A Groom wirh a View Read Online Free PDF

embarrassed at having her figure criticized while she was standing around in her slip in front of strangers.
    “I never mismeasure,“ Mrs. Crossthwait said firmly. “I’ll have to let out a little of the ease and move the button.”
    Jane almost groaned out loud. More alterations. More delay.
    “Shelley, could you help me make up the rest of the beds?“ she asked.
    “I’ll help,“ Layla said.
    “No, this smacks of housework. You’re on vacation. Work on your jigsaw puzzle.”
    Jane was surprised and delighted to find that most of the little monk cells now had casual flower arrangements on the bedside tables. “I guess Larkspur has been busy,“ she said. “How pretty they are!“
    “Did I hear my name being taken in vain?“ Larkspur said from the doorway.
    “These arrangements are marvelous. We hadn’t talked about them in our planning, though.”
    He laughed. “If you’re worried about your budget, don’t. I found all the flowers in the woods and just stuck them in whatever containers your Mr. Willis would part with. No charge, Mrs. Midas. He’s a bit of a dish, isn’t he? The Willis.“
    “Is he cooking yet? I’m starved,“ Shelley said. “Yes, in fact he sent me to find everyone. Lovely little cress sandwiches.”
    Lunch was elegant. They all gathered around the big, scarred kitchen worktable, although Mr. Willis wanted to serve them in the dining room. He was extremely unhappy to learn that there wasn’t a dining room. “Where am I to serve the reception dinner then?“ he asked.
    “No problem,“ Jane assured him. “The rental people will set up the main room with rows of chairs, church-style with an aisle. As soon as the wedding is finished and pictures are being taken outside, they’ll move the chairs back against the walls and put up the buffet table.”
    Larkspur was tapping his foot impatiently. “Oh, I’m not too fond of that plan. I’ll have to be tearing about with the table flowers like a mad thing.”
    Jane said, “I’m sorry, but we have to work with the layout we’ve got. There’s a smaller room just off the main room that probably once had a billiard table and we’ll use that for the bridal shower tomorrow afternoon and the bachelor party later in the evening. You’ll both be able to get in that room as early as you like to get set up. Meanwhile, we’ll have to have our lunch today here in the kitchen.”
    Larkspur and Mr. Willis agreed, but grudgingly.
    The skivvy served them. Mr. Willis ate his lunch silently, while double-checking the lists he’d made in a small notebook. Jane was doing the same with one of her notebooks. Shelley, Layla, and Kitty tried to find some common ground for conversation and Larkspur told Mrs. Crossthwait a string of arch little jokes. She stared at him as if he were from outer space, but probably harmless. “You’re one of ‘those’ people, aren’t you?“ she finally said to Larkspur.
    “Those people?“
    “One of those pansy boys.”
    Larkspur’s usual smile faded. “More of a sunflower, I’d have said,“ he snapped. And added, under his breath, “Dirty-minded old bat.”
    Halfway through the meal, Uncle Joe turned up, looking outraged at the invasion of his kitchen.
    “We’d have invited you to lunch if we could have found you,“ Jane said sweetly. “Help yourself. Livvy’s aunts will be arriving later this afternoon and we’ll need you to carry bags. Please don’t disappear again.”
    Uncle Joe just scowled at her.
    When lunch was finished, everyone scattered. Jane sat down with her notebooks at the old-fashioned dial phone in the front hall. She called the local motel to confirm the rooms for the guests who wouldn’t be staying at the house, checked that the rental people had the correct tables, chairs, and linens ready to go and had their directions for reaching the lodge right. She gave her mother-in-law a ring to make sure the kids were doing okay and got stuck hearing at length about how Willard, Jane’s big,