Happily This Christmas (Happily Inc #6) - Susan Mallery Page 0,87
the royal family descending.”
“When does the king’s private jet arrive to whisk you all to El Bahar for New Year’s?” Silver asked, her voice teasing.
“On the twenty-seventh.” Bethany sighed. “When she gets older, my daughter is going to have a very rude adjustment to normal life.”
“You mean like flying commercial?” Carol laughed.
“That among other things. Of course if there’s ever a discussion about what everyone’s grandparents do, she’s going to have a really interesting story.”
“The other kids won’t believe her,” Renee said.
Joylyn listened a lot more than she spoke. She was content to let the words wash over her. She didn’t know the details of each life they discussed, but that was fine. Some situations were universal.
She missed this, she thought. Having good friends she could count on. For the hundredth time, she told herself she should have stayed on base where she had support. But this time, instead of feeling sorry for herself, she vowed that she would learn from her mistake and do better next time. She would make sure she had friends she could count on, not ones who showed up drunk and mocked her for not partying when she was nine months pregnant. In return, she saw she had to be a better friend.
A good life lesson, she told herself. One she would hang on to.
* * *
“YOU SURE THAT’S not too heavy?” Garrick asked, as Wynn helped him carry the first of five large folding tables through the house.
Wynn, gorgeous as always, in jeans and a T-shirt, her holiday pinecone charm glinting against her chest, rolled her eyes. “I’m fine. I doubt the table weighs fifteen pounds.”
“I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“I’m not infirmed.”
“Still.”
They reached the patio area by the pool and set down the folding table. He immediately pulled her close and kissed her.
“I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you,” he told her.
“I appreciate the concern but again, not fragile.”
“I agree, but you are special.”
Her gaze softened. “You are such a guy.”
“That should be good news.”
She laughed. “Fine. It’s good news and you’re very sweet to worry, but please, don’t ask me if I’m okay for the twenty minutes it’s going to take to unload your truck.”
“I’ll be quiet if you give me a kiss.”
She leaned in and pressed her mouth to his. “No bargaining required for that,” she told him.
“I like knowing that.”
The light kiss was enough to get him thinking about his bed and them together. He enjoyed the fantasy for about two seconds, then firmly pushed it to the back of his mind. Getting ready for Joylyn’s baby shower was the more pressing concern, but maybe later...
Renee and Pallas had loaned him folding tables and chairs for the weekend. The tables he was using were rectangular, and apparently the weddings planned for the weekend were using round tables. Renee had given him more detail than that, but he’d tuned it out. All he’d wanted to know was if he could borrow a few tables or not.
He and Wynn made quick work of unloading the rest of the tables and the chairs.
“Let me show you what I’ve got so far,” he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the house.
They went into his office where he’d stacked boxes and shopping bags.
“You are serious about this,” she said, looking around.
“It’s Joylyn’s shower. Of course I’m serious. I went online to figure out what to do and ordered as much as I could.”
He pulled out a pad of paper from his desk. “The menu is simple. I checked with all the caterers in town and no one could squeeze in a full meal, so we’re doing a high tea. Finger sandwiches from one of the caterers. Different kinds of scones and little petit fours from the bakery. Renee came through with a bunch of teapots, and Silver is going to swing by and drop off a big serving container and ingredients for punch.” He looked at Wynn. “Does that sound okay?”
“It sounds great. I’m still pretty impressed you’re doing all this.”
“I’m getting a lot of help.”
“Still, it’s a baby shower. That has to be scary.”
“I’m a big manly man. I don’t get scared.”
As he’d expected, she laughed. “Yes, my liege. I bow to your manly man-ness.”
He went over his notes. “The colors are light blue and pale yellow. I have yellow tablecloths for the tables. Renee gave me a bunch of white plates to use. I’m picking those up in the morning. Oh, I gave the bakery twenty-four terra-cotta pots. Little