Free Love and Other Surprises by Robin Wells

the truth was he’d held his breath until she’d answered, and felt a deep wave of relief at her response.
    He looked away to cover his confusion and was glad when she changed the subject.
    “They did a pretty thorough job on the car, didn’t they?”
    Matt craned his neck and looked in the direction she pointed. The vehicle was so completely covered with shaving cream it was impossible to tell what color it was, much less its make and model. “It’s probably the most thorough job Derrick ever did on anything in his entire life,” Matt said wryly. “What a mess!”
    “Here they come! Get your birdseed ready!” Ali yelled excitedly.
    The newlyweds ran to the car, and Matt and Ali joined the crowd in pelting them with the seed. Justin struggled with the door on the passenger side as the seed storm continued.
    “It looks like he’s having trouble with the lock,” Ali commented.
    “Maybe the shaving cream fouled it up,” Matt said. “Look, they’re going around to the other side.”
    With his arm protectively wrapped around Lauren to shield her from the onslaught of birdseed, Justin clicked his key remote again, then tried inserting the key in the door. Still no luck.
    The crowd ran out of birdseed and began offering advice.
    “Aie you sure you’re using the right key?” someone called.
    “Jiggle the handle!” recommended another.
    Justin cleared a spot on the window with his hand and peered in the vehicle. “Hey!” he yelled. “This isn’t my car!”
    Matt threw back his head and whooped with laughter. “Derrick decorated the wrong car! Can you believe it?”
    “But it’s got to be the right one! I pointed it out to Derrick myself!” Her forehead wrinkled in concern. “It’s a blue Camry, and it’s parked in the spot reserved for the groom’s car.”
    A blue Camry?
Matt turned to stare at the vehicle, taking in details that had escaped his notice earlier. Tin cans dangled from two long ropes tied to the rear bumper. Plastic streamers were attached to the windshield wipers and the rearview mirrors, and “Hot time tonight!” was written on the back window in what looked like chocolate syrup. The only part of the car that wasn’t completely covered with foam was the license tag—and the numbers on it were naggingly familiar.
    A sinking feeling hit the bottom of Matt’s stomach. “Oh, no,” he groaned. Ali had struck again.
    “There’s
my car!” Justin announced, pointing to an automobile on the other side of the parking lot. He wrapped his arm around his bride and steered her toward it. “Thanks for the decoy, Derrick!” he called over his shoulder. “You saved us a stop at the car wash!”
    Matt watched in dismay as the couple got in the vehicle and sped away, honking the horn at the well-wishers.
    The crowd around them began filtering back into the building, leaving them alone in the parking lot. Ali turned toward Matt, her face a study of confusion. “I don’t understand. If Justin’s car was still in the parking lot, whose car is that?” She pointed at the shaving cream-covered vehicle.
    A nerve twitched in Matt’s jaw. “Whose car do you think it is?”
    “I have no idea,” Ali said.
    “Let me give you a clue.” Even to his own ears, his voice was clipped and tight. “Who has sustained a head injury, caught a somersaulting dog and a bridal bouquet, and been in a mind-spinning state of confusion ever since you hit town?”
    Ali’s hand flew to her mouth. Wide-eyed, she pointed back at the vehicle. “Yours?”
    Matt nodded grimly.
    “You have a blue Camry?”
    Matt gave another reluctant nod. “Brand new. I’ve only had it three weeks.”
    “And you parked it right there?” she asked.
    Dadblast it! She
would
have to point out that the incident was at least partially his fault.
    Matt rubbed his chin and gave his head a rueful shake. “I should have known something was wrong. That parking space was too good to be true—and in my experience, when something seems too