“Does anyone know what the game is tonight?” Pallas asked, concealing a yawn behind her hand.
“Rough night with Ryan?” Renee asked sympathetically. “Is he teething?”
“He was pretty good, but that wedding on Sunday about did me in.”
Renee tried not to react as a jab of guilt pierced her. “I should have been there, Pallas. I’m sorry.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. You’ve been working six days a week for months now. It was a small wedding party of thirty people and it was a brunch. Everyone was gone by three in the afternoon. I’m not complaining, I’m just saying I’m out of practice.”
“Weddings are a lot of work,” Jasper said. “It’s no wonder you’re tired.”
Pallas smiled at him. “That’s right. You went to the apple wedding. I heard there was some excitement. So what did you think? Did you find out who your serial killer is?”
“He’s going to crash the weddings he goes to. That allows me to set them up however I want. I think he’s righting wrongs—killing a cheater, or a child abuser. Doing the wrong thing for the right reason.”
“I’m not sure there is a crime that deserves someone being killed by a serial killer,” Renee said.
“That’s because you’re a good person,” Jasper told her. “I look forward to being around more weddings to get a real feel for them. The level of drama means everyone is on emotional high alert. That’s good for me.”
He glanced at Renee as if expecting her to say something. She supposed she should mention his serial killer cooties messing up her couples’ happy day, but she really didn’t have it in her. He’d been great at the apple wedding. Stacey and Felix hadn’t known he wasn’t one of Silver’s regular servers. He’d done his job and had observed in such a way that no one had guessed. Given that, she supposed there wasn’t really a reason to object.
Pallas yawned again. “Sorry. I’ll rally.”
Nick looked at her. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“You don’t think I’ll rally? I really will.”
He squeezed her hand. “Not that. You’re working too hard. Ryan is still a baby and while I understand you want to be back at work, you also want to be with him. You’re running yourself ragged doing both.”
“But I need to be in the office. Renee has been doing both our jobs for too long already.”
“Agreed.” Nick smiled at her. “There’s an easy solution. Make Renee a partner so she can manage things, then hire staff to take care of the day-to-day wedding business. You two can’t keep doing it all yourself. The business is getting too big. You need help.”
Pallas nodded slowly. “You have a point. I need to think about it.”
She smiled at Renee, who was doing her best to sit there calmly, as if they weren’t discussing her future. She had no idea what to say or do other than look normal and wait for the game of the night to be announced.
Take her on as a partner? Would Pallas want to do that? Would she want it for herself?
She knew the answer even as she mentally asked the question. Of course she did. She wanted to be a part of something. She wanted to have a place in Weddings Out of the Box and the town. Not just an “I work here” place but one that said she totally and completely belonged.
Hope blossomed. She told herself it was early days yet and a lot of things could change, but still, a partner!
The Boardroom servers began passing out the game of the night. Renee glanced at the familiar cover of Risk and tried to remember how to play. She was too excited to think.
She felt Jasper reach under the table and lightly squeeze her hand. She looked at him and he winked, as if he got what she was thinking and he was there for her. Which was a lot to read into a hand squeeze/wink, but she was going to go with it, regardless.
* * *
JASPER SAT IN the Weddings Out of the Box conference room and had no idea what to expect. Renee had texted him that she had a meeting with Hanna and Graham and that he was welcome to attend. But when he arrived, she’d told him it was a video conference meeting, which was how a lot of her prep meetings were handled.
“Not everyone can get to Happily Inc a dozen or so times before the wedding,” she said, setting up her computer and tablet. “Hanna and Graham live relatively close, so we’ll see them more than we see most of our clients, but even they don’t want to drive in every time.”
She had him sit across from her at the large table, then passed him an agenda. “We’re hoping to cover all this today. Not every decision will be made, but we’ll make a run at them. I have a few samples to show them but the most important issue is the timetable. They’ve booked the venue for an entire weekend. I want to work out the hours to make sure the contract doesn’t need to be amended and that we’re charging them the right amount.”
She smiled. “Too much information?”
“Not yet but I’m sure we’ll get there.”
He’d never helped plan a wedding so he had no idea what to expect beyond what he’d read in the bridal magazines. He’d ripped out to-do lists to bring with him. Hanna and Graham’s wedding had been fast-tracked so they wouldn’t have the usual year or so to plan.
Renee set file folders on the table, then typed on her computer. The large screen on the wall lit up. He saw that Hanna and Graham would be on the left, while whatever material they were sharing with each other would appear on the right. Exactly at 10:00 a.m. Renee initiated the phone call that would conference them together.
Hanna appeared first, waving at them. Graham followed.
“Hi, everyone,” Hanna called, waving. “Hi, sweetie. How’s New York?”
“Busy,” Graham said. “I miss you.”
“I miss you, too.” Hanna laughed. “We’ll be done now with the lovey-dovey stuff and we can start the meeting.”
“The lovey-dovey stuff is my favorite,” Renee assured her. “You know Jasper’s here for the meeting, as well, right?”
“Hi, Jasper,” Hanna said. “We’re so excited about the book. Thanks for the notes you sent. I love being involved in the process.”
“Thanks for letting me sit in on this,” he said. “Pretend I’m not here.”
Renee picked up the first folder. “Let’s confirm the events,” she said. “Friday night is the rehearsal dinner. We’ll have the actual rehearsal at five and the dinner will follow at six. Things will wrap up by nine.”
She paused, as if waiting for them to respond.
“I want to go later,” Graham said with a shrug, “but you and Hanna are right. The big event is the next night and we don’t want to be tired or hungover.”
“Exactly.” Renee flipped to another page. “The ceremony will start Saturday at five, with the reception at five thirty and running until eleven. Then you’re back here at ten the next morning for a goodbye brunch.”
Hanna glanced down at several pieces of paper. “That’s what I have, too. Jasper, does that work for you?”
Jasper thought of how Renee had warned him just being around the couple would change things. “I’m good with whatever you decide.”
Hanna nodded. “Okay, then the times work. What’s next?”
Graham sighed. “My mom really wants the bagpipes to play ‘Amazing Grace.’ I know it’s usually played at funerals, but this is important to her.”
Jasper was more caught up in the fact that they were going to have bagpipes at the wedding. He wasn’t sure he’d ever heard live bagpipes before.
Hanna smiled. “Honey, it’s fine. I already told you it was.”
“But you really didn’t want that song at the wedding.”
“It’s not what I would have picked but she’s your mom and you’re her only son and it’s important to you. I want you to be happy and I want her to feel good about the day, too. It’s one song. I can live with it, I swear.” She looked at Renee. “‘Amaz
ing Grace’ at the wedding.”
“Why don’t we have him play one or two songs while everyone is being seated,” Renee said, making notes. “That way it’s not just a single song that everyone focuses on. We can have ‘Amazing Grace’ be the last song performed on bagpipes, right before you walk down the aisle. You’ll still be in the bride’s room, so you can hear it, but it’s less, um, in your face.”
Hanna laughed. “An excellent compromise.”
“Perfect.” Renee pulled several lengths of fabric out of a bag. “I have the table runner samples to show you. We have a simple blue that matches the color in the tartan we’re using or we can just go for it and use the tartan itself. Keep in mind the fabric is the same weight regardless. We’d use a computer generated design to print the tartan on the runners so while there’s a cost difference, we’re not talking about a heavy wool fabric.”
She held each sample up in front of the camera at the head of the table.
“What do you think?” Hanna asked.
“Tartan,” Graham said.
“Oh, good. That’s the one I like, too.”
The meeting went on for nearly two hours. After a while, Jasper stopped taking notes and instead just listened. Renee kept things moving along, but also gave the couple as much time as they needed to make decisions.
They all agreed they would have the caterer at the next meeting, along with Silver, so they could nail down the food and bar menus. Hanna had already picked a local florist who would work directly with Renee as the decoration decisions were made. By the time everyone logged off, they were further along than they had been but there was still work to be done.
When the screen went blank and Renee closed her computer, Jasper handed her back the agenda.
“I don’t know how you do this, week after week.”
“It’s a lot of work but then a wedding is often the biggest party a couple will ever throw together. Details matter, so does making sure it all comes together.”
“Which is where you come in.” He thought about what they’d discussed and what he’d observed at the apple wedding. “I see the similarities.”
“Some elements remain the same. The dress, the flowers, walking down the aisle, the food.” She smiled. “Some kind of drama. But every wedding has its own personality. This is going to be a fun one.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Me, too.” She glanced at him. “There are people who say getting married doesn’t change anything for a committed couple. That a piece of paper doesn’t matter. But I don’t believe that. It’s a rite of passage in our society and the choice to participate in that, or not, makes a statement.”
He wouldn’t have thought of a wedding that way, but knew that she was right. So what did it say that his serial killer wanted to destroy that moment in someone’s life? Did he care he was ruining the memories forever? Did he not think of it that way? Was the killing for the greater good?
“And I’ve lost you.”
He looked at Renee. “Sorry. I was—”
“Working on the book. Yes, I’m starting to recognize the glazed look. Go home and be brilliant.”
“No. You let me be a part of this. I should at least...” What? Buy her lunch? Take her to bed? The latter was the most appealing, he admitted. But would it be tacky to ask?
She laughed as she stood. “Go,” she repeated. “I will see you later. You’re in the zone. Take advantage of it.”
He grabbed his notes, circled the table, kissed her briefly, then headed for his truck.
Maybe the serial killer wasn’t thinking about the damage he was doing. Maybe that was something he figured out along the way and it bothered him. That would give him some interesting angst as he plotted his next murder.
So many possibilities, Jasper thought happily as he drove home. Inspiration was everywhere.
* * *
“I’VE BEEN THINKING about what Nick mentioned the other night,” Pallas said at their weekly update meeting.
Renee kept her expression neutral, waiting for Pallas to come down on one side of the issue or the other. She didn’t want to assume good news.
“I don’t know why I didn’t think of it myself.” Pallas smiled at her. “I’d love to have you as a partner, if you’re interested.”
“I am. I have a lot of ideas about how we could divide the labor—especially with you having Ryan. And I’ve been thinking about hiring people. Would we want one or two full-time employees who can do everything or more part-time employees who are specialized?”
“Oh, you mean like wedding specialists to help on the day? I think that would be great. Another pair of eyes and hands to help with whatever happens.”
“Exactly.” Renee leaned toward her. “I think you should stop handling wedding days completely. At least for the next few months. Why not manage more of the meetings and let me deal with the weddings?”
“Until we hire some people,” Pallas said.
“Until then.”
“You are exactly who this business needed. You’re so reliable and creative and easy to get along with. I’d be lost without you.” Pallas paused. “I really want to move forward with this. Let me think about the best way to bring you on board. In the meantime, I’d like you to be thinking about what you would like the partnership to be. We’ll discuss it all in a couple of weeks. Does that work?”
“Absolutely.”
Renee floated back to her office. On her next day off, she would take the morning to put together her thoughts. She’d been given an exciting opportunity and she really wanted to make it happen.
When she slipped into her chair, she had the brief thought that if Pallas knew everything about her, she might not be so willing to take her on as a partner. Not that she ever needed to find out. Renee was getting good at keeping that part of her life separate.
She finished up her paperwork and was about to head home when she got a call from Jasper.
“How’s it going?” he asked when she picked up the phone.
“Good. Today was actually light and I was just about to go home.” She hoped she sounded more casual than she felt. To be honest, she was hoping he was asking for a booty call because she was so over the whole foreplay thing. What had she been thinking when she even suggested that?
“I was wondering if I could get your help with something,” he said. “Want to come by? I’ll provide dinner.”
“Sure. What do you need help with?”
He hesitated a second before admitting, “Kissing.”
Renee started to laugh. “I can say from personal experience, that’s not really true.”
“Thanks for the endorsement, but I’m talking about in the book rather than in life. I don’t know what to write or how to describe it. Writing ‘he kissed her’ seems like cheating, but if I go much further than that, it’s too much detail.”
“Porn?” she asked helpfully.
“So I’ve been told.” His tone was a little defensive. “How do other writers do it? I could never write romance. Give me an action scene anytime. Shooting is fun or I can always do a nice scene where someone’s throat gets slit. I’m good at that.”
“Poor Jasper. Brought to his knees by touchy-feely emotions and a few kisses.”
“I wouldn’t say brought to my knees,” he grumbled.
“I know and that’s what makes it so fun. I’ll wrap things up here and drive to your place.”
Before she hung up, she got his address, then quickly finished her work for the day. She thought about stopping by her place to change clothes, but didn’t want to take the time. She felt all fluttery with anticipation. She and Jasper hadn’t really had much of a chance to hang out for a while now. Okay, they’d recently had dinner and before that they’d been working on wedding stuff, but it wasn’t the same as just spending an evening together. Plus, there was the
promise of kissing, at the very least. He was always saying he learned by doing and she was up for a fair amount of doing, wherever that might lead.
She put his address into her car nav system, then followed the directions out of town and up the mountain. She knew that Ronan and Natalie also lived well above the town, but thought their place was in a different direction. Despite having lived in Happily Inc well over a year, she hadn’t done much exploring. Work kept her busy and it wasn’t that fun on her own.
She went up the side of the mountain, occasionally glancing at her outside temperature gauge. In Happily Inc, the sunny afternoon had been ninety-seven degrees. Up in the mountains, the temperature had dropped to seventy-eight, which was a big difference. She would bet at night it got even cooler. Jasper could sleep with his windows open, if he wanted.
She was still fantasizing about cool breezes on bare skin when she spotted his house number on a mailbox and pulled onto the long, paved driveway. There were trees on either side and a sense of being a long way from Happily Inc.
She saw the house up ahead. It was plenty big, but in a hodgepodge kind of way, as if it had been added on to every generation or so, with no thought of symmetry or style. There was a big porch and what looked like the original cabin, then additions jutting out in all directions.
She parked and got out of her car. Jasper walked out to greet her, looking all tall and manly and sexy enough to make her whimper. Kissing was not going to cut it, she told herself. She was going to have to insist they go all the way or she was going to be really cranky.
He smiled and drew her into his arms, then pressed his mouth to hers. He tasted of mint and promise and just hanging on to his lean, strong body was enough to get her ready.
“Hi,” he said when he drew back. “Thanks for coming over.”
“Thanks for inviting me,” she said, staring into his eyes. “Is this really about research or did you lure me up here?”
One corner of his mouth turned up. “A little of both.”
“I like the honesty.” She briefly rested her head on his chest, then turned to the house. “So this is great.”
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