A Song For Rory

It wasn’t that she was bored or having an awful time, she was just uncomfortable. High-tea luncheons weren’t really her type of scene, especially when she’d been forced to dress in a frilly pink sundress and strappy heels thanks to Paige Worth’s stringent dress code for the bridal shower. She tried to slip off the tight heels, but her best friend, Erin, nudged her gently in the side.

“Stop moving so much,” she whispered in an aside. “Paige is shooting daggers.”

Rory frowned and stopped working one open-toed shoe’s heel against the other. She slid a glance in Paige’s direction and caught her fellow bridesmaid glaring in disapproval.

“Well, it’s ridiculous,” she hissed back at Erin, her Irish accent more pronounced with her exasperation. “Why do we have to dress up in these fancy frocks anyway? Harper doesn’t care. In fact, I’m sure she’d have been just as happy having the shower at the Moontide, like I suggested.” She looked in her soon-to-be sister-in-law’s direction. Harper was smiling graciously. If she was unhappy with the choice of venue, she didn’t show it.

Beside her, Erin’s shoulders slumped. “That’s what I would have preferred, too,” she acknowledged, “but Paige insisted. And as the matron of honor...”

“I know, I know.” Harper’s sisters were sharing the role of matron and maid of honor, and that meant that whatever Paige wanted trumped anything Rory or Erin suggested. Tessa, as the maid of honor, occasionally spoke up to veto her older sister’s ideas, but on the whole, Paige was the one running the prewedding events.

“The Moontide would have been a lovely choice,” Rory continued, trying to keep her voice low so as not to be overheard by the other shower attendees, “and I’m sure Aunt Lenora could have used the business.”

Aunt Lenora was Erin’s great-aunt by marriage, and the proprietress of the bed-and-breakfast in Findlay Roads, the Moontide Inn. Erin and her young son, Kitt, lived there while her husband, and Lenora’s great-nephew, Gavin, was deployed overseas in the army.

Erin didn’t reply, and Rory guessed she’d decided to say nothing if she couldn’t say anything nice. Rory bit her tongue and tried to do the same. Harper was about to become her sister-in-law, and it was no good to start things off by complaining about Harper’s oldest sister.

“All right, everyone!” Paige, positioning herself in the center of the room, clapped her hands to draw the group’s attention to her. “Now it’s time for another bridal-shower game!”

Rory stifled a groan. After pin the ring on the groom, when she’d nearly choked on a macaroon at the blown-up photo of Connor used for the pinning, along with bridal bingo and shower charades, she’d had her fill of wedding-game antics. But Paige wasn’t done yet.

“I’ve saved the best for last.” Harper’s older sister was glowing with excitement. Rory had never been one of those girls who became giddy over weddings, even less so in the past couple of years since her breakup with her longtime boyfriend. But over the last two hours, she’d concluded that Paige’s enthusiasm more than made up for her lack of it, where matrimonial mayhem was concerned.

“Tessa is passing around your cards right now.”

As one of Harper’s bridesmaids, Rory already knew what was coming. Both she and Erin had been given the shower itinerary during one of Paige’s bridesmaid meetings, which occurred on a weekly basis now that the wedding was only three weeks away. So it was no surprise when Tessa handed her and Erin one of the scavenger-hunt cards, but still, Rory deflated a little.

Tessa paused to squeeze Rory’s shoulder in encouragement. Rory straightened. Tessa was keenly observant and definitely the sweeter of Harper’s two sisters. But still, Rory didn’t want to seem sour, especially as a member of the wedding party. She’d just have to make the best of Paige’s bridal-shower scavenger hunt. Tessa moved on to the next table.

“As you can see,” Paige continued with her instructions, “you have a list of items for our bridal scavenger hunt. Some items are easier than others.”

Rory scanned the list she’d be sharing with Erin.

A piece of candy.

No problem there. Erin always carried some in her purse, to appease Kitt when he got antsy.

Paper clip.

That shouldn’t be too hard. They could just ask at the hotel’s front desk.

A penny.

Easy.

She didn’t get a chance to finish perusing the items as Paige began speaking once again.

“Now remember, ladies, you only have twenty minutes to find everything on the list. The first pair back here with all of their items wins this deluxe mani-pedi gift certificate!”

Rory took a look at her fingernails. She kept them trimmed short, not only because of her server’s job, but also to make it easier to play guitar. She supposed she could use a manicure, especially for the wedding.

“All right, let’s get ready...”

Rory and Erin pushed back their chairs and joined the other guests, who were preparing to sprint for the doors. Erin neatly tore the sheet in half and handed the bottom portion to Rory.

“This will go faster if we split up.”

“Good idea,” Rory agreed.

“Set...” Paige prompted.

Rory glanced at her list as Paige shouted, “Go!”

There was the clicking and scuffing of shoes along the tile as the other shower attendees made a dash from their private reception room to commence the hunt.

“Meet you back here once I have all my items,” Erin offered, and then Rory was on her own.

* * *

RORY REGRETTED ERIN splitting their list by the time she reached the second item. Paige had obviously increased the difficulty with each sequential object. While she doubted Erin had had much trouble locating the penny, paper clip, or candy, Rory had gotten creative in tracking down a fork, newspaper, postage stamp and piece of hotel stationery.

But the final item on her list was the oddest.

An umbrella.

Rory stared at it for a full thirty seconds, wondering how in the world Paige had come up with these items. She stood in the hotel lobby, a gift bag—compliments of the resort gift shop—filled with her scavenger items hanging from her fingers. Where to find an umbrella?

She looked around, wondering if Paige meant for her to steal it from the coatrack. No way was she taking it that far. It was just a stupid game, after all. This is what came from letting Paige take charge. Rory sighed and tapped her foot then winced as the straps of her sandal pinched the side of her ankle. She was tempted to just take off her shoes and walk around barefoot, but Paige would probably be scandalized at the sight.

She moved toward the other side of the lobby and leaned against a column, which was hidden behind the large fronds of a potted palm, and rubbed at the offending sandal strap. She supposed she could always ask at the front desk for help. She knew some hotels kept umbrellas on hand for the convenience of their guests. But then her attention fastened on the placard sign standing nearby, advertising happy hour in the hotel lounge.

She grinned. Ah. Paige didn’t specify what type of umbrella. Surely one of those little cocktail ones would suffice.

Rory straightened and headed in the direction the sign indicated.

She couldn’t wait to see the look on Paige’s face when she and Erin showed up with all their items.

* * *

RORY ENTERED THE hotel lounge, which was pretty quiet this time of day. She imagined it was a much livelier place during the evening hours. But right now, there were only a few businessmen seated at the bar, and a young couple in a corner. Rory’s eyes drifted to the stage that dominated the room. There was no live entertainment taking place at the moment, but the sight was still a familiar one to Rory. Over the years, she’d played in over a hundred bars and lounges just like this one as she and Sawyer traveled around the country, performing their special blend of country and Irish folk music as they tried to make a go of a musical career.

She’d given up that life after Sawyer left her, though, and while she may have missed the man, she didn’t miss the smoke and gloom of the bar scene. In some ways, it had been a relief to walk away from it all...even if she did still resent Sawyer for the way he’d abandoned her.

“Excuse me.” She approached the bartender. “I need an umbrella.”

He eyed her with a look he must have reserved for customers who’d had too much to drink. She frowned at his reaction. “You know, one of those little ones you put in fancy cocktails?” She held up her torn sheet of the scavenger list. “I’m on a scavenger hunt.”

The man’s eyes cleared. “Ah, part of the bridal-shower party, are you? I’ve seen a few of you going back and forth.”