“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.”
