Page 69 of Savannah Sweethearts

I sat back and closed my eyes. “I need to talk about my mother’s meddling, apparently.” I opened my eyes to find them drawn immediately to the outline of her thigh. I shifted my gaze to her face. “She wants you to come work for us.”

“Work for you? How so?”

Do not stare at her full lips, Daniels. “She would like an in-house event coordinator and she has you in mind for the job. She really likes you.” Naturally, I would not mention my growing attraction for her.

Her mouth twisted up for a few seconds as she thought. “I like your mother as well, and I love doing weddings here. I don’t know if I want to leave my business though.”

“The idea is that you could still be a bridesmaid for hire for weddings, and help coordinate the other events that occur here.” I sighed and sat forward. What would she say if I told her I planned on selling?

Amaya crinkled her nose and began to chew on her lip. My eyes were drawn to her mouth and I really wanted to taste it. A small noise peeped from her before she finally said she wasn’t sure.

Seriously, she was the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen. “You can still play dress up.” I smirked at my little joke.

Except she didn’t see it as a joke. Dark eyes narrowed and color rose in her cheeks. “Is that all you think I do, Mr. Daniels? Play dress up? I have negotiated with the toughest caterers in the business, I have held a bride’s hair as she puked both from drinking too much and from being pregnant. I have warmed cold feet and I have even stopped a wedding when I realized the bride was being abused. I do a lot more than just dress up.” She stood, her face red and her chest heaving. “Good day, Mr. Daniels.”

She turned on her spiked heels and strode from the room.

Well, I officially mucked that up. It’s a good thing I don’t date people I work with.

Amaya

My next appointment was about twenty minutes away and I stewed over Mr. Daniels’ words as I drove. Play dress up. Seriously? How would he have liked it if I said all he did was sit at a desk looking handsome all day? He pushed papers around and raked in the money. Except, someone else did the actual raking for him.

I pulled up to the bakery still muttering under my breath. When I saw my bride, however, I did my best to switch that part of my brain off and switch on the bridesmaid bestie part. This bride was shy, disorganized, and as sweet as pie. I was to be her only attendant and truth be told, I was giving her a steep discount after I spoke with her future mother-in-law about the planning.

“Sydney, honey, I’m so excited to see you! Are you ready to pick out a wedding cake?” I gave her a light squeeze when I approached her and she heaved a sigh of relief.

“I’m nervous. This looks expensive,” she stammered.

Sweet Tooth Savannah’s was a middle of the line shop that I brought clients to frequently. They did a good job for a decent price. I eyed the window and the six-tier dummy cake in the window was definitely impressive. “You’re not getting a huge cake, though, right? And there are plenty of options to cut costs. But this is only a free tasting, so don’t worry about it just yet.”

She took a deep breath. “Right. Yes.”

We sampled several kinds of cake, and the baker assured us he could create a beautiful small cake for cutting then have cupcakes for everyone else. Sydney was happy with the compromise and even happier with the estimated cost.

As we left, she laid a hand on my arm. “Amaya, you have no idea what a godsend you are. I know nothing about being a bride and being without a mom, you’re doing all the things I would be doing with her. So thank you.”

This is why I do what I do. It’s not about dressing up. It’s not about cake or showing off custom chandeliers. It’s about making a connection with a bride who needs help, who is looking for someone to guide them through a perfect day. Helping the Sydneys of the world feel beautiful and happy on her big day, that’s what it’s about.

“Sweetie, I am honored to be with you for all this. Don’t worry about a thing.” I hugged her tight. “I will see you next week for invitations, right? And if you need anything before that, just text me.”

Goodbyes were said and I made my way home. I changed into sweats and sat at my desk to organize a few things. Each couple had a folder, color-coded by the month of their wedding. I added the contract for the Promenade to the couple I had been with that morning and the cake order for Sydney’s wedding.

My mind went back to Orlando saying his mother wanted me to work there with them. I stayed busy, but I could always be busier. I loved coordinating events, not just weddings. Would the job come with a regular salary? Benefits? That would be nice.

But then I would have to see that insufferable Orlando Daniels every day. Oh, he wasn’t insufferable, he just put his foot in his mouth from time to time. I do enjoy dressing up and looking nice, and it was pretty clear he did, too. The way he filled out a suit with those wide shoulders and toned thighs were enough to turn my cheeks pink. Not that I had noticed his thighs under his tailored slacks.

The ringing of my phone made the picture of Orlando’s thighs disappear from my mind. My sister’s face appeared on the screen. “Hi, Linaya, what’s up?” I cradled the phone with my shoulder while I pulled up my email.

“What are you doing Friday?” She sounded near breathless.

I didn’t mean to laugh, but my Friday nights and Saturdays were usually jam-packed. The majority of my work was on weekends and Linaya knew that. “This Friday? Girl you know I have to work. This weekend is the Amick wedding.”

The heavy sigh that came through nearly blew out my eardrum. “Ugh, you’re always busy on weekends.”

“It is my job. What’s up?” I scanned the emails for anything that stood out while I waited for her reply.

My sister’s voice came through sounding very pouty. “I just miss you and I want to talk to you.”

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