Page 37 of Kiss the Bride

At her answer, his mouth dropped open in shocked confusion. She smiled. The man clearly had a higher opinion of her than she’d thought. But with real love at risk, they needed to come up with a solution. And fast, before either Daniel or Brianna made a move that would lead to a lifetime of unhappiness and regret.

She tugged on her ponytail, thinking. “What’s on the agenda tomorrow? Eat, Drink and Be Married?”

“In the morning, yeah. After lunch, they go to Forget Me Knot Flowers.” Ryan rubbed a hand over one knee. “Unless they finish up at Be Married early. I mean, how long can it take to pick out a few dishes and some silverware?”

Evelyn felt her eyes go round. “You’re kidding, right? You seriously did not grow up in Heart’s Landing without learning the importance of a proper table setting?” At Ryan’s blank look, she shook her head. For a man who was opening his own wedding venue, what he didn’t know could land him in a world of hurt. “You might want to bone up. Read a few bridal magazines. Learn the ins and outs of everything that goes into a wedding.”

“Why? Won’t the wedding planner take care of all the details?” Ryan’s eyebrows arrowed down, and he frowned.

“Have you hired one? Put one on retainer?” When Ryan shook his head, she groaned. “You’re gonna need a good one, and it’s not like they grow on trees.” The man clearly needed a crash course in Weddings 101. Fortunately, she was more than qualified to give it to him. She plunged into the subject. “About that table setting—it’s second only to the bride’s gown and the groom’s tux. The whole reception is built around it, so it can’t be done willy-nilly. First, the couple has to choose a theme. That’ll drive every other choice they make, from the centerpieces to the wine goblets.”

She thought she saw a smile pass over Ryan’s face, but the fleeting expression was gone in a second. Not before it raised a tiny flicker of doubt, though. Did Ryan know more than he was letting on? No, she reassured herself, he couldn’t. Not when he sat there staring with a clueless look on his face. She must’ve imagined that smile.

Returning to her lecture, she gave examples. “Say the couple settles on a nautical theme. Their table decor might include an elaborate display of miniature ships and oars, braided ropes and anchors. Or, for a ceremony on the veranda, they might go with something as simple as roses.” She drummed her fingers on the desktop. “Okay, where were we?”

“I have no idea.” Giving off the vibe of a bored teenager, Ryan crossed one ankle over the other.

She swallowed. The man was toying with her. Why else would he flaunt those long legs of his? Well, if he thought he was going to distract her, he needed to think again. “We were talking about why tomorrow will be such a busy day,” she reminded him. “Once Brianna and Daniel have their theme, everything has to support and coordinate with it. But not too close, or things will end up all matchy-matchy.” She nodded, agreeing with herself. “No one wants that.”

“Let me see if I’ve got this right. You’re saying pink on pink does not make a good color scheme.” Ryan threaded his fingers and stretched.

“Right.” He’d caught on quick. She gave him a quick nod of approval. “Next comes china. They’ll want something that looks nice when paired with the linens. That’s when it starts to get tricky, because each choice limits what they can pick next.”

Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t get it. Why is that?”

“Say the dinner plate they choose has a gold rim. They’ll need to keep that in mind when they look at flatware. Silver clashes with gold unless …” She tapped her chin and waited.

“Unless they pick out silverware with a little gold trim?” Ryan asked.

“Exactly!” She let her smile widen. “Stemware—the same thing. If they chose delicate plates and cups, they’ll need to look for something similar in glassware.” She slid off her desk. Crossing the room, she headed straight for the spot where she kept a sample box. The cardboard flaps creaked open. Packing paper rustled as she dug for the pieces she wanted. She wrapped her hand around the stem of a chunky glass and held it aloft. “You wouldn’t pair this glass with …” She pulled out a piece of bone china. The fragile plate was so fine, it was practically translucent. “With this,” she finished.

“Got it.” Showing far more interest than she’d expected, Ryan nodded.

“All of which explains why tomorrow will be such a long day. There’s a lot to consider, a ton of decisions to make. I haven’t worked with Eat, Drink and Be Married before.” The Cottage had its own linens and china. For specialty items, they turned to a prescribed list of vendors, and Be Married wasn’t on it. Her brow furrowed. Had Ryan even lined up his suppliers yet? She made a note to circle back and ask him. “I imagine the owners will have stacks of idea books for Brianna and Daniel to look through. It could take hours before they decide on a theme. Let alone all the stuff that comes after.”

“We can skip that part,” Ryan said, his expression turning as self-satisfied as a cat who’d just eaten the canary. “Daniel and Brianna want a military wedding.”

“As in everything red, white, and blue?” She tried to picture the couple standing beneath an arbor draped in patriotic bunting. Her breath stalled. She couldn’t breathe again until Ryan shook his head.

“That’s where I went, too. But no. I asked Daniel about it. He said he was thinking more about all the gold buttons and insignia on the Marine uniform. Gold, with touches of red. He’ll wear his uniform instead of a tux. The same for his groomsmen.”

“That could work. It’d definitely make for a beautiful wedding.” An unsettling uncertainty stirred in her chest. She tilted her head. “Does Brianna know about this?”

“From what Daniel said, it was her idea.”

That decided it. If the couple had chosen their theme together, who was she to argue? She’d been right about one thing. Ryan had been keeping a secret. She slanted a look at him. Did he know how important this was? How many people needed this information? “Who else knows this will be a military wedding? Did you mention it to Alicia or Jenny?”

Ryan’s sheepish grin made her heart quiver. “Never even thought of it.”

“When we finish up here, we’d better make some phone calls if we want to give this couple a perfect wedding.” She paused when a new thought occurred to her. Ryan had known about the theme all along, but he’d let her spend the last fifteen minutes giving him a lesson on weddings. A lesson he obviously hadn’t needed. She pursed her lips. “If you knew about the theme and everything else, why’d you let me ramble on for so long?”

Ryan shrugged. “I must like listening to you talk, I guess.”

She stared at him. Had his ears actually turned pink? She blinked and looked again. Yep. Like they had whenever he’d gotten flustered as a kid, his ears had turned so red they practically glowed. Why was that? They were just two friends, having a discussion. He shouldn’t be embarrassed. Unless …

She picked at a loose thread on the hem of her shirt.

Unless he liked her.

---