Andrea laughed at the smile on David’s face. He was teasing her. After years of feeling different from everyone else, it was wonderful to be treated like a normal woman. “There’s only one problem. I’m already going to their wedding, but I’ll be busy in the kitchen.”
“What about after you’ve finished?”
She thought about the barbecue and the selection of mouth-watering desserts that would come next. “I might be able to get away for a few minutes. But wouldn’t you prefer someone beside you the entire time?”
“Have you heard the saying ‘quality is better than quantity’?”
“I don’t think they were talking about wedding partners, though.”
David shrugged. “It works for me. If you get super-busy, I can always find an apron and help with the catering.”
Andrea’s eyes widened. “I can’t imagine you serving drinks and refilling bowls with fresh salad.”
“I’m a man of many talents.”
The laughter in his voice melted away the last of her misgivings. “Okay. I’ll take pity on you. I’ll make sure we spend time together after the barbecue.”
“I’ll call you from Manhattan to make sure you don’t change your mind.”
The warmth in his eyes made her heart pound. “I won’t change my mind.”
Her friends would be thrilled she was spending time with David. And as long as she didn’t read too much into his invitation, it could be a lovely end to a busy night.
Chapter 9
Andrea knelt on the floor in the private living room in The Lakeside Inn. A few weeks ago, Katie and her sisters had found three gorgeous bridesmaids’ dresses, but they needed to be altered. With their mom already stressed about the wedding, they’d asked Andrea if she knew anyone who could help them. She’d grown up sewing all her own clothes, so altering the dresses wasn’t a problem. The only issue she had was not having a sewing machine.
Fortunately, their mom’s sewing machine was more than capable of doing what Andrea needed. With a few tweaks and a little shortening, the simple bodices and straight skirts would look beautiful with the bouquets Paris was creating.
Carefully, she slipped a pin into the blue silky hem of Penny’s bridesmaid’s dress. “These gowns are stunning.”
“I can’t believe we found them in Polson,” Katie said. “Especially when we didn’t have a lot of time to look for bridesmaids’ dresses.”
“They were meant to be yours.” Andrea studied the hem, then picked up another pin. “Turn half an inch to the left. That’s it. How are the wedding plans going?”
Katie handed Barbara a basket of ribbons. While she waited with her sisters, she was filling circles of tulle with candy. “Everything’s on track. Did I tell you Willow can take our photos?”
Andrea shook her head. “You were going to ask her, but I didn’t know if she could take them. They’ll be beautiful.”
“We’re lucky she can help.”
With Katie and Peter’s wedding not too far away, Andrea could only imagine how busy they must be. She remembered her own wedding, the last-minute details that had stressed her so much she’d almost canceled the entire day. It was a pity she hadn’t.
“When do your last guests leave the inn?”
“Next Monday,” Barbara said as she added another table favor to the ones they’d already made. “Aunt Rosa and her husband arrive next Wednesday. The rest of our family will be here by Friday. Peter’s family arrive on Thursday.”
Diana pulled a length of thread through a needle. She was hand-stitching the alterations that couldn’t be made on the sewing machine. “We couldn’t find enough accommodation, so some of our family have to stay in Polson. We’re just grateful it isn’t too far away.”
Andrea had seen how many relatives Peter and Katie had. On the day of the wedding, The Lakeside Inn would be bursting with people. “Don’t worry about the food for the wedding. Everything’s under control.”
Katie added a rainbow-colored ribbon to the table favor she was making. “Aunt Rosa’s looking forward to helping you prepare dinner for everyone. If she gets too bossy, come and get one of us.”
“She’ll be fine. I’m glad she could help, especially when your wedding is so close to the opening of the café.”
“If you need a hand with anything at the café, let us know,” Penny said as she turned slightly to the left. “Diana’s an amazing cook and Barbara and I worked part-time as waitresses when we were younger.”
“Thanks, but I should be okay. Two students from Pastor John’s hospitality class are helping me.”
