Page 17 of Hers to Marry
“I’m making the cake, don’t worry.”
Parker shook her head furiously. “No, I mean do the whole thing. Get the venue booked, make sure Drew dresses in a tux, and find a place for the reception. We need flowers, and music, and—”
“Parker! Have you plannedanythingfor this wedding?”
Parker folded into herself. “Just the dress,” she said meekly.
Kat’s mouth fell open. “You’re kidding. The wedding is…?”
“Next week. Plenty of time.”
Next week! Kat didn’t know where to look. She figured she had months maybe, but two weeks?Drew is going to be someone else’s husband in two weeks…Despite the hot sun beating down on their heads, Kat shivered.
“I mean, this place…how busy could it be?” Parker looked around, her expression chagrined. “It’s not like it can’t happen. And you’ve planned weddings before, right?”
Kat cocked her head to one side. “I’m not a wedding planner. I’ve baked cakes for—”
“Close enough. You’ve seen weddings and you know what I like.Please, Katrina, I’m begging you. You know you’re my maid of honor, right?”
Kat narrowed her eyes on Parker. “Am I? Or did you just say that so I’d have to plan the wedding?”
Parker feigned innocence by smiling pleasantly. “Is it working?”
Kat sighed and moved a few pieces of lettuce around with her fork. She didn’t want to do this. Be the maid of honor? Sure. Plan the wedding of her best friend with her childhood best friend and fast-becoming crush? Hard pass. What could be more tedious? “Give me one good reason.”
Parked leaned in close. “So, I’m really busy with this work project.”
“Tell me something I don’t know. You’re always busy. Not good enough.”
She waved a hand. “I’m not finished! Okay, so if this deal goes through—get ready—this would set me up to be president of the international firm.”
Kat’s mouth dropped. That was a good reason. “Parker, are you serious? What does that mean?”
“It’s one step away from being president of the whole company.” She squealed for a couple of seconds and then turned serious. “It would mean working at an international corporate office. London.”
“London…” Kat breathed. She’d never been anywhere outside of the continental United States. To visit London would be amazing.
“Exactly. Then it would be quarterly trips all over the world. Monthly trips. I’ll be going to China, Taiwan, Brazil, South Africa… Kat! Kat, I would bring you with me. You could be on retainer for parties andanythingI’d need pastries and desserts for.”
Kat put two hands on her chest. “Me? How would you be able to—”
“I would bepresident. I could hire whomever I wanted. In fact, I could probably start now, now that I think about it. Retainer means you’d be paid regardless of whether or not we would need you on any type of regular basis.Guaranteedpayment. It would be big. Huge. And you’d come with me, and we’d travel the world just like we had always dreamed. Remember those dreams, Kat?”
Kat looked off into the distance, seeing the beautiful old-town city she had come to love so much. It was home, and she couldn’t imagine herself anywhere else.
Until now.
She did remember those dreams. When they had built tents out of blankets in Parker’s bedroom on the nights Kat was allowed to sleep over. They’d stare at Parker’s paper map and plot the adventures they’d have once they were old enough to get away from their parents. Traveling around the world, experiencing different foods and clothes, and—of course—marrying princes of some royal houses.
When had she forgotten about those dreams? It seemed Parker had made plans to actually realize her dreams. Kat suddenly felt anxious and a little irritated that she was stuck at Susie’s bakery. There was a whole world outside of home that she hadn’t explored. Was she going to live here forever and then die without seeing what else was out there?
Short answer: yes.
Unless she took Parker up on her offer.
“Okay…” Kat began, “so, let me get this straight. I help plan your wedding so you can focus on nailing down this deal?”
Parker nodded once. “Exactly. Once the deal goes through, we’ll be on a plane back to Boston and then straight on to London. Shouldn’t take long for my promotion to go through. There’s a quarterly meeting in London for the international firm in a few weeks. I’ll be there as the new president of our company’s joint firm.”
