* * *
Sadie watched as Evan retreated through one of the doors, pretending to answer the phone. She’d seen the blank screen as he pulled it out of his pocket. Whatever was going on with him, she wished he’d figure it out or at least talk to her about it.
After trying out the last few cakes, she tried to think of what Taryn would want. “Let’s go with the fresh strawberries and cream cake. I’ll send you a sample of the colors of the wedding so you can craft the flowers on it to match.”
“Sounds good, Miss Sadie. It’s a pleasure working with you again.” Tom reached out and took her hand, shaking it lightly. He leaned in a bit and said, “It’s probably a good thing you’re not marrying him. He’s the kind that would get cold feet, I think. I didn’t have any corn dogs on the table, so I’m not sure why he would mention them.”
Sadie pasted on a smile and said goodbye before heading back out the direction she’d come earlier in the afternoon. Corn dogs? Had Evan said that? Tom’s words echoed in her mind, and it clicked in her mind that maybe Evan was dealing with the emotions of the past. She had no idea what it was like to be left at the altar, but she could imagine the littlest wedding decision could trigger some sort of memory for him.
Why hadn’t she heard him say their secret phrase? Then she wouldn’t have to search the entire hotel for him. She had been so caught up in worrying about how strange he was acting and wondering how he felt about her that she must have missed his cry for help.
She moved out of the room and in the direction of his office, hoping he’d gone there to hide out. The gym was the next place she looked, as he always seemed to head there when he had something on his mind. The last resort was his room, but as she got in, the elevator wouldn’t let her go to the penthouse because she didn’t have the card to swipe on the reader.
The text message lit up her screen and she felt the sinking feeling that she’d let him down.
Dialing his number, she willed him to pick up, hoping she could somehow give him the comfort he’d offered her in Aspen Hollow. It went to voicemail after several rings.
“Evan, I was trying to get to you, but I don’t have access to your apartment. Just let me up so we can talk. I’m so sorry. Tom mentioned that you said our phrase, and I must not have heard it. I should have thought it through and realized how going through tasting cakes would make you feel. Just…call me, will you?” She paused for a few seconds before hanging up.
She’d give him the benefit of the doubt, but she was going to make sure she remembered her goals. She didn’t need a repeat of that party in college again.
Chapter 20
Evan took the elevator to his penthouse suite, not wanting to return to the office right then. Anything he needed to get done he could do on his computer or by making calls on his cell phone, and the thought of being stuck in his office felt suffocating. He received a text from the contractor saying it would be another hour before he could meet, opening up Evan’s schedule a bit more.
He had seen a bit of concern in Sadie’s features throughout the afternoon, and he felt bad that he’d been so aloof, but he couldn’t help it. He wished he hadn’t agreed to help her with the tasting, but he hadn’t realized how many memories and emotions it would trigger.
Instead of working on the long list he needed to get done, with his phone on silent, he lay down, hoping that a few moments of relaxation would help him skip the dark hole he could feel himself slipping into. The thoughts of failure were overwhelming, and it paralyzed him.
He’d realized Stacey wasn’t the one for him a few months after she’d left him at the altar, but that still didn’t take away the feelings he’d had as they’d been planning the wedding. He remembered going to a tasting months before their wedding to pick the menu and how much fun they’d had as they joked about who would love the food and who would end up hating their choices.
It wasn’t so much regret that he was feeling now. It was that loss of the future he’d thought he’d secured once he proposed to Stacey. After seeing Darren and his family at the ranch the week before, he realized how much he wanted that future to be real, and it left a deep ache in his chest. He wasn’t sure how he could get rid of it, but finding someone to share a life with could be a start.
The only problem was, the person he wanted to be with didn’t want a relationship at all. Was there some way to convince Sadie he wouldn’t do to her what her parents had done to each other?
He still wasn’t exactly sure how bad it had gotten with her parents, but her stories of the house fire told him there were more layers to her past. Sadie was so strong in every other aspect, but when it came to anything about relationships or talking about her parents and sister, she seemed to curl into herself, making it difficult to know how to help her.
Should he just not worry about her, let her finish out the wedding and then move on? What he liked about her was the fact that she didn’t treat him any different because he had money, didn’t fling herself at him around every turn. In fact, she’d been the only one besides his family to call him out on his behavior since…well, ever.
He had to admit he’d used his good looks to get out of a lot over the years, but that seemed to not have an effect on her. She would be the one who could help him be a better person, better boyfriend, and better man overall. She was worth the risk; he just had to push back all the memories of planning his own wedding and survive long enough to tell her and show her he was worth it.
After half an hour, he made his way out to his desk. Work was usually the best way to keep himself going, and maybe getting lost in it would help him forget his failures. He kept thinking about that five-diamond award because, in his mind, that would be the ultimate win to help reconcile all his past mistakes.
His phone lit up next to him on the couch, and he looked over, seeing Roman’s name flash across his screen.
“Hey, man. What are you up to? Isn’t it really late there?” Evan’s clock on the wall across from him said four in the afternoon, meaning it had to be around midnight in England.
“Sleep is overrated.” Roman chuckled. “How are things there? Everything going well with the hotel?”
Evan thought about the layers of plastic and paper all over the rooms on the first floor and chuckled. “Remodeling is still happening, but things are going well. My older sister, Taryn, is getting married here in about two weeks, so I’m pushing the guys to finish up so it doesn’t smell like paint when she says ‘I do.’”
“That’s probably a good thing. You don’t want her to grumble about that the rest of her life. I’m just calling about the retreat. Are you still in to have it over Christmas here in London?”
“What are you talking about? I thought everyone was coming here for it. I’ve got the space for everyone.”
The other line paused, and Roman finally said, “I’m just kidding, bro. I’ve been talking to Jackson and Tristan, and they thought maybe we should do a beach retreat. Those of us with girls could bring them, and they could hang out while we talk business.”
Evan’s mind flicked to Sadie. As much as he wished he could call her his girl, they weren’t at that point yet, although a guy could hope.
“I could use a beach vacation. Let me know if you need help planning, and we’ll go from there. Let’s make it for the day after Christmas, though. My family will die if Aiden and I are both gone.”
“True. I hadn’t thought of that. I was actually thinking about doing something the week after New Years as an alternative if people can’t make it. I know things get crazy, but winter is slower for real estate anyway.”
Evan tried to remember if he had anything planned for that time. “That works for me. I should have my staff here trained, so I can take some time off. I’ll just be traveling to check on the other hotels on the way back, so I’m game.” He paused a moment and said, “How’s married life?”
Roman scoffed. “We’re engaged, not married, man. I’m hoping this wedding planning ends soon. I’d like a dat
e where we aren’t discussing some aspect of what we should have at the reception and what everyone will wear.”
“When’s the big day?”
“February. You’d better be here.”
After pausing for a moment, Evan asked, “Roman, was it worth it? Taking a chance on Isabelle?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, he said, “Absolutely. She’s a designer, so I get why she’s so wrapped up in the wedding. But I know it will end, and it will just be the beginning of our lives together. I can’t wait for that point.”
The ache in Evan’s chest seemed to break into a chasm, and he rubbed it, as if that would help.
“I’m happy for you, man. Let me know the final decision so I can get dates scheduled on the calendar.”
Hanging up the phone, Evan stared out the large windows in front of him, seeing several other hotels down the Vegas Strip. He’d done a lot to get to where he was as a billionaire at the age of twenty-nine, but the rest of his life had suffered. Then again, if Stacey hadn’t broken up with him, he might not have pushed so hard, trying to compensate for the loss. But he couldn’t go back and change the past, so he may as well look forward to the future, hoping Sadie would give him that chance for a do-over.
Chapter 21
Sadie spent the next week holed up in her room with a sewing machine she’d borrowed from one of the maids, crafting the last few things for the décor. Evan had been kind enough to bring her food or even send it up, keeping her company from time to time as she worked to get things done. He’d apologized for leaving the taste testing so abruptly but hadn’t offered the complete explanation, which she could understand now that she’d figured out his anxiety. He hadn’t returned to how he’d been at the ranch, but it was probably for the best, as she had so much on her plate to get done. At least he’d been grateful for her voicemail.
Thursday morning, Sadie took inventory of everything she’d received or made, trying to make a plan for what needed to be done in order of importance. The wedding was scheduled for the following Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, and as much as she’d accomplished, there was still a lot to finish before the big day. She’d checked off almost everything Taryn wanted on the list, when she got a call from the bride-to-be.
“Hey, Taryn. How is your fitness conference going?” Sadie knew Taryn was asked to present at events often before this whole ordeal, but she was surprised just how often Taryn was in a completely different state when Sadie talked to the girl, crisscrossing the country from one day to the next.
“It’s going really well. I’m in Charlotte for a few days, and then I’ll be back out there. I’m so sorry I haven’t been there as much to go through things.”
“How about we do a video call, and I show you everything I’ve put together so far.” Changing the call over to video, she smiled and waved at Taryn before turning the screen and pointing it at the array of things cluttering up the suite. She’d never been more grateful to Evan than in the past few days as she stumbled over boxes and other things in her wake. There was no way she would have survived in a smaller room for this amount of time with dozens of boxes. She’d already filled up a good section of the conference room.
As she walked Taryn through the lace accents she’d come up with, showing her some of what she’d been sewing throughout the past few days, Taryn would gasp and say, “Oh, that’s beautiful,” or, “Wow, it’s amazing to see it come to life.” With each ooh and ah, Sadie felt more and more confident as her planning skills proved to be on pointe with her client’s wants and needs.
Until it came time to talk about the centerpieces and different signs throughout. Sadie had thought of using clear vases on the tables and filling them with a large bouquet of flowers, but that didn’t sit well with Taryn.
“I’m sorry, Sadie, but I want people to be able to talk to each other across the table, not have to duck and bend over just to speak with someone four feet away from them. And I want the décor to be more rustic. I’ll send you some pins I’ve found of things I loved, but I’m thinking something like an old wood planter box filled with mason jars and small bouquets of flowers. Maybe even a picture of Travis and me on the table. I don’t want them to feel like this is way over the top, but rather a simple family wedding.”
Sadie’s eyebrow went up as she turned the camera back to her face. “Why didn’t you have it at the ranch, then?” She hoped Taryn didn’t hear the bite in her voice, the stubbornness in her coming out at being told that she, in fact, hadn’t gotten all the details correct.
“With the extended families on both sides, we wouldn’t have been able to house everyone. You know what the hotel in Aspen Hollow is like, and my parents can only hold about fifty or so guests in the lodge. It probably would have held a third of our guests. And while they could stay in St. George, we want them to feel comfortable and not have to drive so far just for little activities we’ve planned.”
The logic was sound, but Sadie knew she’d have to do a lot of last-minute switching. Where was she going to find a place to make and deliver planter boxes? And if Taryn wanted something like that on the table, she’d have to incorporate so much more of the reused wood throughout the wedding. Ideas started flowing into her mind, only causing her chest to tighten. With a little more than a week left before the wedding, she was going to have to call in every favor she’d ever stocked up to pull this off.
As she hung up the phone with Taryn, she remembered Charleigh French and her description of the perfect wedding for her. They’d mailed an invitation to her, and Sadie knew this wasn’t going to up her faith in Sadie’s work. The vision she’d created for the perfect wedding for her best friend’s sister that would also wow the celebrity was now crumbling down, as was the time left until the big day.
A headache formed behind her eyes, and Sadie laid her head on the back of the couch, hoping to keep it from turning into a migraine. That was all she needed. To be down during one of the most critical moments of her career.
When a knock sounded on the door, she wondered if she’d just been hearing things as it was so soft. But then it came again, a little louder. The great debate of whether or not she should answer it took off in her mind, and in the end, curiosity won. She stood, holding her forehead with one hand, and opened the door.
Evan stood there, dressed in dark jeans and a green t-shirt, his hat on, making Sadie grip the casing around the door, even with her eyes barely open.
“Are you all right?” Concern laced his face, and he placed his hand on hers over her forehead. “What’s wrong?”
“I just have a headache. Come in for a second. While I’m up, I’d better get some ibuprofen in me. Otherwise, I’ll be seeing stars.” She moved to the bedroom and pulled out the bottle she kept in her purse. Letting out a few of the pills, she threw them back and swallowed, hoping that would be enough.
Evan stood in the entry, looking around with eyes wide. “Do you need anything else to help it go away? You get migraines a lot, if I remember right.”
Sadie’s stomach flipped with excitement that he could remember something as small as that, but she kept her wits about her, trying not to look like a lovesick teenager as she moved back to the couch. She needed to keep her heart locked up because she was already sick of the whiplash she was getting from the signals he kept sending.
“I should be all right for now. Time will tell.” She closed her eyes and asked, “What’s up?”
“I have to head to California tomorrow morning and wanted to make sure you were doing okay. I’ll be gone until Monday, but I’ve alerted my staff to make sure you have everything you need. Speaking of which, do you want to put some of this up in my apartment?” He gestured to the boxes and things around the room.
“That would be nice, thank you. It’s getting harder and harder to work in here with all of it, and I’ve already taken up the conference room downstairs.”
Evan smiled. “Okay, I’ll have someone come up and take it this evening. Anything else I can hel
p you with?”
Laughing, Sadie said, “Do you know of anyone who is good with wood?”
“Huh?” He leaned closer, and Sadie grinned at him.
“Your sister has requested some last-minute changes to the décor, and I need someone who can make about fifteen planter boxes out of recycled wood.”
Evan frowned. “She didn’t tell you that a month ago?”
“I remember her saying rustic, but from everything she’d clipped to her wedding board, it wasn’t quite to this extent. That was probably my fault that I didn’t check on it.” Sadie groaned. She was going to have to go without sleep for as long as possible to get it all done.
“What are you going to do?” Evan asked, taking a seat next to her on the couch.
“I don’t know yet.” The smell of him drew her in, and she moved, leaning her head on his shoulder. He seemed to stiffen for a moment, and Sadie wondered if she should move back. But he finally relaxed, moving his arm around her shoulder. She just wished they could stay like that for a while, not worrying about work or about some new décor she hadn’t planned on.
“I’ll see what I can do,” he offered. “Maybe someone can make them in time to send out here. I could ask Darren. His wife has been having him do all sorts of projects lately, and with the slower time and no guests because of the wedding, he might have some time to work on them this weekend.”
Sadie raised her head, knowing hope was clearly written on her face. “Would you? That would be amazing. I might need him to do a couple of other things as well, but I’ll have to get some inspiration online.”
“Why do you still seem down about the whole thing?” Evan’s soothing voice caused her to lay her head back down and close her eyes. She could feel the swaying of her heart, working to break down all the barriers she’d erected around it to keep from getting hurt. As much as she felt confused about how he felt about her, she was sure she was falling, and at the moment, there was nothing she could do to stop herself.
The Vegas Billionaire: An International Billionaire Club Series Page 11
