Bride Interrupted by Taylor Anne

Kayla Boudreaux peered up at the wooden sign. Gracie’s Place . “We’re here.” Turning to find her best friend’s head bobbing up and down in tune with the pop music, Kayla burst out laughing. “Christi, if you could see yourself. Seven months pregnant, glowing, and so relaxed you look like you don’t have a care in the world. I hope my brides’ lives are that good when they get married.”
    “You give them the perfect wedding, and they’ll be happy no matter who they marry. And don’t leave yourself out of that equation.”
    “Ha! You know I’ll never get married. I don’t have time to look for Mr. Right.” Being a wedding coordinator in no way made her an expert in marriage, especially since she was still single.
    Christi shook her head, a smile lighting her face. “Sure. New town, new career, daughter off to college. You never know what will happen.”
    They got out of the car and walked the short distance to the wooden building that sat amidst the sugary sands of Perdido Key. Kayla inhaled the crisp ocean air. The salty tang beat out the city muck any day. Christi opened the screen door of the bar, motioned for Kayla to go first, then entered after her friend.
    The late afternoon crowd filled up half of the tables in the sandwich bar. A group of women at the center table glanced up when the door swished closed. The anxious expressions on their faces hinted that they were waiting on someone in particular. That someone wasn’t Kayla or Christi. They turned back to their drinks and chips.
    Three guys sitting at the bar wearing board shorts and t-shirts tipped their beer mugs at the two women. Kayla nodded as she and Christi made their way to a table next to an open window.
    At a nearby table, a woman barely covered by her black bikini straddled her partner, lazily running her fingers along his bare thighs. Her tongue toyed with his lips until her mouth hungrily closed over his. His hands roamed over her back. The two were oblivious to their surroundings. Judging by the amount of beer bottles on the table, the couple wasn’t feeling much pain.
    Kayla sat down, her back to the uninhibited couple. “Geez, get a room.”
    Christi took the seat next to Kayla. “It takes all kinds to make the world go round.”
    “Yeah, and looks like you can find every one of them at Grandpa Earl’s bar. But according to him, they are all loyal customers.”
    From the looks of the place, Grandpa Earl had let the interior dwindle in appearance. The deli area needed more room to operate; the bar area needed a face-lift. However, Grandpa must have done something right because business was hopping with customers coming in and out, picking up to-go sandwiches or grabbing a seat for lunch. Transforming the bar into a wedding venue would take some minor renovations, but Kayla was confident it could be done. The biggest obstacle was going to be to convince Grandpa’s co-owner of what an improvement it would be. Grandpa said he was a tough businessman.
    A young, attractive waitress approached the table asking for their orders.
    “Club sandwich with plain chips. Oh, and Pinot Grigio for me, please,” Kayla said.
    “I’ll have the same, only with a Diet Coke.”
    The woman’s warm smile matched the sunlight streaming in the open windows. Her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, accentuating her high cheekbones. She gave a wink. “Be right out, ladies.”
    “Kayla, before you ramrod whoever is in charge, you need to get your wedding business up and running. You have four clients already and one prospect. Concentrate on that first. The bar is obviously taking care of itself.”
    “I know. I just can’t put the idea out of my mind that this would be the perfect location to host weddings and receptions.”
    “Excuse me, ladies, I believe these drinks belong to you.” A deep, whiskey voice cut through the breezy air.
    Kayla turned. The man’s dark menacing eyes caught her off guard. He didn’t look too happy about