Hunter gave me a sympathetic look as I dragged myself into the conference room at city hall.
“You look exhausted,” Amy said, shooing me to a seat. “Let me fix you a plate. Zoe made eggs Benedict, and her grandmother didn’t touch it, so there are no leaves or tree bark.” She set a steaming plate in front of me.
“I’m fine.” I rubbed my eyes.
“You look haggard.”
“Thanks,” I said wryly.
Amy gave me a peck on the cheek.
Meg dug into her own plate. “I sometimes wonder about all the food we eat at Harrogate meetings.”
“We can’t survive a meeting without food,” Amy said, pouring tea, and slid the mug in front of me. She ran her fingers through my hair, gently rubbing the pads on my scalp.
In spite of myself, I started to relax.
“We all might starve to death. We don’t know—it could be the last meal anyone ever has. Also,” Amy added, “people are more amenable when they’re not hungry. That’s why we always serve food and alcohol at our wedding planning event.”
The door swung open, and a blond man with gray eyes bounded in.
“Food!” he exclaimed.
“Tanner, you can’t just come over here for free food,” Hunter said in annoyance.
“I also brought a free train,” he said, loading up a plate.
“You fixed it?” Amy asked, excited.
“I’m here waiting for the delivery,” he said.
We all took our plates and went outside. The train in Harrogate that served Svensson PharmaTech and a few other businesses ran right down the middle of Main Street—no gates, no nothing. It was the feature that had made Alfie extremely excited about moving to Harrogate. He and I had spent many an evening or early morning watching the train chug through the middle of town.
Now, a huge diesel engine was pulling a crane and several flatbed train cars, on top of which sat a gleaming black train engine, a freshly restored Victorian-era carriage car, and a bright-red caboose.
“It’s just like Harry Potter!” Amy squealed, clapping. “This is amazing.” She pulled out her sketchbook and a tape measure.
“I should double-check that my flower designs will work,” she said, taking a step toward the train.
Tanner put a hand out, and I snarled.
Amy squeezed my arm. “Sebastian doesn’t like other people touching me.”
“And I don’t like people being run over by a train,” Tanner said, gazing down at her in amusement.
I didn’t like it. He was one of the ones who had been flirting with Amy at the couples shower.
Amy is mine now.
Tanner signaled to one of the men climbing onto the train and attaching riggings to the historic engine.
We watched as the crane slowly lifted the black engine onto the tracks.
“It’s not going to belch coal everywhere?” Meg asked in concern. “We have children and elderly people in this town.”
“Please, Mayor, who do you take me for?” Tanner scoffed. “This is a fully battery-powered engine. To give the historic small-town effect, we added a steam machine in the top stack.”
One of the conductors jumped into the train cab. The train let out a piercing whistle, causing people to stick their heads out of the office then start recording videos.
