You Say It First--A Small-Town Wedding Romance

by Susan Mallery

  “How was the princess wedding?” Natalie asked. “I saw some pictures and it looked beautiful.”

  “Everything went smoothly, which is my main goal. No one had a meltdown that I saw. A total win.”

  Natalie studied her. “But?”

  Too many people were reading her emotions these days, she thought. She either had to have fewer problems or work on her poker face. “Just stuff. My mom and the bank. Do I keep the business or sell it?”

  Natalie’s eyes widened. “You’d sell Weddings in a Box? But why? It’s such a great business and you love it. Pallas, no. Don’t conform. Seriously, anyone can work in a bank, but how many people can do what you do? It would be like Ronan taking a job in window repair and installation. Sure he could do it, but what a waste of talent.”

  Pallas laughed. “Thank you for that, but I’m hardly in Ronan’s league.”

  “Close enough. I don’t know the whole story with you and your mom, but honestly, Pallas, don’t give in to her unless it’s everything you want.”

  “I worry that I’m not doing well enough.”

  “By whose standards?”

  That was an interesting question. Libby was all about success, but only on her terms. “I want to be able to grow the business,” Pallas said. “Right now that’s not possible.”

  “All the more reason to keep it. You’ve only been running things for a few months. It’s going to take time to make changes. Give yourself more time. I know it’s your life and you have to decide, just please, please think long and hard before you consider selling. I think you’d realize too late that it was a mistake.”

  She dug in her bag and pulled out a flat, plastic box. When she set it on the table, Pallas couldn’t help smiling. She knew what was going to happen next.

  Natalie opened the box and took out a purple square of paper. She waved it at Pallas. “This is what working at the bank looks like. It’s perfectly fine and very respectable.” She took out several more sheets.

  She began to fold the paper, her fingers moving more quickly than Pallas’s eyes could follow. In what felt like seconds, there was a small, purple origami owl sitting on the table.

  “You’re wise,” Natalie told her. “Listen to yourself and believe.” She held up both hands, palms facing Pallas. “This is me officially stepping back. I’ve been bossy enough today.”

  “You haven’t been bossy at all. I appreciate your advice and I trust it.” She touched the small owl. “How do you do that?”

  “Years of practice.” Her smile faded. “Please, don’t let Libby win. She has her own agenda and I’m not convinced any part of that is your happiness. Gerald left you Weddings in a Box for a reason.”

  Pallas grinned. “This is you stepping back?”

  Natalie groaned. “Sorry. I’m really, really done now. I swear.”

  “Want to take a bet on that?”

  * * *

  PALLAS LEANED AGAINST the tree and told herself a second brownie wouldn’t hurt. It wouldn’t help, but she wasn’t going to go there. It was a brownie kind of day.

  She’d brought in leftovers from the most recent girlfriend dinner and had made coffee, then asked Nick if he was interested in a picnic break in the courtyard. He’d joined her outside. As she stretched out her legs, he lay on his back, on the grass, staring through the tree leaves to the sky.

  “You’re thinking about something,” he said. “I can hear your brain working.”

  She smiled. “I’m contemplating a second brownie.”

  He rolled toward her. “That’s not good. When women start talking about a second anything with chocolate, there’s a problem.”

  “You think you’re so smart.”

  “Tell me I’m wrong.”

  “You’re not wrong, not exactly. There isn’t a problem, I’m just thinking.”

  He shifted onto his back. “Which is where I came in. Start at the beginning and remember I’m a guy with all the emotional intelligence of a plant.”

  She laughed, then grabbed a second brownie. “I went to the gallery yesterday.”

  “Okay.”

  “I saw the ballet dancer you carved or made or however you want to describe it.”

  She wasn’t sure, but she thought he might have tensed. “And?”

  “She’s beautiful. Amazing. I kept waiting for her to come to life.”

  He glanced at her, his expression wary. “But?”

  “There’s no but. She’s incredible. You’re so talented.” She took a bite and chewed. “The price tag was three hundred thousand dollars.”

  Nick returned his attention to the sky. “Atsuko sets the prices.”

  With his input, she thought. There was no way he would agree to just any price. “Will you get that for the piece?”

  “Maybe.”

  Which she took to mean yes.

  “You’re not going to start in about me working on the panels, are you?” he asked. “I like the work. It’s important.”

  “I think important is stretching it, but no, I’m not going to start in on you. I appreciate the restoration.” She loved the panels and wanted them to last a long time. “It’s just... My business is so small by comparison to what you do, or the bank or a zillion other companies or people doing things in the world.”

  “You make memories happen. That’s important. Probably more important. No one dies thinking ‘gee, I’m really glad I bought that piece of art.’”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “I’m pretty sure.”

  “I wish I could do better with Weddings in a Box,” she admitted. “We’re doing okay. I’m paying the bills and I get a salary, but there’s not much left over. If I want to grow, I need to change that, only I don’t know where to start. Worse, I have a degree in finance. I should be all over the money.”

  “You could sell the panels. Atsuko could find you the right dealer.”

  “No, I can’t do that. They’re a part of the business.” A part of Gerald.

  He shifted so he was lying on his side, facing her. “Okay, so the panels stay. Let’s talk about that fancy finance degree. You know that if you want to make more money, you need to cut costs or charge more.”

  “I’m not sure how I would cut costs. To provide the weddings people want, I have to offer certain services. There’s no way to trim there. My overhead is fixed. As for charging more, I have thought about it. I’m just afraid of losing the business.”

  “Then offer what they can’t get anywhere else, but make them pay for it.”

  “You mean different kinds of weddings?”

  “Sure.” He sat up. “Take the panels. They’re beautiful, but they only work in a limited way. What if you had simple frames the same size made out of a lightweight material? With today’s printing capacity, you could easily fill them with whatever your client can imagine. Weddings on the moon or in a volcano. The panels would provide the backdrop and set the tone. You’d provide everything else and the client would pay for it. People will cough up extra to have something exclusive. Trust me. I’m an expert on that.”

  She thought about his idea. “You’re saying instead of a menu, I would offer a unique wedding to anyone who asked?”

  “Exactly.”

  “I’d be reinventing the wheel every time.”

  “Not completely. The basics of a wedding are the same. Ceremony-reception. You’re simply changing the delivery system.”

  He had a point. Food was food. The same with the drinks. The server costumes could be more challenging, but maybe if she got some kind of simple uniform that could be covered with a theme-specific apron or tunic or something.

  “I’ll have to think about it,” she said. “I understand what you’re saying. If people will pay for unique weddings, I could grow the business and
they would pay for the expansion. Plus it would be kind of fun to have a different challenge every now and then. Not that I don’t love a Roman wedding.”

  “Who doesn’t?” He stretched out on the grass.

  “I have a couple coming in tomorrow. Maybe I’ll offer them a moon wedding.”

  “I could see it. I’ll bet you could rent space suit Halloween costumes for the staff.”

  She stared at him. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

  “Space suits aren’t everyone’s go-to idea.”

  “Not that. Renting Halloween costumes. They’re not being used except one night a year. If I could find a couple of really great places that have a big selection, I could contract with them. That would give my brides a catalog of ideas to consider.”

  She would have to do some investigating, but there had to be several large costume firms in Los Angeles. She could set up appointments and go talk to the owners.

  Before she could thank Nick for the brainstorming session, a young couple walked into the courtyard. He was of medium height with dark blond hair, while she was petite and Asian. Pallas scrambled to her feet as she wondered if she’d forgotten an appointment. The only one she could remember was for later in the week.

  “Hello,” she said with a smile. “Can I help you?”

  The woman, in her midtwenties with sleek black hair and luminous skin, nodded. “I’m Nova and this is my fiancé, Joel. We were supposed to see you on Thursday, but we came by hoping you could see us early.”

  Pallas had a moment of chagrin. She wasn’t prepared for an impromptu meeting, nor was she dressed the least bit professionally. But if her potential clients didn’t care, then she would go with it, too.

  “Of course. I’m Pallas. Nice to meet you.”

  They shook hands. Nick stood and she introduced him, as well. Nova glanced around at the courtyard.

  “This is really lovely. Is this where you have the receptions?”

  “Usually. We don’t get much rain out here.” Pallas pointed to the west. “The sun sets over there so we’re in shade here by six, even in the summer, and I have fans I put out if need be. There’s a large ballroom that can accommodate either the ceremony or the reception, depending on how you want things to flow. Tell me about your wedding.”

  The couple looked at each other. As Joel reached for Nova’s hand, Pallas felt the back of her neck prickle. She was getting a strange vibe from the young couple. Not a we’re-getting-married-but-we’re-not-excited-about-it, but definitely something. She’d learned that when her gut started talking, she should listen. If nothing else, she increased the nonrefundable part of the deposit.

  “Joel and I develop video games,” Nova said, her voice soft. “Our most successful game is Concord Awaken.”

  “I love that game,” Nick said. “CA. We always joke about the initials being the same as the state of California.” He looked at Pallas. “CA is based on a—” His expression turned sheepish. “Never mind. You don’t want to know and they’re already experts.”

  Nova smiled. “I like your enthusiasm. That’s going to be helpful.” She looked at Pallas. “We want a wedding based on our game world. The colors, the decorations, all of it. I know it’s a lot to ask, but it’s what we need to do. We can pay for the custom elements. We’re very successful.”

  Nothing about this felt right. Nova sounded more desperate than happy. What on earth was going on?

  “Your wedding is going to be wonderful and unique,” Pallas told them, even as she took a tiny step back. “However, I’m not sure this is the right venue for a gamer wedding. We do more traditional work here. Princess weddings and Roman weddings. Nothing high-tech.”

  Nova nodded, even as her eyes filled with tears. “We’ve heard that a lot. We know what we’re asking is unusual. We’d do it ourselves, only we don’t have the experience or much time. It’s just...” She brushed away tears on her cheek. “It’s my dad. He has cancer and he’s dying. He wants to see me happily married and we want that, too. It’s just him and me.”

  Joel moved close and put his arm around her. He kissed the top of her head. “It’s okay, babe. We’ll find someone, I promise.”

  Pallas flinched as if she’d been kicked in the gut. She felt Nova’s pain as if it were her own. She wanted to help, but how? A video game wedding? She didn’t know anything about the world or what they would expect, let alone how to make it happen.

  “It wouldn’t be that difficult,” Nick said quickly. “Come on. I’ll show you.”

  Before Pallas knew what was happening, Nick had led them into the main ballroom.

  “It would all be about smoke and mirrors,” he said, gesturing to the walls. “Panels or giant posters of the landscape of CA. The colors would be easy—they’re totally defined. Maybe some black light to make things interesting. The game has a killer soundtrack. We’d base the music on that. Food could be fun. I might be able to do something with papier-mâché for decorations and ambience.”

  Nova’s expression turned hopeful. She looked at Pallas. “Could you do it?”

  “I don’t know. I’d have to think about it. I only have one open weekend in the middle of June. That barely gives us six weeks.” They were asking for the moon. Actually they were asking for a whole other planet and she honestly didn’t know if she could give it to them. Still... It did sound fun.

  “I already have my dress,” Nova told her. “Please. My father and I are depending on you.”

  Pallas drew in a breath and admitted, if only to herself, there was no way she could refuse the project. At least not without more information. “Let me work the numbers and talk to my vendors and get back to you.”

  Nova and Joel exchanged a look. “We need to know in forty-eight hours,” Joel said. “Time really is precious to us.”

  “I understand.”

  Pallas got their contact information. Nova wanted to write her a check, but Pallas refused.

  “I’ll need plenty, if we come to terms.” She smiled. “I’ll take your money then.”

  The couple left. Once they were gone, she glared at Nick. “Did you do this on purpose? Was I just set up?”

  “No way. It wasn’t me, but it’s totally cool. You have to take the wedding, Pallas. Not only can you make a dying man’s wish come true, you’ll get the chance to see what you’re capable of. You can use this as a test to decide on how you want to run the business.”

  “Maybe. I’ll have to talk to everyone first and find out if they can get everything done in time. To be honest, I don’t even know where to start.”

  “I’m in,” Nick told her. “Everyone else will be, too.”

  Easy for him to say, she thought as excitement battled with terror. If this didn’t work out, he could simply create another three-hundred-thousand-dollar piece of art and call it a win. She could screw up a wedding, damage the last memories of a dying man and ruin her reputation all in the same day. But hey—no pressure.

  CHAPTER SIX

  FOR HER EMERGENCY meeting with her vendors—aka her friends—Pallas had set up a couple of big tables in the ballroom. They would have more space there.

  She hadn’t slept at all the night before. Not only had her mind been filled with all the possibilities, she’d spent hours wrestling with self-doubt.

  Could she pull off the wedding Nova and Joel wanted? What if she failed? Did she really want to step so far out of her comfort zone? What if she failed? Could everyone come through with what was necessary to make the wedding spectacular? What if she failed?

  Somewhere close to dawn, she’d given up on sleep and had started making a master to-do list. With only six weeks between now and the wedding, not to mention all the ground breaking required, there was plenty to write down and plenty to worry about. By the time her afternoon meeting rolled around, she’d kind of worked hers
elf into a frenzy.

  Wynn and Violet arrived first.

  “This is going to be fun,” Violet said, sounding excited. “A new kind of wedding. You didn’t say much in your text, but I am totally up for a challenge.”

  “I hope so. It’s going to be that.”

  Silver arrived next, with Nick on her heels. Pallas introduced her “artist in residence” to Violet and Wynn, then they all sat down at the first table and Pallas explained what she was hoping to accomplish.

  “At this point, I want to know if we think we can pull this off,” she said. “I told Nova I’d get back to her by tomorrow, but I know time is tight so I’d really like to call her tonight with a yes or no.”

  “Yes,” Violet said. “I’m in.”

  “You don’t even know what it is.”

  “I don’t care. I’m in. So what’s the wedding theme?”

  Pallas set a box on the table and opened it. “Nova overnighted these to me.” She passed out copies of the game. “It’s called Concord Awaken. Nova and Joel created the game and they want their wedding set in that world.”

  “A video game?” Silver sounded doubtful. “How is that possible?”

  “The best games all create a world,” Wynn told her. “They can be very detailed with complex story lines. Some are just shoot to kill, but a lot get into the world’s past. There are characters we care about. As you work through various levels, you learn more about what’s happening. Sometimes information about the backstory can help save you.”

  Everyone stared at her. She shrugged. “Let’s all remember I’m the mother of a ten-year-old boy, people. I live this stuff.” She glanced at the label. “Oh, good. It’s not rated mature. I’ll have Hunter play it tonight.” She smiled. “I’ll revel in being the cool mom for a couple of hours.”

  “I’ve played the game,” Nick said. “It’s set on another planet but has a dystopian quality to it.”

  Silver raised her eyebrows. “Seriously?”

  “I was embarrassed for him, too,” Pallas said, her voice teasing.

  Nick leaned toward her. “Do you want to hear this or not?”