Page 22 of Love, Honor, and Ink

Arianna turned on her heel, not quite fully in her dress yet, and flailed her arms. Harper’s eyes widened, and he reached out, grabbing her around the waist so she wouldn’t fall.

Smooth, Arianna, smooth.

“Didn’t mean to startle you,” he said, his voice low, his breath tickling the side of her neck.

She shivered then pulled back, determined to be the ever-professional Arianna she needed to be.

“You scared the crap out of me,” she said as she turned in his arms. He immediately zipped her up, and she held back another sigh. Great, the man knew exactly what to do without being asked. It was as if he knew all her secrets already.

She still wasn’t sure how she’d ended up here.

“I just pulled up, and Colleen said you were in here getting ready. Thought I’d see if you needed me.”

She’d always need him.

Damn it. No. She didn’t need anybody. Least of all a man. As long as she kept telling herself that, then maybe she’d start to believe it.

“Well, I’m all dressed and ready to head back into the fray. You didn’t need to take the day off, Harper. We would have handled it without you.”

He tilted his head at her over-sharp tone, and she rubbed her temple.

“Sorry. I’m just stressing since the caterer isn’t here yet, and she’s not answering her phone according to Colleen. I need to go handle that.”

“Then do so. You’ve got this, Ari.”

She licked her lips, then put her hand on his chest and kissed him softly. “Thank you for taking time out of your day to help me. I know you’re busy with your own life, and I do appreciate all you do. Don’t think I don’t just because I’m acting like the crazy wedding planner.”

Harper grinned, then tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “I happen to like the crazy wedding planner so keep on doing what needs to be done. I’ll walk with you to Colleen, that way, we can figure out what last-minute things you need me for.”

“Thank you, Harper.”

“Like I said, Ari, anything.”

She nodded, starting to believe that there was more to that word than she thought before.

Despite the fact that she knew she needed to keep some distance between her and Harper to ensure that whenever this…thing…ended—and it would end because it always did—they would remain friends, she let him put his hand on the small of her back as she led them to Colleen.

As soon as she got to Colleen, Arianna knew something was wrong. The woman might have kept a smile on her face to appease others around her, but there was no mistaking the tension bracketing her mouth and eyes.

“Tell me,” Arianna said, not waiting for the other woman to try and find the best way to break the news.

“The caterer isn’t coming.” Colleen pressed her lips together, anger radiating off her in a way Arianna had never seen before.

She blinked, her mind going to her contingencies in her head, only to find she didn’t have a full contingency for this. She had the wedding cake and desserts covered with her sweet caterer, but that was it.

There wasn’t a backup plan for the occasion when her highly recommended, long-time caterer flaked out at the last moment. Arianna had worked with the man for years with King’s Weddings and knew the man had numerous people to help him if he couldn’t personally make it to a wedding.

To not show up at all…oh, fuck.

Pushing away the fear, anger, and cascading temptation to slide into a meltdown, she raised her chin. “What did they say was the issue? Their excuse? Not that an excuse means much right now.”

Colleen bit into her lip then sighed. “They told us they had double booked, and would be taking the other account as it held more…promise.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Harper mumbled beside her.

Arianna gripped his arm and shook her head. It wouldn’t do to start screaming—while that was all she wanted to do—and alert the family.

“The other account…it was King’s wasn’t it?”

---