Page 7 of Snowbound

“Yes, we already met.”

My look must say it all because Benjamin chuckles lightly. “Ah, then you know him well enough already. He’s a good guy. We all love him really.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call him lovable,” I scoff.

“Now, now. You’ll hurt his feelings talking like that.”

I bite my tongue from sayingWhat do you mean? He has no feelings at all!The whole way here Gabe patronized and belittled me. He made me feel stupid for not knowing how a car works and for being so tired that I drove off the road.

“So, maybe I don’t know as much about cars as he does,” I say. “But that doesn’t mean he has to be nasty about it.”

Benjamin cocks an eyebrow at me and smiles. “He’s all right once you get to know him.”

“Well, I’m not saying that long,” I snap.

“Where are you headed to?” Benjamin asks. “Why are you here in Michigan at all?”

“I’m a wedding planner. I stake my entire life’s income on making other people happy — giving them what they want. And tomorrow morning, I’m supposed to be meeting with a couple who are going to pay me very, very well to finalize their wedding photos with a moose.”

Benjamin laughs heartily at that, attracting the attention of some of the other men sitting nearby. I shrink awkwardly in my seat, not wanting them to acknowledge me. I don’t want any sort of reputation in this town. I don’t want any sort of acknowledgment that I was ever here.

Somehow, I think that’s unlikely. This seems like the kind of place where gossip spreads like wildfire, and everyone knows everyone else’s business. No doubt I’ll be the girl that Gabe picked up on the side of the road for many months to come.

But I guess when you live in a small town like this, you have to do whatever you can to get entertainment.

“With a moose?” Benjamin says as he recovers his composure. “Seriously?”

I chuckle back. “Seriously. I told them it was impossible, but they insisted on it. They told me they’d pay extra if I could find a photographer who could arrange it.”

“And you managed to?”

“Well.” I shrug. “I found a guy who’s willing to try. Surprisingly, it’s not easy to find anyone who wants to waste their time tracking down a moose just so one bride can get the bragging rights on social media.”

“What a world,” scoffs Benjamin. “When I got married, we were happy to have our photos taken at the local park. If we had someone like you to help us, maybe we would have done something a lot more exciting.”

“It’s not worth the effort, honestly. I wish half of these people would be as simple as you.” I wince as I realize that came out wrong. “Sorry,” I say quietly.

He shakes his head. “Don’t worry, darlin’. I know what you meant. Besides, you’re right. We keep things pretty simple around here, but we’re good folk. Tell me, do you enjoy your job? I guess you must travel a lot.”

I nod slowly. It’s a question I have asked myself before, once or twice. “Yes,” I say eventually. “I guess I do. It can be a lot of hard work, but seeing people having their perfect big day… it gives you a warm glow you can’t get anywhere else. It makes you feel like, just for a second, you can make people’s dreams come true.”

“How romantic!” He smiles, and I smile back.

What I don’t tell him is that, though I charge a lot, the actual profit I make after all the travel costs and organization and hotels is very slim. I’m losing money every second that I’m trapped here.

“Yeah,” I agree. “It is.”

“Guess your own wedding was magical too, then. Or will be?” He raises an eyebrow, and I know he’s only being nosy to be kind, to take an interest in me, but suddenly, I don’t want to do this at all anymore.

I shrug. “Something like that. Tell me, you know the town well. How fast can I get to Grand Rapids tonight?”

Benjamin laughs. “On a night like this, no chance in hell. Sorry, darlin’.”

“Great,” I mutter. “Just great.”

I’m never getting out of here.

CHAPTER5

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