Page 25 of Reckless Encore

“Excitement?” he gritted through clenched teeth. “Sweetie, I ain’t fucking excited. I’m close to losing my shit, and what I need is for you to tell me how I can make this work.”

She glanced around the secluded reception area and swallowed. “I could call Cally. She’s the event planner.”

“Great—”fucking“—idea.”

She picked up the phone while he slid his card from the counter and began to pace. Back and forth, back and forth.

“Mr. Lynch?” A slim brunette in a navy business suit sauntered toward him, her smile professional as she ignored his lack of clothing. “How can I help you?”

He rushed to fill the five feet of space between them. “I need you to rearrange Sean’s wedding ceremony thingy. And I need it to happen tonight.”

Her friendly expression faltered. “That’s quite a significant request.”

She remained calm. That pissed him off.

“Yes, I understand.” He spoke slower. “But I’ll do whatever it takes. I want the best this resort has ever seen. I want flowers. I want girlie decorations. I want fireworks—figurative and literal.”

“For this evening?” Her expression mocked him. “Mr. Lynch, there’s no time.”

He sucked in a deep breath and held it until his chest throbbed. “Cally, how much do you want to earn today?”

“I don’t think that’s appro—”

“How much?”

She scowled. “I don’t understand the reason for your question.”

“Then let me make it clear. I will spare no expense in rescheduling. No fucking expense at all. You hear me?”

“Yes…”

“And for every dollar you spend, I’ll match it as a bonus for all your hard work.”

“Mr. Lynch—”

“Weddings are expensive, aren’t they, Cally?”

“Yes, of course.” Her lips thinned. “But the fees associated with last-minute arrangements will be astronomical. I’d have to beg—”

“Then beg.” He handed over his credit card. “Do whatever it takes, because I’m serious as all hell about getting this done today.”

Her scowl turned into a confused frown as she took his card. “I’m starting to see that.”

“Good.” Finally, they were getting somewhere. “This needs to be your top priority. Youronlypriority.”

She sighed, pulled a cell from inside her suit jacket, and looked up at him from under her lashes. “Tell me your budget along with everything you need, and I’ll see what I can do.”

He didn’t know the first thing about organizing a wedding, so he named everything he could think of. A band. Doves. Food. Alcohol. Ice sculptures. Flowers. Ideas flowed from him like vomit at a frat house.

“You realize I won’t be able to arrange almost any of this, right?”

“Do what you can.” He had to get moving. He had a best friend to find and a great deal of begging to kick-start. “It’s in your hands.”

He made for the stairs leading toward the gardens.

“Mr. Lynch, are you sure about this?”

He kept walking. “The only thing I’m sure about is the lack of balls I’m going to have if you can’t make this work. You’ve got my number on the reservation booking, so, keep me posted.”

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