Page 71 of Moonshine and Magnolias
She stepped away from the desk, then went back and flicked her finger against the pens. They rolled out of alignment, but the world didn’t end. Perfect.
Jordan had been a machine the last two days, divvying up the tasks based on each person’s strength to make the wedding happen. Even Rob’s brother had gotten in on the action, helping make thechuppahstable, being a flower stand for Brandi, and doing anything that needed to be done. His only request had been fresh pots of coffee every hour. Anthon the chef was with Eulalee in the kitchen, chopping andslicing and simmering as she ordered him around.
“Hey, Wendy.” Brandi stood in the doorframe, a light sheen of sweat covering her skin. Her Fountenoy Hall polo was untucked and her knees were outlined in dirt. “Just wanted to check in and let you know everything was fine. Sebastien and I are about to finish decorating that trellis thing with the flowers.”
“The chuppah.”
“Right. Dr. Rob said he’d help position it. Eulalee confirmed the food would be ready on time, the cake is cooling and will then be frosted, and all the chairs have been lined up outside. I think we’re good to go.”
“Great. Thanks.”
In deference to Brandi’s argument that Wendy didn’t give her enough trust, she stayed far away from her cousin and Sebastien when she took one last look at the grassy area in front of the Hall. The white chairs lay in sharp rows, their decorative orange bows fluttering in the mild breeze. The chuppah loomed behind the small table that would hold the wine and glasses. The flowers were the perfect backdrop. Rob stood with Sebastien, who laughed at something Rob had said and gave him a quick punch in the arm.
A deep yearning tightened her chest at the picture-perfect scene, but she stopped herself from rubbing it away and let it happen. Tonight. She would ask him tonight to not let this thing between them end when he finished his assignment. Together they could find the promise of romance and blend their lives.
A cloud of dust swirled on the driveway and she tamped down a flicker of annoyance at the vehicle. It was either a late delivery or super-early guests, and she wanted to be able to greet whoever it was. When the car got closer, she recognized the silver and blue color of Tina’s Mercedes. She stopped next to the No Parking sign.
Why was she there? They hadn’t been in as much contact since she gave away Wendy’s project. Her boss should have been happy she quit. Wendy’s body stiffened as if bracing for a disaster.
She glanced over at Rob. He stood by the chuppah with his arms crossed overhis chest, watching the woman’s progress.
“Hi.” Tina offered her half a smile and gestured to the cozy scene. “This is pretty impressive, having an event like this during the week. I didn’t realize you’d be busy.”
“Hi, Tina. Is everything okay?”
Her former boss cast a sidelong glance at Rob, who hadn’t moved, but had been joined by Sebastien with an identical pose, with Massimo and Loïc behind them. “Can we go inside?”
Wendy shrugged and tossed Rob a quick smile, then led the way up the stairs. Once the wooden door closed behind them, Pearl’s mother called down from the second floor. “Wendy, do you have any extra safety pins?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll be right up.” She turned back to Tina. “I’m really busy.”
“I’ll wait. However long it takes.”
Wendy gave a curt nod and strode down the runners in the lobby on her way to the laundry room. She grabbed a handful of safety pins, then took the back staircase to the second floor to deliver them to Southern Belle. The room was filled with laughing women and tulle lying on every available surface. Pearl stood in front of the large mirror and offered Wendy a nervous laugh. “I think I lost some weight in the past couple of weeks. If I don’t pin up my dress, I’ll be flashing our guests.”
“You look beautiful.”
“Yeah?” She beamed at her reflection. “Yeah. I do.”
If Wendy didn’t get rid of Tina, she was going to look like hell when the wedding started. She marched down the blue-carpeted staircase and checked her phone. “I can give you two minutes.”
“Great. Look. I’m sorry how things turned out.”
Hearing her project given away generalized as a thing made Wendy’s mouth tighten.
“I didn’t expect you to quit. We had great ideas in store for you.”
Again, nothing concrete. And it would have been nice if they had shared. “This is something I had to do, Tina.”
“Greg isn’t functioning at the level we’d hoped. Terre Haute isn’t the same since you’ve been gone. You’ve definitely proven your worth. Take a promotion. You’ll have your own staff, can run your own projects.”
Her breath lodged in her throat while shock froze her blood. Was her boss really offering her everything she’d been working toward for years? Logic urged her to say yes before Tina could change her mind, but an image of Rob naked in her bed and giving her a sexy grin melted away all practical reasoning.
It wasn’t just that. She and Brandi were really finding their rhythm, and she owed it to her cousin to try. Now wasn’t the time to go back to how she was. “I have to go.”
The woman crossed the lobby and sat down on the chaise lounge. “I’m not leaving until you say yes.”
Where was this devotion when Wendy was putting in sixty-hour work weeks?
