Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
He produced a truly cheesy photo of Joy and Felix, and I exclaimed, “No!”
“I’m afraid so.”
Joy looked a lot like her brother, though she was overly thin, in a way that sharpened her features. Felix, on the other hand, looked like a generic, doughy, middle-aged man. He was so unremarkable that I wouldn’t be able to pick him out of a line-up, even after seeing his photo.
“So, your sister actually thinks everyone attending the wedding wants to display a large, framed photo of her and Felix in their home? If I was getting married and tried to do this, I’m pretty sure the only person who’d want it would be my mom. Even my siblings and best friends would be like, ‘dude, no.’ I mean, the frames are gorgeous and I could see people repurposing them with their own photos, but I doubt that’s what Joy intended.”
“I know. It’s a weird choice, especially because a lot of their guests are colleagues, not friends or family. Can you imagine a coworker wanting to display a picture of you in their house? But that’s what Joy wants, so we now get to stick pictures in two hundred frames and put them in custom-made gift bags with some other stuff.” Malcolm produced a pair of white cotton gloves. “And we’re under orders to wear these while we’re doing it, so we don’t smudge the frames.”
I took the gloves from him and raised a brow. “Wait, everyone gets a gift bag with a framed photo, all two hundred guests? So, couples will actually go home with two portraits?”
“Fantastic, isn’t it? The couples can put the photos on their nightstands and enjoy my sister and her hubby in stereo.”
I was chuckling as I put on the gloves.
We managed to recruit a few more staff members to help us, and even with seven people working on it, the gift bags took three hours to complete. Once they were done, Malcolm thanked our crew and told them we wouldn’t need any more help that night. Before they left, he invited them to take some of the extra items left over from the gift baskets. They all went straight for the wine.
After they left, he handed me a box of chocolates and asked, “Do you want anything else? Some caviar, maybe?”
“Gross. I mean, no thank you. I appreciate the chocolates, though.”
He took my hand and nodded. “That’s what I thought. Now let’s go pass out until Joy gets here.”
She’d called when she was on her way to the airport, and told us her big moment before the Supreme Court had gone well. I’d been surprised it was over so quickly, but apparently there was a set amount of time for the attorneys to make their arguments and answer questions. After that, it was out of their hands.
As Malcolm and I made our way upstairs, I got a frantic call from the floral designer. He needed to order the flowers for the additional arrangements we’d requested, but he’d been unable to source a specific orchid that was being used in the other arrangements. After I talked him down and told him to use whatever he felt was appropriate in their place, I pocketed my phone and said, “How much do you want to bet Joy hates whatever he ends up substituting?”
“She will for sure.”
When we got to our suite, we found one of the gift baskets waiting for us. I grinned and said, “Wow, someone did a really good job putting this together.”
“Right? Look how perfectly all those products are aligned.”
“Let’s take the wine with us when we go back downstairs. I’m sure there are some staff members who’ll appreciate it.”
“Good idea.”
He plucked the note out of the basket and steered me toward the bedroom, where we kicked off our shoes and flopped onto the bed. After he read the note, I asked, “What does it say?”
“It’s deeply personal. ‘Dear Malcolm, thank you for attending our wedding. It means a lot to us that you’re here. With love, Joy and Felix.’ She signed it for him, of course.”
“Touching.”
I opened the box and fed him a piece of chocolate. He fed me one in turn, as he asked, “Have I already told you how grateful I am for all your help this week?”
“Several times, and I really am glad to help. In fact…” I stopped talking, because the rest of that thought might have sounded a little pathetic.
“What were you about to say?”
I decided to be honest. “That I actually needed something like this. My self-esteem took a pretty big hit when my ex cheated on me. But now, with all this wedding stuff…I don’t know. I guess it’s nice to feel needed and appreciated, you know?”
Malcolm drew me into his arms and said softly, “I need you and appreciate you, Daniel. And that has nothing to do with my sister’s wedding.”