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don’t forget to get a few shots of the dress before it goes on the bride,” I instructed as I walked toward the door.
    “Ok, no problem.” Becky raised her camera at the girls on the balcony, capturing their laughter as they relaxed and ate.
    I walked out of the room and back down the hall to the staircase. As I started to descend the massive, carpeted path the front door flew open with a bang, startling me and stopping me in my tracks. Two guys carrying a wood box twice the size of either of them walked in.
    “Need any help?” I asked as I skipped down the rest of the stairs, holding my camera to my chest as it bounced around my neck.
    “Could you show us to the back yard?” One of the guys asked, huffing with effort.
    “Yeah just head straight back. I’ll make sure you don’t hit anything.” I walked ahead and led them toward the French doors, then showed them over to an unoccupied piece of the patio. They stopped and slowly lowered the box.
    “So, what do you have in there?” I asked when they stood up.
    “It’s the gazebo the couple will stand under for the ceremony. We’re the lucky ones that get to put it together,” one of them said with a deep, sarcastic exhale.
    “I’m Alex by the way,” he said, reaching for my hand and then pulling it back and wiping it on his pant leg, suddenly realizing his hands were covered in dust, dirt and sweat. “And that’s Eric.” He pointed to the other guy. He was just an inch or so shorter than his friend and had shoulder-length, wavy blond hair that was tied back into a messy ponytail.
    “Hey.” Eric raised his hand and wiped the sweat from his brow. I had to suppress a laugh at his casual outfit: flip flops, board shorts and a t-shirt did not belong in the Maxwell estate.
    “I’m the photographer for today, Violet Evans,” I said with a little nod toward my camera.
    I couldn’t be sure, but it looked like Eric and Alex shared a nervous glance at the sound of my name.
    “Right, the photographer. I guess we’ll be seeing you around then,” Alex said plastering a friendly smile across his face. “We’re both groomsmen.” He pointed between himself and Eric.
    “Right, well you better get ready soon if you’re going to make it on time for pictures.” Everything needed to stay on schedule if I was going to get through the photo list and two late groomsmen were not a part of the schedule.
    Alex grinned at me. “Oh don’t worry, we’ll be ready in plenty of time.”
    “Good. I should get back to work.” I lifted my camera off of my chest. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but there was definitely something odd about Alex and Eric.
    “Alright, sounds good, see ya,” Alex said as I turned away.
    The chairs for the guests had been set up in perfect little rows on the grass facing the ocean. The runner hadn’t been laid down yet, and the altar was missing from the gazebo. I snapped a couple pictures of all the chairs from different angles and then turned my sights on the dining area. Several tables had already been set up around the pool but only a few were covered with table cloths, the delicate material swaying in the breeze. They’d turned the pool into the dance floor by placing something that looked like bullet proof glass over the water. When Annabel told me about it weeks ago, I looked at her like she was crazy. She assured me it was perfectly safe and more than sturdy enough. As I eyed the dance floor, a very large man walked right across the pool without falling in. I still wasn’t sure if it was strong enough to hold all of the guests but it was impressive.
    Long wires had been tethered above the pool in a crisscross pattern, with the lanterns I saw earlier hanging from them. I took a few pictures of the lanterns swinging in the Pacific breeze and a few more of the lanterns all grouped together on the grass. I looked up the length of the house opposite the pool and saw a balcony that would have a great view of everything happening