Deadly Infatuation

Chapter 1

Lily

"Woo! Go, Paige!" I cheer from my seat as I watch my best friend take her first dance as a married couple in the center of the dance floor.

"Thanks, Lily," she says back, making the guests in the marquee laugh.

The infectious feeling of the wedding has reached everyone, and they drink merrily and clap in time to the symphonies of the band from their seats. I'm relieved that today has gone smoothly without a single problem, and I think it's largely thanks to having the wedding here in her parents' vineyard in Oregon. I can see why she got married here as the sun setting low in the sky, turning the sky into hues of oranges, reds, and crimsons above the vineyard is breathtaking.

The marquee inside looks beautiful and is filled with white cloth tables that have gold confetti sprinkled all over them. I can smell the delicate essence of the flowers in the air that Paige picked out at my store only a few weeks ago. Lilies, pink roses, and lavender. They are dotted all around, filling the marquee with a vibrancy of color. It took two days of final planning and setting it up with my colleague Suzanne, but looking at the outcome of our hard work, I can say that it was completely worth it as the overall result is spectacular.

"Don't they look happy?" my mom says in awe as she watches Oliver twirl Paige on the dance floor before dipping her body back.

I turn around in my seat and look into my mom's light blue eyes, the mirror image of mine. "Yes. They do."

"Just think, that will be you one day," she quips, swirling her glass of white wine around in the air.

My lips curl up, and I push a loose pin back into my braided bun. "You're forgetting one thing. I need to get a man first."

"True." She chuckles. "But you're still young, and you have plenty of time to give me lots of grandchildren."

My eyes go wide at the mention of me having multiple babies. "Yeah, that's definitely not happening soon."

"I'm in no rush," she says with a smile.

As I turn back briefly to watch the happy couple sway on the dance floor, I can't help but feel a tinge of sadness. I wish my dad was here to see them as he knew Paige when she was just a little girl, but sadly, cancer took him away from us a year ago. Thinking about him is still hard, and it brings a tear to my eye. I grab a napkin off the table and dab my eyes, hoping that Paige won't see me like this.

"I miss him too, honey," my mom says quietly, reaching her hand over the table to give mine a gentle squeeze. I give a teary smile, grateful that she knows me so well. "Do you ever, you know, think about finding someone?" I ask delicately. I hate the thought of her living in her house all alone. Even though she has her two Labradors, Milo and Bailey, it must be lonely for her.

A sad smile crosses her face. "Sometimes, but I loved Arthur for forty years, and I'm not ready to let go of him yet."

I nod my head in understanding. I hope I will have a love as strong as theirs. It's rare that childhood sweethearts stay married as long as they did.

Not wanting to dwell anymore on this, I take a sip of my wine and change the conversation to a more happy one, and we soon laugh at our own stories of the preparations for the wedding.

An hour later, I hear Paige call my name somewhere in the distance, and when I turn my head to look for her among the throng of guests, I catch sight of her in her white dress. Her train glides across the wooden floor, causing the guests to watch their footing as they pass by her.

"What are you still sitting down for? Come on, I need a dance with my maid of honor," she says merrily, putting her hands on my shoulders.

I shake my head in protest. I haven't had enough drink in me yet to bring up the courage to dance around the many guests here. There must be at least two hundred here. "Oh, no. I'm happy to sit here for a while longer."