Gulf Coast Wedding by Maggie Miller

Chapter Twenty-one

Mia moved like she was on autopilot as she got the coffee brewing. She’d only had one glass of champagne, but she’d had an extra big bowl of ice cream with hot fudge, whipped cream, and a sprinkling of peanuts and frankly, she felt like she had a bit of a sugar hangover.

That wasn’t the only thing hanging over, though. She glanced down at her stomach as the coffee started to brew. Even in leggings, her belly looked a bit poochy. There was no denying it. It obviously didn’t matter how much work she did at the inn, with all the rich food she was eating, like the pizza, the constant ice cream, and Coffee’s daily pastries, she was starting to lose the waistline battle.

That had to end or she was going to be in serious trouble come summer. She lived at the beach for crying out loud. There was no way she was going to avoid time in a bikini. She also couldn’t afford to buy new clothes.

Not to mention, they were headed into the holidays and that was a slippery slope of one high calorie meal after another, plus all the delicious sugary treats that came along with those holidays. She could only imagine the things Coffee would be bringing by.

Nope. It was time to fight back. Not just by watching what went into her mouth, but also by getting active in a more serious way. Self-care was going to become even more important the busier she got.

While the coffee finished, she went back to her room and laced on her sneakers. There wasn’t a fiber of her being that really wanted to go for a run, but she was too strong-willed to let her body overcome her brain.

She was going for a run. Maybe not the longest or farthest or fastest, but she was getting out there and doing something.

There was no excuse not to. It might be a little chilly, but she’d warm up fast. Plus the sun was shining and the sky was blue. What better time to be outside?

She grabbed her sunglasses, her air pods, and her phone, then went back to the kitchen. The spirit might be willing, but the flesh still needed a little coffee.

The upside to the run, besides burning some serious calories and getting her metabolism in gear, was that the endorphin high that would carry her through the day. She had so much to do to finalize things for Sam and Levi and they almost all had to be done today.

Sure, she’d have some time tomorrow, but a lot of Wednesday would be spent decorating the inn, getting the photoshoot flowers back from Beach Blooms after they’d been redesigned into wedding flowers, including a bouquet, some corsages, and some boutonnieres, and making sure everyone who was participating was still ready and able to do their part.

Today she had to drop those flowers off at Beach Blooms, follow up with Faith, the seamstress, about Sam’s dress, check in with Denise about Levi’s suit, and make a special trip to go see Reverend Bartholomew. At some point, Coffee had promised to send pictures of how the cake was going so she could give him feedback, although she had no doubt it was going to be perfect.

Reverend Bartholomew wasn’t a trip she’d planned on making, however. She’d tried calling him, which had been partially effective, but he was pretty old school and wanted everything in writing. She could tell he really wanted to meet in person.

Thankfully, she’d had Sam and Levi confirm the vows they were going to use last night before they’d all gotten caught up in celebrating Travis’s victory.

The ceremony was going to be pretty simple, which Mia was happy about. Anything elaborate would be too hard to pull off. As it was, she’d entered that constant state of feeling like she’d forgotten something.

She hadn’t. At least not that was aware of. She kept lists of everything, and they all seemed complete.

The coffee finished brewing. She poured herself a cup with a splash of heavy cream, avoiding the sugar and carbs, then took it out to the breakfast room where she’d left her tablet on one of the tables.

As she drank the coffee, grimacing slightly at the taste of it without sugar, she scrolled through her lists, reading the action items first, then going through the lists of things left to borrow or purchase.

She was about halfway through her coffee when her mom wandered out in her bathrobe and slippers. She blinked at Mia. “You’re up early. And you look awfully dressed.”

Mia grinned. “That’s because I’m going for a run in about five minutes. As of today, I am officially back on the clean eating and working out wagon. Coffee’s bad for my waistline.”

“Then stop drinking it.”

Mia laughed. “I meant Coffee our chef. I love the guy, but his muffins are giving me a muffin top.”

“Oh. Right.” Georgia glanced toward the kitchen. “That reminds me, there is a ton of food leftover from the shoot. Sadly, a lot of it had to be tossed.” She shook her head. “Crazy how much oil they brush on everything to make it look nice for pictures.”

Mia nodded. “Yeah, that was kind of eye-opening. But I’m not eating until I get back and then I’m probably just going to have some eggs. Maybe some bacon. Or a ham and cheese omelet. Something like that.”

“Are you doing low carb again?”

“Yep.”

“Your Aunt Lilly will be thrilled to have the company.”

Mia lifted her chin. “She’s my inspiration.”

“Great. You can go to the next Pilates class with her.” Georgia headed for the kitchen, giving Mia a little wave. “Have a fun run.”

“Thanks.” Mia downed the last couple of sips, then turned her tablet off, left her cup on the table so she could have a second round when she got back, and headed for the front door.

She went out and stood on the porch for a few minutes, just taking in the fresh air as she got her air pods in and her music going. The coffee had definitely helped her feel more energetic. How long that would last once she actually got moving remained to be seen.

She jogged down the steps and hit the street, keeping her pace loose and easy as she warmed up. She wasn’t racing anyone, wasn’t trying for a personal best. Just getting out there to move her body, burn some calories, and enjoy the morning. That was all.

With her playlist of high school favorites pumping through her ears, the road disappeared under her feet. It wasn’t as hard as she’d expected. Wasn’t easy, but then she’d have been disappointed with anything else.

The truth was, she thrived on challenge. It wasn’t a major revelation to admit that to herself, but it did feel like one of those life moments where a personal truth hit harder than expected.

Challenge was kind of her thing.

Was that why she’d stayed with Brandon as long as she had? Because he’d been a challenge? And if so, what did that say about Lucas? He wasn’t a challenge. He was about as straight forward and upfront as a person could be. She liked that.

Didn’t she? She turned onto the next street, looking at all the cute beach houses.

It troubled her to think that she might screw up this budding relationship because she could potentially get bored with Lucas. Was that possible?

Part of her thought it was. She didn’t like that. And didn’t want to be that woman. Lucas wasn’t boring. He was a nice guy, sure, but that didn’t automatically default to boring.

But he definitely wasn’t a challenge. Not like Brandon had been. She knew exactly where she stood with Lucas. He liked her, he wanted to date her, and he’d felt that way almost since she’d started working at Ludlow’s.

The feeling was mutual.

Brandon, on the other hand, had been much harder to read. And much harder to pin down. It had taken him a while to actually pop the question, and after that, they’d had no real wedding date.

She’d done a lot of planning, sure. But with a date, nothing had been set in stone.

Good thing too, considering she’d found Brandon in bed with Sarah, Mia’s best friend and the woman who’d been slated to serve as her maid of honor.

Bullet dodged. Twice.

She slowed down, her chest burning a little with her efforts. She didn’t want to go through an ordeal like that again. All of that heartbreak and betrayal. So how could she keep herself from getting bored with Lucas? Assuming it was the inevitable outcome?

She honestly had no idea. But she knew someone who’d been married a long time. Someone very much worth talking to about that very question.

She took the next turn and headed back toward the inn.