Wedding Bell Blunders: A Freshly Baked Cozy Mystery

a trim. I had decided on leaving my hair down. It was exactly the way I wanted my wedding pictures to look.
There was a knock at the door, and then Sarah opened it and slipped inside. “Mr. Winters is here,” she said almost breathlessly.
I looked at her in the mirror without turning around. “Is he? Good. I’m glad he could make it.” Mr. Winters was mine and Lucy’s go-to when we needed information about someone.
“Yes, but,” she said, hesitating. “He brought something for you.”
I looked at her, and her eyes were big. “What do you mean he brought something for me?”
“Yes.” She exhaled. “Balloon animals.”
I gasped and turned to look at her. “What are you talking about? He brought balloon animals?”
She shook her head. “Not exactly. He brought a helium tank and a bunch of balloons. He’s in the process of making a dachshund as we speak.”
I gasped again. That was happening a lot today. “You go down there, and you tell that man that I am not having balloon animals at my wedding.” Alec had laughed hysterically when I told him that Mr. Winters had suggested he would make them for our wedding several months ago. I wasn’t laughing.
She shook her head. “I don’t want to break his heart. He’s a sweet old man. I can’t do that.”
I turned and looked at Lucy. “Lucy, you tell him no balloon animals!”
Lucy shook her head. “I can’t do that to Mr. Winters. He’s too sweet.”
I groaned and got to my feet. “Okay then, I’ll do it myself.”
“You can’t go down there in your bathrobe. People will see you.” Lucy said.
“Of course people are going to see me, I’m going to tell Mr. Winters that he can’t make balloon animals for my wedding.”
“Oh, Allie, just get ready for your wedding. What are a few little balloon animals?” Mama said. “I’ll go down and see what he’s up to.”
I nodded, trying to get ahold of myself. “Okay. But no balloon animals!”
I sat back down, my heart pounding in my chest. How could I face Alec if there were balloon animals at my wedding? He would laugh, and that would make me laugh. And then his mother and his friends from the police station would think I was a nutcase.
“He’s very good at making them,” Sarah said.
I eyed her through the mirror. “I don’t want any balloon animals on my wedding.” I had made up my mind, and I expected my wishes to be honored. It was my wedding, after all.
Mr. Winters had at one time worked for the circus, and apparently, he was good at making balloon animals. But that still didn’t mean that I wanted them at my wedding.

Chapter Three
We had divided the white wooden chairs into two sections, creating an aisle, and I looked at Alec as Thad walked me down the center of it. We had invited a total of forty guests, and with the ballroom being as large as it was, it was no problem being able to seat them all. As I glanced around the room, I realized that it looked like nearly everybody had come. There was no time to wait for RSVPs, so I had no idea if they would show up or not. Alec and his best man, John Jones, a friend from the police department, stood at the front of the room, waiting for me. Jennifer was my maid of honor, and she walked ahead of me.
We had decided to keep the wedding party small because otherwise, it would have been overwhelming for the space, and also because it was a spur of the moment thing and I hated to put a financial burden on the women in my life. I glanced over at Mama sitting on the front row of chairs along with Sarah, my sister Shelby, and my brother Jake. Seeing them made me tear up as I walked down the aisle. I had to look away, so I didn’t completely fall apart. Alec’s mother and brother sat on the groom’s side, their eyes on me. I smiled at them.
Alec’s friends from the police station were sitting in the seats behind his mother and brother. I looked at Alec, and this time the tears did come. He smiled at me through his own tears.
Mr. Winters sat on the bride’s side and waved at me. I smiled and nodded. The closer I got to Alec, the faster my heart beat. And then I was standing beside him, trying to calm my nerves by breathing in deeply. He took my hand, and I smiled at him. I turned to face him, and then I caught sight of the balloon animals behind him. Some of them were filled with helium, as they bobbed on their strings near the pile of earthbound balloon animals on the mantle. Why hadn’t they stopped him? I looked at Alec and smiled again, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off the balloon animals.
“You look beautiful,” he whispered.
I smiled at him. “Thank you. You look handsome.” A red giraffe strained against the string holding it down. I blinked.
I had chosen a lavender tea-length dress for the occasion. I’d already had the big white ball gown when I got married the first time, and so I decided on a pretty, simple dress. Alec wore a light gray suit with a lavender tie.
My eyes went back to the balloon animals, and Alec looked at me, questioning with his eyes. I smiled. The officiant was from the Baptist church, and he began the ceremony. I tried to pay attention to what he was saying, but the balloon animals threw me off. There must have been at least thirty of them piled up and another dozen floating around them. How had he made so many of them in such a short time?
“What’s going