Page 1 of Flare
Chapter 1
The Gilded Cage
Spokane, Washington
Friday, May 1
“Wildflower isn’t happening,” Andrew announced.“Grandma Katherine thinks it’s the wrong look for our family. She told me she’s booked the country club for our reception.”
“What?” Emily stared at him as he began pacing the length of his huge living room.
Even after six months of living together, it still felt more like“his” house than“theirs.”
Andrew stopped and fixed her with one of the irritated glares she was becoming all-too-familiar with.
“Don’t look at me like that!” he snapped.“You know how Grandma gets. There’s no point in arguing with her.”
And just like that, Wildflower, the quirky downtown restaurant where Emily and Andrew had gone on their first date, was suddenly off the table.
Another piece of her dream wedding crumbled like a delicate meringue under his grandmother’s heavy heel.
Emily could guess at Grandma Katherine’s reasons for nixing Wildflower.Too small. Too weird. Too… Emily.
“You understand, right?” Andrew demanded, his handsome features taut with anxiety.
Emily swallowed hard, forcing down the automaticIt’s okayrising in her throat.
Her Majesty strikes again, she thought bitterly.
Eager to get on Grandma Katherine’s good side, she’d already given in to all the demanding old lady’sotherdemands about their wedding plans.
But Wildflower was important to Emily, so she dug in her heels for once.It’s my wedding. I should get to choose at least one thing about it!
“But Wildflower was where we had our first date,” she protested.“You agreed it would be romantic to come full circle.”
“That was before I really thought it through,” Andrew said, dismissing three months of wedding planning with an irritated wave of his hand.“I mean, Grandma is right. Wildflower is charming for a date, but for a wedding reception? My family’s big, you know that. It would be way too crowded. And the food is okay, but…” He wrinkled his nose.“Experimental.”
Emily’s fingers worried at the tassel of the decorative pillow squished between her and the arm of the long leather sofa… a sofa Andrew’s mother Beatrice had selected. Just like every other piece of furniture and décor here in his McMansion.
None of it was her taste, and if she was going to be honest with herself, she thought the house was butt-ugly, too. It had zerocharm or character. She quashed the thought, ashamed to feel so ungrateful for everything Andrew was doing for her.
“I thought that was why we loved it,” she argued, even though she’d learned the otherwise assertive Andrew never went against his grandmother’s wishes.“Chef Artemis promised to create a special tasting menu for us! She’s so excited about designing our menu!”
Andrew’s irritated frown returned. He loomed over her, his blue eyes flashing with annoyance and a glitter of gold that made Emily instinctively straighten her posture.
“Emily,” he growled.
She knew what that meant.Behave.Don’t push him.
But she couldn’t let it go.“Why can’t your grandmother let me pick just one thing?” she pleaded.“It’sourwedding. Not hers.”
Grandma Katherine had even curated Emily’s wedding dress. She’d graciously allowed Emily to choose a gown from a limited selection of Brunborn-approved designers.
“Weddings are aboutfamilies, Em. Don’t be selfish.” He fixed her with a hard stare.“Grandma reminded me that my parents were married at Highland Hills. Grandma and Grandpa, too. It’s where we Brunborns celebrate our milestones.” His mouth twisted.“And it’s a hell of a lot classier than Wildflower. Besides, Grandma is paying for the reception, so she gets the last word.”
Her eyes burned with rising tears of frustration and betrayal at her fiancé’s words. Then she thought of something, and hope flared.
“But we’re getting married next month,” she pointed out.“Isn’t it much too late to switch venues?”
