Page 6 of Promise Yule Be Mine
“Hang on. That’s a real name? Seriously? That sounds like a theme park. Or a book series, or something.”
“We’re kind of like a theme park. It’s a very scenic place. You should visit. It’s beautiful in the winter. Cold, but beautiful.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. New York winter is more than enough for me, you know?”
“You wouldn’t say that if you visited. I’m flying back tomorrow. What are you doing this week? I can get you a jump seat with my airline.”
I laughed and shook my head. Who in their right mind would have time for a last-minute trip to the middle of nowhere? Not that I wouldn’t love to catch up with my best friend from my childhood, but still. I had a budding career to get off the ground.
“I’ve got a wedding and a few clients this week. But I should be free in a couple of weeks.”
I was, but hopefully wouldn’t be for long if that couple in Hoboken hired me. As a young, Black entrepreneur trying to break into the wedding planning scene, I couldn’t take it easy for a minute if I wanted to grow my business because there was another planner around the corner waiting to snatch any potential client from my grasp. And I had to grow my wedding portfolio if I was going to move up in the events world.
“A wedding? How come? Don’t tell me you’re a wedding planner.”
“Indeed I am. Why? Know anyone getting married?”
“Yes! Me! You shouldsooobe my wedding planner. That’s going to be so much fun! And I get to hang out with my little brother from another mother.”
I looked at her and went back several years to when I was a young boy and Jenna was my next-door neighbor and best friend. She was like the sister me and my brothers never had and our moms always traded babysitting duties on emergencies. But mainly her, as she spent most of the time at ours, coming from a single mom with no other family for support. And we all had Slade, my oldest brother who looked after us when Mom couldn’t.
She treated all of us equally—even my younger brothers—helping them with their homework, chores and their problems no matter how small or insignificant.
She had been there all our lives and then one day, she wasn’t. And we all felt like we’d lost a sister overnight.
“So?” she asked, blinking her big brown eyes at me.
“Huh?”
“Will you be my wedding planner? Please, pretty please with a cherry on top?”
“Of course, Jenna. Anything for you. Anything for my sister from another mister.”
She clapped her hands with excitement and gave me all the details. She was hoping for a Christmas wedding this year but hadn’t set the date yet, which helped me immensely as I still needed to pad my events calendar for the rest of the year andher guest list was a quaint double figure, more than manageable with such short notice.
She told me about her plans and what kind of wedding she was picturing, about her mom’s wedding dress she wanted to have altered, about her bachelorette party and letting loose in Chicago and so much more.
But she did leave out one very crucial detail.
Her other half.
“So…who are you getting married to? Are they as excited about this?”
“Oh yes he is. Kody is, like, my best friend. He’s always been there for me and we’re both super into this.”
Super into this?
What the hell did that mean? Who used that phrase to talk about their upcoming nuptials? Was there something going on?
“But you haven’t told me about you. Are you seeing anyone?”
Was that a pivot or was I imagining things?
Nah. I must be imagining things. Grooms weren’t half as interested in their weddings as their brides were. She was probably way too enthusiastic about every single detail of the big day that she was forgetting who she was doing this with, as brides often did.
I just hoped she wasn’tthatkind of bride. I didn’t really know adult Jenna and I didn’t know if our renewed friendship could survive her having a go at me about wedding cake toppers and colored gel pens for the guest book. I hoped she wouldn’t be another bridezilla.
But then again, even if she was, I didn’t care. She was my honorary sister after all and it didn’t matter that we hadn’t seen each other in a very long time, the title meant something to all the Myers brothers. It meant something to me.
