"And you snatched the wheel and put us in a spin in the middle of the road."
"Yeah, well. I'm a more experienced driver now."
I nod, "Mmhmm."
She laughs as she cuts her eyes at me. "But I did dodge a dog last year. Mind you, I didn't wreck or spin out, but I did run off the road to avoid it."
"I rest my case." I tease her.
A few seconds later, she says, "I would like to stop in at the hotel to check out the accommodations. I don't want any surprises when Jenny arrives. She needs to be calm. And I want to nail the rehearsal and the dinner."
Her phone dings a dozen times, and her eyes flare with panic.
"Spotty phone service," I state.
She scans the messages. "How's the phone reception from here to town?" She asks as she texts. "I need to call Stacey from the other venue to coordinate the details."
"The signal will be stronger ten miles from town."
She looks out the window, deep in thought. Then starts typing or texting. I'm not sure which. "How far from town are we?"
"Fifteen miles."
She studies her phone so she can see the signal strength, and as soon as she has service bars, she dials Stacey. They discuss the tents needed, the installation and the teardown. Plus, the number of chairs, a red carpet for the aisle, the flower arrangements, the officiant, the wedding singers, the catering, and the DJ for the reception.
"Everything sounds great." She smiles at me. "You've done an amazing job salvaging the wedding in the midst of your trauma. Thank you! Oh, you're most welcome. You did the heavy lifting. I'm just here to organize the chaos on the day of the wedding. I wish you could have met Jenny too. She's a real sweetheart."
She disconnects the call, throws her head back and says to the ceiling. "Saturday is going to be crazy busy. Stacey's crew will arrive around nine with the tents and get everything set up. There's a holding tent for the bridal party where they will wait. A tent for the wedding ceremony with chairs and a carpet. And two tents for the reception. Around two, the flowers arrive. Between three and four, the booze and the caterer show up. An hour before the ceremony, the officiant, along with the singers, the band, and the cakes will arrive. Thirty minutes before, the wedding party and guests arrive." She rolls her face to look at me. "I'm going to need a shot or two of Blazing Fire before the ceremony."
I chuckle. "Sounds like everything is lined up, and all you'll have to do is monitor."
She smirks at me. "Nothing goes according to plan."
She places another call. "Jenny, I'm in town. Call me as soon as you get this. Hopefully, I'll still have a signal."
ChapterSix
Summer
As soon as we enter the city limits, Blaze says, "I want to show you something. We need to eat, and hopefully, it'll help put your mind at ease. The bar is catering the wedding."
We pull into a huge parking lot of the biggest bar I've ever seen, and my mouth falls open at the establishment. The Play of the Day Sports Bar #1.
I whip around in my seat and accuse him, "You own this bar?"
He nods, grinning his cute boyish grin. "I do. Come on. I'll give you a tour. The doors don't open until four, but the staff is already here. We can eat and then visit the hotel."
I slide out of the truck, landing on the pavement, still in shock. "So which came first, the ranch or the bar?"
"The ranch." He enters a digital code and then pushes the door open, and we enter holding hands. "I got the idea when I came in here to watch the playoffs. The TVs were outdated, and there wasn't a decent sound system. I ended up watching it on my phone, sitting on that barstool right over there." He points to it. "A couple of people recognized me and gathered around. Before two innings were played, a small crowd was waiting for updates. The next day, I bought a smart TV and asked the owner if he would accept my donation, and he said, 'Hell. I'll sell the whole damn place to you if you want it.' I asked, 'How much?' He told me. We shook on it."
A man comes out of the area in the back, and I drop his hand like a hot potato. The man calls out, "Big Booze Boss, what brings you into town?" Then he stops dead.
Blaze throws up his hand and waves acknowledgment to the man, who watches us for a few moments, then turns and goes back into what I assume is the kitchen.
I tease Blaze. "Big Booze Boss?"
He chuckles, "I stocked the bar with everything under the sun and thus the nickname."
