Page 25 of Spark
Tyler shrugged.“I can tell Addison if you want me to.She’s obviously a little worried about you taking on too much.But that’s not why I asked about the case.”
“It’s not,” Chloe said, but he held steady in the face of her doubt.
“Nope.See, I might want to do my fair share of all this party planning, but unlike you, I don’t want to doallof it by myself.If you burn out, I lose my wedding wing-woman, and this party ends up at the Burrito Hut.There’s bad tequila everywhere.Shae bets Faurier she can drink him under the table.He loses, then ends up all over the Internet doing the Macarena in a Speedo.It’s total chaos.I figured it was probably just easier to let you give your stress an outlet.You know, for the greater good.”
The laughter that bubbled out of her had been his exact endgame.“How very noble of you.”
“It’s a small price to pay.From now on, just consider me your sounding board.”
Chloe arched a brow but didn’t lose her smile.“Hmm.Something tells me that after this meeting, you might be wishing for the Burrito Hut.”
Tyler stood, walking beside her as they made their way back to the Blue Barn’s front entrance.Christ, he’d missed her.“Clearly, you’ve never been to the establishment in question.”
Just like that, her laughter became a smirk.“And clearly,youdon’t know what you just got yourself into.”
“It’s a bachelor and bachelorette party, not a fiery death pit,” he said.Yeah, he avoided weddings, but come on.This wasn’t a wedding.It was pregaming at a local brewery.How bad could the planning be?
Chloe led the way into the Blue Barn’s lobby, which was empty at this time of day.Tyler’s gut panged at the two love seats in alcoves by the hosts’ stand, complete with floral backdrops and neon signs reading “Better Together” and “Happily Ever After”, clearly set up for an upcoming wedding.
“Told youuuuuu,” Chloe murmured under her breath, and fuck, was that a champagne tower?
Breathe.Stay calm.Assess the situation.He could do this.“Burrito Hut,” he said from the side of his mouth as they moved farther into the lobby.The space itself looked pretty cool, with light, wide-plank farmhouse floors and worn-leather booths that managed to look both roomy enough to relax in and cozy at the same time, and Tyler relaxed a little.
Right up until the woman behind the hosts’ stand caught sight of them and let out a smile-sigh that could only be classified as dreamy.“Ryan and Addison, right?Oh, my God, I could tell you were the bride and groom the minute you walked through the door.You are just thecutestcouple!”
Chloe tripped to a halt as Tyler’s heart crashed into his sternum, battering ram style.There was no way the unexpected whammy wasn’t doing things to his face—his calm only went so far, especially when it came to Chloe.
But hers, it seemed, was in equally limited supply.
“Oh, no.No, no.”She shook her head hard enough to send her copper curls flying.“We’re the maid of honor and best man.We’re not…definitelynot…no.”
The woman’s mortification was instant.“I am so sorry,” she stammered, eyes wide.“You looked so…I just assumed…”
“Nope!Not us.”Chloe chirped with another head shake, and somewhere, deep down beneath the slam of his pulse, another weirder feeling flickered.
Time to salvage the wreckage.“I’m Tyler, and this is Chloe.Not a couple,” he confirmed.“It’s nice to meet you…”
“Marina,” the woman said, pouncing on the opportunity to change the subject.She looked at Chloe.“Chloe!You and I have traded a lot of emails.It’s great to finally meet you face to face.Will it just be the three of us today?”
“Mmm-hmm,” Chloe said, seeming grateful for the shift in focus, and Marina nodded, taking a tablet from the hosts’ stand.
“Sounds perfect.We’ll just do a walk-through of the party space to review the details and make sure everything here at the venue looks the way you expect it to.I’d be happy to answer any questions you’ve got along the way, of course.If you’ll both follow me?”
“Sure.”Tyler stepped back, letting Marina lead the way and Chloe follow first, before falling in slightly behind her.“Thanks for confirming that ‘Not if You Were the Last Guy on Earth’ thing for me,” he said, softly enough to keep the conversation between them only.“My ego’s officially a dry, dead husk.”
Chloe scoffed over her shoulder, having clearly bounced back like a champ.“Right.Because you’re so ready to binge watchSay Yes to the Dressall weekend.Please.”
He was saved, thankfully, by having to respond when Marina gestured toward the back of the restaurant’s dining room.“Since your party is on a Saturday night, we’ll be operating during our regular business hours out here in the main restaurant.There’s a separate entrance to the event space to ensure privacy for your group, though, and we’ll have signage at the hosts’ stand to direct your guests to the right place.”
They headed past the tables and booths, and Tyler couldn’t help but admire the views of the wooded grounds through the expanse of windows along one wall.Tall, arched ceilings gave the space—which looked to have been built on the bones of an actual reclaimed barn—an airy feel, wrought iron and crystal chandeliers casting a golden glow over the dining room.But he nearly stumbled in shock when they made it past the hallway leading to the back of the restaurant, taking in the space reserved for the party with a series of blinks.
“And this is where your event will be held,” Marina said with a smile.“Chloe, it should look familiar to you, I hope.”
Chloe nodded, her blue eyes lighting up as they traveled the space from end to end.“Oh, my God.It’s even better than the photos.”
“I had a feeling we could accommodate your play on a backyard barbecue theme,” Marina said, and Tyler’s thoughts clicked.
“Like the one your family has every summer?”The Dempseys went all-in every year at the end of June.Between the food, the outdoor games, and the fun, casual vibe, their family gatherings were practically legend.
