Wedding Bell Blunders: A Freshly Baked Cozy Mystery

go back to the ballroom and visit with my guests.”
Lisa nodded. “We’ll be right out in a few minutes. It won’t take long.”
“Thank you, girls, for everything you’re doing,” I said, and Lucy I headed back to the ballroom.
“What an awful thing to have happened,” Lucy whispered.
I nodded, and we stepped into the ballroom. They had already brought the wedding cake in, and I had to admit that it was beautiful. Cake decorating was hard work, but I enjoyed it.
“I’m starving,” I said.
Lucy nodded. “Me too. Everything smells so good.”
Alec’s friends, along with Thad and Dylan, had moved the tables into position, and the chairs that the guests had sat on for the wedding were now placed around each of the square tables. We’d gone with simple white and yellow daisy centerpieces and white tablecloths. It was lovely, and I was kind of glad that we hadn’t had more time to prepare for the wedding because we hadn’t had time to overthink things. Everything was simple and elegant.
“Allie,” Mama said, pulling me to her in a tight hug. “Girl, don’t you dare think that that young man fainting like he did is going to have any effect on your marriage.”
I shook my head and chuckled. “No, Mama, I know. It was just an unfortunate incident.”
“What happened to him?” she asked, releasing me and looking into my eyes.
I shrugged. “We’re not sure. Lisa and Jodi said that he thought he had low blood sugar. Maybe he’s diabetic. The doctors at the hospital will get him treated, and he’ll probably be released today or tomorrow.” I wasn’t sure it would be as simple as that since he seemed to be barely clinging to life when the EMTs had wheeled him out, but I hoped so.
She nodded and patted my arm. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. The doctors will take care of him.”
Jennifer came over to where I stood near the doorway. “Mom, that was awful,” she said, brushing my hair back from my forehead. “Are you all right?”
I nodded. “I’m fine. Everything’s going to be fine. The caterers are going to get lunch on the table here in a few minutes, and we’re going to eat and enjoy ourselves.”
“Allie,” Dylan said, coming up behind Jennifer. “It was a nice ceremony. The intermission wasn’t so great, but it was a nice ceremony.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. If Dylan thought being a smart aleck was going to win him any points with me, well, he was right. I specialized in being a smart aleck, and I could appreciate a smart remark now and then. Just not now. The day had been nerve-wracking.
“Maybe at the next family get-together you can volunteer to be the one that gets taken away by ambulance?” I asked him.
He grinned and shook his head. “I think I’m going to have to pass on that.”
I shrugged. “All right, but it’s your loss.”
He chuckled. “Come on, Jennifer, let’s get some punch,” he said, taking her by the hand.
“Allie, who is that boy?” Mama asked when they were out of earshot.
I looked at her. “Mama, that’s Jennifer’s new boyfriend. Dylan. I’m sorry, I should have introduced you.”
She shook her head. “I need to have a talk with that child.”
I chuckled. “You can try if you think it’ll do any good, but I have a feeling she isn’t going to listen. She’s in love.” Mama didn’t appreciate Dylan’s remark, but she would get used to him. He was a good kid, and I was happy that Jennifer was happy.
Alec came behind me and wrapped his arms around me, kissing me on the cheek. “It was a beautiful wedding,” he whispered.
I nodded without looking at him. “It was a beautiful wedding.”
“The balloon animals were classic. One of the caterers was taken away by ambulance, and you survived it all.”
I chuckled. “I did, didn’t I? Let’s not forget that the cake was almost dropped.”
“Allie, your wedding cake is so pretty,” my sister Shelby said. She hugged me. “I can’t believe that you put everything together so quickly.”
I nodded. “It was a lot of work, but I got it done.”
Lisa and Jodi brought the rest of the food out and set it on the tables buffet style, and our guests began to serve themselves. Alec stood beside me, his arm around me, and I turned to him, looking into his eyes. “I’m so glad I decided to marry you. I don’t know what I would have done with myself if I had decided not to.”
His eyebrows shot up. “You mean you weren’t sure you were going to?”
I shrugged. “I had a choice, you know.”
He nodded and snorted. “Sure you did. I know you. You had no choice other than to marry me. You were smitten.”
He was telling the truth. I had been smitten with Detective Alec Blanchard since the day I met him. It just took me a little while to figure it out.

Chapter Five
The phone rang, and I opened one eye. I glanced over at Alec as he picked up his phone from the bedside table and answered it.
“Hello?” he said sleepily.
He was quiet for a few moments, and then he said yes. There was more silence, and he closed his eyes, rubbing one hand across his forehead. Alec and I didn’t drink much, but we’d had champagne at our reception, and then after our guests had left, we had our own little celebration with another bottle of champagne. If the truth were told, I was feeling it this morning. Closing my eyes, I stretched, my muscles stiff with sleep, listening to Alec’s side of the conversation.
“I’m going to be going on my honeymoon today,” he said tiredly.
My eyes popped open, and I turned to look at him.
I waited in silence