Page 22 of A Sip of Sherry

Chapter 8

Sherry

I placed the cases of wine for the Sasquatch and Sips event in my truck and slammed it shut.Nero would meet me there to conduct the tasting.It was my job to get everything set up and ready before he arrived.I still had no idea where we were going to fit everyone.The museum wasn’t exactly big.There was a back area that had enough room for a table and a few chairs.Steve had confirmed there would be fifteen people attending, which made me wonder if we’d have to put chairs on the sidewalk and hope the mayor didn’t drive by and see us hosting a wine tasting without a permit.

I slipped into the driver’s seat, already picturing Steve in his Bigfoot tie, trying to convince the mayor it counted as ‘cryptid education.’With my luck, we’d get shut down halfway through the first pour, and I’m the one holding the evidence.

A laugh rumbled my chest as I went to put my car in reverse.I checked my mirror, and as soon as I put my foot on the gas, I slammed on the brakes.

“Wait!”A man waved his hands behind me, and I put my car in park.Once my heart rate slowed, I got out of the car, only to realize it was Lewis, Phoebe’s assistant.Walking behind him in a pair of gorgeous heels was Phoebe.

“Thank you, Lewis,” Phoebe said as she approached.

“No problem, boss,” he said in between gasps.

“What’s going on?”My eyes bounced back between the two.

“Sorry for the theatrics,” Phoebe said.“But I have to speak to you about something I think you are going to beveryhappy about.”

I checked the time.“I have to be at the museum in twenty minutes.”

“Steve can wait.”Phoebe linked her arm through mine and walked me toward the tasting room.“You know my boss, right?”she asked.“The bigwig.The rich, very rich man.”

“Of course.”The man owned the resort Phoebe worked for, plus a slew of others around the world.

“Remember how his daughter got engaged over Christmas?”

I nodded, excitement spreading through me, but I tried to maintain my composure, not wanting to jump to conclusions.

“Well, since they opened the resort, his daughter has spent a lot of time here.She loves the small-town vibes, the privacy she doesn’t get in the big cities.”

She was a hotel heiress, a socialite who partied with some of the biggest names, and had graced the pages of many tabloids over the years.“What are you saying?”

“I may have had dinner with her the other night and sold her on having her wedding at the vineyard.”

If Phoebe wasn’t holding me, I would have fallen flat on my face.Words evaded me.If I planned this wedding, it would be in every magazine, in every wedding content creator’s mouth.It would catapult us into a level of exposure that neither I nor Rose, with all her social media savvy ways, would be able to do.

“Is this a delayed April Fool’s joke?”I asked, unable to wrap my head around the enormity of this opportunity.

Phoebe laughed and tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder.“You know I don’t joke about career-changing weddings.”

Lewis finally recovered from me almost making him road kill and nodded.“I was there.Phoebe sold the hell out of you.Heck, I almost wanted to book you for my wedding, and I don’t even have a girlfriend.”

I smiled at him because I had a feeling he was holding his heart out for Phoebe’s stepsister, who was currently in Italy.

Phoebe took my hand and squeezed.“You are my sister-in-law, but you are also the best wedding planner I have ever encountered, and I have encountered a lot in my line of business.You gave Laurent and me the absolute most perfect wedding.Your attention to detail is unmatched, and even if you weren’t my sister-in-law, I would have vouched for you.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you’ll meet with the bride-to-be.”

“Of course I will.”

“Good.”Phoebe and Lewis smiled at each other.“I’ll give you a rundown, from her style to her least favorite food.You can tailor a pitch to her and her fiancé and knock her out of her designer shoes.”

“This could be big,” I said.

“Huge,” Phoebe corrected.“Make sure to tell Lainey, because if Domenique goes with you, she’s going to want one of Lainey’s cakes.And there’s one thing about Domenique, small town vibes or not, it’s go big or go home.She’s going to want it all.”

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