Saltwater Secrets - Amelia Addler Page 0,23
some of the flowers were from the florist, but others were from her own garden. She wanted to make sure that there was a San Juan Island touch; she included sprigs of lavender and sand in the vases. They might not be able to outspend Eric Burke, but they had other charms.
Over the next hour and a half, they got the video running on the TV and also made a few last-minute changes to locations of the hors d’oeuvres and dessert tables. At one point, Morgan had to practically drag Jade away so she would have time to get ready.
“You’d better get ready too, Margie!” Morgan called out. “When I get back here I expect you to have your hostess dress on.”
Margie laughed. “It’ll take me no time at all to get ready.”
Which was good, because they almost had no time left. She rushed back into the house and ran into Hank when she walked in the door.
“There you are, stranger,” he said, wrapping her in a hug.
“Hi honey! I can’t talk, I have to get ready and go back so I can tell the caterers – ”
“You have to boss the caterers around?” He tightened his grip. “You know, we never get to have quality time together anymore. You’ve been so busy. You’re not busy now, are you?”
Margie laughed and stopped struggling against him. It was no use – he was too strong. And too determined. “I know, I know. How about we have some quality time together at the fundraiser?”
He looked up as though he was seriously considering it. “Okay. Deal.”
She got up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. “Love you!”
“Love you too.”
Margie showered and got dressed in a hurry. She didn’t really care what she looked like, but she at least needed to have her hair dried; she threw on an old dress that she’d worn to Tiffany’s graduation from college.
It still fit – mostly. It was a little tight. She studied herself in the mirror for a moment just to make sure that it didn’t look absurd.
Nah. It would do.
After five minutes of putting on makeup, she decided that she’d done more than enough. It was time to get back to the barn.
They only had about half an hour before guests started to arrive, so Margie got busy with making sure that the catering staff was set up and that they knew what they were doing for the night. Amazingly, it seemed like they’d avoided any major disasters so far.
The first trolley load of guests arrived a few minutes after seven. There were only about fifteen people – two of them were friends from the sheriff’s department, and the rest were related to friends Margie knew from her book club. Margie tried to keep Jade busy until the next trolley arrived – she didn’t want her to get her spirits down.
Luckily, the second trolley brought about forty people, and a few cars pulled in to park as well.
“See!” She whispered as they watched them enter the barn. “You had nothing to worry about. They’re practically busting down the doors!”
Jade smiled. “If we can even get half of what they had last weekend, I think I’ll be happy.”
Morgan and Luke were busy playing bartender to the new arrivals. Margie was about to rush off and make sure the appetizers were ready, but as soon as she walked into the barn, she could see that everything was laid out beautifully. What was left for her to do?
She rejoined Jade and introduced her to some friends who’d never gotten a chance to meet her in person – though Margie gushed about her constantly. She knew she was doing it, but sometimes she just couldn’t stop herself.
They spent the next twenty minutes or so chatting with them, and then transitioned to a conversation with the guests whose kids were occupying the arts and crafts table.
That was one major thing that Jade wanted to be different about her party – she wanted whatever Colby’s Farm turned into to ultimately be family-friendly, so she decided that the fundraiser should be, too.
Jade had to get creative to ensure that there were activities for all different age groups, but she was able to make a nice arrangement. Luckily, two ladies from Margie’s book club volunteered to man the table; both of them had plenty of real world grandma experience and so far, they were doing great.
More and more guests poured in, and Jade’s nervousness seemed to ease. She watched the door