Page 77 of Wedding Season
“Your bride made me think it,” Mariella answered as she nibbled on a bite of leftover wedding cake.
“She’s our bride,” Emma corrected. “They are all ours because we’re a team. Theresa was radiant and happy so whatever conversation you had with her clearly helped.”
Angi nodded and pointed her fork in Mariella’s direction. “It helped both of you based on how fast you marched over to the bakery after talking with her. I think it’s adorable.”
“Theresa didn’t have cold feet,” Mariella assured them. “Don’t think that talking brides out of running away is going to be a regular occurrence around here. She would have come back even if I hadn’t talked to her.”
Mariella didn’t attend every event at the Wildflower Inn. Most of her work was done in the pre-planning stages, but sometimes a couple would inspire her to be more involved or to witness their happy union. She could blame her softening attitude toward love on that.
It was difficult to spend so much time watching people pledge their troths and not want to believe in the promise of happily-ever-after.
Not for her, though. She and Alex weren’t headed in that direction. For sure. Although the way he looked at her when she made her stand in the bakery caused warmth to permeate her veins even now. She didn’t think any man had ever looked at her like that.
It was one thing to be embarrassed in front of customers at the bakery. She gave a sharp shake of her head. “I just hope that video doesn’t get out. Not when Amber is coming with whatever press follows her here.”
“It isn’t as if Josie posted it to the town’s Facebook page or anything.”
“You’re sure?”
Emma nodded. “I called her as soon as she sent it, which was right after the big event.”
“Speaking of...” Angi grinned. “What happens next?”
“I’m not sure,” Mariella admitted. “Dating a man who is a decent human being is new for me. I wonder how long it can last before I find a way to screw it up?”
“Don’t say that,” Emma told her. “There’s no guarantee you’re going to screw it up.”
“Yeah,” Angi agreed. “Maybe he’ll screw it up.”
Emma shook her head. “Or maybe it will just be good.”
Mariella appreciated her friend’s optimism, although Emma didn’t sound completely confident in that matter.
Why would she? Mariella had no track record when it came to successful relationships. Her history with Alex made it even less likely they could go anywhere.
It didn’t change the fact that she wanted to try. Finding the guts to tell him made something tight in her heart relax ever so slightly.
She also appreciated that Heather had accepted her pronouncement. The girl, who’d babysat Isabella today while Jasmin worked, spent some time in the store while the baby was napping. She’d helped with inventory and hung out with Mariella and Jasmin like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Maybe there was something to making good choices despite her fear. Maybe Mariella truly had put her penchant for self-sabotage in the past. She wished she had as much faith in herself as the people around her seemed to. All she could do was her best to live up to the faith they’d placed in her.
MAYBEITWASfate conspiring to tell Mariella she’d gone too far with her declaration, but it felt as though the moment she had publicly outed her and Alex, life became so busy she didn’t have a moment to even consider going on a real date.
The only consolation was that his world seemed equally chaotic, especially with Luann off to Nebraska. Although it wasn’t textbook romantic, she and Alex worked together every day, both on the final plans for the festival as well as the Fit Collective collection launch.
They hadn’t talked about her formally joining the company in Luann’s absence, nor was she ready for that. But Alex needed help so Mariella stepped in. Heather had actually been the one to insist that Mariella’s experience could benefit them. They’d each expressed their gratitude at having her input with meetings and pulling together details of the collection.
From her years in the fashion industry, Mariella knew that designing clothes was only the first step. So much of the work involved marketing the collection and cultivating a client base who bought into the story of the brand.
Mariella loved telling stories with fashion, whether it was the tale of a woman about to embark on the next chapter of her life with the partner she’d chosen or someone trying to reclaim her health and vitality or appreciate the strength of her body in whatever shape it took.
To that end, the first thing Mariella had suggested was to cancel the company’s contract with the New York City modeling agency. She’d convinced a dumbfounded Alex that the best way to communicate the positivity his brand embodied was forgoing professionals for local models. Real women from the community to represent the Fit Collective and showcase its place in Magnolia.
Already the tactic had worked. Whether or not the press and the fashion industry appreciated what they were doing, the people in town did.
Women from Josie at the dance studio to Lily who owned the hardware store to Mary Ellen were modeling the clothes. Even Meredith from Furever Friends had agreed to model at the Magnolia Blossom Festival. Meredith had quite the soft spot for Alex since he’d adopted Bex.
It didn’t compare to the soft spot growing inside Mariella where he was concerned. That spot was quickly engulfing her whole chest, which made it difficult to draw a full breath when he was around.
