunch,” she said, shooting Nolan a glance before sending tremulous smile toward Junelle.
“He’ll be leaving right after the ceremony,” Junelle agreed. “Our usual witness became sick, and so Mr. Hightower said that he’d stand in and leave right after you two lovebugs have said your vows. Now, follow me!” She turned and walked down the hall toward the chapel.
Following her, it was obvious that Errol’s office door was standing open, and he was sitting at his desk. Nolan captured Lynn’s wide-eyed stare, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her tight.
“What are we going to do now?” she whispered.
“We’ll have to do the ceremony first and then, when he leaves, we’ll get what we need.”
“Ceremony?” she whispered-squeaked, her panic evident as she jerked around in his embrace, her front now plastered to his side. The flowers slammed against his chest, several petals floating to the floor unheeded as her wide, pale blue eyes searched his.
“It won’t be real, remember? Mom didn’t give our correct information on the marriage application.”
Her feet stuttered to a halt and her breath left her lungs in a rush. Looking down, he asked, “Are you okay?”
Her face was pale, and he could swear there was a slight trembling of her lips. Swallowing deeply, she kept her eyes focused on his neck as she said, “I just didn’t expect to have to actually go through the ceremony. That seems so… so…” Her face grew pale as her breathing shallowed.
“Breathe, babe. Come on, it’ll be fine.”
She swallowed deeply. To him this is nothing. Steeling her spine, she straightened. “You’re right. Sorry, I just… well, it just… oh, forget it. Let’s just get this over with.”
Before he had a chance to reply, she followed Junelle and marched quickly into the chapel. Sighing, he dropped his chin and stared at his polished shoes. He was not so obtuse as to not know what was going through Lynn’s mind. She had not planned on having to repeat fake vows. Hell, neither did I. If my team could see me now, they’d be laughing their asses off.
Stepping inside, he scanned the interior. Flowers on a stand near the front. A candelabra nearby, the candlelight flickering in the dim interior of the room. Soft music playing through speakers in the background. And in the front, a beaming, round-faced man holding a black notebook standing next to Junelle. Coming through another door was Errol, dressed as he was yesterday, a smile on his face as he walked toward the front.
Looking to the side, his gaze landed on Lynn and his breath caught in his throat. Standing in her lacy cream sundress with the bouquet of flowers in her hand, she was everything he could have hoped for in a bride. And this isn’t real.
She looked over toward him, her lips curving into a smile worthy of the finest actress, but in her eyes were a thousand emotions, and none of them looked happy at the moment. He tried to think of a way to get the information they needed without having to go through the sham of a ceremony but, for the first time in his career, he was unable to recalculate a mission in midstream.
“If you’re ready, let’s begin the ceremony,” Errol called out, glancing at the expensive watch on his wrist. A smile was still on his face, but his words held a touch of impatience.
Lynn stepped forward, barely looking at Nolan as he joined her. She leaned toward the Justice of the Peace and spoke softly. “I know we told Junelle yesterday that it didn’t matter about the vows, but I’m feeling a bit queasy, so maybe we could just go with the shortest version possible?”
Nodding, his jowls jiggled as he flipped through the pages of his notebook. “Absolutely. I completely understand. Bridal nerves, you know? Heh, heh…” Finding the page he was looking for, he settled his smiling gaze on Nolan and Lynn. “Okay, Mr. Bell, you stand right here and face your lovely bride. Ms. Cox, you can hand your flowers to Miss Junelle and face your handsome groom.”
They shifted around and faced each other, reaching out at the same time and grasping hands. His breath caught in his throat as he stared down into her beautiful, upturned face. He felt the trembling in her fingers and wrapped his hands around them tightly, smiling slightly. If ever I was going to do this for real—
“We are here to witness the marriage union of Ryan Bell and Elizabeth Cox,” the Justice of the Peace began.
9
Lynn heard the names given by the officiant and recognized that Rita used their middle names while keeping their last names. She had no idea what false information Rita used to complete the other forms and wished she had inspected them earlier in case she needed the information later.
Her hands had been trembling, but with Nolan’s holding hers tightly, she felt his warmth. She wanted to memorize each moment, even firmly grounded in the knowledge that this was all make-believe. Somehow, it would at least stave off her teenage dreams. The possibility that it might be the only wedding she would ever have ran through her.