“I’m not asking you to. I’m asking you to stall them, Liam. Make small talk over drinks until I can pull together a walk-through that won’t leave them regretting the choice to hire me.”
Swallowing past the almost debilitating fear, she closed her eyes and focused on her breathing.
“Ella?”
“Just...give me a second.”
She ran through the list of things that had been fully prepped, things she could share with the bride and groom. There were excursions to walk through, the menu, entertainment, the ceremony site. She could call Arvin and get him to set up a taste test of the wedding dinner. All that would take up the rest of the day. There would be plenty of time to finish the flowers tonight. Then tomorrow she could actively manage the guest excursions and the rehearsal, see the couple and their guests through the rehearsal dinner, and, finally, put the finishing touches on the wedding ceremony and the reception. The end was in sight. She just had to push through and get there in one piece.
The initial shock having passed, she took a deep breath and relayed her plan to Liam.
“That’s fine. Jen and Mike will meet you in the lobby. What time?”
“I said an hour. I’ll stick to that. After I’ve finished here, I’ll grab my portfolio so I’ll be able to show them the sketches. That’ll help them visualize what the actual ceremony will look like. Otherwise? They’ll be wholly dependent on my descriptions to fill in the blanks.”
“I’ll be there.”
“You’re coming, too?”
“I want to support my sister no matter the outcome.”
“‘No matter the outcome?’” she parroted. “What does that mean?”
“Poor choice of words. I’ll see you shortly.”
An odd feeling settled low in her gut. “Don’t screw this up, Liam.”
“Pardon?”
“Just...forget it. I’ll see you in a little while.”
A single tap on her cracked screen and the call disconnected. She finished the bouquet and headed back to the bungalow, thankful that her phone at least worked. She’d struggled with this event so much she’d begun to think the universe hated her, but maybe—just maybe—she was wrong. Maybe the universe didn’t hate every cell in her being.
Just most of them.
Liam stood on the balcony just off the lobby. Jenna and Mike were several steps away, their heads together as they whispered, laughed and sneaked kisses. They were trying to stay away from the main foot traffic at the resort, but they’d insisted they wanted to get a feel for the ambience and see some of the decor.
Mike said something to Jenna and she laughed, a low, throaty sound that moviegoers worldwide would recognize. Liam looked over to find them slow dancing on the balcony.
“Get a room.”
“We got two,” Mike said, sotto voce.
“I’m sure Jenna did.”
Mike stilled.
Jenna turned and looked from one man to the other. “What? What did I miss?”
Tension built until it crackled on the air like a summer storm. Mike didn’t look away from Liam when he answered. “Your brother’s suggesting I’m a gold digger.”
Jenna’s eyes flashed with anger. “Liam? What is wrong with you?”
“Just protecting your assets, sister.”
“My assets are mine, Liam. I’ll do as I please with them. That means if I want to invest in an alpaca farm in Nepal, you’ll smile and wish me good returns. Likewise, if I want to pay for my own wedding, you don’t have a say in that choice.”
Liam clenched his jaw tight, but it wasn’t enough to stop his damning judgment from spilling out. “No? Fine. But your choice doesn’t change my opinion. I’d rather you had someone willing to carry his own weight in the relationship.”