their forever together.
TURN THE PAGE TO READ A SPECIAL EXCERPT
FROM THE FIRST BOOTS AND BOUQUETS NOVEL
BY JACI BURTON
THE BEST MAN PLAN
COMING SOON FROM HEADLINE ETERNAL!
ERIN BELLINI SHOUTED OUT FROM HER OFFICE AT RED Moss Vineyards.
“Mom. Have you talked to the caterers?”
Her mother didn’t respond right away. It was her most annoying quality. While she waited, Erin jotted down several notes about the bridesmaids. Her two sisters were on site so she had them covered, but she made a note in her planner to text Chrissy, her best friend and maid of honor, to make sure she had received the itinerary Erin had emailed to her.
Erin’s mother, Maureen, made an appearance in Erin’s office. “You don’t need to yell at me, Erin. You could have just sent me a text. And yes, caterers are confirmed. Which I already told you this morning.”
“Right. You did. For some reason I hadn’t checked it off the list.” She typed an X in the spreadsheet on her laptop as well as marking it off on the page in her planner. She looked up at her mother. “And my dress is back from alterations, right?”
“It’s in your closet.” Her mom made that face, the one where her lips went straight and her eyes narrowed and you knew you were being scrutinized. “You’re not getting nervous, are you?”
Erin smiled and took a deep breath to center herself. “I never get nervous. Because I have everything planned. In my planner. In my spreadsheet. In the notes in my phone.”
Her mother smiled. “Right. Yes, well, that’s you, honey. I’m going out to the vineyards to check on your dad. Call if you need me.”
“Okay.”
She should call Owen, her fiancé, to make sure he remembered he had to pick up the tuxes. Or maybe she should call Jason, Owen’s best friend and the best man. Owen was always scattered and busy and he’d likely forget. Thankfully he had her to organize everything for him.
She picked up her phone and found Jason, then pressed the call button.
“Busy here, Erin.”
She shook her head at Jason’s gruff brush-off. Since they were neighbors, they’d known each other forever. “I need you to pick up the tuxes.”
“What?”
“The tuxes, Jason.”
“I’m knee-deep in cow shit right now, Erin. You don’t mean now, do you?”
“No. I mean Thursday.” She heard mooing. “You delivering babies?”
“Pregnancy checks.”
“Oh. Cool.” Jason was a large animal vet, so he was always on the run. He had a practice in town, but he also worked the local ranches.
She was scrolling through her emails when she saw one from Owen. Owen never emailed her. He always texted. She frowned and clicked on it.
“I thought Owen was doing the tux thing,” Jason said.
“Well, Owen is likely up to his elbows in hops or wheat or whatever it is that brewers do. Or he’s likely making sure the brewery and the restaurant won’t go up in flames without him when we’re on our honeymoon. You know how he is.”
“Fine. I’ll handle it. Anything else?”
“Yeah.” She was trying to concentrate on Owen’s email and forgot she was on the phone with Jason.
“Erin. Anything else?”
Her blood went cold. Everything in her went cold, despite the warm May day.
She read the email again. It was a breakup email. Two days before the wedding, and Owen was breaking up with her.
“In a freaking email? He’s breaking up with me in an email?”
“Who’s breaking up with you?” Jason asked. “Owen is?”
She was getting married in two days. Correction. Apparently she was not getting married, because exactly two days before their wedding Owen had broken up with her. Via email.
She felt dizzy and sick to her stomach. She leaned over and put her head between her legs.
“Erin. Are you there?”
“Did you know about this?” she asked, trying not to faint or throw up.
“Hell no, I didn’t know. Did he call you?”
Erin straightened, the dizziness making her feel as if she’d just downed a bottle of Bellini’s best prosecco in one gulp.
Two days. They were getting married in two days. This had to be a mistake. But as she straightened and looked at the email again, the word “mistake” was written in the same sentence as the words, “us getting married.”
“Ahhhhhhhhh!” she screamed, long and loud, then yelled, “That son of a bitch. I will kill him. He broke up with me in an email, Jason.”
“He didn’t,” Jason said. “Are you sure?”
“Oh, he did. And I’m sure. I can read a damn email. I gotta go.” She hung up the phone and stared at