Penny Hampshire
HannahMarshallsweepsintothe grand ballroom at the Chesterboro Country Club like a queen. Not a queen, maybe. But definitely like a rock star, because that’s what she is.
She rubs her gloved hands together, blowing into them. “It’s freezing out there.”
“It’s December,” I remind her. “In northeast Pennsylvania.” I smother my grin as I retrieve another centerpiece from the corner and place it on one of the round tables scattered across the room.
Hannah unwraps the scarf from around her neck and pulls the knit hat from her head. She shakes out her long blond hair and removes her glasses. Using her shirt to defog them, she places them back on her nose. “I mean, it’s colder than normal Chesterboro cold weather.” Sliding out of her jacket, she slings it over a chair by the door. “It’s got that about-to-snow bite in the air, you know?”
I definitely do. Like Hannah, I grew up in Chesterboro. Tucked in the mountains, our town gets regular helpings of wintry weather. With as much experience with snow as we have, it’s hard not to recognize how it feels. As I glance out the window, I have to agree with her now. The skies were gray, and I smelled the incoming snow on my way in.
But instead of saying that, I shake my head. “Maybe not.” I shrug. “It could still blow over.”
“I agree,” my mother pipes in from behind me. She deposits another centerpiece in the middle of the table. “The weather people aren’t always right, you know.” She glares outside, as if her displeasure will be enough to discourage the Nor’easter bearing down on eastern Pennsylvania from hitting our small town. With an irritated sniff, she leaves us to rejoin Hannah’s wedding planner. My mom has a forceful personality. She probably thinks she can will the weather to cooperate with her.
Meeting Hannah’s gaze, I roll my eyes. She smothers a grin with her fingers, and I chuckle to myself. But Hannah’s smile fades almost immediately. I squeeze her arm. “What’s going on? Are you nervous?”
“About the wedding?” She snorts. “Not even the slightest bit.” Hannah and her fiance, Cord Spellman, are supposed to exchange their vows here tomorrow evening, in the courtyard at the country club. There are already heat lamps stationed discreetly throughout the grounds outside, and Hannah ordered a bunch of blankets and wraps for attendees to use if they get chilly. “But snow? That stresses me out.” She rubs her forehead. “Maybe I should have waited until the summer to have our wedding. I don’t want anyone to get hurt on their way just because I didn’t want to wait a few more months to marry Cord.”
I hug her. “Stop it. You’re borrowing trouble. With any luck, the weather will hold off until everyone gets into town tonight.” I don’t mention her fiance specifically, but I’m sure we’re both thinking about it. The most important person traveling tonight is the groom—Cord. He’ll be coming in from Chicago with my boyfriend, Griff, after their hockey game today. While we don’t need many things for this wedding to go forward, Cord’s presence is definitely necessary.
The ceremony is supposed to be small, with only around a hundred people. The guest list is heavy on famous singers and professional hockey players. Folks like that don’t get many days off, and the days they get aren’t usually the same as everyone else. But there aren’t any hockey games on Christmas Eve and Christmas, and no scheduled tour stops for any of the musicians. It’s the perfect time for a wedding between a singer and a professional hockey player.
I check my watch. It’s almost noon. “I’m going to call Griff before their game. Wish them luck.” Across the room, Hannah’s wedding planner is motioning to her. “Rebecca needs you.”
Hannah’s mouth opens like she wants to say more, but Rebecca calls to her. I give her an encouraging thumbs up. She nods as I pull out my phone, then she takes a steadying breath and wanders off to take care of last-minute wedding details.
When she’s out of hearing distance, I dial Griff’s cell. “Please pick up…” I mutter under my breath. It connects, and I breathe a sigh of relief. “Thank God.”
“Red, you usually save that kind of gratitude for other, more intimate spaces.”
I roll my eyes but can’t help my grin. “I love you.”
“Love you, too. What’s up?” I rarely call him before games. Not because he doesn’t want to hear from me, but because I don’t want to distract him. Griff signed with the New Jersey Jaguars during free agency. He never expected to play hockey professionally, but when he was moved to the first line last year unexpectedly during the Frozen Four, he caught the eye of the Jaguars’ scouts. His scrappy play and work ethic impressed them. He’s the closest thing to an enforcer the team has, stepping in when more physical play is needed. But he’s most proud of the five goals he already has this season. “Is everything okay?” he asks.
There’s worry in his tone, and I know immediately that he’s asking about his father. “Everyone’s fine.” Griff’s father had a stroke in the spring. He’s recovered enough to return home, and he’s been doing great on his own for a month or so, but Griff still worries. “Except for a frazzled bride-to-be, everything is great in Chesterboro.”
“Oh, boy…” He exhales. “Is Hannah nervous?”
“Not about the wedding. But the weather is stressing her out.” I glance at where she confers with her mother and Rebecca. “Any luck getting backup transportation out of Chicago?” The storm has been brewing for a couple of days. Cord and Griff have been trying to find another way to get home after their game today, in case the team’s flight is grounded, either from Chicago or because of conditions in Newark.
His exhale is heavy across the phone line. “No. It’s the holidays. Everyone’s traveling.”
“Between you, Cord, and Hannah, we’ve got the money. Someone needs to get you guys here.”
“We’re working on it. Cord has some calls in.”
“He should tell Hannah.” I glance across the room to where my friend works out details with the wedding planner.
“He said he didn’t want to stress her out unless absolutely necessary. Keeping things from you never worked out well for me, but…” I can almost hear his shrug.
“We’ve definitely learned that lesson,” I say.
“Absolutely,” he agrees. In the spring, when we were getting together, Griff kept a bunch of details about his life from me. It caused miscommunication and issues between us that almost ended our relationship. We worked it out, but neither of us plans to make those mistakes again.
“I miss you, Red. I hate being out of town this long,” Griff says.
“Me too. But you’ll be home soon.” The Jaguars have been on the road for the past couple of weeks, so we haven’t been able to enjoy my winter break from law school. But their games between Christmas and New Year’s Day are all home. We plan to spend as much time together as we can before my classes at Seton Hall start back up in January.