Page 14 of 4 Weddings and a Feud

“Kid’s only twenty-two. He’s not capable of running a wedding of this significance. But he’s got a good work ethic, and he can help you.”

“That’s not a terrible condition. What’s the second?”

“Being La Villa’s wedding planner has to be your sole focus. Let your brothers handle the shop.”

“Primary focus,” she amended. “I can run this event and support my brothers, too.”

“As long as I’m your priority.”

“You mean the wedding.”

“Of course. The wedding is your priority.”

“Then I’ll do it. For my full fee plus a second spa day.”

“Be sure you try the white truffle facial.”

“I’m looking forward tothe four-handed massage. With your two buffest masseuses.”

“Deal.”

She extended her hand to shake his. As he cradled her work-roughened hand in his, he knew he’d gotten a bargain.

ChapterSeven

In her insufficiently air-conditioned office, Mary’s palms were sweaty. She resisted the urge to wipe them on the skirt of the black dress she normally wore to funerals but now had become her wedding planning uniform. Instead, she clasped them primly in her lap.

No, don’t hide your hands.The remembered advice from who-knew-where hit her like a cattle prod, and she moved her hands to the surface of her desk with a sticky thwap. She cleared her throat.

“What do you think of the proposal?” she prompted Teagan. “Do you have any questions?”

Mary had transformed her windowless office off the lobby of Forza Elite Motors, where she usually did the books, into her wedding planning headquarters. She’d removed all the car posters and photos of her brothers in their chauffeur suits and tricked it out with stock photos of brides, grooms, and cakes. Someday, she’d have her own photos to put up. Whole albums. But for now, she was in the fake-it-till-you-make-it phase.

The giant bouquet of magenta roses Alex had sent after she’d helped at last week’s anniversary party perfumed her office. She inhaled their scent and hoped it covered the smell of her sweat as she waited for Teagan to look up from the blush-pink proposal.

The bell tinkled in the lobby. Rafe was covering the counter during her meeting with Teagan, but working at the desk bored him, and he usually wandered back into the shop where he blasted Aerosmith too loud to hear the door. She held her breath until she heard his voice. If she could keep up her professional pretense a few minutes longer, she might make this sale.

Finally, Teagan looked up. “I’m still trying to figure out what’s missing. Why your services cost so much less than every other planner I’ve talked to.”

She liked that about Teagan. She said what she was thinking. It had been easy to put together some concepts since Teagan already knew what she wanted. A good thing, with only a month to plan it.

She owed the bride straight talk. “I’m just getting my business off the ground. Honestly, I need customers for my portfolio, so I’m discounting my rates temporarily. I promise you’ll get excellent service.”

“I love your proposal. And I know Twyla said all the plans were up to me, but I think she’ll love them too. I’d like to move forward.”

Mary held herself back from leaping across the desk to hug her newest client, who didn’t seem to be the hugging type. “That’s fantastic. All you have to do is sign the last page and give me a t-ten percent deposit.”

She kept her wince on the inside. Alex never would’ve stuttered over asking for a deposit. She smiled brightly at the bride-to-be.

“Of course. Can I pay you with Moo-Lah?”

“That’s fine. My username is at the bottom of the proposal.”

Raised voices, one of them Rafe’s, filtered through the closed door. “Could you excuse me for just a minute?” Mary asked.

Teagan hadn’t fully finished heryeswhen Mary closed the door behind her and stepped into the lobby. A red-faced white woman glared up at Rafe, who scowled back at her.

“Mary, tell this lady we don’t have a pink Cadillac, so she couldn’t have reserved one.”

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