A Myrtle Clover Cozy Mystery

Chapter 5

Miles frowned at this.

“It’s much better than being wasteful, Miles. It would be horrid to throw food away.”

“No chance of that,” muttered Miles.

“Besides, the food is for Wanda. And Glynis, who’s paying for the wedding, is rich and rather unpleasant. I’ll have no guilty conscience, I assure you.”

Miles seemed slightly mollified, most likely because Wanda would be the beneficiary of any food that left the wedding.

“And where are you driving? We seem to be heading in the wrong direction,” said Myrtle.

Miles slowed down, frowning at the road ahead of him as if it were somehow betraying him. “Aren’t we going to the Methodist church?”

“It’s the Presbyterian one. Then to Glynis’s house for the reception.”

“Not to the church hall?” asked Miles. “It seems like we usually end up at the church hall for receptions.”

“For funeral receptions. Not weddings.”

“It seems it would work just as well. Now we’ll be stumbling around in the dark under tents,” muttered Miles.

“There will likely be some stumbling going on, for sure. That’s why most weddings aren’t held in the church hall . . . because the bride and groom want to serve alcohol.”

“I see,” said Miles.

The Presbyterian church was beautifully decorated for Christmas. There were large wreaths on the door, poinsettias on the sills under the stained-glass windows, and a glowing Christmas tree with Chrismon on it.

“Perhaps this is why Glynis was happy hosting a Christmas wedding for her niece,” said Myrtle thoughtfully.

“Because you don’t have to decorate the church?”

“Precisely.”

The wedding itself was lovely. A bouquet of amaryllis flowers was carried by the bride. The vows were thoughtful. The couple was beautiful and looked very much in love.

Miles, however, was looking a little drowsy.

“I thought you’d taken a nap,” said Myrtle reprovingly as he drove them to the reception.

“Not enough of one, apparently.” Miles frowned. “Where are we supposed to park?”

That was an excellent question. Because the reception was at the bride’s aunt’s house, it was a residential street. There were also many guests who had arrived at the reception before they did.

“Just parallel park somewhere,” said Myrtle with a sniff.

Miles looked uneasy at this. “I’m not the best at parallel parking anymore. I’ve fallen out of practice after moving here. I used to do it in Atlanta all the time.”

“I’m excellent at parallel parking,” said Myrtle. “How about if we switch places?”

“No,” said Miles firmly. Then he peered up the street and said with relief, “It looks like there’s a parking attendant.”

And, indeed, there was a vacant lot that the attendant was using to help park guests.

“I hope I remember where the car is,” said Miles. “I feel like I’m a little turned around.”

Myrtle said, “Just hit the car alarm button when we leave. That will make it plain.”

“The neighbors will hate me if I do that.”

Myrtle said, “Glynis is smart enough to have invited the neighbors to the reception in order to avoid any problems.”

They walked to a series of tents in Glynis’s large yard, which backed up to the woods. Although it was night, Glynis had brought in a bunch of lighting for the event. Just the same, Myrtle leaned heavily on her cane on the soft ground as they walked.

“Swanky,” said Miles under his breath as they got to one of the tents.

A tree made from carefully arranged poinsettias served as a main focal point. The tables were decorated with wreaths and red berries. Although the Christmas theme could have been overwhelming, it seemed instead to be a tasteful accent.

“Let’s find the buffet,” said Myrtle. “We’ll want to eat before all the cake cutting and whatnot that goes on. And, if there’s to be dancing, I don’t want to be traipsing around looking for food.”

The buffet had all sorts of foods in it: grilled chicken, brisket, and shrimp and grits. Myrtle heaped a plate with a good amount of much of it. Miles got a more conservative amount and focused more on the vegetables offered.

They sat down. Myrtle put half the food into the container in her purse and then commenced eating.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been to a wedding,” she said thoughtfully. “Although, I don’t really mind. Weddings can be tedious.” She narrowed her eyes at a young man who already seemed to be quite intoxicated.

“Agreed. Could you point Glynis out to me? I want to be sure to speak with her before we leave tonight.”

Myrtle gestured to a middle-aged woman with big bones and strong, handsome features. “That’s Glynis. You might spare yourself, however. I plan to. Let’s just thank Faith and Holden for the invitation.”

“Glynis couldn’t be that bad, surely.”

Myrtle raised her eyebrows. “If you think I’m exaggerating, by all means, speak with her. She’s something else. Very smart and cutting.”

“You can be rather smart and sometimes cutting,” pointed out Miles.

“Yes, but I’m forgiven because of my advanced age. Glynis is merely middle-aged. Practically a child.”

Miles supposed everything was relative. “Just the same, let’s try to speak with her. It will be our good deed for the day.”

“I’d supposed I’d already gotten my good deed out of the way by taking Wanda shopping.”

Miles nodded. “About that. I’d like to pay you back for half of that. I know you said it was a Christmas gift, but let’s go in halves. You have a lot of people to buy for at Christmas and I don’t.”