In the Line of Fire by Jennifer LaBrecque Page B

AM NEVER GOING TO live this humiliation down,” Daisy Mitchell wailed from the depths of the overstuffed black-and-cream-toile armchair in Martha Anne Sawyer’s family room.
    Martha Anne didn’t know what to say to her best friend. People would talk for some time to come. She simply patted Daisy’s shoulder, made a soothing noise and passed a tissue.
    Sonya, the wedding planner, had sent Daisy home with Martha Anne. It wasn’t the first jilted-at-the-altar situation Sonya had handled and she’d stayed behind to work with the caterer and explain to the guests. According to Sonya it was best if the parents of the bride and groom were kept separated at this point. Martha Anne agreed. She’d always thought Blanton’s father was a pompous ass and Beverly Pritchard didn’t acknowledge anyone outside her circle of Junior Leagueand Garden Club cronies. Neither one would have been gracious to Daisy.
    â€œI don’t know what Andi was thinking,” Daisy went on. “Blanton will never marry her now.” Yeah, she could pretty much take that to the bank, no pun intended. “In fact, no one is going to want to marry her now because they’ll all be afraid she’ll do the same thing to them.” Martha Anne caught her lower lip between her teeth and worried it. She couldn’t dispute that either. “She’s ruined her prospects. And as if it wasn’t bad enough Lola spotted her leaving with Colton in his car. What was he thinking? Do you think they planned this, Martha Anne?”
    Martha Anne might not be pleased with her firstborn child—well, there was no might to it, she flat out wasn’t happy with Colton—but she didn’t care for Daisy’s tone or implication. “It was a real stroke of bad luck that Lola was the one to spot them.” It’d be all over Savannah by nightfall. “But I can assure you it wasn’t planned. I don’t think Colton and Andi have had any contact with one another for years.”
    â€œWell, why’d he have to do something stupid like drive away with her?”
    Martha Anne mentally counted to ten. She and Daisy had both been young brides when they’d moved in next to one another more years ago than she cared to remember. Martha Anne had grown up as an army brat who’d spent her whole childhood moving from base to base and she’d learned early on to makefriends. Daisy had never been anywhere outside of Savannah. Savannah was her world and she liked it that way. However, they’d discovered they each had a passion for history and homemaking and had become close, fast friends. Both women had said the other was the sister they’d never had. Over the years they’d had their arguments but their friendship ran deep.
    Nonetheless, Martha Anne wouldn’t tolerate anyone unfairly maligning her child, even if her child was thirty-two, when Andi had clearly been the one to ditch the wedding.
    â€œDaisy, I’m going to give you some leeway because I understand your circumstances, but this is not Colton’s fault. He didn’t drag Andi out of that window.”
    Daisy passed her hand over her face. “I know. I’m just distraught.”
    Martha Anne settled on the love seat opposite her best friend. “He’s probably just calming her down and he’ll have her back here in no time. You know how responsible my son is.” Colton had always done them proud.
    â€œI know. I’m sorry. And if she’d been driving herself she might’ve wrecked, so if she had to run away, I suppose it’s best he’s with her. I don’t know how I’m even going to talk to that girl when she gets here I’m so upset with her.”
    Martha Anne suspected Daisy hadn’t eaten since breakfast. She pushed up from the love seat and headed toward the kitchen. “I’m going to make us alittle plate of cheese and crackers and pour each of us a glass of