Every Bride Needs a Groom Read Online Free PDF Page B

he said. “Oh, and Marie, they just brought out fresh lemon pound cake. You should have another piece.”
    â€œOh, I shouldn’t. I really shouldn’t.” Mama remained in her seat for a moment and then bounded to the dessert table.
    â€œThere she goes again,” Queenie said. “Marie and her pound cake.”
    The conversation carried on long after Mama returned tothe table, but my thoughts were elsewhere. I couldn’t stop thinking about the contest and the essay I needed to write. What should I say? Should I mention our quaint little town? The church sanctuary where I planned to say my “I dos”? Should I talk about Casey and how we met at the ballpark when I was running for cheerleader of the Little League team?
    â€œYou okay over there, Katie?” Queenie asked.
    â€œOh, yes ma’am. I’m just . . .” Strategizing. Writing a letter in my head.
    â€œThinking about that new window display at the hardware store, I’ll bet.” Pop winked. “I know how much you love that.”
    â€œOh, I do.” Changing out the displays was my very favorite part of working at the store. Well, that and the customers. But my mind was definitely on other things.
    By the time I arrived home from Sam’s, I’d sketched out the whole letter in my mind. I knew just what to say. I waited until the whole family was tucked away for the night before grabbing my laptop and composing the essay. It didn’t take long to lay out my plea for the dream dress. After all, I’d been planning for my big day all of my life. I knew just how I wanted things to go.
    The essay—all five hundred words—came together seamlessly. I pushed the Send button at exactly 11:17, just forty-three minutes shy of the midnight deadline. Whew! Talk about cutting it close.
    I couldn’t help but smile as I reread my essay after sending it in. It sounded pretty good. No, really good. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was God-inspired.
    God-inspired.
    Just like my relationship with Casey. I smiled again as I thought about my fiancé. Well, soon-to-be-fiancé. If he knew I’d penned this essay, would it hurry him up? Would he ticklemy ears with the question meant to make my heart sing? Would our happily ever after start sooner rather than later?
    For the first time all evening it occurred to me that Casey hadn’t called. I’d received a text early in the afternoon, but nothing tonight. Nothing whatsoever, not even our usual “Love you, sleep tight” text. I double-checked my phone, just to be sure. Nope. Nothing.
    Oh well. He was probably at his house this very minute, scheming up a way to propose. And wouldn’t he be thrilled to receive the news that I’d saved a bundle by winning the perfect gown?
    If I won.
    Oh, but I would. I knew it in my heart of hearts. This was my answer, my solution. I would win the dress, walk the aisle, and live out my forever with my small-town sweetheart. We’d raise our kiddos in Fairfield. Casey would coach Little League alongside Pop. I’d take over the choir at the Baptist church when Mama retired. And we’d all live happily ever after.
    I hoped.

4 I’ve Got a Picture of Us on My Mind
    The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.
    Dolly Parton
    I spent the next couple weeks with my stomach in knots. Barely a day went by when I didn’t wish I could un-press the Send button. Ugh. Every day I prayed Casey would propose. Every day he didn’t. In fact, he seemed to be acting a little odd—evasive, even—whenever I dropped hints about our relationship, which really bugged me. But I couldn’t beg the guy to marry me, now could I?
    Instead, I went about my business, working at the hardware store, hanging out with Casey and my friends at Dairy Queen, and listening to my brothers ramble on about the goings-on in our little town.
    Until Thursday