Read Online Love and Shenanigans (Ballybeg, Book 1) (The Ballybeg Series) by Zara Keane - Free Book Online Page B

divorce were that simple, people would be hopping over to Vegas all the time instead of dealing with our poxy legal system.”
    “Damn. There goes that plan. How long does divorce take in Ireland?”
    “Depends.” Olivia rolled to a stop at a red light. “If you say you’ve been living apart for at least a year, and neither of you contests the financial settlement, it’ll be over in four years.”
    “What the feck?”
    “Didn’t you know that?”
    “I’d heard it took longer for a divorce to go through in Ireland than in many places, but I didn’t realize it was
that
long. That’s insane. So if a couple says they’ve literally just split up and one or the other contests, it can go on even longer?”
    “Oh, yeah.” Olivia hit the accelerator. “Five years is the legal minimum. Certain lawyers don’t demand proof of separate residences for the first year, meaning their clients can do it in four.” She screeched to a halt in front of St. Mary’s Church. “Here we are.”
    “Damn. The doors are closed.”
    “So?” Olivia turned to face her. “You’re going in there and saying what you have to say. Whatever that is.”
    Fiona took a deep breath. “I can do this.”
    “Fee, you’re still wearing your slippers.”
    “What?” Fiona glanced at her feet. Two bunny slippers stared back at her. “There’s no time to go back.”
    “You can’t go into a church wearing bunny slippers.”
    Fiona pushed open the car door. “At least I’m not in my Docs. Aunt Deirdre will be pleased.”
    “I’ll follow you in once I’ve found a parking space.”
    “Thanks, Liv. Wish me luck.” Fiona ran up the path to the church’s imposing wooden doors and stopped.
    Could she do this? Should she do this? How could she not?
    She pushed open the door and stepped inside.
    Dragging oxygen into her lungs, she uttered the words that would damn her in the eyes of her family, friends, and half the town of Ballybeg. “Stop the wedding.”

Chapter Nine
    THREE HUNDRED HATS SWIVELED in Fiona’s direction.
    She stood in the doorway of St. Mary’s Church, heart pounding, legs quaking.
    A sea of spray-tanned faces stared back at her. The guests blurred together in a jumble of wedding finery, ostentatious hats, bling jewelry, fake nails, and even faker expressions of horror. Fiona would bet her comic collection that most were thrilled by this turn of events. Who hadn’t wondered what it would be like if a wedding ceremony were to be disrupted?
    They were about to find out.
What a bloody nightmare.
    She glanced down at her fluffy bedroom slippers. Had she known “Disrupt a Wedding” was on today’s to-do list, she’d have dressed for the occasion.
    Fiona wet her lips and shifted her weight from one leg to the other. “I said, stop the wedding.” Her voice was stronger now, less croaky.
    For an instant, silence thick with tension strained the walls. Then came a feminine shriek, followed by an almighty crash.
    Fiona’s gaze was drawn to the front of the church and the bridal couple. With their blond hair and blue eyes, they looked more like brother and sister than future man and wife, albeit with a significant difference in height. In a gesture of togetherness, they both wore white. Muireann’s dress was a meringue creation with skirts wide enough to make Scarlett O’Hara jealous. Gavin wore a hideous satin and velvet suit, teamed with a pair of furry white boots. Had it been the seventies, he might have been fashionable.
    Muireann sagged against a pillar, clutching a statue of the Virgin Mary for support. The remnants of a floral arrangement lay at her feet in a tableau of petals and smashed porcelain.
    Gavin stood by the altar, stock-still and slack-jawed. Despite his ridiculous outfit, he was bone-meltingly gorgeous. His broad shoulders strained his suit jacket, reminding her of what lay beneath. She’d loved running her fingers over those shoulders, feeling the taut muscles of his upper arms.
    Her stomach did a