The four of us had gathered at Angelique’s for lunch, a restaurant where I rarely went because librarian’s wages. But celebrating the birth of Twin One and Twin Two required more than sandwiches.

“I can’t believe they didn’t tell anyone they were having twins,” Aunt Frances said.

“They didn’t want anyone to fuss.” I thought back to the gleeful expression on Kristen’s face when we walked in the door of the hospital room and saw her with a baby in each arm. “Plus, the shock value was probably fun for her.”

But Kristen was right; people would have fussed. It had been bad enough when we’d thought she was having one baby.

“Speaking of shocks.” Aunt Frances glanced at Otto, then looked at me.

I put my hand over my heart. “Please, no. I can’t take much more today.”

She laughed. “More a surprise than a shock, then. I’ve decided on a post-retirement job. One that will keep me busy, but only as busy as I want.”

“You’re going to teach sky diving.”

“Close, but no,” she said. “Wedding planning.”

“Excuse me?” I thumped my head with my palm. “I could have sworn you said ‘wedding planning.’ ”

“Stop that. You’ll give yourself a headache. Yes, wedding planning, but with a twist. I want to specialize in working with couples who want low-key Up North weddings. Women and men who want to get married up here and don’t want all the bells and whistles. People like you two.”

Rafe elbowed me. “Hear that? There are other people like us.”

“Hopefully not too much like us.” I elbowed him back. “Sounds like a great idea, Aunt Frances. Really. And with all the kids you’ve taught over the years, I bet you get a nice client base in a heartbeat.”

“The thought had crossed my mind.” She tipped her wineglass in our direction. “But here’s another surprising part. I’d love it if the you two became my first clients. No charge, because I don’t have a clue what I’d doing.”

“Sold,” I said immediately, holding out my hand to shake. “You’ll be fantastic at this.” And she would be. Not only was she super organized at anything she did, but she knew every business owner and venue for miles around and was one of the calmest people on the planet. Who better to soothe the worries of pending grooms and brides?

We talked about our wedding until Rafe and I got bored with the topic—almost ten minutes, a new record—and when lunch was over, the two of us drove home and went for a walk on the waterfront.