“Ready?” she asked Ty, and he nodded. They carried the dressed pig on the grill grate outside, set it on top of the drip pan. Closed the lid.
She looked at the grill chef. “What’s your name?”
“Aliya,” she said, her smile eager.
“You’re on pig temperature patrol. Every few minutes, I want you to come out and check the temperature of the grill. It should hover between 225 and 250. If the heat is too high, open these dampers here. If it’s too low, close them. Got it?”
“Yes, chef.”
Surreal.
But even more surreal was the fact that, as she went inside to check on the kitchen progress, neither Max nor Raina had shown up.
Grace stood in the kitchen, ticking off her to-do list. Cake, check. Fruit kebabs, check. Pig, grilling. Salad, in the cooler. Vegetables . . . “Ty, where are we with the vegetables?”
“I’ll get them oiled and on the baking trays.”
So maybe she didn’t need Max. Still—
She pulled out her phone. Checked for messages. Nothing. She found his number, debated for a second, pressed Send.
It rolled over to voice mail. Like he didn’t even have it on.
Without Max and Raina, she still had the Hawaiian bread to make, not to mention the citrus sauce for the pork.
“Grace! What are you doing? We’re supposed to be at the hairdresser.” Eden came barreling into the kitchen. She wore a yellow T-shirt, a pair of athletic pants. “We gotta go!”
Behind her trailed Amelia and Ingrid. Except both of them had stopped in the main room, caught in the fairyland.
Raina deserved to be here for this.
In truth, Grace was starting to get worried. “You haven’t seen Raina, have you?”
“I saw Raina last night.” Owen came into the kitchen looking tan and fit, wearing a Jude County Hotshots T-shirt and baggy jeans. He still wore the eye patch, hiding his scars. Probably for confidence more than necessity. “Hey, Sis!” He pulled her into a hug. “It smells great.”
“Except I’m missing my kitchen help.”
“When I saw her last night, she was upset. Casper was here, so maybe he could tell you what was going on. Maybe she burned something.” He lifted a shoulder.
Or maybe she and Casper had finally had the talk. Poor Casper. No wonder Raina vanished. Although not showing up for work felt extreme.
“Hey, where’s the party?” Jace’s voice echoed through the warehouse.
“Isn’t it bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding?” Owen said. He went out to run interference.
“Grace, is everything under control?” Eden was clearly unconcerned about Jace’s presence but must have read her face.
“I think so, but . . . well, Max took off last night, and I don’t know where he is.”
“Max isn’t here? Isn’t he supposed to be in charge for the day?”
“Yeah, but—”
“But nothing. He should be here! I can’t believe he is doing this again. Ditching you when you, when we—” Eden gestured to Grace, back to herself—“need him.” She shook her head. “You were right, Grace. Maybe you didn’t need him after all. I mean, look at this. You have everything under control.”
“I wouldn’t have, without Max. But yes, Ty can handle everything, right?”
Ty wore a wide-eyed, pale expression.
Ho-kay.
“We need Max. And Raina. I cannot believe they both abandoned you,” Eden said.
To put it like that . . .
“Max didn’t abandon you. He had his reasons.” Jace appeared in the kitchen doorway.
“Sorry, Sis. He still thinks he can push me around,” Owen said, but he wore a smile.
“What reasons?” Eden said. “What possible reason could Max have to take off and leave Grace today of all days?”
Jace’s voice cut to low. “Eden, trust me on this—”
“Max? As in Max Sharpe?” Owen’s voice sliced through the conversation.
Eden glanced at Grace, who’d stilled at his tone. How much did Owen know about that night he got hurt?
“Yeah, uh . . . he’s been helping me with the wedding.” Until now.
Owen frowned at her. “Are you two together?”
She swallowed.
“They’re together, yes,” Jace said quietly. “Owen, listen—”
He held up a hand. “No, actually, I don’t want to hear it. For his own good, you’d better hope Max doesn’t show up.” He walked away, and if possible, the kitchen got quieter.
“You know where Max is?” Eden said to Jace.
“Let’s not talk here,” he growled and glanced at Grace.
What—?
Eden took off after him as Jace stalked into the reception area. Sure—like Grace would let this conversation happen without her. She followed them.