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)
I knew I should have kept my comment to myself, because now I felt like crying.
16
Daniel
I actually liked Joy. I wasn’t sure I would, what with the whole scaring off the wedding planner thing, but she wasn’t a bad person. She was just putting way too much pressure on herself to earn her soon-to-be mother-in-law’s approval.
She shouldn’t have bothered, though. I met Mrs. Bascom-Hewett when she arrived around noon on Friday, and knew within five seconds that there was absolutely no pleasing that woman.
While Joy and the general manager followed her around the lodge as she rejected room after room, Malcolm and I met various vendors as they arrived by ferry with deliveries for the wedding. Most of it was pretty simple, like directing the fishmonger or the baker to the kitchen to drop off food for the reception.
Then the flowers arrived. Malcolm and I stood there with our mouths hanging open as a barge pulled up to the dock, and I murmured, “It’s like five Rose Parade floats decided to take a cruise.”
The entire deck was covered in floral arrangements of various sizes, from tiny to truly humongous. It was actually really pretty. Joy had gone with rich fall colors—mostly gold and dark red, with lots of lush greenery. But the sheer number of arrangements was truly overwhelming.
Fortunately, the floral designer had come along and brought two assistants. He also had the detailed placement charts that he, Joy, and the wedding planner had originally come up with. They were a lot more organized than the rough sketches for the new location, which replaced half of those charts and diagrams.
The first step was to get all the arrangements into the lodge, which we managed with the help of half the lodge staff. From there, it was a question of getting everything to the right place. Joy had decided to fill every public space in both reception and the main building with flowers, and since guests were starting to arrive, we needed to act fast.
Malcolm and I started working with the team to distribute the flowers, but then he got a text from Joy and told me, “I need to step away for a few minutes.”
“Is everything alright?”
“My sister is in her suite having some sort of meltdown. Her mother-in-law has barely been here an hour, but she’s already pushed Joy over the edge. I need to do what I can to talk her down.”
“I’ve got this under control, so take your time.”
“I don’t know how long I’ll be, but you’ve already worked through lunch. Promise me you’ll take a break soon and eat something.”
“I’ll be fine, Mal. You don’t have to worry about me.”
He grinned at me. “That’s not a promise.”
“Fine, I’ll eat. I might even sit down for five minutes, but no guarantees on that one.”
He gave me a hug, and when he stepped back, there was longing in his eyes. “We need to sneak away at some point this afternoon, even if it’s only for ten or fifteen minutes. I’m starting to feel frazzled, and some alone time with you would make a big difference.”
“Let’s plan on that. After you get Joy settled, we’ll sneak off to our room for a bit.”
He smiled at me and ran his knuckles down my cheek. “Can’t wait. I’ll text you when I’m leaving her suite.”
“Looking forward to it.”
I watched him as he hurried to the stairs. He really was the kindest, most thoughtful man I’d ever met. I loved the way he tried to take care of me. He did the same with Joy, and he was so patient with her, even when she was right on the verge of snapping at him.
Malcolm was still on my mind as I picked up a medium-sized floral arrangement, checked the sticker on the bottom of its vase, and consulted the chart. It was meant for one of the seating areas in the main lobby.
I was distracted as I left the staging area with the heavy arrangement in my arms. The first two seating areas I came to already had flowers on their coffee tables, so I headed for the next one, which was near the main entrance. There was a man with dark blond hair sitting there, dressed in a suit and frowning at his phone.
It took a long moment for me to process two thoughts. The first was, that man looks familiar. The second was, holy shit, it’s Brad.
I stopped dead in my tracks and stared at my ex-boyfriend.
I’d forgotten all about him.
I’d almost forgotten he existed, on top of forgetting he was due to arrive this afternoon.
Oh, no.
I jerked the arrangement upwards to hide my face behind it as I turned and fled. I got as far as the twelve-foot orca statue and ducked behind it. Then I leaned over and peeked around its belly.