Gulf Coast Wedding by Maggie Miller
Chapter Twelve
Monday dawned bright and beautiful. Georgia was grateful for that. A gray, gloomy day would have put her in a less than happy mood, and she needed everything to be as perfect as it could be today. As it was, she was a bundle of nervous energy. But then, today was a very big day.
Not just because of the election that could potentially declaw the town’s biggest pest, but because the inn was getting some serious attention from Tourist magazine today.
It was a wonder she wasn’t vibrating with the excitement of it all.
The photoshoot people were arriving at eight, so she hurried into the kitchen to get the coffee pot going while she took her shower. Mia wandered in just as Georgia was headed back to her room.
“Morning, Mom. That breakfast room looks like a jungle.”
Georgia nodded. “It does. But we’ll get all of those plants arranged. Well, I imagine the magazine people will do that. I’m sure they’ll want them placed a certain way.”
“No doubt.” Mia glanced at the coffee pot. “Thank you for getting that started. I feel like I’m going to need a lot of coffee today.”
“Same here. It’s going to be a busy one. And speaking of coffee the beverage, Coffee the chef will be here soon so I’m going to take my shower and get dressed. Aunt Lilly will be over soon, too.”
“Cool. You want me to make some eggs?”
Georgia exhaled and put her hand on her stomach. “I think I’m too nervous for eggs. Might just go with a yogurt.”
“Okay, no problem. I’ll get the cats fed. I’m going to give Clyde a good brushing too. I think we should try to get him in a picture if we can. Especially since he’s our only permanent tenant.”
“Bonnie, too,” Georgia answered.
“Yes, but she’s still on kitten duty so I don’t want to take her away from them.” Mia grinned. “Although she might enjoy the break.”
Georgia snorted. “Yeah, she’s been mothering pretty hard lately. I love the idea of getting Clyde in a shot.”
Mia nodded. “Good. Cats are social media gold. Granted, some people might be put off by his presence, but those aren’t people that would be staying at the inn anyway.”
Smiling, Georgia nodded. “Give him some extra breakfast then. Soften him up.”
Mia snorted. “Will do.”
Georgia went back to her room to shower and figure out what to wear. She’d pretty much already decided on white jeans, a cute floral blouse, and simple leather flats, but until she actually had that on and saw it in the mirror, she wasn’t sure.
The hot water felt amazing and helped take some of her nerves away. She knew they’d be back when the magazine people arrived, but she’d deal with those as they came.
Lilly was probably getting ready too. This was her big day, after all. The article in Tourist wouldn’t even be happening if not for her.
Georgia expected her sister to show up in full designer regalia and was actually looking forward to seeing what she was going to wear.
Georgia didn’t have to wait long. Lilly arrived not long after Georgia began sipping her first cup of coffee.
She strode into the kitchen like a woman with a purpose, which she was. She had Coffee’s new chef coat over her arm. She’d ordered it especially for him, embroidered with his name on one side and the inn’s name on the other. “Good morning, family. Today is going to be a great day.”
“Wow,” Georgia said. “You look like a movie star.”
Lilly smiled. “This old thing?” Then she laughed. “Thank you.”
This old thing was a gorgeous ivory suit with matching ivory stilettos. Lilly’s throat and ears were adorned with bright gold Chanel insignia jewelry. Under the collar of her suit, she’d tucked a brightly colored scarf that probably cost a king’s ransom, tying it just where the buttons began. Her hair and makeup, as always, were impeccable.
Georgia glanced down at her white jeans and floral blouse. “Maybe I should change? But I’m not sure what I’d put on.”
“You look beautiful. And welcoming, which is exactly how you should look as the innkeeper.” Lilly glanced back toward the breakfast room. “Where’s Mia?”
“Still getting dressed, I guess. Or maybe feeding the cats? We only just crossed paths this morning. You want some coffee?”
“I’d love some, but I can get it.”
Mia came hustling in. “I’m here. So is Coffee. His car just pulled into the lot.” She was in jeans and cute polka dot top. “I’m going to see if he needs help bringing stuff in.” She paused for a second. “You look like a million bucks, Aunt Lil.”
“Thanks, honey.” As Mia headed back out to help Coffee, Lilly opened a cabinet and got herself a mug. “When are you going to vote?”
“I’d like to do it as soon as possible. Maybe right after the magazine people get here. You can deal with them for half an hour, right?”
“Sure. I can handle things for longer than that if you need me to. Trust me, once they get started, they’re going to move at their own pace, and they won’t need much help from us.”
“Okay, that’s good to know. Voting is at the church, by the way. Shouldn’t take me too long. Unless I get the chance to talk to Travis. But he might be too busy.”
“You should try to spend a little time with him. I’m sure he’d appreciate it. Besides, I don’t think too much will happen right away anyway. They’ll need to set up their equipment, plus they’ll want to arrange things for the first few shots.”
“Sounds good. I’d love to hang out with him for a bit.” Georgia sipped her coffee as she tried to organize her thoughts. Travis would be doing all the last-minute campaigning he could, while keeping the predetermined distance from the polling place. Suddenly, she looked up. Her son had yet to show his face. “Where’s Griffin?”
“He should be here any second. He was just packing up Chloe’s stuff when I was leaving.”
“Any word from Gillum yet?”
Lilly shook her head. “Nothing.”
The sound of the breakfast room’s side door opening reached them in the kitchen. Coffee’s booming voice followed. “Good morning, ladies, wherever you are. Never fear, Coffee is here.”
Georgia and Lilly both laughed. Georgia answered him. “Morning, Coffee. We’re in the kitchen. Need help?”
He joined them then, one arm full of grocery bags, the other holding a stack of foil-wrapped aluminum trays. “I think we’ve got it.”
Lilly moved to take the bags from his hand. Mia came in behind him with more of the same load. Griffin followed, but he had Chloe in one arm, her diaper bag and his camera bag slung over his shoulder.
“Morning, son.”
He gave Georgia a nod. “Morning, Mom. Can you take her?”
Georgia sprang into action. “Sure. Hello there, sweet pea. How are you today?”
Chloe made a grab for Georgia’s hair, making Georgia laugh. “Oh, I see, full of it already, huh?”
The counters were quickly covered in bags and trays and as the unpacking began, Georgia could only watch in amazement. Coffee had brought everything anyone could ever want for breakfast. And then some.
Delicious aromas began to circulate. Mostly from the baked goods he’d brought.
“You smell that, Chloe girl?” Georgia gently bounced her granddaughter. “Doesn’t all of that smell wonderful? I bet you wish you could eat solid food, huh?”
Chloe cooed, her little fist firmly gripping a hank of Georgia’s hair.
“Maybe we should go see the kitties.” Georgia knew how much Chloe loved the cats. They absolutely fascinated her. But Georgia didn’t really want to leave the kitchen in case she was needed.
Although it wasn’t like the laundry room was that far away.
“If anyone needs me, I’m going to take Chloe to see the kittens. Just yell for me, okay?”
Coffee nodded. “You got it, boss.”
“Hang on just a second,” Lilly said as she looked at her phone. “The magazine people are going to be early. Susanna, the lead on the shoot, just texted me.” Lilly looked up. “They’re outside right now.”
Georgia stopped in her tracks. She hadn’t been expecting that. “But Beach Blooms hasn’t even delivered the flowers yet.”
“I’m sure they’ll be here any minute,” Mia said, pulling out her phone. “I’ll call them and find out.”
Coffee shook his head. “Those folks might be early, but our schedule is still based on the time they were supposed to arrive. I can’t rush this food, or it won’t turn out right. Not even just for pictures. I hope they understand that.”
“I hope so too,” Georgia said. She’d imagined they’d be further along in their preparations by now, meaning that she thought the breakfast buffet would be set up. But Coffee hadn’t even started cooking.
Wasn’t his fault. The magazine people were almost forty-five minutes early.
Georgia sighed. “Sorry, sweet pea. I have to put you in your Pack-n-Play for now. Mimi has to get to work.”
They’d moved the Pack-n-Play into Mia’s bedroom so that Chloe could nap undisturbed. Georgia took her in there now and put her down, but not before giving her a big kiss on the cheek.
Mia came in behind her. “I feel bad sticking her in here away from all of us. Why don’t I set up my laptop with some kids show on it for her to watch? At least she’d have something to listen to and look at besides just these four boring walls.”
Georgia nodded. “I think that would be fine.” She rolled up the sleeves of her blouse. “And now I’m headed into the kitchen to help Coffee cook.”