Page 40 of Bedding The Best Man (Bedding the Bachelors)

She looked up again. “Really?”

“Really.”

She stepped back. “Sorry. Come in. The neighbors are going to start wondering why you’re still standing outside.”

Gabe stepped into the living room, a grin on his face. She knew he was reacting to her ashtrays again, but she ignored it. She had to stay in control of the situation. He wanted to help her. She needed the help. It was up to her to keep things professional.

“How’s it going?” he asked, sitting on the couch, peering at her laptop.

“Not as well as I’d like,” Brianne admitted. “I’m running out of time fast.”

“Maybe this will help you,” he said, grinning. “The whole set-up we had yesterday? I mean, soup to nuts?”

“Yes?”

“It’s yours. Fifty yurts. The whole thing. Enough facilities for everyone, top of the line—nicer than some people have in their own homes, frankly. My assistant got in touch with decorators for you, people who specialize in indoor/outdoor furnishings and decorations. Generators, seating, food prep arrangements, stage setup, a dance floor, everything. Even a First-Aid tent. All you need to do is find entertainment, caterers, and the other odds and ends you want people to enjoy. Like the color-coordinated marshmallow roasters you talked about when I took you home from the club.” He grinned.

Brianne’s head spun. “Are you serious?”

He nodded. “Nothing but the best. I mean it. Whatever you want, you have it.”

“How? I mean, honestly, fifty of those yurts? With all those fabulous furnishings? I don’t know if I can afford that.” She wasn’t exactly flush with cash, thanks to the recent drop-off in business. Using her own money would cause tax complications.

“Bri, I wouldn’t have reserved this for you if I wasn’t planning to help you with it.”

“Help me?”

“Yeah. Like, helping you pay for it. I want you to win this.”

She was conflicted. She wanted desperately to win. But was this cheating?

“Look,” he said. “If you feel weird about it, you can always pay me back from all the business you’ll be getting from the spread inLife and Society. We’ll work it out. Besides, you’re the one who came up with the glamping idea. It’s not like you stole the idea from someone else. It’ll be seen as daring, unique, exciting. A sure-fire winner.”

She couldn’t help it. She was intrigued.

“That’s great,” she said, “and I appreciate it. Believe me. But that doesn’t help me find the people you talked about. The caterers, the bands, everything. We only have two weeks.”

“You’ll figure it out,” Gabe said. “You always do.”

“I wish I had your confidence,” she murmured, staring at the spreadsheet on her screen. Nearly all of her go-to food service companies were highlighted in red, meaning she’d called and been nearly laughed off the phone.

“What about a culinary school? Maybe they could come out? It would probably be less expensive, too,” Gabe suggested.

Brianne’s eyes lit up.

“You’re a genius,” she said. “I’ll start making calls in the morning.” She glanced over at him from the keyboard as she typed up notes. “I’m glad I let you in,” she winked.

“Me, too. I’ve been regretting the way we left things, all day.”

She stopped typing and set her laptop aside. “Me, too,” she admitted. “I’m sorry I got so angry.”

“You had every right to be angry. You felt used. I don’t blame you. I blame myself.”

“It wasn’t even so much that—I mean, it was sort of that. But even more, it was not having a say in anything. You know? Like I’m totally out of control. My happiness isn’t even in my hands. Eric walks out on the wedding. You tell me we can’t be together, that what we did was wrong. I understand why you’d say that but in the end…It didn’tfeelwrong, Gabe.” She looked at him, imploring him to understand.

“I’m having a hard time not seeing it that way—at least, I was. I’m not so much anymore.”

“No?”

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