Going to the Chapel: A Novella by Rita Herron

Listening to Levi talk about his bride-to-be in that husky voice was playing havoc with her senses.
    For a brief second, she could have sworn she saw a flicker of heat in his eyes.
    As if he’d zeroed in on her lips and wanted to kiss her.
    But that flicker disappeared so quickly she must have imagined it. Maybe he was staring at her mouth because she had something between her teeth.
    Oh, heavens. She ran her tongue over the inside of her front teeth to check, but didn’t feel anything caught between them.
    Drat. She’d had one of Daisy’s blueberry scones this morning. Were her teeth blue?
    Note to self—no more blueberry scones before meeting clients!
    “Okay,” she said, determined to breeze over the awkward moment. “We’ve discussed flowers. Do you want anything else for decorations?”
    “What else would there be?”
    He looked baffled for a moment, and she considered asking him if she could call Elsa herself. But that might be overstepping.
    Although he was a romantic at heart, he still had that pesky Y chromosome and clearly hadn’t attended many weddings.
    Then again, that was why he’d hired her.
    Aunt Dottie’s rule number six taunted her: Always let a man think he’s in charge, even as you tell him what to do.
    “An arch decorated with ribbons or flowers or white lights would look nice. Some couples also display photographs of themselves chronicling their relationship beside the bridal guestbook. As far as the reception goes, you can use flowers on the table, or some couples prefer candles and mirrors, or hand-painted vases. You might also want a unity candle during the ceremony.”
    “A unity candle?”
    Izzy smiled. “Yes, the candelabra holds three different candles. The bride and groom each light a candle when they enter, then after the ceremony, they light the center one together to symbolize their union as one.”
    “Oh.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll ask Elsa.”
    “Good idea. Why don’t I put together a sketch of what we’ve discussed and e-mail it to you and you can forward it to her,” Izzy suggested. “Or if she wants, she can call me directly.”
    Levi looked out the window. “I don’t want to stress her with too many details, not while she’s still recovering. Send it to me first and I’ll share with her.”
    She patted his shoulder sympathetically. The woman must be worse off than he’d admitted. And here he was, taking ownership of the plans because he loved her so much.
    There were a lot of other details to discuss, too. “Will you and Elsa both stay at the B and B before the wedding? And what about family? We’ll need to know how many rooms to reserve.”
    And to get fixed up. Lordy, she was making this up as she went.
    “Actually, I’ve rented a cabin on the river. I’ll stay there, but I’m sure Elsa will want to stay at the B and B.”
    “Okay, just let me know.” Izzy’s mind raced. “Do you have a priest to perform the ceremony?”
    Levi ran a finger over the edge of a pew, then yanked it back as if he’d been burned. “No, no priest.”
    “I’m sure Reverend Hicks can perform the ceremony. He’s the preacher who married my aunt in this very chapel.” Of course, he was in his eighties now, had been retired for ages, and his memory was sketchy. But maybe he could get through the ceremony without wandering off. Twice she’d heard they’d found him lost in someone’s neighborhood. Another time he’d been combing the grocery store calling his dead wife’s name. Poor man had spells where he thought she was still alive.
    “That’s fine,” Levi said.
    “Now about the reception,” Izzy continued, mentally ticking down her to-do list. “If it were warmer, we could set up tents and have it on the lawn, but it’ll probably be too cold on Christmas Eve, and sometimes we have snow. There’s a large room at the B and B that the original owner created for special events. It would hold up to seventy-five.”
    “Good, let’s go with