Megan had the camera out already. “Well it’s a wedding. We need pictures don’t you think?”

Grace approached. “I saved you at the restaurant last night,” she said quickly.

“So you did.” Megan snapped a few pictures of Ninasmushed up against several women wearing blouses with at least two dozen pieces of flair on them. She hoped she could find a way to work it into the conversation that Nina needed one just like it. Payment would be steep so she had to make it worth the retribution Nina would heap on her head.

Nina’s eyes flashed as the camera did and the other Warden women who’d stayed in the background burst out laughing.

“I’m going to get checked in so we can get the bags squared away,” Megan announced as she quickly stopped at the throng, kissing and hugging everyone. She didn’t even wince when Nina pinched her side.

Thankfully, her grandmother seemed to want to get away from all the noise so Megan helped her to her room with her bags.

Once she got her grandmother settled, she turned to leave butLia Warden wasn’t ready for her to go just yet.

“Megan, darling I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately.”

Uh oh. She turned and smiled but her grandmother had that faraway look in her eyes she

got whenwitchy was brewing in her head. And the thing of it was, as much as they all made light of her grandmother’s little pronouncements, she was always right. Damned spooky.

“Is that so? Should I be worried?”

“Well big things for you. All of my grandchildren are destined for greatness. But none of you has had an easy path. I wish I could say I thought it would be different for you. But I don’t. You have a trial ahead. I don’t know if the ending willbeyou want or not.” Her grandmother cocked her head and touched Megan’s cheek. “But you’re strong. Your heart is full and you know to count on your family and who you are.”

“Is this about a dude or politics or what?”

Her grandmother shrugged and then leaned in to kiss Megan’s cheek. “I never know. I didn’t know about Nina, just that her brother would get killed. I sensedPellini but not Grace. Could be your mate, couldbeelse . You’ll be ready for it. I know you will. You’re my girl.”

With that, she was dismissed as her grandmother turned on the television and exclaimed when she saw it was an episode of Law and Order. Once JerryOrbach was on the screen, Megan knew she’d been forgotten so she waved absently, called out her thanks and that she loved her, and let herself out.

Despite her grandmother’s little talk, Megan was free. Blessedly so for the first time in a few days and that in and of itself was cause for happiness. She quickly got herself to her room, sighing happily after she closed the door and began to root through her suitcase for her swimsuit.

But of course ten minutes after she’d ensconced herself in the sun, a cool ice tea at the ready, heriPod working and her sunglasses shading her eyes, her mother showed up.

“Megan, we need an extra set of hands. We’re stuffing the favors for the tables. Well don’t you look nice? My goodness that’s a very sexy swimsuit.”

With a sigh and a bit of a cringe at her mother saying her suit was sexy, she heaved herself up from her lounger. She barely had time to yank her cover-up on as her mother dragged her over to the big table just across the pool area where she saw the rest of her family had gathered.

“Okay, I’ll give you a freebie because, as Dave reminded me, I did give you a hard time just last month with Lex.” Nina looked so magnanimous when she said it Megan snorted.

“I let your ass go off to the garden show with just one guard and then you got your butt hauled in to the stationhouse because you started arguing with a cop. Lex yelled at me for twenty minutes.”

Nina snickered. “Yeah, like I said. But don’t abandon me again.”

“Whatever. I got years of freebies after being your guard. Don’t forget it the next time I need a favor.”

She really got a look at the table and suddenly wished for those hours back in the car on the way south. Piles and piles of neatly cut squares of… “What is this?”

“Tulle! Isn’t it precious? It matches my bridesmaids’ dresses perfectly! You see how I’ve got three shades of purple?” Sherry actually giggled and Megan had a few uncharitable thoughts about her cousin and her predilection to speaking in exclamation points.

“So you take this cashew mix, and isn’t that clever? Because you know everyone else doesJordan almonds but we did cashew mix with a little bit of sugar on the outside!”

Sherry’s mother had the same giggle. “And you put three or four pieces here in the center and then tie it in a bow like this.”Nancy made quick work of the little packet and put it aside. “Just be sure to use the ribbon that coordinates with the tulle.”

And so began three hours of nut stuffing into tiny squares of differently hued purple net.

Three hours. Even Layla began to get cranky after hour two.

Finally they broke and headed back to their rooms to get changed.

Nina’s and Megan’s rooms adjoined so Nina threw the connecting door open and then dramatically fell on Megan’s bed with a howl. “Oh my God. Seriously? Your mother is insane. She enjoyed that. Every minute of f**king ribbon talk and she got a spoon and ate it up. I’m officially brain dead.”

Megan laughed as she swiped some lip gloss on and zipped the side of her dress. “And you thought she was on you to have kids before you finallyponied up and had Gabby. At least you didn’t have to go through this to get married.”