Page 25 of Give Me a Reason

He winked at me. “Don’t worry. I won’t.”

He slipped out of the room, and I was left wondering why I felt that wink between my legs. It was like my entire body clenched at the movement. I forced myself to focus on the space, imagining where the chairs would go, until Harper showed up. “Good news. They’re on board with moving the ceremony.”

“That’s great.” Phase one was completed. Phase two was moving everything. “Get everyone who’s free to the original room and ask them to move the chairs. Find Harrison for the arbor.”

“You got it. You’re rocking this, girl,” Harper said cheerily as she flew out of the room. She was a good complement to Gia’s more serious management style. She was only supposed to be managing the schedule and logistics, but she’d taken to helping on-site too.

There was something about the day of the wedding. It energized me. I loved the excitement, the anticipation, and that moment when the wedding march started, and everyone stood. It never failed to give me goose bumps. But my favorite moment was when the groom saw his bride for the first time. Almost everyone looked at the bride, but I gauged their relationship by the look on the groom’s face.

I wondered if Finn ever thought about what he was missing when he said he didn’t want to get married. It was more than the ceremony and the reception. It was having that one person who was always by your side and at your back. Marriage to me was love, safety, and security. The knowledge that I’d never be alone again.

I shook my head as Finn came in with the first chairs. “Where do you want these?”

There was no teasing lilt to his voice. Everyone knew how serious it was to change rooms at the last minute. We needed to make this happen quickly. We didn’t want the guests arriving to chaos.

I pointed to the back of the room. “Start there.”

I counted off how many chairs we could get in each row, leaving room for the aisle runner. Finn probably thought weddings were a bunch of fluff, but there was math and meticulous planning involved. And even if he didn’t think it was important, it was to the bride and groom and to their families.

Whenever I doubted myself, I remembered that the bride and groom would remember this day forever. It was more than a picture on the wall; it was one of those special memories. I just hoped I’d get to experience it one day too.

Gia had been busy with the reception room, but I was sure Harper ran the change past her before she took it to the bride’s father. She arrived just as we’d gotten the chairs moved, and Harrison and Finn were carrying in the arbor.

“You moved the ceremony?” Gia asked.

“The bride added fifteen more people, and we were already stuffed in that room. It wasn’t spacious enough for the ceremony.” It would have been hot with everyone in there. The ventilation wasn’t the best in these old buildings.

Gia scanned the space and then said, “I agree. It was the right move. It probably should have happened before they added the fifteen people, but they didn’t want to pay extra.”

“Harper said the bride’s father okayed it.”

Gia smiled. “I find that on the morning of the wedding, the purse strings are a little looser. They are so happy, and they want the day to be perfect. Money worries seem to be forgotten.”

The tension that had been tight between my shoulder blades eased. “That’s good.”

“You did a good job thinking on your feet. This room was always the better option for them. Sometimes it’s hard to see it until everything is set up.”

Gia’s praise buoyed me for the rest of the day.

By the time the reception was in full swing, my feet were killing me. Gia had left with strict instructions to relax because I’d need to supervise the cleanup.

I found a small sitting room that no one was using, kicked off my shoes, and sat on the cool leather couch. I closed my eyes and prayed for a few minutes of peace. My face was sore from smiling, and my feet were tired of being scrunched into those shoes. The late nights and early mornings were catching up to me.

When a knock sounded on the doorframe, I startled.

Finn stood in the doorway, a wide smile spreading over his face. “Sleeping on the job?”

I sighed and swung my legs off the couch so he could sit next to me. “I’m taking a break. Gia’s orders.”

“Lucky you,” Finn said as he rested his arm over the back of the couch.

The only light in the room was the streetlight outside. It was quiet. I couldn’t hear the din of the reception at all. “Are you being sarcastic?”

Finn shook his head. “I don’t know how you do it. When I’m done with my set, I can leave. But you’re here from setup until cleanup.”

The admiration in his voice made my stomach flutter. “I’m happy to have this job.”

“I’m not saying you’re not. But it’s okay to be honest with yourself, if not me. It’s a hard job. You run around all day, doing everyone’s bidding, cleaning up all the fires all while wearing those heels.” He pointed a finger at my neglected shoes. “You must be exhausted.”

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