Page 61 of 4 Weddings and a Feud

She loved him. She’d tried to show him last night by taking care of him. But then he’d brought up work. Clearly, he didn’t feel the same way. Would he ever get there? Mary had always been quick to fall. And to be honest, she’d never stopped loving him, not even after he’d stood her up at prom.

Loving someone as driven as Alex was a challenge. He knew what he wanted. Power. And redemption. To rise above the city of Las Vegas like a neon sign that said,Look at me. I’m in charge.He’d made sure his previous romantic relationships had been unimportant, easily pushed to the side. Otherwise, they might distract him from his goal. But Mary could help him achieve what he wanted. She was doing it with Rochelle and Rohaan’s wedding. After supporting her family for most of her life, she was a professional at ensuring everyone got what they needed.

But she needed things out of a relationship, too. Namely, not to have him ask her a question about work when she was about to tell him she loved him.

For their romantic relationship to work, the professional one had to go.

Rochelle’s wedding was the last project she’d work on for him. Sure, she’d consider La Villa as a venue for future weddings, but she’d insist on working with Joey and not directly with his boss.

She only had to get through this wedding.

Evie returned to her office with an armful of the boys’ coveralls.

“What are you doing with those?” Mary asked.

“I noticed a few ripped seams and holes. I thought I’d fix them.”

“Fix them?” Mary wrinkled her nose. Her brothers usually wore them until they fell apart, then they ordered new ones.

“It’s not hard. All you need are basic sewing skills. Did no one ever teach you? Any of you?”

“I think my nonna sewed, but I was always more interested in learning to cook. And the boys were much more into in her old Chevelle.”

“Sewing is a good skill to have. Handy at weddings. I’ll teach you sometime. After Rochelle’s wedding.” Evie pulled a small pouch from her bag and threaded a needle with blue thread. She knotted the end. “Now, tell me what’s on your mind.”

“Alex wants to make Rochelle and Rohaan’s wedding memorable. With fire dancers.”

“Like, with actual fire? Where’d he get that idea?”

“I think he doesn’t want to be outdone by Cierra’s wedding. She’s his ex, you know.”

“One of many,” Evie muttered.

Mary’s cheeks burned. “I hired an aerialist to entertain the guests during Cierra’s cocktail hour. But I’ve been planning that for months. I’m concerned about adding this at the last minute.”

“They have a fire dancing show at the Blue Hawaiian,” Evie said. “I can make some calls.”

“Actually, Alex knows someone, and he’s already booked them. He says he trusts them, which is saying something. I still have to talk to Rochelle and Rohaan. They might shut down the whole idea.”

“That’s probably too much to hope for.” Evie stabbed her needle into the thick blue fabric.

“Probably. Who wouldn’t want half-naked people flinging fire around their guests?”

Evie snorted. “Send me their information. I’ll check them out.”

“Are you sure? I know you said you didn’t want to work on weddings anymore.”

Evie looked up from her sewing. “Working with you is a lot different from working with Alex. I could never do anything right for him. He had to put his fingerprints on everything.” She raised her eyebrows. “Kind of like what he’s doing with the fire dancers.”

“This wedding is a big deal for him,” Mary said. Alex had promised her he wouldn’t interfere with her work. He’d only made a suggestion, right? He hadn’t broken another promise.

“That’s why he hired you. He shouldn’t need to be involved on a daily basis.” One corner of Evie’s mouth curled up. “Though if he stepped back, he couldn’t spend as much time with you.”

Mary lifted her coffee to her lips to hide her smile.

“You’re a better boss than he ever was. I wouldn’t mind helping you out with the wedding work. Is everything ready for Teagan and Twyla this weekend?”

“Everything is smooth sailing at the botanical gardens. The staff there know what they’re doing.”

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