Chapter 4

      Once Lance closed up the wine cellar and returned the statue to its place at the head of the stairs, we headed over to the house.

      Just as we were about to ascend the grand staircase, my cell phone buzzed in my pocket, and I quickly withdrew it.

      “Hello?” The number on the screen looked vaguely familiar, although I couldn’t quite place it.

      “Uh, is this Missy DuBois?” The caller swallowed her words, the way Lorelei and the other Cajuns around here did.

      I didn’t recognize the voice, though. “It is. I’m afraid this isn’t a good time—”

      “I’m sorry to bother you, but this is important.” The girl’s words were sharp. Whatever she had to say obviously couldn’t wait. “I’m Brandy d’Aulnay.”

      A-ha. The d’Aulnays owned the paddle-wheeler where Ambrose and I planned to be married in a few weeks. “Are you one of Mr. d’Aulnay’s daughters?” The man had five of them, so odds were good she belonged to the family.

      “I am. I’m the middle child, and I work for my dad, too.”

      I’d only run across three d’Aulnays during my time on the Great River Road. The first was Mr. d’Aulnay, who was a successful businessman and someone who liked to throw his weight around. The second was Sabine d’Aulnay, who hired me to make a veil for her wedding last year.

      For some reason, Sabine elected to get married in a church, instead of on her father’s riverboat, although I had no idea why. Finally, I also worked with the matriarch of the family when I booked the reservation for my wedding.

      “I know you worked with my mom a few months ago,” Brandy said. “But I’m afraid I have terrible news.”

      “News?” I couldn’t imagine what that might be. Had they double-booked the venue? Decided to raise their rates? My mind swirled with possibilities.

      “There’s no easy way to say this. A fire broke out on the Riverboat Queen last night, and it gutted the ship’s kitchen. I’m afraid we have to cancel all special events for the next few months.”

      Fire? “But…but…that’s not possible. I put down a deposit and everything.”

      “I know you did, and I’m so sorry about this. It’s the same story for everyone. All of our bookings have to go somewhere else until we can repair the ship.”

      “But that can’t be right.” Something inside me refused to accept the news. The words didn’t make sense. They tumbled end over end, weightless and out of order. “There must be some mistake. Surely it won’t take you several months to repair a little fire damage. How bad can it be?”

      “It destroyed the whole electrical system. My dad redid it not too long ago, but it must’ve short-circuited during the night. We’re not quite sure how the fire started. We called our insurance agent, and he’s coming out today.”

      “I see.” My mind still reeled from the news. “Can’t we just move everything to the top deck?”

      “No, I’m afraid that’s not possible. Without the kitchen, you can’t have the reception onboard. Even if you brought in food, you’d need water hookups and electricity, and they’re both turned off. Again, I’m so sorry this happened, but you’ll have to find another venue.”

      “I understand.” Finally, I relented. It was painfully obvious no amount of talking on my part was going to fix the situation, no matter how much I wished it would. “Well, thank you for letting me know.”

      “You could always push back your wedding date.” She sounded hopeful, as if she was helping the situation.

      “I don’t think so.” After knowing Ambrose for more than three years, and enduring more than our fair share of ups and downs, I couldn’t imagine delaying the ceremony any longer. Already it felt as if we’d waited a lifetime to be married, and I didn’t have the patience to hold out anymore.

      “The Queen should be back in business by fall,” Brandy said. “Winter, at the very latest. That’s all I can tell you for now. Goodbye.”

      The minute she hung up the phone, I let the cell fall to my side. Of all the things for someone to tell me this morning, that was the last one I expected.

      “What’s up?” Lance could read my face like a book, and he knew right away something was wrong.

      “That was one of the d’Aulnays. They’re the family that owns the Riverboat Queen. My goodness, Lance…the ship burned last night. I can’t have my wedding there next month.”

      Although we were in a rush, Lance stopped in his tracks and draped his arm around my shoulders. “That’s too bad. But if I know you, Missy—and I do—you’ll find another place.”

      “I don’t know. It’s really late in the season, and everything else is already booked up.” Unlike him, I had my doubts. “Ambrose and I both loved that venue. We even paid half up front to hold the booking.”

      “I’m sure they’ll refund your money.”

      Lance remained at my side, which I appreciated. Even though duty called, he put everything aside to comfort me in my time of need. That was why he was my best friend and always would be.

      “But this changes everything.” I tried not to pout, but the whine came out anyway. “I already mailed the invitations.”

      “That’s okay. We can call people. Maybe if we got a group together, we could go through your guest list and let everyone know.”

      I paused long enough to consider that. To be honest, it didn’t sound half bad. When I first moved to Bleu Bayou, I didn’t know a soul. But I’d managed to make lots of friends since then, including my assistant, Beatrice; Lance’s mother, who owned a wonderful restaurant in town; and a fun-loving cakemaker named Bettina. Most of my friends worked in the wedding industry, and they could work magic when it came to special events. Maybe I could call on them to help me spread the word and even brainstorm ideas for a new venue.

      “Maybe,” I said. “But first things first. I need to call Ambrose and let him know what’s going on.”

      “Okay, then. Why don’t you stay here and do that. I’ll go to the house and talk to the family.”

      “Wait.” Much as I wanted to speak to Ambrose and tell him about the recent turn of events, it wouldn’t change anything. Whether I called him now, or an hour from now, we still couldn’t use the paddle-wheeler for our wedding. “I think I’ll go inside with you. I can always call Bo afterward.”

      “Are you sure?”

      “Positive. Besides, he’s probably busy with a client right now. No need to ruin his morning when he’s at work.”

      “Okay, then. Let’s go.” Lance took my arm and began to lead me away from the wine cellar. “To be honest, I hate this part of my job. You never know how people are