Wedding Jitters and a Ghostly Clue

Jess sat at a dusty wooden table in the archives room, surrounded by ancient books and brittle papers. A single desk lamp cast a warm glow on the mess of documents she and Leanna had been sifting through for hours. The air smelled like aged parchment and forgotten history.

Despite their research, Jess’s mind wasn’t on the task at hand. Her thoughts kept circling back to Ryan’s wedding invitation. Well, invitation might be a strong word. She’d somehow stumbled into agreeing to be his date for the entire weekend in New York. Overnight stay included.The more she thought about it, the more her stomach twisted into knots.

“I can’t do this,” Jess blurted out, pushing a crumbling book aside.

Leanna, flipping through an old research log, barely glanced up. “Do what?”

“The wedding. The hotel stay. All of it.” Jess groaned and leaned back in her chair. “I barely know the guy! What if it’s awful? What if I do something embarrassing? What if—”

Leanna held up a hand to stop her. “You’re spiraling.”

Jess huffed, crossing her arms. “Maybe a little.”

Leanna smirked. “It’s just a weekend, Jess. You’ll survive. And who knows? You might even have fun.”

Jess made a face. “Doubtful. That’s why you should come with me. Like… as a hidden chaperone.”

Leanna finally looked up from her book, raising an eyebrow. “You want me to follow you to a wedding and lurk in the background like some kind of secret agent?”

“Basically, yes.” Jess nodded, completely serious.

Leanna snorted. “Tempting, but no.”

Jess groaned again, letting her forehead drop to the table. “I hate you.”

“No, you don’t,” Leanna said, patting Jess’s arm in mock sympathy. “But I’m honored you trust me enough to be your wedding weekend babysitter.”

Jess lifted her head and narrowed her eyes. “I’ll pay you in unlimited coffee.”

“Still a no.”

Jess sighed dramatically. “Fine. But if I die of awkwardness, my ghost is haunting you forever.”

“Duly noted.” Leanna smirked and turned back to her book.

Jess let out a deep breath, trying to refocus. As much as she wanted to fixate on the wedding disaster waiting to happen, they had work to do. She picked up a dusty ledger that looked like it hadn’t been touched in decades, flipping through the yellowed pages absentmindedly.

Then she stopped. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes scanned the faded ink. “Leanna,” she whispered, heart pounding.

“What?” Leanna didn’t look up.

Jess swallowed hard and pointed to the page. “I think I found something.”

Leanna leaned over to read. Her eyes widened as she traced a finger over the name listed in neat, old-fashioned script. A shiver ran down Jess’s spine. This was it, the missing link. The beginning of everything.

She looked at Leanna, excitement and nervous energy buzzing in her veins. “We have a name.”

Leanna squinted at the page, mouthing the letters before speaking aloud. "Erasmus Vellum."

The name echoed in the stillness of the archive room, sending a chill through them both.