Grilled Rye Murder: Book 16 in The Darling Deli Series by Patti Benning Page B

was time for Moira to make her appearance. She took a deep breath, clutched her flowers, and stepped through the doors into the cathedral. Her eyes immediately found David, who was gazing at her with a rapt expression on his face. He looked relieved, and she could imagine why. The wedding had been delayed for another half hour while Freya did her best to fix the damage that had been done to Moira’s hair and makeup during the crazy van ride. She still wasn’t sure quite what explanation Martha had given to the people assembled for the wedding, but it seemed to have worked because no one had left.
    As she walked she looked slowly around the room at all of the people that had gathered there to watch her and David exchange vows. Candice, Denise, Martha, and Karissa were all standing near David, watching her with smiles on their faces. Detective Jefferson, who had come in nearly as late as she, was seated near the back, and winked at her as she walked by. She knew he was thinking of the story that she would be telling David as soon as the wedding was over. Her groom might have a heart attack when he found out that his bride had been kidnapped less than an hour before walking down the aisle.
    Her eyes found David’s mother on the other side of the church. To her surprise, the woman gave her an encouraging smile, which Moira returned. She still thinks I’m a troublemaker , the deli owner knew. And once she hears about this, her opinion definitely won’t be improving. But at least the older woman seemed to appreciate the fact that Moira made David happy, and hopefully that would be enough to keep the relationship with her mother in law a good one.
    Her gaze was drawn back to David. He looked wonderful in his new suit, with a fresh haircut and shave. His eyes never once wavered from her, and a blush rose in her cheeks at the intensity of his expression. He was looking at her like she was the most important person in the world.
    At last she took the final steps and handed her bouquet to Candice. She met David’s gaze with an eager smile of her own. Now that she was up here, her nerves were gone. She was ready for the vows.
    “David, will you take Moira Darling to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honor, and trust her in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse, and to be true and loyal to her so long as you both shall live?”
    “I do,” her fiancé said, holding her gaze.
    The minister turned to her. “Moira, will you take David Morris to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, and trust him in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse, and to be true and loyal to him so long as you both shall live?"
    “I do,” she said, smiling up at the man that she loved.
    The wedding party moved to the reception hall after the vows and rings had finished being exchanged. Moira, giddy at the thought that she was now a married woman, held tightly to David’s hand as they mingled with their friends. She had decided that she would wait to tell him about the kidnapping until later tonight, not wanting to wreck the wonderful day by making him worry about her.
    The reception hall was beautiful. Allison, Cameron, and Jenny had obviously been hard at work while the others were at the wedding. There wasn’t a surface that wasn’t decorated, or a table setting that wasn’t perfect. The three-tiered cake, which had been delivered moments before the guests arrived, was absolutely gorgeous. Covered in white chocolate buttercream frosting, and decorated with artful flowers, it looked like something that Moira would see in a magazine. It would almost be a shame to cut into it… almost. The promise of the layers of fresh strawberry and rich chocolate cake under the frosting was enough to make her mouth water.
    The rest of the food looked amazing, too. The deli’s three volunteers had really gone all out. Platters of cold cuts and cheese were laid out on the long table,