His dramatic entrance shattered the peaceful, feminine serenity.

Stevie (also wearing a beautiful y tailored suit) fol owed more sedately.

Tod took in two breaths, his hands up, one clamped around a clipboard and he pressed the air down. “Okay, okay. Update. Just got back from the club. They’re about to start setting up. They have the right colored linens and the florist has already been there. I cal ed her to give her a piece of my mind since she wasn’t supposed to deliver the flowers to the club for another hour and they might get droopy. She promised me she wouldn’t be early with your bouquets. I told her she must go back to the club and personally check that not one single petal droops before we arrive at seven.”

When he paused to take in a breath, Al y suggested,

“Tod, calm down, have a glass of champagne.” Tod’s head swiveled toward Al y.

“Can’t you see I’m in the middle of a briefing! ” he screeched and then he looked back to Indy, face composed and voice back to normal. “Where was I?” Indy was looking a little concerned with the possibility that Tod’s head might start revolving three hundred and sixty degrees, so she said softly, “Petals drooping.”

“Right. Okay.” He looked down at his clipboard and as he talked, he made checkmarks on whatever was on the board. “The cake has been delivered and they’re putting it together now. It looks beautiful. Perfect. The Lana-slash-Chloe update has been noted by the caterers and staff.” He looked at them, pointed to them with the end of his pen and bounced it back and forth between them as he spoke.

“You’re sitting with the out-of-towner Rock Chick people.

Trish and Herb’l take care of you but I moved Stel a to your table just in case.” Then back to his clipboard, he checked something off and kept talking.

He gave updates on absolutely everything, including the state of the asphalt of the drive up to Cherry Hil s Country Club (a location that Daisy and Marcus, as members of the club, arranged for the reception) saying, “They sealed that crack I noticed last week, thank God.”

“Tod, darlin’, did you just say they sealed a crack in the asphalt?” Trish cal ed out.

“Yes, thank God, ” Tod repeated.

Trish shook her head. “Son, as Roxie used to say to her Dad when she was growing up, you need to take a chil pil .” Tod’s eyes narrowed on Trish and everyone sucked in breath.

“I want this to be perfect, ” Tod retorted.

“And it wil be, you been working hard on it for months.

Now enjoy the fruits of your labors.” She pointed at the buffet. “Have some of that cold, sliced chicken. Kid you not.

Melt in your mouth.”

“Trish, there’s a mil ion things to do!” Tod shot back.

“Nothing you haven’t already checked and double-checked, I’m sure,” Trish returned.

“Yes, but –” Tod started but Trish leaned forward.

“Tod, won’t say it again, sit yourself down, take a load off and do what your friend here real y wants you to do.” She indicated Indy with a jerk of her head. “Which is enjoy her day with her, not running around like a chicken with its head chopped off.” She looked at Nancy and said, “Yeesh, young people these days.”

Everyone stared at Tod and Trish, wondering what might happen next.

Then Stevie sat at the table and cal ed, “Daisy, I’l take some of that champagne.”

“Sure thing, sugar,” Daisy scooted around toward Stevie.

“Get Tod some too,” Indy put in.

“Get Tod some too,” Indy put in.

“You betcha,” Daisy said.

Indy put down her latte, got up and moved to Tod. When she arrived at him, she put her arms around him and whispered in his ear. His face got flushed and his eyes started to fil with tears.

Indy’s back was to me but I could see Tod’s face, though he wasn’t close enough to hear.

But it didn’t take a lip reader to see he said, “Love you too.”

* * * * *

The Hot Bunch

“‘Nother round for you boys?” the waitress asked on a flyby. Lee’s head came up and he did a chin lift indicating a positive response. The waitress stopped, hitched a hip, smiled and said, “Lee, honey, I hear today you are oh-fficial y off the market.”

“Been off for awhile, Betty,” Lee replied.

“My heart’s breakin’,” she told him and looked around.

“You boys’re droppin’ like flies.” Her eyes moved from Hector to Darius to Wil ie to Mace. “Least there’s four of you left.”

“Three,” Mace said.

“Oh, honey, now you just went and ruined my day.” She grinned. “Saw the papers. ‘Bout time you got your head out of your ass about Stel a.”

The Nightingale Men, Hank, Eddie, Malcolm, Tom, Roxie’s Dad Herb, Jules’s Uncle Nick, Wil ie and Duke were at Lincoln’s Road House waiting for their lunch to be served. Tex had not yet arrived.

At Betty’s comment, some heads dropped to look at the table, a few eyes slid to the side and there were a couple of chuckles.

Mace made no reply. Betty had been serving Mace food and beer for years and didn’t expect one. She winked at Mace and went to get their beer.

“You comfortable with the arrangements?” Malcolm asked Lee.

Lee’s eyes moved to his father. “Yeah, Dad. I’m pretty comfortable with personal security in the form of half the Denver f**kin’ Police Department off-duty, eatin’ Indy’s catering and carryin’ concealed.”

“Indy isn’t payin’ for that catering, I am,” Tom cut in. “And what it costs, you boys better eat it and enjoy every scrap.”

“Please tel me its steak and potatoes,” Bobby muttered.

“Not even close,” Tom told him. “Don’t remember much but something’s wrapped in filo pastry.”

“What in the sam hil is that?” Herb exploded.

Tom shrugged.

Herb looked at Lee. “You have a hand in the menu?” Lee shook his head.

“You have a hand in anything? ” Herb asked.

“I have to be in a tux and at Red Rocks at five and get Indy to Cherry Hil s Country Club by seven. Indy put her foot down that we have to stay until eleven before we can get the f**k out of there and we got a suite at the Brown Palace,” Lee responded. “That’s al I know about today.

That’s al I want to know about today.”